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Spiritual Disciplines

Do Pray-Part 1 (Matt. 6:5-15)

Mel Brooks is one of seven entertainers to earn the Tony, the Emmy, the Grammy and the Oscar.  Last year Forbes asked Brooks to describe the “American Dream.”[1] The “American Dream” is the vision that Americans have of life.  It is what they believe life in America is all about.  Here is how Brooks responded: “When I was a little kid 50 years ago, in 1946, I had just got out of the Army after two years fighting in the war. The American Dream was a house and a car.  Today, the American Dream is winning American Idol. It’s changed slightly.  In another 50 years from now, when the economy collapses and everything is in threads and torn, the American Dream then, in 20-whatever, will be a house and a car.”  With tongue-in-cheek, Brooks describes the American dream as the pursuit of possessions or prominence.  Sometimes the American Dream is the pursuit of possessions, like a house and a car.  At other times that dream is the pursuit of prominence, like winning American Idol.  This vision of possessions or prominence is something which many dream about.

Read More »Do Pray-Part 1 (Matt. 6:5-15)

Sermon On the Mount in (about) 220 Words

In The Secret Message of Jesus Brian McLaren offers a 200 word summary of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.  It is a moving, poetic, and helpful summary.  Some things, however, are overlooked.

Below is my attempt to do something similar, but to include what seems missing in McLaren’s summary.  In about 220 words I’ve summarized the Sermon on the Mount.  It is my hope that this summary might become something you’ll glance at frequently to remind yourself of Jesus’ vision for your life:Read More »Sermon On the Mount in (about) 220 Words

The Spirituality of Physical Fitness

Each Christmas we set up and take down three Christmas trees.  One is the large family Christmas tree in our living room.  The other two are three-foot trees which Jordan and Jacob place in their rooms.  The large family tree holds the ornaments which are mine and Kendra’s.  Jordan’s and Jacob’s trees hold the ornaments they have received over the years.  One of the annual tasks as we set up the trees each year is to determine whose ornament is whose.  All the ornaments are stored together.  So as we unwrap each ornament, we go through a routine of “That’s mine-I got it for Christmas last year,” “No, that’s mine-Gran gave it to me last year,” “No, that’s mine-I  bought it at a clearance sale.” Read More »The Spirituality of Physical Fitness

Getting Your Spirit in Shape

A couple of years ago someone in Seattle decided that alcoholics couldn’t change.[1] Taxpayers had been spending $50,000 per year on recovery programs, prison, and emergency room visits for each homeless alcoholic assisted by the city.  Then, the city built a new $11 million housing complex to accommodate 75 homeless alcoholics at one time.  But the new housing was not part of a larger plan to help alcoholics overcome their dependency upon alcohol.  Instead, residents in the new $11 million project are allowed to drink all they want.  There is no expectation that they will change their drinking habits or overcome alcoholism.  The program’s executive director says that most alcoholics can’t change and thus recovery is no longer a part of the city’s new initiative.

The city’s action raises a critical question: Can people change?  Read More »Getting Your Spirit in Shape