A Spiritual Mentors Helps Us Make the Most of Solitude

In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. Simon and his companions searched for Him; they found Him and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” Mark 1:35-37
And He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest awhile.” (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) Mark 6:31

INTRO: Last week I asked you to sent me questions you might want to ask a spiritual mentor, if you had one

I appreciate the responses I received
– I’ll walk through one of them the way I think a mentor might approach it

After greetings and exchanging pleasantries, the mentor and disciple settle into silent prayer
– they do this to still their hearts and minds and turn their whole attention to God
– then the mentor requests the help of God’s Spirit and prays they will be sensitive to his voice

Disciple: I’ve been applying myself to discovering what lies in the depth of the moment, but I also want to know what God intends for the years of my life
Mentor: Interesting. Could you fill that out a little for me?
Disciple: While I’ve been learning to be more aware of how God is present to me in the present moment, I also want to be able to see the horizon.
Mentor: You mean, the big picture of your life? Your purpose?
Disciple: Yes, sort of.
Mentor: You know, God rarely gives us the details.
Disciple: I understand. But what’s his overall design? How can I become a better partner in the process?
Mentor: Think of what you’re asking. You want to know how the clay can assist the potter. Well, be as compliant as possible–be plastic, flexible.
Disciple: Okay, let me put it this way: I can see God’s will up close, but I want to improve my distance eyesight.
Mentor: What does your heart tell you? Listen to it. What is its spiritual longing?
Disciple: It’s longing, right now, is to have a better grasp on the remainder of my life and what God wants to do with it. How can I devote it most fully to a life in the Spirit?
Mentor: Well, you don’t need to know what the divine Artist has in mind to live fully or love fully. But a primary ingredient to a full spiritual life is learning to trust. Trust that God knows what he wants for you, that he is working on it in the everyday circumstances of your life, and that he will get you there. God rarely lays out his whole will for us in advance. Rather, he works it out in our life day by day and we come to know his will by living it. We say Yes to his big plan that spans our entire life in faith, but we say Yes to his will today in obedience.
Disciple: But how can I say Yes to his future if I don’t know what it is? If I don’t know what he is inviting me to?
Mentor: I have three recommendations for you. First, look for God’s invitation in the present moment. You will find that it usually comes with an RSVP. Second, you ask yourself, “Am I looking for the subtle movements of the Spirit in my everyday activities?” God’s grace is at work even in our worst situations. Can you discern a pattern? Third, ask, “What do I love with a pure love? What am I passionate about with a pure passion?” Continue reading →

A Spiritual Mentor and Humility

He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justice, to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8

INTRO: A little background

Micah lived in a society living on the brink of ruin
– the normal business practice was to rip-off customers and lie to them (10-11)
• although people were getting rich, they were already suffering the curse of discontent

You will eat, but you will not be satisfied . . . You will sow but you will not reap . . . etc. (vv. 14-5)

– and a worse fate was coming (v. 16)

Micah asks what can be done about this – for himself and his nation
– “How can I get right with God? Get back on track? What kind of sacrifice would fix this?”
– he begins with the standard sacrifices, but jumps to wild exaggerations
• “thousands of rams . . . ten thousand rivers of oil”
• and the ultimate, “my firstborn son”

The answer had been there all along – sacrifice doesn’t change anyone
– it comes down to the kind of people they are and the lives they live
• do justice – personal: the way they do business and “conduct their affairs”
• love kindness – social: the way they treat others, show mercy
○ demand justice of yourself, but show mercy to others (reverses our typical order)
• walk humbly – spiritual: the way they connect with God
○ it’s this third part I want us to think about today

A spiritual mentor helps us learn and live humility

Continue reading →

A Spiritual Mentor and Surrender to God’s Will

And those who were with me saw the light, to be sure, but did not understand voice of the One who was speaking to me. And I said, “What shall I do, Lord?” Acts 22:9-10

INTRO: Is Paul’s story the classic model of surrender?

He was at war with God – in Paul’s case, his religious fanaticism was the cause of their conflict
– for Paul to surrender, he had to be knocked down – broken
• for his eyes to be opened, he had to be blinded
– when he tells his story later, adds a line

Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you  to kick against the goads (Acts 26:11)

• the goad was a long pole used to prod oxen when they resisted the harness
• “What shall I do, Lord?” — at this point Paul stopped fighting Jesus
– but this isn’t God’s only strategy – it’s only one way some people are brought to surrender

A spiritual mentor helps us learn to surrender to God’s will

In fact, a mentor can greatly assist us this area of development
– we have to find our way through it individually
• surrender comes more easily for some
• there are people who panic at the idea of surrendering control — or the illusion of control Continue reading →

A spiritual mentor will help us discern the will of God

And He was giving orders to them, saying, “Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” Mark 8:15

INTRO: We live too far from the times of Jesus to be shocked by this warning

Imagine I said, “Watch out! Beware the leaven of the Evangelicals”
– most people assumed the Pharisees were doing religion the way it was supposed to be done
• they were the trusted authorities on the Torah and religious issues for the common folk
– but Jesus is telling the disciples, “Their influence will not take you to the same place that I’m leading you”
• leaven in his teaching: only takes a little, permeates, and has significant effects (Mt. 13:33)

Mark doesn’t tell us what Jesus meant by “leaven”
– Matthew says it was their “teaching,” Luke says “hypocrisy”
• perhaps Mark intended for us to take the challenge and discern what Jesus meant
• a “test” to see if our eyes see and our ears hear
– the point is, there were problems that Jesus wanted his disciples to avoid

We have begun to examine the role of a spiritual mentor
– one of their most important services is to discern and to help us discern God’s will

When I decided to address spiritual mentors, I put discernment on the list

But at the time, it was only a topic – an important one and much discussed, but not something I was passionate about
– then, Tuesday night I got a phone call that turned me around Continue reading →

Spiritual Mentoring And Our Prayer Life

But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Matthew 6:6-8

INTRO: If John Howell is not here when we meet on Sunday, it’s because his church that morning is on a mountainside (or valley), usually in the Sierras, Sequoias, or a local mountain or desert

He frequently posts breath-taking photos of pristine lakes and sharp-edged mountains outlined against a blue sky background
– it is as if through his photographs you can feel his sense of awe and worship
– but his arduous hikes require proper gear, education, training and experience
• some of his challenging climbs he uses to prepare himself for more difficult ascents

There is a biblical precedent for using mountain climbing as a metaphor for spiritual growth
– both Moses and Elijah had God-encounters when they ascended Mount Sinai
• Jesus delivered his most famous sermon on a mountain, prayed on a mountain, was transfigured on a mountain, and gave his life on Mount Calvary
– God has called us to venture on a spiritual journey with him
• I’ve come to see that the point of this journey is not to reach a destination in this life
• it’s about what we learn and become along the way
– the journey is where our faith is tested and formed, hope is established, and our love is deepened Continue reading →

Spiritual Mentors

I ill instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;
I will counsel you with My eye upon you.
Don’t be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding,
Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check,
Otherwise they will not come near you. Psalm 32:8-9

INTRO: If you got to choose a spiritual mentor, that is to say, someone who would help you grow in God,

Would you prefer:
– Moses (the law-giver)? Elijah (the miracle-worker)? or Paul (the theologian and mystic)?
– why?

Christianity began as a relationship between a mentor and his mentees
– of course, Jesus was more than a mentor to disciples, he was their Savior and Lord
• but how fortunate for them, to have their Savior and Lord for their mentor
– what kind of spiritual help did he give them?
• the list is long, but he especially provided insight and guidance in response to their requests and questions
○ “Lord, teach us to pray,” “Why could we not cast it out,” “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must first come,” etc.

Keeping in step with the flow of western history, through the centuries Christian theologians put increasing emphasis on the rational side of the faith
• mentors were replaced by educators, pastors became professors,
○ and in some circles, there was more information than transformation
○ the life of the mind eclipsed the life of the spirit
– but to go forward with just the mind, eventually dries up the soul
• that is why lots of Evangelical Christians are looking for spiritual mentors rather than awesome Bible teachers
• they want personal assistance in finding a richer, truer life with Christ Continue reading →

Words to Take With Us Into the New Year

Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves were for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. Revelation 22:1-4

INTRO: Have you ever been so engrossed in a book or a movie, that when you put the book down or left the theater, a residue of strong emotions lingered for awhile?

It’s as if we’re still caught up in the action of the story and the experience of the characters
– but those feelings quickly go away
– that’s because they’re not reality
• they contain nothing that we have to deal with, nothing helpful

People who have had near death experiences say entering heaven is like putting aside a book or leaving a theater
Michael Herbert, “Upon returning from heaven, I felt as if I was taken from real life and reduced to the dimension of a shadow . . .”
Dr. Alexander, “Though I didn’t know where I was or even what I was, I was absolutely sure of one thing: this place I’d suddenly found myself in was completely real.”
– they describe heaven as real, and full of the beauty that brings us pleasure, yet amplified
– everything that causes distress, fear, or pain is gone

. . . and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away (Rev. 21:4)

If we condensed all of heaven’s wonders into one statement, it would be the line in verse 4, “they will see His face”

We have really butchered the Book of Revelation Continue reading →

The Fourth Advent Candle

The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them. Luke 2:20

INTRO: Yesterday Barb and I were walking Kona in San Clemente

When we came to the pier, there were a lot of other people milling around. I noticed three boys in particular, about junior high school age walking toward us. Just then, a large palm branch fell from the top of one of the trees and crashed on a roof nearby, startling everyone. Immediately one of the boys yelled “It’s 12-21-12!” — the date the world was supposed to end according to calculations based on an ancient Mayan caldendar.

Friday’s apocalypse turned out to be yet another dud
– remember Y2K predictions? or the wild-eyed predictions of Harold Camping last year?

However, on December 25th, something world-changing will happen–again
– in our hearts and in our homes

We hear the shepherd’s story every year

So it seems like it happens again and again – we’re familiar with it
– it feels natural, even if in a fairy-tale sort of way
– but it was not natural for them!
• they were visited by angels only this one time in their lives
• this had never happened before in the lives of their ancestors and it never happened again in the lives of their descendants Continue reading →

The Third Advent Candle

And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the Highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased” Luke 2:13-14

The LORD has established His throne in the heavens,
And His sovereignty rules over all.
Bless the LORD, you His angels,
Mighty in strength, who perform His word,
Obeying the voice of His word! Psalm 103:19-20

But to which of the angel has [God] said,
“Sit at My right hand,
Until I make Your enemies
A footstool for Your feet?”
Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation? Hebrews 1:13-15

INTRO: In the summer of 1998, the Real Irish Republican Party detonated a car bomb in a town in Northern Ireland that killed twenty-nine people and injured more than 200

It’s brutality stunned Ireland and Great Britain
• in response to loss of innocent lives, Bono, lead singer of U2, composed a haunting melody and penned the following lines:

(Peace On Earth)
Heaven on Earth, we need it now
I’m sick of all of this hanging around
Sick of sorrow, sick of the pain
I’m sick of hearing again and again
That there’s gonna be peace on Earth
Jesus can you take the time
To throw a drowning man a line
Peace on Earth
To tell the ones who hear no sound
Whose sons are living in the ground
Peace on Earth
Jesus sing a song you wrote
The words are sticking in my throat
Peace on Earth
Hear it every Christmas time
But hope and history won’t rhyme
So what’s it worth
This peace on Earth Continue reading →