Category Archives: Spiritual Formation

February 9, 2024 · 1:30 pm

Climbing to New Heights

During the Season of Lent (the 40 days, plus Sundays leading up to Easter) that begins this year on February 14th – Ash Wednesday, I plan to share a preaching emphasis I’m calling “Mountain Top Experiences”. Maybe you’ve had one of these experiences before? Usually we think of them as “high points” in faith where we may have been inspired, encouraged or given a sense of purpose or direction that is very clear. Traditionally, mountain top experiences come within the Christ following journey through welcome things like a week at church camp, a spiritual retreat experience, or going on a short-term mission trip. They can also happen via a dream or vision, or as part of a unique worship encounter when you are aware of being in the presence of the Holy One. As I look back on my life I can recall a few different mountain top experiences that fit these qualities. My life was enriched and in some way shaped or formed through each of them.

But mountain top experiences, in a spiritual sense do not always have to be euphoric and celebratory. The Bible is also filled with mountain top experiences that were very trying, tests of faith, results of disappointment, and even confrontational. What they share in common with their more joyous cousins is an outcome that is formative, with the capacity to redirect one’s life. I’m thinking of Abraham who takes Isaac up Mt Moriah where his faith is tested. Or how about Moses on Mt. Nebo overlooking the land he’d labored to lead a nation to for forty years, only to be denied entry himself. Then there’s Elijah, on Mt. Carmel in direct conflict with the prophets of Baal and their sponsors, King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. None of those mountain top experiences would’ve had lines of folks waiting to participate. 

Jesus journeys in and around many of these same mountains we read about in the Scriptures. He knew the stories and understood their significance. And he added some of his own mountain top encounters to the Biblical narrative. His “sermon on the mount” may be a collection of his most well-known teachings. His trip to the Mt of Olives was preparatory to his passion. And, of course, the Hill called Mt. Calvary was climactic in His mission.

Some people are ocean people, some like lakes and rivers, give me mountains any day. Their very contours and landscapes speak. They stand as obstacles, challenges and destinations. They offer us their own lessons if we will listen. They are places of epiphany and discovery, where mystery can be revealed and yet still retain much of its unknowns. They are meeting places between heaven and earth. When we climb them (literally or figuratively) they sculpt and chisel our lives and stories a bit, leaving us changed. 

That’s my hope in sharing this series of messages on narratives that involve mountains. May they be used to once again shape, mold, sculpt and form us as we continue the journey with Jesus. 

*If you are interested in following along, my Sunday messages are shared via Youtube on the First Marion Baptist channel, generally made available by Sunday afternoon or evening.  This series will begin on Feb. 11th with the message “The Mountain of Revelation” on Mark 9:2-9.

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December 15, 2023 · 10:16 am

The Gift of Reconsideration

Joseph gets a minor amount of attention in the birth story of Jesus, appearing in Matthew 1:18-25. In today’s vernacular we would say he has the part of a supporting actor. Mary, with justification, carries the lead, and the baby Jesus himself supplants all others upon his arrival. Nonetheless, I’ve often felt Joseph deserving of a little more press. 

He appears to be a stable presence in the lives of Mary and Jesus. He is described in Matthew as “just” or “righteous”. I would suggest him to also have been kind, merciful or generous. Why? By rights Joseph could have caused Mary a lot of trouble when he learned of her pregnancy, and knew he wasn’t responsible. A betrothed woman accused of adultery could have been publicly tried and even stoned to death according to Duet. 22:23ff. Yet, even before his dream with its angelic visit, Joseph had in mind not to do this. Instead he planned to give Mary a writ of divorce in a quiet manner, releasing them from their bond to an unknown future. 

Sure, this action may appear somewhat self-serving, as it washed Joseph’s hands of any more involvement, and would have surely exposed Mary – a young unwed mother to economic and social heartache. But wasn’t there something more in Joseph than just self-preservation? He does appear to be thinking of Mary, despite the disappointment he may have felt upon learning of her pregnancy.

The dream, of course, changes everything! It causes Joseph to reconsider the situation, and to reconsider his actions. It moves him from “giving up” to being “all in” with Mary in this divine assignment that’s come their way. Upon hearing of Jesus’ identity and divine origin, Joseph “did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.” This does appear to be the action of a “just” and “righteous” man. Rather than abandon his betrothed he embraces her and the unknown future they both now enter. 

A key line in the Matthean telling of Joseph’s story comes in verse 21: She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus.” In Jewish custom it was the father’s role to name a child. We see that in the prior story of John’s birth, when at eight days old in the dedication and naming ceremony Zechariah is consulted as to the unexpected name of “John” being offered for his son. Though Elizabeth had spoken it, Zechariah as the father was the one to affirm it. 

So, when Joseph names Mary’s baby “Jesus”, as the angel had commanded, it’s as though he’s adopting this child. Joseph is assuming the role he’s been chosen for, alongside Mary who had also been found to have “favor” with God. Joseph will go on to influence and shape Jesus’ understanding of a father. Yet none of this would have happened had Joseph not found the capacity to reconsider. 

“Reconsideration” is not an especially faith known word, but maybe it should be. It has some kinship to “mercy” and “grace”. It’s about taking a fresh look, thinking it over, and offering a second chance. Those are actions oft associated with faith. Joseph is the latest in a long line of Biblical folk to offer this gift. His life is a foreshadowing of what a difference the Gospel can make.

Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds…”. I submit that Joseph allowed his mind to be renewed through the dream, which led him to rethink his actions and offer all of us who follow Jesus the gift of reconsideration. 

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October 13, 2023 · 4:30 pm

Rocky Mountain High

When I was about 15 years old I got an acoustic guitar for Christmas. Using a John Denver song book I taught myself to play some basic chords (G,C,D) and commenced my season of life as a troubadour of folk music – ala JD. This was also my song writing chapter of life, which lasted about four to five years and mostly revolved around aspirations to live in the Rocky Mountains. I figured if it was good enough for John, it would be good for me.

In fairness, it wasn’t the folk music alone that drew me west. There had been a couple of family vacations where I was exposed to the American west and the Rockies in particular. Perhaps the best such vacation occurred one year when, due to some mechanical vehicular concerns, our plans changed and we spent an entire week in Rocky Mountain National Park. I loved it! We camped, hiked, picnicked, hiked, went to campfire ranger talks, hiked and just enjoyed the beauty of that place.

A couple of years later, as I graduated high school, I pitched taking a summer job in RMNP to my parents. That idea went nowhere, but it illustrated the magnetism the mountains held for me. Years later my family would know a closer proximity to mountains as we lived for a brief time in the Pacific Northwest. One of the true blessings of that time was a view out my office window, on a clear day, that featured Mt. Rainier in the distance. Indeed the view scape of the Cascade Range, mirrored to the west by the Olympic range is hard to beat.

Several family vacations have taken us back west, and back to RMNP, including just this past week. We have a son and daughter-in-law who now make their home in Denver (maybe it’s in the genes?) and enjoy the beauty and adventure the Colorado outdoors has to offer. It’s always good to reconnect with them, and the landscapes they love, and to be able to see and hear about life in the mountain west through their experiences.

Psalm 121:1-2 says, I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and the earth.

This psalm has long been a favorite and captures my image of God as Creator. Oceans are great, and have their vast beauty, but for me it’s mountains that speak to God’s grand design. They stand as vast sentinels pointing upward, bearing witness to the One who called them forth. Time in the mountains, for me, is soul settling. It offers a reset, causing one to consider the finitude of one’s life in contrast to the magnitude of God’s grandeur.

Here’s how my 15 or 16 year old self once wrote & sang about these things: I dream of the mountains, the life that I long for; my quest for the freedom to climb to the sky. They tower above me in beauty and splendor, their greatness and stillness I see with my eye.
Yes God made the mountains and forest below them, the lakes and the streams that are part of the sights. So when I am in them, I’ll give God the glory and thanks for the wonder and majestic heights.

For the mountains are God’s work, the display of the Artist, they are part of creation reaching up to the sky. And since God made the mountains, in all of their beauty, who can picture the heavens we’ll see when we die?

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August 10, 2023 · 6:38 pm

Thoughts from an August Garden

It has happened again! My garden has suffered a collision with the month of August. Allow me to explain. During the early Spring months I look forward to planting the annual vegetable and flower gardens on our property. I usually plan things out, sometimes even drawing out a sketch of how and where to plant things. I evaluate where plants were last year, how they did, how things could be improved, what takes up the most room, what needs protection from nibbling varmits, etc. Then comes the fun part – preparing the soil, planting the seed, transplanting the plants and watching things take root and grow.

Things usually go swimmingly up until August. I enjoy the ongoing cultivation, don’t even mind the weeding, and certainly have fun inviting the grandsons in to help with the harvest of various fruits and vegetables. Youngest grand Jon loves to help water, and oldest grand Oliver has long been a garden buddy. They each take joy, Elliott included, in carrying a fresh squash or tomato into their Lolly or Momma. But come August, after days of sweltering heat, periods of no rain – and, to be honest a little neglect on my part – the garden looks a bit sad.

Here’s the current state of things this August, as well as a recounting of the season thus far:

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July 27, 2023 · 3:46 pm

Becoming an Apprentice in the Jesus Way of Life

According to the Cambridge Dictionary an apprentice is “someone who has agreed to work for a skilled person for a particular period of time in order to learn that person’s skills”. Merriam Webster adds, that an apprenticeship is “an arrangement in which someone learns an art, trade, or job under another”.

Skilled trades often come to mind when I think about someone who is an apprentice or serving an apprenticeship – trades like carpenters, plumbers and electricians. But what if we were to think of our life in Christ, our life of discipleship in the terms of apprenticeship? Could such an understanding bring a freshness or new energy and eagerness to how one endeavors to follow Jesus?

I’m not sure that “disciple” or “discipleship” are completely overused or worn out terms, or that they carry the negative connotation for some Christ followers, and pre-Christians as say the word “evangelism”. But, both words are oft used in the church and Christ following circles. How many times in a sermon have you heard the word “disciple” used? Or, how many times is “discipleship” a topic of a prayer or a devotional writing you may participate in? (Maybe you should count?) Sometimes a new or different word causes us to pay attention in a new or fresh way. Thinking about being an apprentice of Jesus has done this for me.

What works in this understanding is that following Jesus has always been about a way of life. When Jesus was first approached by a couple of the disciples of John, curious about this one John had identified as the “Lamb of God”, Jesus invites them to “come and see” where he is staying? It’s a way of saying, come and try this out, follow me, learn from me. Certainly there must have been information and teaching shared, the didactic part of discipleship, but that’s not what is most obvious about their following Jesus. What’s most obvious is that they spent time with him, literally shared life with him, watched and learned from him, maybe even began to imitate the things he said and did. They became his apprentices.

Somewhere in its history the church turned discipleship away from this “way of life” approach toward more and more of a cognitive, what we believe, approach. Doctrine overtook praxis as the definitive marker of discipleship. We worried more about what we thought, than how we acted. We heard Jesus say, “love one another as I have loved you”, but turned that into a doctrine of loving your neighbor verses a way of life steeped in the practice of loving those who are our neighbor.

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