Sunday, January 23rd, we met to review how James I empowers us to "Presevering Joy". Pastor Bill, in his earlier sermon, focused on the first word of the Chapter, "Consider it pure joy,...." He stated that "consider" means rational thinking. Rational "thinking" is the subject of the book under review: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" by Steven Covey. I had to admit, I began to study this book fifteen years ago after failure after failure and did so in order to become a "highly effective person". It was a full five years later that my eyes happened to focu on the subtitle on the front cover: "Powerful lessons in personal change". Now, wait a minute, I didn't need to change, I just wanted to become highly effective. It took me another five years to understand why I needed to change.
The single, simple idea I wished to convey in the review was that James and Covey are speaking of the same thing: James, in Christian theological terms and Covey in terms of rational thinking. This simple idea is NONE, Not One Negative Experience! It is based on nothing, the same thing James states "Count it pure joy my brethren, when ye face trials of many kinds, for the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverence finish her work, leaving you mature and complete, lacking NOTHING". (KJV)
As products of conditioned reaction, it is natural for us to react to the circumstances of life. However, the first habit of one's "daily, private victory" is to BE "proactive". Note Shakespeare poundered five hundred years ago, "To be or not to be, that is the question." So now, proactivity, not reactivity, is the path to take to becoming "effective, useful and peaceful", the central theme of The Seven Habits. Rationally, the first three habits address one's private victory over natural tendencies of avoiding negatives: Not One Negative Experience. We remember past sermons that once we step through the door into the Kingdom, we are immediately confronted with a choice as Pastor Bill pointed out: the road to epithumia (lust of the flesh) or the upper road to the mind of Christ. It is up to us and it is not an easy decision to make. The question is how do we become pro-active instead of re-active? Rationally, we can step back and look at our emotions, how we "feel" about something. If we can learn to subordinate "feeling" to principle, epithumia to the mind of Christ, our first step is to "center, focus and concentrate" on "nothing". In short, practice visualizing nothing, including feelings, and we have a clear choice between right and wrong. If we keep going back to Christ to refill our emptiness, we soon will experience True None, a place where not one, experience is negative, and this is the mind of Christ, where we have lain down all our idols at the foot of the Cross.
To conclude: Covey uses a metaphor to prepare for our "daily, public, victory. He states before we try to relate to others, make certain we don't make withdrawals from their "emotional bank account". This would be, of course, a negative. We should always be aware, if to not be positive, at least be neutral. Again, think of Not One Negative Experience for others and after many stumbling attempts, we will find sure footing on the upper road.
RTJ
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Can reconciliation lead to Revival?
We are called to reconciliation. Even in the midst of, yes, even because of turmoil and disruption, the soul seeking Christ, may suddenly find himself face to face with the Father, the beginning of the true revival of his soul. So it was on the morning of 1/11/11. In the storm, I'd gone to where God had beckoned. They called it THE LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN FIELD TRIP and I was worried no one would come. So I went directly to the school and there in the mounting snow I first glimpsed vehicles in the parking lot. Now, I must admit that at times in the past, I was not exactly enthralled with our music program, what some would call "Contemporary Christian". However, upon parking and heading into the building, I could begin to hear the sounds of Kerry, whipping up the troops as if to bring down the walls of Jericho. Inside, I felt an unbelieveable sense of graditude and pride, as I was blown away with triumphant sounds of Christan soldiers!
Back at the church, where I then went to see if any had lost their way, it was quiet. Very quiet. Deathly quiet, as the snowflakes produced an uneasy feeling of "stopping by woods on a snowy evening". Soon, however, Adam arrived, bringing flyers to show the way. Other soon arrived to help and feeling the circumstances in the hands of God, I returned to the church, where Kerry and the others were leaving the stage and a new worship director appeared, Cristina Taddonio. She led the same songs, but the delivery took me back to my youth and as we sang, I felt a certain reconciliation. The sermon was on "Persevering Joy" and Pastor Bill brought a message which spoke of Winter, and the desert, a place my own son now found himself in and I had to cry quietly for him. Adam had given the children a lesson on "Cupology" quite appropriate as he spoke of Noah and how we must pour ourselves out and then be refilled by the Lord. If I was a child, I don't think I'd ever forget that morning on the mountain where the snow and "rain" drenched us a little from Adam's cup. (Pastor Bill had said earlier that we all need a little baptism once in a while).
Two weeks later, I arrived at church early Sunday morning and looked around in the quiet sanctuary. There was a piano there and I asked Jeannie if I could play. My rendition, with quiet, humble feeling of "How Great Thou Art", ""The Love of God and "There's Something About That Name" revived again that old feeling of years ago when we sang "What a Friend We Have In Jesus" and "Just As I Am". While I was playing, a member of the band arrived to set up and after "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, there is something about that name" he remarked, "That was my favorite song when I was young". About that time Kerry arrived and unlike the evening before at the Olah' service, he was wearing his hair as usual, wild and free-flowing. Last night, I didn't recognize him as he mounted the platform. His hair was pulled back and his face was quite different. I didn't realize it was Kerry until the service was half over and later I pondered how John the Baptist came out of the wild, the rough hewn mountain man who ate locusts and honey and thundered "Make Ye the Way for the Lord"!!!
As Pastor Bill would say, "Oh my gosh!" Now, as I got up to leave, Kerry said to go ahead and play but after another song or two, I went over to him and told him about the evening before when I didn't recognize him. As I looked at his strong features, the quietness of his manner as in his prayers and told him I didn't have words to describe how,...how,...majestic he looked, something took a firm grip of my heart, I could feel the joy welling up inside me..., for there was "something about that face" that resulted in my feeling a great revival was at hand,... and it was there, ... all the time! Yes, the disruption had produced reconciliation and REVIVAL! Praise God!
RTJ
Back at the church, where I then went to see if any had lost their way, it was quiet. Very quiet. Deathly quiet, as the snowflakes produced an uneasy feeling of "stopping by woods on a snowy evening". Soon, however, Adam arrived, bringing flyers to show the way. Other soon arrived to help and feeling the circumstances in the hands of God, I returned to the church, where Kerry and the others were leaving the stage and a new worship director appeared, Cristina Taddonio. She led the same songs, but the delivery took me back to my youth and as we sang, I felt a certain reconciliation. The sermon was on "Persevering Joy" and Pastor Bill brought a message which spoke of Winter, and the desert, a place my own son now found himself in and I had to cry quietly for him. Adam had given the children a lesson on "Cupology" quite appropriate as he spoke of Noah and how we must pour ourselves out and then be refilled by the Lord. If I was a child, I don't think I'd ever forget that morning on the mountain where the snow and "rain" drenched us a little from Adam's cup. (Pastor Bill had said earlier that we all need a little baptism once in a while).
Two weeks later, I arrived at church early Sunday morning and looked around in the quiet sanctuary. There was a piano there and I asked Jeannie if I could play. My rendition, with quiet, humble feeling of "How Great Thou Art", ""The Love of God and "There's Something About That Name" revived again that old feeling of years ago when we sang "What a Friend We Have In Jesus" and "Just As I Am". While I was playing, a member of the band arrived to set up and after "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, there is something about that name" he remarked, "That was my favorite song when I was young". About that time Kerry arrived and unlike the evening before at the Olah' service, he was wearing his hair as usual, wild and free-flowing. Last night, I didn't recognize him as he mounted the platform. His hair was pulled back and his face was quite different. I didn't realize it was Kerry until the service was half over and later I pondered how John the Baptist came out of the wild, the rough hewn mountain man who ate locusts and honey and thundered "Make Ye the Way for the Lord"!!!
As Pastor Bill would say, "Oh my gosh!" Now, as I got up to leave, Kerry said to go ahead and play but after another song or two, I went over to him and told him about the evening before when I didn't recognize him. As I looked at his strong features, the quietness of his manner as in his prayers and told him I didn't have words to describe how,...how,...majestic he looked, something took a firm grip of my heart, I could feel the joy welling up inside me..., for there was "something about that face" that resulted in my feeling a great revival was at hand,... and it was there, ... all the time! Yes, the disruption had produced reconciliation and REVIVAL! Praise God!
RTJ
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