Wise Words for Today

The disciplines of grace constitute a special arena of grace in which, through intensive personal encounter with the living God, in the presence of his Spirit and the power of His Word, our love for him is renewed and deepened, and we are further enlivened in Christ to love our neighbors as ourselves…..in the disciplines of grace, there is an intensification of God’s presence and power that comes from careful and deliberate attention to these disciplines, and that can effect dramatic and permanent change in our lives. This experience of the transforming grace of God cannnot be found anywhere else. Without it we can hardly expect to know the life-changing power of Christ in the normal course of our lives.

T.M. Moore

(from Disciplines of Grace)

Christian Mysticism and the Contemplative Dimension of Faith

Mick Turner

Few terms have been so misunderstood and maligned as the word “mysticism.” It has been taken to mean anything from astral travel to psychic divination; from communion with the dead to channeling Elvis. This trend of defining any experience that is subjective and outside the parameters of deductive reasoning as “mystical” is highly unfortunate and has robbed many sincere spiritual seekers of a source of personal experience that is both valuable and relevant to the age in which we now live. 

 The fact is that mysticism and mystical experience has been a significant part of all major spiritual traditions, both East and West, and has given rise to some of the most highly respected religious writers and teachers in history. From the perspective of the Christian Church, the mystical tradition, sometimes referred to as “contemplative,” has produced such noted personages as Francis of Assisi, John of the Cross, Theresa of Avila, Thomas a Kempis, Henry Suso, John Tauler, and Julian of Norwich, just to name a few. Within the scope of Christian history, it is safe to say that without the contemplative tradition the contemporary Church, whether Catholic or Protestant would be far less than it is today.With these thoughts in mind, I believe it is imperative that we come to understand the mystical tradition in all spiritual traditions and, for those who worship within the framework of the Christian Church, especially the contemplative tradition of Christianity. Although an in depth treatment of the subject is far beyond the scope of this short article, it is my hope that we may touch upon at least a few salient issues.

First, let us dispense with the fallacy of defining mysticism. Definitions are, by nature, a left brain phenomenon and mystical experience is largely a right brain reality. As mystics throughout the ages have attested, to wrap words around the mystical experience of union with the Divine is beyond the scope of explanation. It is like trying to capture the proverbial greased pig at the county fair. The legendary Chinese mystic Laozi said it so well in the opening lines of his classic “Dao de Jing,” – “The Dao that can be named is not the eternal Dao.”

Even though formal definition is elusive, we can describe with a degree of accuracy some of the common aspects of the mystical experience and, from that, deduce its relevance and its value. Although far from exhaustive, let’s explore these salient characteristics of mystical spirituality in general and Christian mysticism in particular: it is progressive; it is unitive; and it is transformational.

As mentioned earlier, all major religions have a mystical element within their history. No matter whether you are describing the Daoist sages, the Islamic Sufis, the Hindu Yogis, or the Christian mystics, a common element to all these traditions is the progressive nature of the mystical experience. In other words, the mystical experience deepens as the practitioner becomes more adept at his or her chosen path. In the classical tradition of the Christian mystics, the seeker progressively moved through three major stages: purgation, illumination, and union.

Briefly, the purgative stage involved the stripping away of the vestiges of the flesh or lower self in preparation for the higher aspects of the journey. In the stage of illumination, the aspirant began to have vivid glimpses of the unity of all creation and, as these experiences became deeper and more frequent, the seeker’s insight and understanding developed progressively. In the final stage, the aspirant’s spirit joined in a type of “holy matrimony” with the Spirit of God.

The stage of union, as time passed, became a “unitive reality,” meaning that the individual soul had been called into a more permanent union with the Divine. With this experience of union came “revelation.” The mystic began to see more clearly into the essence of reality and life; he or she began to see the divine whole rather than the individual, unrelated parts and with this awareness came the life-changing experience of “non-duality.” The seeker not only understood intellectually, but experience with the core of his or her being the fact that separation between God and man, self and other, us and them, were all illusions. As a result of this transcendent knowledge, the mystic was transformed.

Personal transformation was the most significant aspect of the mystical experience. The realization of non-duality had a healing impact on the mystic, realigning his or her being. Rather than being led by the intellect and the lower self (read “flesh”), the mystic now acted with the personal spirit, infused by the Spirit of God, in ascendancy.  All aspects of the seeker’s being were touched by the unitive experience, including not only the mind, but the emotions and the will as well. Although still human and fallible, the seeker now experienced a more peaceful life and relationships with others were markedly improved. After all, if there was no real separation between the mystic and others, how could there be any lasting conflict?

It is this last point that makes the path of mysticism so relevant and valuable today. Not only does the internal peace and increased understanding help a person to feel more comfortable and centered in life, the modern mystic is better able to cope with the rapid fire change that so characterizes our 21^st Century world. Further, the mystical character has always been noted for traits such as tolerance, patience, kindness, self-control, and all the other “Fruit of the Spirit” listed by Paul in the fifth chapter of the Book of Galatians.

Mysticism’s relevance and value to the contemporary Church should be obvious. The post-modern Church is fractured, fragmented, and increasingly lacking in cultural relevance. Moreover, the Body of Christ as a whole has lost track of one of its most important missions: making disciples. Enlisting converts is one thing, making disciples quite another. I think the primary reason the Church as a whole has been so woefully inadequate to this task is centered on the reality that those in teaching roles lack knowledge of the methodology of spiritual formation. A new emphasis on incorporating mystical experience into the Church would be a great contribution to rectifying this situation.

Recent trends of increasing focus on spiritual disciplines and spiritual formation are an excellent beginning and are already having positive results. However, a fresh and vital focus on the classical traditions of mystical/contemplative spirituality in Christianity will go even farther in helping Christians to learn methods that will allow believers to position themselves where they are more receptive to God’s transforming grace. The potential benefits of this are enormous.

It seems to me that one of our first small steps toward realizing this worthwhile goal is to redeem the word “mysticism.” With all due respect to those who channel Elvis, the word implies something far deeper and more valuable.

 (c) L.D. Turner 2008/All Rights Reserved

 

 

 

Wise Words for Today

If you have ever had the privilige of visiting churches in oppressed regions of the world, you often will find several common themes among them. One major theme is that the church does not exist soley for itself but is committed to worshiping God and being the body of Christ to the community, no matter what the cost. They live simple live that are not bound to materialism. They integrate both evangelism and social action and don’t think of those as separate ministries. They offer help when someone is in need, such as paying a neighbor’s electric bill or providing care for each other’s children. They are not concerned about other nations knowing about Jesus Christ. They seem to meet together all the time to pray. They love to sing to God and give thanks for who He is and all that He has done. They don’t really care what time they get out of church and hardly glance at their watches during the sermon. They give more than 25 to 35 percent of their income away to the church and the poor. They care for the orphans and widows in their own communities…..Surely this is the only model for the church that Jesus would have us all follow….

Joel Vestal

(from Dangerous Faith)

Need For Continuing Prayer For China

I have been in consistent contact with friends, relatives, and fellow belivers in China. For the most part, the people I am close with live a good distance from Sichuan Province, the area of greatest impact. The people I have talked with tell stories of tremendous suffering and loss. One friend, a teacher at a university in Chongqing, a very large city in the area, spoke of collapsed buildings and multiple injuries on his campus. I humbly ask for continued prayer for these people, especially the children and families who have suffered such tragic loss. Chinese officials are now predicting death toll in excess of 50,000.

Blessings,

Mick

Wise Words for Today

We have stopped confronting sin and helping the lost, exchanging them for comfortable conversations and happy moments, all in the name of not offending. From feel-good sermons to give-and-get messages, today’s pulpits look more like the set of Dr. Phil than the resting place for the weary. We focus soley on individual achievement and happiness - never mind the sick, the lost, the unchurched. We wind up hoping they find our building through the MapQuest link on the church Web site. We gather in circles and pray, “Bring them, Lord,” without ever realizing that we can just go get ‘em.

Craig Gross and J.R. Mahon

(from Starving Jesus)

Christian Identity and Holistic Optimism: Positive Outlook

Mick Turner

 

Here at LifeBrook Ministries we have as part of our ongoing mission statement to provide publications, materials, and programs to assist individuals and organizations to:

 

Become the optimal version of themselves for the glory of God and the sake of others.

 

After many years working with people that are sincere about living a life of excellence we have discovered many interesting things about what works with people and what doesn’t. Further, by the grace of God, we have been given enough wisdom to weed out those elements that are non-productive and, in contrast, strengthen those elements that seem to be beneficial.

 

Today, I want to talk about two principles that we have found that are absolutely essential if you want to make positive changes in your life and grow toward becoming the person God designed you to be, wants you to be, and equipped you to be. It goes without saying that there are more than two principles involved in our spiritual growth, but in the context of this brief, two-part article, let’s limit our discussion to a pair of principles that are foundational. These are: Positive Thinking and Open-Mindedness.

 

Let’s briefly explore the first principle, which can be stated this way: thought is the ancestor of action. What we do begins in our thoughts and eventually is translated into our actions. In light of this fact, if we truly wish to develop our capacities, grow more consistently with fluency and grace, and live more effective and productive lives the place we must begin is with our thinking. The formula is really quite simple. Positive thoughts translate themselves into positive actions. Negative thoughts translate into negative actions. Positive actions, in turn, promote growth and development. Negative actions result in wasted effort, stagnation, and lack of fulfillment.

 

The good news in all of this is that we are masters of our own destiny in regards to improving the level at which we live. Of course, all of us have natural limitations to our talent. However, the fact remains that we can stretch that talent much farther just by believing in ourselves and trusting that we have as a divine partner, a dynamic Spirit that will come to our aid.

 

Let me repeat the statement, “thought is the ancestor of action“. In applying biblical principles of spiritual growth we must keep this principle before us at all times. You learn to live the way you want to live when you learn to think what you want to think. It all starts in the mind. Granted, there are many things in the world that you cannot change through your thinking. But the one thing you can certainly change is yourself! So start with yourself. If you want to improve yourself remember:

 

Create your own positive thought and you become what you desire to become because the truth of the matter is that your thought creates your experience.

 

Let me repeat, it is your thoughts that determine your attitudes and it is your attitudes that determine your actions. The great American President Thomas Jefferson said it far better than I can:

 

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal. Nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.

 

More than anything else, becoming the optimal version of yourself requires a positive mental attitude at the outset. Without it, failure is guaranteed.

 

Attitude is everything. The fact is that we often defeat ourselves before we begin a project or pursue a goal. The cause of this self-defeat is negative thinking. In order to grow and develop we have to embrace a more positive outlook on life. We must incorporate into our being the firm belief that I can if I think I can. It really is as simple as that. Base your life on this belief and you will see miracles happen every day!

 

I think it is tragic that many people fail to utilize simple, spiritual principles because of just that: they seem too simple. I remember reading in the autobiography of Robert Schuller an episode regarding this issue. Shortly before he was due to graduate from seminary, young Robert had the opportunity to go to a lecture being delivered by Norman Vincent Peale. Being the brilliant young theologian that he was, Schuller relates that he felt this would largely be a waste of his time because Dr. Peale was “too simplistic.” Schuller had just completed his major graduation paper, had studied deeply in arcane theological texts, and figured he pretty much knew all there was to know. Certainly, someone who wrote things as superficial and trendy could have nothing to say that would be meaningful to someone as deep as he was.

 

After the lecture by Dr. Peale, Schuller and his classmates joked about how shallow the message was and, like all good young students of religion, believed they were just far too sophisticated to be bothering with such petty lectures. My, how interestingly God works sometimes.

 

Schuller ended up receiving mail outs from Peale’s ministry and, to make a long story short, something Peale said hit Schuller right between the eyes. Eventually, Robert Schuller in a sense became Peale’s successor. And more amazing, Schuller began writing the same kind of simplistic books that Peale did. I recall that back in the early ‘70’s, when I first read Move Ahead With Possibility Thinking I believed it was far too simplistic, sophomoric, and a complete waste of my time. After all, I had two Bachelors Degrees, a Masters Degree, and was working on a second Masters Degree. The pop psychology offered up by Schuller was far beneath my great intellect. Now I know better, thanks to the Lord.

 

I’ll get back to Dr. Schuller in the second part of this article. For whatever reasons, Robert Schuller is a controversial figure among Christians. I find this an unfortunate reality, but a reality nonetheless. Like I said, more on this later.

 

One of the greatest lessons that I have learned in my life, and learned with great difficulty I might add, is expect the best and the best will come to you. Get out of all your old negative habits of thinking and be open to new, positive patterns of affirmation. Develop a joyous and optimistic outlook on each day. Fall in love with life and live it fully. Above all, develop the habit of positive thinking. Believe in yourself! Believe in your abilities! Be confident! Be Proactive! Take the following affirmative words, by Robert Schuller actually, and plant them deep within your mind:

 

I am!

I can!

I will!

I believe!

 

This may seem very simple and, in fact, it is. Yet it is this very simplicity that makes positive thinking so powerful and profound. If you don’t believe, try it out for six months and see what happens.  In fact, why don’t you, the reader, do that. Do a bit of research on simple practices like positive thinking. Work with affirmative prayer, praying the scriptures according to the positive themes contained in the Bible, and pray for the Holy Spirit’s assistance in helping you to think more constructively and optimistically.  Give it six months and see what happens. The results will astound you!

 

In the second part of this article, we will discuss the second principle: open-mindedness.

 

© L.D. Turner 2008/All Rights Reserved

 

Wise Words for Today

Let’s be ourselves. Let’s give ourselves to God for Him to use. In the end that’s all we can offer to Him. Now that I’ve stopped trying to be someone I’m not, I’ve been making some discoveries about who I am. When I aspire to simply be myself, the Holy Spirit’s presence is most effectively released through me. My desire isn’t to imitate someone else’s Christian life, but to be the unique child of God He has created me to be.

Steve Sjogren

(from Conspiracy of Kindness)

Books That Bless: Who Stole My Church

Mick Turner

I recently finished reading Gordon MacDonald’s new book Who Stole My Church? I can say without reservation that I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was somewhat forlorn when I finished it. Every now and then I run across a book like that – one that I wish I could keep right on reading.

 

MacDonald’s book is highly relevant to what is happening in many churches throughout America these days. Reading Who Stole My Church gave me a deep appreciation of the task before our churches in general and pastors on the front line of change in particular. It can be a daunting process to steer a church through these turbulent times of transition. Most churches of over 100 members are likely to have several factions, each with its own agenda and own set of expectations. Meeting the needs of all these divergent people is, without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, an impossible proposition.

 

MacDonald has written the book in a highly readable format, one that lends itself very well to the topic. Rather than writing a standard didactic non-fiction work, the author has arranged the book in a fictional setting in which the pastor of a church is facing significant friction from a cadre of older, active members who are resistant to the changes being brought about by younger congregants with a different focus. In order to gently educate these resistant members to what is going on and why, the pastor forms a “Discovery Group” which meets on Tuesday nights to dig deeply into the matter. The group also serves as a venue where these committed church members can vent their ongoing frustrations about changes in the church. The fact that MacDonald puts the book together this way makes an otherwise difficult subject highly readable and even entertaining.

 

The book is subtitled, “What to do When the Church You Love Tries To Enter the 21^st Century.” MacDonald well understands that the future of the church lies with the younger generation, not with the older folks, no matter how loyal and committed they might be. This view is not to downplay or trivialize the needs of the older members in a church, but instead, to break through the church’s denial system and help us all see that unless the needs of the younger people come to the forefront, the church will go the way of the dinosaur. MacDonald states:

 

Any church that has not turned its face toward the younger generation will simply cease to exist. We’re not talking decades – we’re talking just a few years.

 

The author drives this point home throughout the book, usually through the voice of the pastor during the Tuesday night meetings, but also at coffee shops, the mall, and in other settings, including conversations with his wife. MacDonald also gives voice to those in resistance to these changes and does so in a way that shows he has deep insights into the nature and legitimacy of their concerns. In one chapter of the book, one of the male members of the Discovery Group is angered because he misperceives a point the pastor was making about evangelism and missions, two subjects this particular congregant is passionate about. The two meet for breakfast and, after giving this man an opportunity to express his feelings about evangelism and missions, MacDonald, through the pastor, states that times and methods are changing. Relationships and actions are more important than programs and words:

 

The difference is this. We’re in a new era where people want less of your carefully scripted evangelism sales presentation and more personal demonstration of your genuineness, your authenticity. They want to see evidence that what you believe had legs – that it does something.

 

MacDonald goes on to stress the vital importance of developing deeper relationships with people in our post-Christian culture in order to reach them. Stressing that more is now needed than the “Four Spiritual Steps,” the author states that we have to go deeper with people and allow them to see us for who we are and let our actions, not our words, demonstrate what faith in Jesus really means.

 

If you are concerned about the direction your church is taking, or if you want to gain insight into the dynamics of institutional change in a religious setting, then I would strongly suggest you read MacDonald’s book. I believe the author makes a solid contribution to helping both sides of the generational divide in today’s church gain understanding into what makes the other side tick. In the end, the book helps foster insight rather than animosity – compassion rather than conflict.

 

© L.D. Turner 2008/All Rights Reserved

 

Wise Words For Today

We’re in a new era where people want less of your carefully scripted evangelism sales presentation and more personal demonstration of your genuineness, your authenticity. They want to see evidence that what you believe has legs - that it does something. They’re not impressed with suits and ties, with empty ceremony repeated over and over, and with people who talk big but don’t deliver on their promises. Rather, they’re drawn to untrained voices in music, torn jeans, passionate emotions, and real stories. Fail there, and you lose them. Show your heart and you win them.

Gordon MacDonald

(from Who Stole My Church?)

Pray For Earthquake Victims

I humbly ask that you pray for victims of the tragic and massive earthquake that hit central China a few days back. The death toll is already over 12,000 and rising by the hour. Many victims were children. As some of you know, I worked in China for over five years and my wife is also Chinese. We have friends who were impacted by this, though none lived in the area of the epicenter. My wife’s family lives about 700 miles away and they felt the quake in their area as well but there was little damage.

Also, keep in mind that there are many Christian brothers and sisters in Sichuan Province who may be suffering loss, grief, and pain at this time. Please keep them in your prayers  if you are led to do so.

Thanks,

Mick