Lectio Divina

As a part of my day of solitude and prayer yesterday, I read the book Divine Intervention by Tony Jones. The book is about "encountering God through the ancient practice of lectio divina."

I was already somewhat familiar with lectio divina before I read this book, but I had never practiced it before and I had never been quite sure what to make of it. When I saw this book on the shelf I decided to pick it up. It seemed interesting. Plus - it was super short and you've got to love that.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with what this is let me briefly explain it as Jones does in his book.

Basically, lectio divina is an ancient method of prayer. It means "sacred reading." There are four steps: Lectio (a selection or reading from the Bible), Meditatio (thinking over or meditation), Oratio (speaking or praying), and Contemplatio (contemplation).

Each step is actually a bit more detailed. But, that's the super simplified version. The bottom line is that it's a way to read God's Word, pray, and hear from God.

After reading the book, I decided to try out lectio divina for myself. It was actually pretty cool. I have to admit, it does seem like a good way to focus on God's Word and to clear your mind of distractions that many times drown out God's voice and what He's trying to say to you.

The only thing that bothers me is the fact that my entire knowledge of lectio divina comes from a newer book that is 100 pages long. I'm sure there are tons of things written about this practice that shed light on it in a whole new way. I'll have to dive into it more to see what I really think.

But, at this point, I am glad to have God open my eyes to some important scripture yesterday and for Him to speak to me through it. No matter what "method" of prayer or Bible study you use, I hope you find your time with God as rewarding/challenging as I always do.

My World View

Over the past year, I have found myself more concerned with humanitarian issues than I ever have been before. That being said, I feel like I should make clear that my previous concern with those issues has been next to nothing. So, to say I am more concerned isn't saying much. It's not that I don't care about people who are hurting, it's just that as I look back on my life I realize that I've done very little to actually do anything for people who are in horrible situations.

As I said, though, over the past year I've been thinking about this stuff more and more. I've been reading about it more. I've been noticing reports on TV more. I've been hearing people talk about it more. I don't know if this is because this stuff is actually being discussed more, or if it's because my eyes and ears are more open. But, whatever the case, I have felt the need to act.

I read an interesting story on nfl.com last week. When I was very young I was always amazed that the machines that make t-shirts and hats were so fast that within seconds of victory the winning team was wearing appearal that declared them as champions. As I got older, and smarter, I realized that obviously shirts and hats were pre-made for both teams. Duh! But, while some of the clothes were being passed out after the game, the other clothes were left in the boxes.

This brought me to a question, though. What happened to the unused shirts, hats, etc.? I always assumed the shirts that had been printed (that were now wrong) must be thrown away in some secret dumpster, never to see the light of day.

When I read that the NFL had donated the Patriots shirts to World Vision, I was actually surprised. I have been impressed with World Vision's humanitarian work. Last summer I participated in the "Step Into Africa - AIDS Experience." It was super powerful. If this exhibit comes to a city near you, I highly recommend you walk through. I couldn't walk away from that exhibit without sponsoring a child who lives in a community deeply affected by AIDS in Ethiopia. I am glad to hear that the NFL didn't let a few hundred t-shirts go to waste. It would have been easy for them to throw them away - no big deal. But, then again, most of us can't imagine a life where receiving a single t-shirt improves our situation.

My point is this: Too often I walk through life - doing and not doing certain things - without even giving a second thought to how my actions (or lack of action) are actually contributing to a humanitarian crisis in some other part of the world. I hope that all of us who have been given so much will begin to be willing to purposefully live in a way that eliminates crisis.

Bodies - "Very Good"

Christy and I decided to check out Bodies...The Exhibition at the Cincinnati Museum Center this past weekend.

I know there is some controversy surrounding this exhibit. Many people have questions about whether or not something of this nature is appropriate based on different religious and personal beliefs.

While I think that discussion is important and interesting, I want to take this time to focus on something different - what I walked away thinking as I left the museum.

I have never been a person who is super interested in the human body. First of all, I can be a bit squeamish when it comes to blood, injuries, and exposed internal organs. I wouldn't call my feelings toward these things a phobia and I think there are a lot of people who are much more squeamish than I am around that stuff. But, being in the presence of those things definitely isn't my favorite thing.

Also, I think my lack of interest in Human Anatomy can be proven by the grade I received in the Human Anatomy class I took in High School. To this day I have no idea why I chose that science class instead of Biology 2 or Chemistry. Maybe I didn't enroll in Biology 2 because I knew I would be sick when they forced me to disect a cat. Maybe I didn't enroll in Chemistry because of my lack of interest in everything related to that study. I don't know. I am sure that I assumed Human Anatomy would be the easiest of the three choices I had. I was wrong, though. I found it impossible to memorize all the details of all the different bodily systems. Not to mention I hated the units where we had to draw the blood of our classmates and test our own urine (I'm serious, we did that).

Anyway, as I was saying, I've never been a big fan of studying the human body. But, as I've grown older I have to say that the topic has become more intriguing to me. It probably has a lot to do with my own minor health issues that I deal with from time to time. I have begun to realize that the bodies that we have need to be taken care of (as hard as that is to do). It's amazing to me that our bodies work as well as they do for as long as the do!

So, to see the inner workings of a human body in such an upclose and real way was unbelieveable. To see the nervous system and the circulatory system in all their detail - crazy! To see the smallest bones in the body (from the inner ear) - wild! To see the whole body working together to achieve life to the fullest - amazing!

I am sure I am sounding like a promotional ad for the exhibit. But really, I am not trying to talk anyone into attending. I simply wanted to point out that as a Christ follower, I sometimes forget something. While it is true that I never forget who created me, I often forget how amazing this creation is.

Psalm 139 reads:

"Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
You formed me in my mother's womb.
I thank you, High God - you're breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvously made!
I worship in adoration - what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
You know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
How I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

Christy and I read that scripture before we entered the museum. I thought about it the whole time I was observing the exhibits. I wrote it in the guest book we could sign as we left the museum. I will never skim through Psalm 139 again, only catching bits and pieces here and there. I now, in my limited human way, am able to grasp why God said, "Very good," when he created man.

Tax Time Is Here!

I am not quite sure why I wrote the title of this post in a way that indicates excitement. In reality, tax time is my least favorite time of the year and I dread it with every ounce of my soul. In fact, the only thing that I can think of that I dread more is going to the dentist. And now I don't even mind that too much because I found an awesome place to go (Advance Family Dentistry - http://advanceddentist.e-siteworks.com/home/). They have a sign up in their office that states "The best compliment that we can receive from you is a referral." So, AFD, consider yourself complimented.

The problem with tax time is that not only do I find it extremely complicated, but I also seem to always end up paying more than I expected or doing something wrong along the way. I actually have a great tax guy who has helped me a ton - but even he can't save me from my inevitable goof ups that I seem to pull off without even realizing that I am doing anything wrong at all.

Let me give you examples from the past and the present.

I moved to Ohio from Virginia in March of 2005. When it came time to pay 2005 taxes in April of 2006 (see - even that confuses me), I got a statement in the mail from Virginia explaining that one of the many taxes that I owed them was the tax that they impose on their citizens for owning a vehicle. Yes, every year in Virginia you are taxed on the car you drive. I think the amount you pay is based on where you live in Virginia and the type of car it is, but I could be wrong about that (actually, the chances are pretty good that I am wrong about that). Anyway, since I lived in Virginia for 2 1/2 months at the beginning of 2005, I owed them.

What was shocking to me was that I owed them for 12 months - the full year! I asked them why. After all, my car was only in that state for less than 3 months. They explained that it didn't matter. Actually, they told me that while some counties in Virginia are able to process payments for the exact amount of time you lived in that county, the county that I owed the tax to did not yet have that option available. So, I would therefore be charged for the entire year. Whether or not that is true, I have no idea. But, like a good citizen, I paid the stupid tax.

Well, this is what is happening in the present. Today, I received in the mail a "Notice Of Assessment" from - Guess Where? - the Commonwealth of Virginia. This document informed me that I owed Virginia money from the tax year 2004. "2004," you ask? That's right! Not only was that 4 years ago - but I personally have not lived in Virginia since 2005!

So curious was I about this most recent development in my life as a tax payer that I gave Virginia a call. They explained to me that their computers had recently discovered that I was given too large a refund in 2004. Therefore, I have to pay them back - with interest!

Oh, that seems fair.

You might think I am joking. But the sad reality is that I am not. I was also informed of some other fun facts.

Fact #1 - It was also explained to me that there is no statute of limitations on past bills. If fact, they have past due bills that go all the way back to the 1970's.

Fact #2 - In the amount of time that it takes me to get together the paperwork and proof to appeal this charge, interest will continue to accrue.

Fact #3 - Every state operates 4 years behind when comparing the state returns with the federal returns for individuals. And, in reality, it is not actually operating "4 years behind" but it is "normal."

Fact #4 - The south will rise again.

Because of my intense dislike of tax season, I usually prefer to make it as short of a season as possible. I'll devote a week or less to actually hitting it hard and "doing my taxes." But, thanks to the Commonwealth, tax season for Jake has now been extended to many weeks of suffering and anxiety.

I'm not going down without a fight, though. I know I am supposed to give to Caesar what is Caesar's. But, I don't think this chunk of change is Caesar's. And, my Caesar isn't Virginia. Ok, now I am just confusing myself again. What does that even mean?

Did I mention I dread tax time?

The Launch Of The Pursuit

Click on The Pursuit link to the right to read about their amazing first Sunday!

Casper The Friendly Atheist

A couple weeks ago I began reading the book Jim & Casper Go To Church by Jim Henderson and Matt Casper. The book, in which Jim (a believer) and Matt (an atheist) travel around the country attending various churches, is described as a "frank conversation about faith, churches, and well-meaning Christians."

There are many things about this book that are appealing to me. The concept is great. The insights from both Jim and Matt are interesting. The ideas that Jim lays out about connecting with people and building relationships are important thoughts to apply to your life. The lessons to be learned from their experiences are priceless. The discussion and debate (that will no doubt arise from reading the book) about how to "do church" is invaluable.

But, I do have one fear. Believers so often quickly buy into whatever is the newest way of doing/being the church. We read the newest book on church growth, and we immediately implement what it teaches. We go to a conference, and as soon as we are back in our office we begin to put into place whatever it was that our favorite Christian celebrity preached. Obviously, most of what we read and most of what we are taught is not bad. But we fail to step back and really think about how it applies to our unique situations.

We don't ask ourselves if it fits into the culture of our church and our community. We don't stop to think about whether or not our leaders and volunteers are wired in a way that will line up with someone else's ideas. We forget that the churches that we perceive as "successful" probably didn't use someone else's model to get where they are. They more than likely created their own model (through much prayer and discernment) that would fit their leaders, volunteers, culture, and community.

Back to Jim & Casper...my fear is that church leaders will read this book and think, "Wow, I need to do everything that Matt Casper suggests so that my church will be appealing to non-believers." But here's the thing, Matt Casper is not speaking for every atheist in America. I think there is a ton to learn from Matt's observations. But, I also think that church leaders need to stop letting the books they read do all the work for them and start putting their own effort into figuring out how to reach the communities in which they live with the love of Jesus.

Yes, there are some definite lessons to be learned from Jim & Casper. I, personally, learned a lot about how to relate to people and how to shift from "defending the faith" to "defending the space" (read the book). But instead of simply doing everything that Matt Casper suggests, I think it would be more beneficial for me to find out what the "Caspers" in my own community think and go from there.

I encourage you to check out the book. More importantly, though, I encourage you to open your eyes to the culture of the community in which you live. What are the needs? How can you meet those needs?

New In 2008 - Guitar Lessons!

Over the years I have been asked many times if I would be willing to give guitar lessons. I always answer with a quick, "No!"

I think people ask me about lessons for a variety of reasons. One reason I believe they ask me about lessons is because they think that since my wife plays the piano and teaches the piano it's only natural that since I play the guitar I must be able to teach the guitar. I also think that most people, after hearing me play, assume that I must have enough knowledge of the instrument to be able to teach it. And finally, I think that there are even a few people who have never heard me play, but just assume that since I own a guitar I must be very good at it.

I honestly have never felt qualified to give guitar lessons, though. When I was a teen, my guitar teacher tried very hard to teach me scales and theory, but I was not interested in going that route. I just wanted the fast and easy track. All he had to show me was where to put my fingers on the neck and I was happy. I didn't care why they went there, I just wanted to rock!

Looking back on that attitude, I am very disappointed in myself. To this day, I still am not nearly as comfortable with guitar theory as I think I should be. When it comes down to it, my attitude has contributed to the fact that I am strictly a rhythm guitar player. I love playing guitar this way, but the down side is that I can do very little outside of those parameters.

My point is that I think that a music teacher needs to be held to a high standard. Music teachers should understand theory. They should be able to quickly name how many sharps and flats are in each key. They should be able to play any scale without hesitation. They should be able to answer any question that comes their way. I know a little about all that stuff, but I have never thought that I knew enough to teach.

How can I teach someone else to play a scale if I can't play it?
How can I explain what key a song is in if I can't remember how many flats are in the key?
How can I teach someone a chord if I don't know what the chord is myself?

Then I had a revelation! I can teach from a book! I don't have to come up with every little detail on my own. My knowledge, experience, and teaching ability, combined with an organized method of learning, can make for a very successful lesson - especially for a beginner guitar student.

So, I've researched the materials that are out there. I've narrowed it down to a few that I think are good. I've started to hang up flyers and I've worked out some blocks of time in my schedule. Now, all I need are students. I am focused on beginners. I believe I can start them off on the right track. Once they reach a certain level, they will certainly want to graduate to a new teacher who can take them further. But, until that time, I will be there to steer them in the right direction.

For all those interested, The Jake Follis School Of Rock is open for business!