The Reflective Life

I am currently reading a book by Ken Gire with the title, Seeing What is Sacred: Becoming More Sensitive to the Everyday Moments of Life. At the heart of this book is his contention that the “reflective life” is the Christian life lived in a moment by moment awareness of God’s divine presence.

In his introduction I was particularly struck with the following statement:

“We’re starved for a life that not only senses the sacred in the world around us but savors it. We’re famished for experiences that are real, relationships that are deep, work that is meaningful” [page 4].

This statement seems to encapsulate lately my experiences as a minister in the Lord. At the Lipscomb preaching conference these three things seemed to wrapped up in the theme of Exodus and deliverance. Real experiences of deliverance in our lives from the bondages of addiction, depression, etc. testify to the “pillar of smoke by day and the pillar of fire by night” presence of God daily in our lives. Deep relationships are hard to come by. Blessed is the person who has a few of them. And, we want Monday through Friday’s work experience to count for something. After all, we are putting in 40-60 hours a week. A third of our waking hours, or even more, are poured into our work. Can it possibly have meaning other than a paycheck at the end of two weeks?

If we do not live the reflective life, I see a malnourished soul, shallow relationships, and work that is drudgery. This kind of existence dulls the heart’s ability to savor the moment, remembering the purpose of it all.

Pausing to reflect on a mountain ledge at 4500 feet above sea level, listening to a contemplative CD, reflecting on the body of Christ during communion, writing a Haiku after hiking on the trail around the lake at Penuel Ridge, praying with a person who has been called to shoulder the pain of others, etc.—these are just a few of the ways that I have paused to savor, taste and reflect on God’s movement in my life.

Let us all see what is sacred by becoming more sensitive to the presence of God in everyday moments of life!
In Christian love, Curtis

Ananias and Sapphira

In our small groups we are focusing on the life of integrity. The business and work world is crying out for men and women of integrity. Business deals gone sour; financial ruin run amuck; double-speak where no one’s word means anything; moral issues no longer grounded in a theological center; personal and instant gratification allowed to dominate—all of this, and more, is evident of our culture “coming apart at the seams.”

You may recall that our last two articles centered on the idea that culture matters. It does matter because that is the context in which we live. It is easy to dismiss others in their state of lack-of-integrity and assume that all is a lost cause. But the sad thing is that often the people who exhibit the least amount of integrity are Christians!

Take the case of Ananias and Sapphira. A husband and wife team that conspired to lie and take credit for something they did not do. Speculation abounds as to what the exact nature of their motivation was. They did see the attention that Barnabas got for laying his proceeds at the apostles feet. Personal pride and a desire to be in the limelight attacks all of us. The scary thing is that at one time or another we have played out the Ananias and Sapphira in our hearts and in our decisions.

Integrity is a matter of the heart. It shows in the ways we make decisions, tell the truth and really care about others. I have come to the conclusion in watching this phenomenon occur (where Christians sometimes exhibit the least integrity) over the years that Satan knows if he can attack our integrity, then he has us in the palm of his hand.

I feel sorry for this couple. It is sad that they go down in biblical history as the couple who blew it big time and were made an example of. I don’t suppose they were an “evil” couple. No murders, no robbing, no stealing, no adultery, no worshipping other gods, none of this was on their resume. But Luke records this incident very early in the life of the infant church so that Theophilus would understand how critical personal and moral integrity is. Do we?

In Christian love, Curtis