Recovering the Sacred Parts of Life – Work

Posted on January 21, 2012, 5:26 pm, by Stephen FitzMaurice and received No Comments ».

 

My two heroes as a child, Garfield (the fat cat) and my church pastor, summed up my philosophy on life. Food and laying around the house coupled with loving God made for the ideal lifestyle. Drink, eat, play and have spiritual encounters were my favorite tasks, still holding great appeal for me today. But at some point I grew up: I started working. At first, I worked in the church: not so much work, lots of time “in church.” It fit. But for a number of reasons, including my own immaturity at the time, I am no longer involved in church “work”. Now I work for real, no joke, 60-90 hours a week, work.

Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Father are still the same. They hold all the appeal they did to me as a child, even more so today. I don’t have much time for them, or so I think. Certainly, the demands of the day occupy more of my mind leaving less room for other thoughts. However, my relationship with the Trinity cannot be measured “thought time.” It is a complex equation involving every part of myself. For instance, if my mind is consumed by the idea of selling a house (my occupation) I only need to “tithe” a part of that time to thanking God for the business, trusting him with the results, or asking him what is the best ethical approach to the situation. My body may be driving a car to my next appointment and my primary focus on the street signs and cars I’m driving next to, but I can “tithe” a part of my body’s attention to the beauty I see around me, rejoicing in God for his sustaining and creative power. I think you get the idea.

It is common to hear parents speak of quality time instead of quantity time with their children, those parents who are bi-vocational and must both work and raise their offspring. If you have ever seen A Beautiful Life, the story of a father who manages to parent his child well despite running and fearing for their lives in the midst of World War II, you might be able to believe that one can parent well regardless of the circumstances in their life.

In the same way, I believe we can have a close relationship with the Trinity despite our circumstances. We must look at the relationship holistically, if we can’t give much in one part, we give more in another; we give all we have available to us. Who would argue that God’s grace won’t make up the difference? For a minister gone professional and maybe back to minister one day, may my heart for God always push me closer to him.




A Worthwhile Video and a Great Post

Posted on January 15, 2012, 5:25 pm, by Stephen FitzMaurice and received No Comments ».

(Yes I haven’t posted for ages, let us quickly move past the obvious and I’ll try to resume posting.)

If you haven’t found the website Transformed yet, I highly recommend adding it to your daily reads. The blog has a number of authors who are affiliated with Western Seminary here in Portland.

I left a lengthy reply comment to a particularly good post on the website and I’d like you to weigh in on the discussion. (The post also contains a must watch video.)

http://www.transformedblog.com/2012/01/13/does-jesus-hate-religion/




Fall of Man Vs. Image of God

Posted on October 2, 2011, 11:35 pm, by Stephen FitzMaurice and received 2 Comments ».

An intellectual genius, a devout religious adherent, a relational intimate grows old. Despite his exemplary attributes, the man despairs of knowing, of his final destination, and of his own isolation. For inside this superman a battle of desire wages and threatens to spill free. For all his discoveries, pious obedience, and treasured friendships cannot match the sinful urges that wreck his soul.

Augustine turned to the Fall. An answer to his inability, a drug for his why, the concept of a Great Fall incarnated his own personal war. A Fall so far as to strip humanity of all three of his own greatest talents. For Augustine, the Fall meant humanity could no longer know except in vague signs and symbols, had no certainty on the Day of Judgement, and lacked the ability to communicate meaningfully with its companions.

A Great Fall led to a Despair of the Will, a Determined Election, and an Irresistible Grace. The desire of a thing that has so little as to have not at all, looking towards that which has all in fullness: this desire is all humanity has left. Existence is a Neo-Platonic emanation so far removed from the true source of life; humanity is born into what he terms, “a living death.” Desire is the feeble attempt of the dead to long for life; the only ability still accessible to the fallen “very good” humanity God created in Genesis.

Here lies the Grandfather of Calvin, Luther, Edwards, and Piper.

Perhaps you have felt the war inside. Do you agonize over your inconsistencies? Do your inner condemn your outward? Does a paradox dwell within you?

Are we the result of a Great Fall? Has Augustine discovered the answer to all our whys?

No.

I don’t think so.

Let me reiterate the problem. Scriptures tell us:

  • We are capable of testing and approving Divine Will. (Rom. 12:2)
  • The life of Jesus can be revealed in our bodies. (2 Cor 4:10)
  • We can carry Divine Love in our hearts. (Rom. 5:5)
  • We can be filled with power, love, and self control. (1 Tim. 1:7)
  • And of course, much more…

Yet, we find ourselves battling and too often loosing our inward struggles with sinful desires.

How many different ways can we answer this question?

  • Augustine would say the answer lies in a Great Fall, in Great Inability, and in Great Providential Grace.
  • Others might say human perfection is possible and all it takes is a second work of the Holy Spirit or something else to achieve the apparently available sinless state.
  • Finally, one can choose the middle ground of maturity, of progress, of development. This is a view that incorporates the continuation of the image of God in humanity through the Fall, recognizes its distortion and need for renewal, but non-the-less affirms its constant presence.

I think this is the best interpretation of the Scriptural whole.

  • Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Cor. 3)
  • You have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. (Col. 3)
  • Our minds are renewed. (Rom. 12: 2)
  • Our faith and love progressively grows. (2 Thess. 1:3)
  • And much, much more…
This view leaves us with an able human mind, a receptive spirit, and a loving heart. The Fall wrecked havoc on all three (leaving us unable to save ourselves), but all three remained in some true fashion. As believers, all three are redeemed, rescued, and freed from the results of the Fall and then are constantly changed, progressing into a greater resemblance of the Divine.


Humanity never lost what has been rescued. It has always retained its will along with its spiritual and relational capacities. Prior to conversion the dark power over us suppressed and twisted our abilities, making those good and true abilities a slaves to sin. Now as the rescued, those same abilities are under a new Power, God determined to bring us into his Holy Light. We are now, indeed, an ever-increasing slave to righteousness.


Augustine despaired when faith was called for.





Reboot Yourself, Regain the Mind of Christ

Posted on June 22, 2011, 11:41 pm, by Stephen FitzMaurice and received 4 Comments ».

My first thought when I wake up is not, “I’m a Christ follower,” not, “I’m a Christian.” My first thought when I wake up is, “Sleep, my true love, where have you gone?” The world our minds engage in is full of the mundane. After waking up, driving to my first appointment, my mind puzzles the difficulty most Portland drivers have with driving. “Why is it so hard to turn?” my mind wants to know.

Before long my mind can be so involved with a running commentary on my immediate surroundings, I have lost all perspective on life. I’ve switched from a bird’s eye view and have focused all my thoughts on how my latte tastes.

Worse, I’ve locked the keys inside the house I was showing. Most people have a bad day when they lock their keys inside their car. Sucks, I know. Imagine locking the keys to someone else’s house inside their house, effectively locking out yourself, your clients, and the home owner.  Imagine! When things like that happen our minds are consumed with the moment, the details.

How can we break free of the mundane thoughts of how our toothbrush feels that morning? How can we break free of the irritations that plague our mind during the day?

Reboot.

I hate Windows computers, of which I own two. They crash all the time, their thinking becomes stuck, fuzzy, slow, and ultimately useless. What is the answer to this crisis? Reboot.

But you may ask, how can I reboot my mind?

I imagine there are a number of ways to reboot your mind, but I only know of one. Take all the thoughts that are running around virtually unchecked inside your head and yell, “Stop!”  I can do this at the drop of a hat. I’ve actually scared people with this unique talent. My face goes so blank, my body so unchecked, it freaks them out. I have a lot of practice and I feel like I’m pretty good at it.

But let’s say you yelled stop and nothing happened. Let’s say you tried to check yourself in the middle of an argument and couldn’t stop the words that were coming out of your mouth. Let’s say you tried to check your frustration in the middle of a terrible traffic jam and simply couldn’t. Your mind failed to heed to your control.

If your mind fails to heed your control, then it is like an untrained animal; like a bucking bronco, it will resist your assertion of authority.

  • The first step for you, might be to simply acknowledge that your mind is not under your control, that you have let it run amok with emotions, be taken captive by base needs, be led astray by the running stream of circumstance that surrounds your life.
  • The second step for you, might be to acknowledge that you are not your mind. You are not your collection of thoughts and ideas. Thus, control over your thoughts and ideas becomes a possibility.
  • The third step for you may be to employ some tricks to take control of your mind. Mediation, body mind moving (ask me if you want to know), prayer, the recitation of memorized words or phrases, deep breathing: these are some of the tricks that can be employed. My favorite trick is the reboot. If my mind has gone astray I will eliminate all thought, enter a state of prayer in order to elicit the Holy Spirit’s assistance, and then my mind will have restarted with a new (often bird’s eye) perspective on the very situation that caused my mind to stray. In effect, I have retaken control of my mind and made it subject to Christ.

Here is a good question to ask yourself today: am I in control of my mind or is my mind in control of me? There will be varying degrees to this answer; I doubt anyone has 100% control over their mind all the time. But I would suggest your mind can be trained, it can turn from a wild animal into a mastered servant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 




Give us each day our daily bread. Lord’s Prayer Part IV

Posted on May 8, 2011, 1:15 pm, by Stephen FitzMaurice and received 1 Comment ».

 

I sell houses. Lately I’ve been selling a lot of houses, multiple houses in a month, a week, or even a day. When people hear about my experiences they ask if the real estate market is improving. It is not.

Next comes the congratulations, the laudatory expositions on a seemingly impossible task. The search for a reason behind the victory: an investigation into my intelligence, perseverance, and charisma ensues.

They are missing the river for a fish.

I know that I can develop, measure, and maintain the greatest marketing endeavor the Portland Real Estate Market has ever seen, and still not sell a single broken down shack. Every buyer that calls me can fail to obtain the financing they are counting on, can become sidetracked by a major event in life, can decide that the houses are too small, too large, too quaint, too modern, too much, or too little. Every seller’s house can have hidden cracks, underground tanks, infestations, leaks, gases, or growths. To state the situation simply: I can have 5,000 clients a year and not sell a thing.

If I had no legs, it would be difficult to show my clients homes with a lot of stairs. If I had no tongue, I would have to restrict my marketing to a very small segment of the population who were very good with their hands. If my brain was irreversibly damaged or had not developed appropriately in my baby skull, I would have no business to speak of.

Give us each day our daily bread, else we starve.

 

 

 




Sanctification! (Works + Faith + Indwelling Explained!)

Posted on April 10, 2011, 11:54 pm, by Stephen FitzMaurice and received No Comments ».

We have been set free from the power of sin and have been enslaved to righteousness at conversion (Rom. 6:18). We no longer have an irresistible compulsion to sin; rather we are under compulsion to greater and greater righteousness (Phil. 1:6). Previously we were under the direct power of Satan and now we are under the power of God (Acts 26:18). At conversion (symbolized by baptism) this freedom and transfer of power took place (Rom. 6:2-3).

Walking with the Spirit (Gal. 5:16) and living according to the Spirit (1 Peter 4:6; Rom. 8:5) both describe the only path to righteous living (Rom. 8:4). The things of the Spirit are evident: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, self-control, and gentleness (Gal. 5:22). The things of the flesh are also evident (Gal. 5:19). We are required to keep in step with the Spirit (Gal. 5:25).

Simply put, we are responsible for choosing to do the things of the Spirit and acting on that decision. “Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life (Gal. 6:8).” Therefore, “Let us not grow weary doing good… (Gal. 6:9)”

We could not obey if it were not for the constant indwelling of the Holy Spirit and all the things the Spirit provides for us. After the events of conversion we are indwelt with the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16). The Holy Spirit provides individual believers with encouragement (Acts 9:31), direction (Acts 11:12), teaching (John 14:26; John 16:15), guidance (John 16:13), remembrance (John 14:26), miraculous abilities and revelation (Acts 2:17), wisdom (Acts 6:10), God’s love (Rom. 5:5), life (Rom. 8:2,10,11), power to overcome temptation (Rom. 8:13), divine identification (Rom. 8:15-16; 2 Cor. 1:22, Gal. 4:6, Eph. 1:13; 1 John 3:24), godly desire (Rom. 8:23), intercession (Rom. 8:27), power (Rom. 15:13,19; Eph. 3:16; 2 Tim. 1:7), spiritual understanding (1 Cor. 2:11-12,14; Col. 1:9), spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12:4,7,11; Heb. 2:4), and Christian unity (Eph. 4:3-4). When we walk with the Spirit we cannot fail; we will live a righteous life.

Yes we can! We must obey; we must attempt to obey, fight to obey, persevere in obedience. It is our responsibility, we are able and it is up to us. Yes we can, because of the constant indwelling. If it were not for the constant indwelling Spirit (and the mutually indwelling Christ), we could do nothing (John 15:5).

Because the power of the Holy Spirit is so strong and the work so significant, the ministry of sanctification is directly attributed to the Spirit (Rom. 15:16; 1 Cor. 6:11; 2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2). Despite the power and significance of the Spirit’s work, the Spirit can be actively resisted and quenched (1 Thess. 5:19; Acts 7:51). Once again, the responsibility lies with us to keep in step with the Spirit and be full of the things of the Spirit, doing works according to the Spirit.

On top of this works/Spirit understanding, our hard work of obedience must be characterized by faith. We obey in the setting of faith. Faith is that chosen circumstance that surrounds and envelops our actions. We can obey with or without faith. Faith is separate from works, but must be combined with works in order to produce the type of obedience that God requires. This remains an obedience we can and should work hard to achieve, an obedience we are responsible for. Faith is the mode our work is accomplished in (Rom. 1:17; all of Hebrews 11). Work is the mode our faith is accomplished in. “You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. (James 2:22)”

It is not simply faith plus works. It is not simply Spirit plus works. It is not Spirit or faith or both without works. It is works, faith, and Spirit at the same time. That is how sanctification happens. That is how the righteous live.

Mechwarrior rules. Mechwarrior life.

 




What does this say to you?

Posted on April 8, 2011, 7:23 pm, by Stephen FitzMaurice and received 7 Comments ».

Busy street, large full color sign, nice stonework: all eye catching visuals designed to communicate something important. I had to stop and take a picture.

So what does this say to you?

  • The man is taking a nice carefree stride pointing out the direction his family should go.
  • The woman is slightly slouched carrying the burden for the entire family and walking behind the taller man is unable to see the way forward.
  • The younger boy (see pants) is first, ahead of the girl in skirts.

This sign infuriates and angers me. What does this sign say to you?




Where the heart and wisdom meet

Posted on March 31, 2011, 12:44 am, by Adam B. and received 6 Comments ».

Rocky MontageWhy are montages (montagi?) so inspirational? Probably because one minute Rocky sees his former rival-turned-trainer killed and the next minute he’s the size of a house. And what did it take? A mere handful of sit-ups in the snow and the best techno-rock 1985 could muster. He outruns a car when it’s over… a KJB car. Righteous.

Rocky is the fighter with heart. You cannot defeat heart. It’s an axiom: Heart equals victory. If anyone ever says “that kid’s got heart” you know who’s going to win. Otherwise, the movie would be sacrilege.

Heart must win because heart is love. Big heart, big love. Love must win in the end… so heart must win in the end. Don’t mess with the formula.

Okay yes, if we want to be “realistic” we could admit that in some limited circumstances love does not win every single time. Like in business. I think we are all capitalistic enough to admit that in business savvy often wins over heart. Heart is just a bit too nice for business. Again, if we were being “honest” we might be willing to admit that even in relationships heart does not always win. Anyone who has observed these kinds of things long enough knows that the girl is more likely to go for the guy who mirrors her dysfunctional father than someone who really knows how to love her properly. Dysfunction wins. Isn’t that heart warming?

We know this, deep down – deep, deep down – and yet we still want to believe the montage. We still want to believe that heart wins. Why? Probably because we think heart is all we’ve got. To give it your heart means to give it your all, and what’s left after that? In a movie there would be that one last punch that knocks out the Russian on steroids, but even that punch came from heart… that deep rooted passion to prove that goodness and the American way will always beat those cheeky commies. That’s right! Anyone with enough desire, with enough heart, can do the impossible; no matter how tall and blond the opposition.

As ridiculous as it is that desire is all we need to conquer all, for the sake of argument I could grant that it may be possible that desire would always win if we were not conflicted. Sadly, in reality, one desire sets itself up against another desire weakening both.

One desire is for the immediate – That chocolate cake looks good and I want to eat it… with extra frosting and whip cream.

One is for the future – I would like to be thin.

If it is not obvious that these two desires are in conflict, let me clear this one up for you. They are. In fact, if we were to analyze all our desires we would find that many if not most of our immediate desires are in conflict with out future desires. The montage solves this dilemma by bringing the future and the present together in 90 seconds of techno driven awesomeness. Yes, if all we needed was 90 seconds of passion driven by pulsing synthesized adrenaline, heart would be all we need.

But life takes more than 90 seconds.

Desire is not enough. Heart is not enough. Heart needs something else: a guide to let it know when to give in and when to push forward; a sage who can look into the future and discern the outcome of one decision over another; a coach to strengthen that which is useful and tame the destructive.

Heart needs wisdom.

There is no faster road to destruction than to just do what you want all the time. As children we find this out quickly. Hmmmm…. I want to touch that red glowy thing that is making the water bubble. Oooo… I want to drink this wonderfully smelling clear liquid under the sink. Ahhh… I want to push my brother down the stairs for taking my toy. Giving in to our desires leads to destruction because every desire has unintended outcomes, consequences that are not a part of the initial desire. This does not change as we grow older. Ugh… I want to sleep in today (even though that will mean missing work). Gasp!… I just need to buy this shiny new iPod (even though I won’t be able to pay it off for 2 years).

Wisdom takes these things into consideration by looking ahead, by imagining the future that would result if we actually do the very thing we want to do. Wisdom keeps our foolish desires from mastering us, and strengthens our good desires. This takes discipline (a word associated with wisdom) because our good desires are often quite weak in comparison to our foolish desires. This is because the object of our good desires is usually far off. The goal of thinness cannot be accomplished in 90 seconds, but cake can be devoured that fast. Wisdom is there to constantly remind us that the future holds the objects of our better desires, and if we hold out for that which is better we become better selves.

But even our good desires need wisdom to come to pass. Passion runs headlong towards the object of its desire, without care or concern for anything in its path; the unscalable wall, the unfordable river, the vast ocean means nothing to passion – even though that wall will certainly crush us, that river will definitely drown us, and that ocean will swallow us whole. If we let our passion for thinness guide us we may become bulimic, or start popping calorie burning pills, or start eating foods with the word “health” on the label (like sports drinks and the like, which are anything but healthy). For every long term goal there are shortcuts we could take, and passion would have us take them all. Wisdom, in contrast, takes a look around and charts a course, navigating around the obstacles and through the turbulence, so that passion might reach its true goal. It helps us arrive at a happier destination: thinness along with health; a relationship along with joy and peace; a life with no regrets.

The future is where the heart and wisdom meet. This is a tough sell in our day because we have so much to feed and sate our immediate desires. Movies and music, instead of artistically developing our soul to become something greater, become a drug to make us feel better about ourselves and to help us escape from reality. Instead of striving to always become something more we are told we are fine just the way we are. Since our goals are not forthcoming and we have no reason to change or grow we learn to complain about life and everyone around us instead of working with all our might to shape our future into something beautiful. Ultimately we give up on our true desires, believing that such things only happen in fairy tales; rightly so, for without wisdom you have no chance of achieving what you truly want.

Before I conclude I leave you with this warning. If you choose to live a life of wisdom those driven by their passions will see everything you do as a detour. They will cut you down for your resolve, and try to tempt you to a lesser life. “You can get what you want much faster,” they’ll say. And yes, they may be right. In the end, we may arrive at the same place, and it is possible that they may actually get there faster.

But when you do arrive you will need to ask their forgiveness, for they will certainly begrudge you the smile on your face when you get there.




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The Omniscient One

Posted on March 29, 2011, 4:50 am, by Stephen FitzMaurice and received 1 Comment ».

“Sit down,” the cowled figure perched on a three legged oak stool did not move a muscle. I couldn’t see the whites of his eyes or the features of his jaw. Four flames danced atop a  single silver candelabra, reflecting dimly off the marble floors. Instead of questioning the dark figure on the lack of furniture, I knelt on the polished floor.

“Now we will whisper secrets, things unknown, things unheard, things disbelieved.” The darkened man’s brown hood rippled as he spoke, the sole movement between us.

“These human sayings: ‘the Information Age’ and the ‘Enlightenment’ are expressions of a blissful and determined ignorance.” The cowled figured coughed, then paused. Then he laughed, a short but loud thing full of joy and wonder.

“Humanity’s knowledge is like a shield composed of thin paper. The masses hold it out to block a raging forest fire, believing it will keep them safe. What you know,” the man lifted a long and graceful hand towards a lone candle wick, extinguishing the flame with a pinch, “burns darker than a smoldering wick.”

I couldn’t help my wicked smile. There were enough initials behind my name to form an alphabet. Rumors led me to this hallowed hall, not all of them good. I had my doubts and gathered more now, but the whispers I heard about this sequestered man were loud enough for me to hear him out.

“All is known. Nothing more needs be said – if your mind could accept the saying. Before time and strutting peacock humanity began, all is known. All possibilities, all potentialities, all things that are not and all things that will be; are known.”

I had to stop myself from smirking. I’ve heard this before, a rather simple doctrine. It was time for me to speak, “I also believe in the Omniscient One.”

The robed man’s laugh started in his belly and shook his shrouded frame from head to foot. “Sure you do.” The man’s voice dropped to a faint whisper,  ”And at the same time you think you can both possess and create knowledge. Tell me then, what is an invention?”

I hesitated, thinking back to law school, “An invention is a new process or product that did not previously exist and came about by intuitive genius.”

“Now answer me, did the Omniscient One know the inner turnings of this invention before it came to be?”

I choose not to answer.

“How then can the human person then be called inventor? Did not the Omniscient One know all the properties of all the elements in all their possible combinations before a single element began?”

I had to ask, having recently begun training on the piano, “What then is a musician? Surely we are commanded to praise the Omniscient One with a new song? How can it be new if he already knows it?”

The robed man grunted in a rather undistinguished fashion. “It is only new in time, it is not new to the Omniscient One.” The man reached up and casually pinched another wick. I began to wonder if the signal that ended our discussion would be utter darkness.

“We,” the cowled man held his arms out wide, “are adventurers, discoverers. We find songs he has already written; we invent toys he has already played with; we think philosophical thoughts he has already pondered to their bitter end.”

He pointed at me again.

“This is a subtle turn in understanding. The musician should not be praised because the song is new, but because he found the song. The scholar cannot have an original thought, but he can unveil one previously hidden from all of us. Scholars are not master sculptures; they are servants who lift veils off of finished masterpieces.”

Something he said was nagging me like the bite of an insect. “How can you say we do not possess knowledge?” I spoke rather brazenly. “When I learn, do I not retain the knowledge I found?”

“Yes, you do. But you are speaking of a lease, the renting of a thing, not ownership, not true possession. You discover 2 + 2 = 4 and you retain the information, but the information is not yours, was not yours, and will not be yours. You retain it at the discretion of the Omniscient One who owns it.”

I felt unsure of what could be said next, and so remained silent.

“It is easy for us to understand the saying, ‘he owns the cattle on a thousand hills’, harder for us to understand, ‘he owns all knowledge.’”

Again I blurted a response, irritated at my growing level of confusion, “What difference does it make? If it is new to mankind it is new.”

The robed figure held up a finger. “One, the Omniscient One is jealous. He will not forever relinquish his glory to another. Claim what is his and one day he will take it back.  Two, the right understanding of our abilities reveals a right understanding of our position, our being, and our grand humility.”  Then with a sudden flourish, the cowled figure pinched out the two remaining wicks.




The Body of Faith and its Role in Spiritual D.

Posted on March 25, 2011, 4:22 am, by Stephen FitzMaurice and received 1 Comment ».

D. as in discipline.

I take off on occasion to the Oregon coast where I spend my time behind lock doors listing to the rough white noise of a HF radio transceiver surrounded by vaguely familiar faces buttoned from the neck down in an awkward shade of blue. I never hear the word, “Jesus,” or, “God” outside of aggravated shouting.

When I leave for the jagged coast, I imagine my (dear and true) friends don’t think twice about my well being, not because they don’t care. They love me more than I would share online! Rather, they feel I’m a stout fellow, full of self-reliance, independence, and know-how. They believe I can take care for myself while I’m away, and they are right in part. I can.

But I cannot replace the community of believers with the blue guard. I feel disconnected, vulnerable to missteps, and excuse the phrase, “castaway.”

It is not just the missionaries we need to remember and pray for. All of our brothers and sisters in Christ suffer some while away and are in need of our spiritual (long-distance) care.

The body of faith is a spiritual discipline, one we often practice or miss without a lot of intentional thought.

Miss you guys – see you soon.




On Thinking and Being

Posted on March 21, 2011, 2:52 am, by Stephen FitzMaurice and received No Comments ».

I have friends who shall remain nameless; one, a dear beauty of a person – both bright and genuine; two, a female counterpart to his ways, singular in her desires.

Both find the conversations I have with my fellow analytical, introspective, and philosophical brethren to be shallow, hallow, and frail.

This puffed up group I find myself in spend hours debating thoughts on motives we might have had because of past experiences that may have impacted us in uncertain ways to discern whether they might have had an impact on the decision we may have made that could have changed everything. If you can follow that with a smile on your face and a sense of tactile anticipation perhaps you too belong in my aviator crew. We fly leagues above the earth, dogging and circling our fellow’s thoughts with the speed and dexterity of a Super Hornet.

“Just be!” The special man and lady yell up at the sky, their words lost to a pack of men emitting sonic booms.

Until one of us crashes.

“Ah, there you are!” The special two announce with a quick smile and a ready hug. I’ve been waiting for you to drop down here, put a foot in the mud and have a grounded experience. “Yes, I see you. For once your wild maneuvererings and special tactics were not enough. You got hit with the lonely/selfish/hurt/sad/painful missile of life, and now there is little you can do but cry. But there is little better you can do than cry! Here I will hold you. I’ve been here all the while, waiting after all.”

It took me a long time to figure out how to walk along the ground. It seems I was born in a cockpit and wrapped in a flight jacket. But after crashing, tail spinning into the earth enough times, I found a great many treasures buried in its muddy paths. I live in two worlds now; both the sky and ground are mine. Vast expanses of life are open to me. Look for my coming.

 

 

 

 




My Father. The Lord’s Prayer – Part I.

Posted on March 15, 2011, 6:10 am, by Stephen FitzMaurice and received No Comments ».

Who gives you the right to call Him your Father?

Who do you think you are?

You think it is okay take the word, “Father”; a word designating  the sole source of life, the originator of all things, and place it after “my”, a possessive pronominal adjective? Are you mad? Who would be so foolish to presume such a familiarity with the Ultimate? Show me your credentials. Maybe it is best you take those words back before someone does it for you.

Sure, you can argue with me. You might say, it is more akin to saying, “my king,” or “my liege.” But this is no mere king. This is the architect of the atom, the maestro of billion brains, the master of the supernova. He can outshine all of humanity’s might with the twinkle in His eye.

Sure, call Him Father. See what happens. Claim him as a possessive pronominal as if you are of some relation with him. You are both so alike. Spit it out like its common knowledge; pass the words over your lips without a thought.

No.

There is something else going on here. Something much worse. Something of even greater significance and import.

Someone told you to say these words. Someone special. A man some called king, prophet, teacher. A wise man, a condemned innocent, a worker of miracles, he told you to say this.

It is still not enough. Not enough till you know that this man is God’s eternal and only-begotten Son. Not enough till you know this man is true God of true God.

Ah yes, the one who came to Earth! We treated him right, placed him on the throne and gave him his due! Not quite. We hated him as the mob. We abandoned him as his friends. We killed him as the authority.

My Father? How dare you!

What relation do we have with the Father or the Son?

I’ll tell you, for it is the most heartbreaking and beautiful thing of all.

He loves you. From birth to aged, from death to resurrection, and ever after.

You may call Him, Father.

 

 




Another Worthless Teaching on Sanctification

Posted on March 12, 2011, 2:10 am, by Stephen FitzMaurice and received 1 Comment ».

Don’t you hate headlines that exaggerate the point in order to get people to click and read? CNN.com reports politician’s words as a: slam, blast, slap, or push. When in fact no one is body-slamming, pushing around, slapping, or blowing up their political opponent. They use these ridiculous words in the headlines (look for them) in order to get people to click.

So, in fact, the teaching I listed to today was nowhere near worthless.

But you clicked the link.

Anyway, there was one point in the sermon I disagreed with wholeheartedly, a point made repeatedly through the sermon that represented the preacher’s viewpoint on sanctification.

According to the preacher, anytime we try to obey the laws of God we will fail. In fact, the laws of God are there only to make it really clear we can’t possibly obey them. On our own, we cannot obey God. We shouldn’t try. The only thing we should do is get on the inner-tube of the Holy Spirit and float down the river of righteousness. (You can’t make this stuff up.)

I can see two glaring errors. First, as believers are we ever on our own? What is the current state of our relationship with God? Does God live with us at periodic times and places, or at all times and places? Could our decisions as believers ever be made entirely on our own? Further, can our actions as believers ever be done in complete isolation, as if God could be completely removed from our equation? Do we or do we not have the righteousness of Christ and the constant indwelling of the Spirit?

If we have been granted such tremendous and continual presents, how can we not take personal responsibility for our actions? How can we not try with all our indwelt heart, strength, and mind to obey?

Second, passive Christianity is not a part of the Scriptural narrative. “Let go and let God,” is not a verse. “Be perfect as I am perfect,” is. “Take up your cross and follow me,” is. “Give all you have to the poor and follow me,” is. We do not float on a Holy Spirit inner-tube. Oh, not at all!

In fact, we climb into a mech-warrior the size of a skyscraper.

For those of you who are unfamiliar, a mech-warrior is useless unless the “driver” acts. A mech-warrior is only as good as its user. But when faced with a ten-story demon monster from hell, only a mech-warrior will do. The human counterpart would be instantly squashed outside of the mech. As a believer, we are not outside of the mech-warrior. We are inside, for good. The amount of victory we will achieve through our Holy Spirit mech-warrior is dependant on whether or not we move.  We have no idea, no idea, how much victory is ours in Christ, if we will just act.

Trying hard to obey God is the very first thing we should do.

 

 




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How to Debate.

Posted on March 6, 2011, 2:21 am, by Stephen FitzMaurice and received No Comments ».
Thinking points to take with you to your next debate:
  • Our first thought is that our first thought is correct.
  • It takes more character to learn than fight.
  • Our intelligence is flawed; our limits comprehensive.
  • We possess no facts, all knowledge is leased from Another.
  • Our ability to comprehend is a gift.
  • Truth, in all forms, exists and is a worthy pursuit.
  • The person you are speaking with may not share your objectives, their motivation for communication will usually differ.

The person willing and able to listen to different ideas and take them on is like a master sailor on an ocean schooner. He stands ready for the waves of dissent, not attempting to break them, but to brace himself for the ride. At the end of the storm, he may find himself in a new and unfamiliar place. But this is fine, for our sailor is a ready explorer and capable of discerning his new location, charting a map, and moving forward.

 




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4 Degrees of Loving God – Bernard of Clairvaux

Posted on February 24, 2011, 4:29 am, by Stephen FitzMaurice and received No Comments ».

Finding one exists because of an outside source, the person believes in God out of necessity of being.

Discovering the goodness and grace of God, the person loves God selfishly for the advantages they receive.

Relating with God over time, the person loves God for His majesty of character and being.

Achieving the greatest level of human love, the person loves their own self, for the sake of another – God.

{Rewritten by myself, taken from “On Loving God” by Bernard of Clairvaux}




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