The Magnificent Mundane
Chapter Five - Minute by Minute
The Transitional: By John Boda
"School's out…quit studying the subject and start living it!"
Colossians chapter two - The Message Bible
"True spirituality consists in living moment to moment by the grace of Jesus Christ"
Francis Schaeffer
" We must lean to live each day, each hour, yes, each minute as a new beginning, as a unique opportunity to make everything new. Imagine that we could live each day as a day full of promises. It's hard to live in the present, the past and the future keep harassing us...the past with guilt, the future with worries."
Henri Nouwen - Here and Now
"God is everywhere, all the time. This is where real faith begins...seeing God down - around - in - out - through - beyond - before - after - between - and in the middle of everything."
John Fischer - Finding God
In this E-book study, I have written about the Magnificent Mundane Mindset, an awareness of a personal-involved-loving God woven within both scripture and creation all around us. I have divided the chapters up into five aspects: The Theoretical - The Technical - The Theological - The Typographical - and now we enter into my last installment entitled,
The Transitional.
If you have just clicked onto this final chapter to start your trek...it’s like jumping to the end of the book and reading the ending! Or...maybe you're Jewish and you read in the normal Hebrew way of right to left! Whatever the case, I hope you have been with me leading up to this point, but if not, you're forgiven. Just think of this as starting Episode V of the Star Wars epic. (George Lucas started with episode IV)
Here in this last installment I want to try to bring it all the other chapters together into a final practical send off. My thesis here is to bring out into the open, the practical ways in which we can know and live within this mindset of the ever-present God, not just once a week on Sundays, but every day, every moment, within the ever present "now" that we can assume God lives within.
I want to give a word of caution at the outset; I realize that there are many new age and eastern religious groups that adhere to this “eternally present now” idea as well. However, that only re-enforces the concept to me! Whenever we find a spiritual reality and concept within scripture, we usually also can find counterfeit and similar ideas in other belief systems. The concept of living within God's present-now by faith is an idea started by him within scripture. Any other group that incorporates this also is simply following God's lead, and copying becomes the sincerest form of flattery!
God in the Now
" God is outside of time - and being outside of time means to exist in an eternal or unending now, an eternal present that includes past, present and future simultaneously."
Gerald Schroeder - The Science of God
"When he hung on Calvary’s tree some two thousand years ago, being God, he was, and he is, simultaneously with me here and now. Right now, I am caught up in his eternal now!
Tony Campolo - Speaking my Mind - Are Evangelicals Afraid of Science?
"God’s love is ever and always eternally present to all who fear him.”
Psalm 103:17 The Message Bible
God lives in the now...right now! Not yesterday, not tomorrow, not in a minute, or even a second from now...but right now! (Of course, there is not really any "now" as each second keeps moving, but I am speaking of the now within cosmic and spiritual terms.) Yes, God is also in the past and the future, but the only place that we can find him, by our faith and his grace, is in the right now.
Before I proceed, I want to insert something that will make the informed science student smile and appreciate, and will probably make others shake their heads in disbelief that sounds more like science fiction than science.
I just completed re-reading one of the chapters in Brian Greene's Elegant Universe. It is Chapter Five entitled, "The Frozen River." That one chapter alone is enough to blow anyone's mind, but it is one of many in that book which nearly all do the same! Greene makes the case from a physicists view who thoroughly understands relativity, that time just seems to move. You may have heard of the saying (and song lyric) "Time is like a river" well, if Greene and many others are right, it is more like a huge block of ice, or a frozen river. There is one diagram of space-time all sliced up like a loaf of bread, and each slice is that particular moment of time and space. In other words, there is not really any "now", but only slices in the loaf, which just are! Greene elaborates, "The total loaf (space-time) exists. Just as we envision all of space as being out there, as really existing, we should also envision all of time as really being out there, really existing. The only thing that's real is the whole of space-time. There is no flow...if you were having a great time at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve 1999, you still are, since that is just one immutable location in space-time!"
Therefore, the current scientific view is that reality is this huge block of space-time, which is expanding, which we are all a part of within. Any sense of time, past-present-future, is just sensed by us within this frozen river. But...if we could somehow escape this space-time prison and view all of space and time from outside of it...we could exist in an eternal-cosmic-present-now!
This is precisely the "now" that I am speaking of in this chapter, an ever present now that only exists to the one outside of everything - God. (And probably all Angels and departed saints with God.) Although Greene does not at all go toward God in his writings, he does speak of "an imaginary perspective" outside of space and time. He even gives an address of such a location, “It is the view from No-where and No-when!” (That is the best guess of God's home address ever given!)
So, all this to say, that I have done my homework and I am not so naive to think there is such a thing as an all encompassing now for everyone physically speaking. However, let's continue with much broader perspective of the spiritual in mind!
Psalms 103:17, as quoted earlier, is an amazing statement! Just sit back, relax right now and think on that verse and the words, "God is eternally present". If that does not shake you up a bit mentally, you have not let it sink in enough! Go ahead and think about it again!
Probably the clearest example of God's eternal presence is found in Exodus chapter Three when God confronts Moses at the burning bush.
After God commands Moses to become his servant and to deliver the children of Israel, Moses begins to doubt and think ahead to when he approaches the people, worried that they might not believe him. He indirectly asks God his name and the reply from God then comes; " I AM WHO I AM, you shall say to the children of Israel that I AM has sent me to you." Ex 3:14
This statement is very interesting and extremely important! Here we see that God is not - I WAS (even though he was in the past and can move freely there now), and God is not - I WILL (even though he will be present and active in the future and can easily move freely there now). His holy name is simply - I AM ! (Note - this is also the name Jesus claimed for himself in John 8:38 and claimed to be one with God. The people clearly understood what Jesus was implying and tried to kill him at that point)
Also, this strange name (I AM) is not some ancient outdated name for God, but rather it is his name forever; "This is my name forever and this is my memorial to all generations." Exodus 3:15
This is much more than an interesting Bible fact! Once we grasp this concept and spiritual reality, it can have profound implications on our lives! (More on this very practical application coming very soon.)
Outside of Time
" The time we have in this world is time that can be measured in seconds, minutes, hours, days , weeks, months and years. Our clock time is called - Chronos - it can become an obsession, especially when all that we are is connected with the clock that keeps ticking whether we are awake or asleep. But looked from above, (God’s perspective), our years on earth are not simply Chronos, but rather - Kairos - another Greek word for time. It is the opportunity to claim for ourselves the love that God offers us from eternity to eternity."
Henri Nouwen Here and Now
Most Bible scholars agree that God must exist outside of time, especially if time is simply a part of an expanding space-time continuum, which God created.
But even besides that obvious and convincing reality, there is also the subject of prophecy to consider. All through the Bible, in both Old and New Testaments, we find many prophesies of past events, clearly written before the fact, that are exact in detail of what is to come. Like writing history in advance, these prophecies flow from God...who must exist outside of time in order to know and communicate specific events such as found in the book of Daniel.
God is Light
Perhaps the most compelling evidence of God being outside of time is the nature of light. In John 1:5, it states "God is Light..."It does not say that light is God, that would be something vastly different, but rather that God himself is light! On the other hand, that also does not mean that every time we see a ray of light beam into our homes that we should bow down and worship it! But simply that God's nature and character is like light with no darkness, or any evil to be found in him.
Light travels at 186,000 miles per second period. That means, it travels at this top speed in the universe, always, form any reference point, no matter who or what is measuring, stationary or moving! Thanks to Einstein, and before him, James Maxwell, we know something of this mysterious and strange thing called light. Light travels at that top speed in little packets called photons, which are mass-less. If anything with mass tries to go light speed, mass increases, and so does the required of energy needed to keep you moving, until at just before light speed, it would take an infinite amount of energy! Which, of course is impossible, and so is for any thing with mass to even get close to going that fast!
However, another interesting thing happens at those extreme speeds. Time slows down the faster you go, if you could travel at light speed, you would find that time completely stops! Not in theory, or just on your watch, but literally stopped! (A common misconception is that if you could go that fast, you would never age but be perpetually young. However, time stops at that speed only in reference to earth and outside points. In reference to yourself, you would age normally and would not notice anything unusual, however if you decided to re-visit earth after any significant time on your watch, you would find it far, far in your future and very strange indeed!) In fact, if you could ask a light photon how long it has been traveling through space when it left distant stars billions of years ago, it would say- NOW! Or ask it when did you arrive on earth, again the answer is NOW! It is always now for light because it exists in a timeless state, outside of time! Do you see where I am going? God is light...he is like light, bright, pure, super fast, ageless, and lives in the now!
OK…I think you are with me on this, God exists and lives in the ever present now. That is where his grace, love and mercy are found for us right now. Not yesterday, and not waiting for tomorrow to come, which may never arrive anyway.\ Just like Manna came down from heaven to the Israelites in the wilderness, morning by morning, and they had to go out each day to gather it, so also we need to gather God's grace and provision for us each day as well. Like them too, if we try to gather more to store it up for more than a day (Tomorrow) it rots and is no good. If we go out and try to find yesterday's left over’s, it can't be found, only what is new and fresh is there, in the ever present moment and now, and hoping to live it out daily.
Finding God Around Us
"God meets us in the ordinary and extraordinary occurrences that make up the stuff of our daily lives"
Eugene Peterson - Introduction to the History Books - The Message
"Standing on a London street corner, G. K. Chesterton was approached by a newspaper reporter.” Sir, I understand that you recently became a Christian, may I ask you one question?" "Certainly" replied Chesterton. "If the risen Christ suddenly appeared at this very moment and stood behind you, what would you do?" Chesterton looked the reporter square in the eye and replied, "He is!"
Brennan Manning - Abba's Child
As was about half way through writing this book, I became aware that one of my favorite authors, John Fischer just came out with a new book. I rushed out to buy it and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was entitled, Finding God Where You Least Expect Him. I quickly read it once, twice, three times and then gave my ragged copy away and bought another! We are very much on the same page, but of course, he says it so much more eloquently! If you are interested in going further along these lines, go out and get a copy.
One of the quotes from that illuminating book by John Fischer is this:
We will find out in heaven that our daily lives were far more significant than we ever realized on earth. Part of learning to worship God all the time is understanding this by faith and beginning to act as if our daily lives made a difference."
Let those words sink in for a moment...do you believe that is true? I do! Everything that we do now on earth as Christ followers has tremendous eternal significance. When I say "eternal," I am speaking of the divine ever present now, not just in some distant future time.
Like the example of George Bailey from the movie It's a Wonderful Life, every one of our lives are wonderful, if we have this panoramic perspective, and begin to live within a sensed magnificence even within the mundane all around.
"Celebrate God all day, every day, I mean revel in him!”
Philippians 4:4 The Message
" So here's what I want you to do, God helping you; Take your everyday, ordinary life, your sleeping, eating, going to work and walking around life, and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him."
Romans 12:1,2 The Message
These verses and many others, command us to look for God all around us and then respond to it. Before I conclude with some very practical suggestions to begin to grow in this direction, allow me a brief detour - in an example of how not to do it from my experience.
The Un-Magnificent Mundane
Not too long ago I was one of the leaders of a church and every year participated in their men's retreats to a nearby campground. The campground chosen would usually be a scenic and beautiful forest area with a river or lake and plenty of wildlife around as well. Living very close to the big city of Chicago, I always looked forward to these places of contemplation and simplicity to be refreshed. However, that is not at all what happened anytime I went with this group! It would have been much better to go alone or with my wife, and much more spiritually enriching. During my last retreat with this group, I was already suffering from signs of overload and really wanted to just walk through the woods with a few guys and simply soak in God's creation and presence. However, our very high-energetic-extreme head Pastor had a much different agenda in mind. He had us haul most of our sound equipment from the church, along with microphones, amps, guitars and drums, to "set up shop" here at this lodge just like we had it back at the church! We then proceeded to "have church" with all the loud music, usual exhortations, and very long preaching messages, all this was done holed up in one of the rooms with no windows. Meanwhile, we totally ignored the main reason we came out there - namely to get away from the standard church business as usual, and be refreshed by nature! Why did we even go to the trouble of packing everything and driving out there? We were just in a different location, although you could hardly notice! During this last retreat, I even recall us disturbing another group of older men who came for that purpose; they kindly asked us if we could not be so loud. (Our head Pastor spoke with them and told them in no uncertain terms that we were simply obeying God's commands to worship and if they objected, they were really coming against God.)
Anyway, the weekend went on with only a brief time allowed for recreation and free time for us to walk, play or do whatever. This was granted more out of obligation and was considered as having no spiritual value. After this short time, everyone was rushed back into more intense messages and worship lasting to even the very late hours of the evening, which made everyone more frustrated than refreshed.
The following quote is from a book that greatly helped me. The passage below reflects on this same spiritual suicide syndrome;
"So often we religious people walk amid the beauty and bounty of nature and we talk non-stop. We miss the panorama of color and sound and smell. We might as well have remained inside in our closed, artificially lit living rooms. Nature’s lessons are lost and the opportunity to be wrapped in silent wonder before the God of creation passes. We fail to be stretched by the magnificence of the world saturated with grace.
Brennan Manning - The Ragamuffin Gospel
Practical Steps Forward
"I’m grateful that I often meet God in the hours of unspectacular days. This transformed awareness turns into expectancy so that each new day finds us full of anticipation that some common ordinary bush will be burning, and God will signal to us to pull off our shoes because we are standing on holy ground."
Ben Campbell Johnson - Living before God
In the Chapter One of this E-book, I outlined a few hindrances to our growth and journey into this magnificent mundane mindset, called; E.A.R.T.H. (Everyday Awareness and Reality of The Holy)
I have had a lot more time to think and ponder these things since I wrote that. I would have to say probably the biggest hindrance to our journey to the magnificent mundane mindset is - BUSYNESS! The complexity of our lives seems to be copying the state of the space-time continuum; it is expanding bigger and bigger each day! I think we all can agree on this one issue that seems to have its ever-increasing grip on our lives, especially as Christ followers.
If busyness is the main problem, how do we deal with it? How do we try to rise above and move forward into sensing God's presence every moment of every day amid increasing distractions, duties, and obligations?
Those are tough questions with no simple or quick, easy answers! However, I believe that I can offer three helpful suggestions. These suggestions are really empowered by God's grace and absorbed into our lives by our faith. They are what I call Grace-Works, which may seem like an oxymoron, but the works I speak of are not ours! All the real work is provided by God's Spirit along with the needed grace. We all desperately need to allow the grace of God to work in us!
1. Simplify
"There is no time to waste, so don't complicate your lives unnecessarily. Keep it simple - in marriage, grief, and joy, whatever. Even in ordinary things like your daily routines of shopping and so on. I want you to live as free of complications as possible.”
I Corinthians 7:29, 30 The Message
"My day to day life consists of giving God my simple, loving attention."
Brother Lawrence - Practicing the Presence of God
"Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can quietly go about our business of living simply in humble contemplation - this is the way God wants us to live".
I Timothy 2:2, 3 The Message
"Keep your lives simple and honest . (This is a) Decree of God."
Zechariah 8:17 The Message
To simplify does not necessarily mean just eliminating distractions and complications in our lives. Many times, even after eliminating distractions, we still can face a hurried, stressful, and complicated life from the many hidden and unseen internalized obstacles! For example, you do not have to be rich in wealth to suffer from the sin of greed. Many people who are very poor also can suffer greed and the sin of loving money that they do not have but wish they did. This is from the hidden internal desires that we often overlook when trying to “clean house” only on the outside. Eliminating distractions and complications IS a first step, and it IS something that we can do to stat the process and head in the right direction.
There is a Biblical principle that comes into play here and one that is subtle and often overlooked, but once you see it, it is there all through the Bible.
We Do What We Can Do, and God Will Do What We Cannot Do!
"Do your best, prepare for the worst, and then trust God to bring the victory.” Proverbs 21:31 The Message
There are many other verses, along with many stories and illustrations regarding this truth, but I do not want to be sidetracked from my point...and I do have one!
We do what we can do, namely, rid ourselves of all distractions and try to simplify our lives to the best of our ability. THEN, we trust and pray, and allow God to complete the work internally and in any other way, and do what only he can do! God does the things that only he can do, those things we are incapable of doing. That requires trust and faith on our parts in his grace to do it, and praying accordingly.
2. Slow Down!
To slow down does not mean to stop or retire! Working, playing and serving are important and should be a part of our lives as we continue to grow and move forward in our spiritual journey. However, slowing down means to just not be in such a mad rush! It seems that everyone is in a big hurry these days. A big hurry in driving, working, conversation, and when it works its way into ministry, the result can often be trouble.
However, I also want to make a point in saying that in going the opposite direction and doing very little, or nothing, is just as bad. Like most things within the Christian life, it seems like a paradox and requires fine-tuning to achieve a balance between these two extremes.
So how do we achieve this delicate balance? Again, like everything for Christ followers that require balance - the only remedy is God's grace!
As I wrote about earlier, there is an analogy seen in science, specifically in the nature of light.
Light travels at the top speed of 186,000 miles per second. Light speed is called the “top speed” because there is nothing faster in the entire universe (that we have discovered thus far). If you were in a space ship and could somehow go faster and faster, close to the speed of light itself, two things would happen. Time would get slower and slower in reference to earth and anything outside your speed, and your weight (mass) would keep increasing the faster you went.
Here is the analogy as it relates to spirituality: The faster you go (empowered by grace) getting closer to light (God is light) the more you are really accomplishing because time is really slowing down and you will be refreshed and relaxed, not hurried! Also, the faster you go (On your own apart from God's grace) the bigger you get in mass (Ego-pride). Jesus called his followers "The Light of the World", so this analogy is something to ponder and take seriously.
Here are some concluding quotes that have helped me in slowing down; I hope that they will speak to you also:
"What keeps many of us from growing is not sin but speed. We are going as fast as we can, living life at a dizzying speed, and God is nowhere to be found. We are not rejecting God; we just don't have time for him. We've lost him in the blurred landscape as we rush to church. We don't struggle with the Bible, but with the clock. It's not that we're too decadent - we're too busy! We don't feel guilty because of sin, but because we have no time for our spouses, our children, or our God. It's not sinning too much that's killing our souls, it's our schedule that's annihilating us! Most of us don't come home at night staggering drunk, instead we come home staggering tired, worn out, exhausted and drained because we live too fast!
Spiritual growth, is not running faster, as in more meetings, more Bible studies, and more prayer meetings. Spiritual growth happens when we slow our activity down.
If we want to meet Jesus we can't do it on the run. If we want to stay on the road of faith, we have to hit the brakes, pull over to a rest area, and STOP! Christianity is not about inviting Jesus to speed through life with us, it's about noticing Jesus sitting at the rest stop. Sin does not always drive us to drink, more often it drives us to exhaustion. Tiredness is equally debilitating as drunkenness. Burnout is slang for inner tiredness, a fatigue of our souls. Jesus came to forgive us of all our sins, including the sin of busyness.
Jesus came to give us rest. Rest is what happens when we say one simple word - NO! Rest is the ultimate humiliation, because in order to rest, we must admit we are not necessary, that the world can get along without us, and that God's work does not depend on us. Once we understand how unnecessary we are, only then might we find the right reason to say yes. Only then might we find the right reason to decide to BE with Jesus instead of working for him. Only then might we have the courage to take a nap with Jesus.
Michael Yaconelli - Messy Spirituality
(Note: These words are from the last book Mike wrote as he died in a car accident shortly after writing it. He is currently enjoying a permanent- peaceful rest with Jesus.)
3. Shut Up!
"God is in his holy temple - quiet everyone - a holy silence - LISTEN!”
Habakkuk 2:20 The Message
"Don’t talk unless you can improve the silence"
Jorge Luis Borges
"...people caught up in a lot of talk can miss the whole point of faith.
I Timothy 6:21 The Message
Lately, I have been repeatedly drawn to the book of Job in the Bible; in fact, to give credit where credit is due, most of the inspiration for this E-book can be traced back to my time in Job.
Furthermore, I believe that these four concluding suggestions, (Simplify-Slow Down - Shut Up - and Sense God's Presence) could very well be the same lessons that Job learned, the hard way after going through his suffering. Yes, Job was a righteous man...but many times, we tend to forget...that he was also a man, who like all of us human creatures is far from perfect! In looking at the ending of Job, we hear God speaking, and giving his harshest reply to Job's three friends. However, the bulk of God's final lecture in this book is directed straight to Job, along with plenty of sarcasm, rebuke and correction!
We know that this sin of "talking too much" was a problem for Job because he speaks of it himself in the two brief responses to God:
"I lay my hand over my mouth - once I have spoken, but I will not answer, yes twice, but I will proceed no further."
Job 40:4-5
"I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me which I did not know."
Job 42:3
(A good summary of the entire book of Job that I picked up somewhere is this: Job had a good case and argued it poorly, his three friends had a bad case and argued it well!)
Job's three friends were miserable companions who gave Job poor advice and made him feel worse, that is well known. What is not as well known is that during the first week they came to Job, they sat with him without speaking a word! (Job 2:13) If they would have then got up and left, they would have been remembered as wonderful comforters! But the problems came when they did one thing...they opened their mouths! Not only did they do a lot of speaking, but their words were inaccurate statements about God and his character. They assumed the reasons for Job's suffering when those reasons were not given and were hidden to everyone, including Job.
Many of the worst offenders of this problem are preachers and teachers within the church! (I know, I used to be a serial offender.) I once knew a Pastor who would ramble on at near light speed through worship, communion, offering, and then during the message, he would have free reign to shoot out words like a machine gun for sometimes an hour and a half. Then, seeing some people leaving due to prior commitments, he would say, "in conclusion, everybody stand".( Which, of course, would give him then another ten-fifteen more minutes to summarize and pray). Then while saying goodbye and people were walking out, he would be shouting out announcement after announcement with some people shaking their heads mumbling, "He just can't shut up!"
(If you think, I am stretching the truth a bit, think again, along with his many words also came some crazy doctrine and ideas and nearly destroyed that church. My wife and I exited shortly after it got worse along with dozens of other couples, and the pastor was finally booted by the board. The remaining church continues to struggle to move on under a new name.)
Simplify...Slow Down...Shut Up!
I can think of any better advice to give to any Christ-Follower in our present culture! I have discovered these tendencies and problems within me only as I have allowed God's grace to come and awaken me from a spiritual slumber - a grace awakening.
Before I get to my last practical suggestion, my hope is that right now you would sit back, relax, and quietly look over the following verses on this subject all from The Message Bible, and all from the book of Proverbs between chapters 10-21.
"The wise accumulate knowledge-a true treasure, know-it-alls talk too much-a sheer waste."
"The more talk-the less truth, the wise measure their words."
"The talk of a good person is rich fare for many, but chatterboxes die of an empty heart."
"Prudent people don't flaunt their knowledge, talkative fools broadcast their silliness."
"Careful words make for a careful life, careless talk may ruin everything"
"The one who knows much says little, an understanding person remains calm. Even dunces who keep quiet are thought to be wise, as long as they keep their mouths shut, they're smart."
"Many words rush along like rivers in a flood, but deep wisdom flows up from artesian springs."
"The words of a fool start fights, do him a favor and gag him. Fools are undone by their mouths; their souls are crushed by their words. "
"Watch your words and hold your tongue, you'll save yourself a lot of grief."
_____________________________
A Journalist once asked Albert Einstein to explain his formula for success. The great thinker thought for a second and then replied, "If "A" is success, I would say the formula is:
A=X+Y+Z...X being work and Y being play." The journalist then asked, "Then what does the Z stand for?" Einstein replied, "Keeping your mouth shut!"
Sense God's Presence Everywhere
"Am I not present everywhere, whether seen or unseen?"
Jeremiah 28:24 The Message
"...the earth fills up with awareness of God's glory as the waters cover the sea."
Habakkuk 2:14 The Message
"Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God."
I Peter 1:18 The Message
"Keep your eyes open for God, watch for his work, be alert for signs of his presence."
Psalms 105:4 The Message
" It's time to look not only up, but out, and see God where few expect to see him, in the middle of everything we do."
John Fischer Finding God Where You Least Expect Him
Not only do most of us miss sensing God's presence throughout our days, but we also miss seeing the many verses that command us to look for him!
Maybe it is good that this last practical suggestion of sensing God's presence is the last one on my list. Simply because, as I ponder what I have written and thought about thus far, I believe that we need the first three I spoke of first to get to this point, or even close to it! If we don't allow grace to cause us to simplify, slow down and shut up, we will hardly be ready to even begin to sense God's presence and live the magnificent mundane mindset discussed all through this writing.
If you have been with me from Chapter One, you will recall my acronym for EARTH - which is -Everyday Awareness and Reality of The Holy. (Which is just another name for my whole thesis of The Magnificent Mundane) That is the entire goal and purpose of getting this far in all of these chapters, and even in writing the songs and recording my CD concept-theme album entitled, The Magnificent Mundane.
You may be asking yourself at this point, " OK, I see where you are going and I understand the need to go there, but do you have a great example to follow that I can learn and pattern myself after?" My answer is YES! The very best example of this entire writing and concept of practicing the presence of God every second of every day is ...JESUS! No one else who ever walked the earth lived and breathed this concept more than him. In looking at him and following his lead, we are not only wise, but we are obeying scripture:
"So my dear Christian friends, companions in following this call to the heights, take a good hard look at Jesus. He's the centerpiece of everything we believe, faithful in everything God gave him to do."
Hebrews 3:1 The Message
"Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it, because he never lost sight of where he was headed - that exhilarating finish, in and with God"
Hebrews 12:2 The Message
The Life of Jesus
Let us consider Jesus in light of simplifying, slowing down, and shutting up.
First, I suggested that we embrace a simplified lifestyle.
Did Jesus live a simple life and display this quality? I believe he did! Yes, he was the Son of God, did miracles and gave his life for the human race, yet he lived an amazingly simple life! He never traveled outside of Palestine, he never physically wrote any books (that we know of), and while he may have had a house to stay in from time to time, he did say "foxes have holes and birds have nests but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head."(Matthew 8:20) We don't know if Jesus had any personal hobbies, but he often liked to go to a secluded spot away from the crowds to the Garden of Gethsemane. Here he would enjoy a quiet time with both his disciples and with Father God. Keep in mind that almost all we know of Jesus earthly life consists of his last three years of ministry while he was around 30-33 years old. We also don’t know anything about Jesus’ growing-up youth part of his life (apart from the incident at the temple when he was twelve). I would imagine that he lived a very simple life growing up, considering the time and area.
Consider the principle of "Slowing Down." Did Jesus ever go fast, was he ever rushed and in a big hurry? While typing these words, I am quietly sitting in a coffee shop sipping coffee and racking my brain trying to think of one occasion when he was in a hurry! I have concluded...there is not any in the Bible! Go ahead, I challenge you, think about it and see if you can find one occasion throughout the Gospels, let me know if you do, I would be very interested to know!
If anyone should have been rushed and in a big hurry, it was Jesus! He only had three years starting from his baptism, to find and train twelve men with his teaching, and then accomplishes every single prophecy that was written about him, and then dies for the sins of the world and rise again three das later! If any of us had all that on our agenda, we may need more than three years...or at least...take the three years but be in an awful big rush and hurry! How about even thinking of specific events in his life? When his good friend Lazarus died, he took his own sweet time in walking over to the place where his body laid (Even after the funeral) to finally raise him up! Consider the night of his arrest in Gethsemane...or how about while in the boat during the storm and everyone was no doubt rushing around in a panic? Jesus was sleeping and then awoke and calmly quieted the storm! Finally, consider the time when he returned to his home town of Nazareth and they rejected him. A mob of people tried to physically throw him over a cliff, but he seemingly, calmly walked right through their midst with the text giving not even a hint of him running or being in a hurry.
Consider the principle of keeping silent, or "shutting up."
Jesus taught the people and preached the good news of the Gospel, but he often also practiced the beautiful art of silence! Consider the last days of his life during his mockery of a trial. He refused to even speak up and reply to the many false accusations, so much so, the Bible says that he was like "a lamb led to the slaughter"!
Also during his ministry, we see many occasions of Jesus practicing silence. (Jesus had a lot to say - think of the stories from before eternity and creating the universe!) Once when a woman was caught in adultery and thrown in front of him to test him, at first he said nothing. He only stooped down and scribbled in the sand! When he did speak up, it was brief and to the point, and everyone there got hit between the eyes with his words! “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone“John 8:7
Consider the last principle of "sensing God's presence everywhere. Do we really even have to consider if Jesus lived this!? He was the extreme personification of this principle! He claimed that everything he did was the perfect will of God, he knew the Father God and sensed him minute by minute more than anyone who ever lived! The only possible exception to this fact was during the brief moments while he was on the cross and bore the entire sins of the world. He uttered those words, "My God My God why have you forsaken me?" (However, theologically speaking, that is perfectly understood, and even then, God did not forsake him but due to the weight of sins upon him, it would have certainly seemed as such to Christ on the cross.)
Jesus is our supreme examples in every way...look at him!
What I have tried to do is suggest we change our thinking; to break free from the restraints of self-imposed bondages rampant in churchianity! Instead, we all need to allow God's fresh wave of grace come and re-shape our minds and heats, however difficult and painful that may be! Once we allow grace to do its work, we will begin to live and see things so much differently. Only then can we begin to live this magnificent mundane mindset of sensing God all around us, every day, every hour, every minute and every second.
"You're blessed when you get your inside world - your mind and heart - put right. Then you can see God in the outside world."
Jesus in Matthew 5 - The Message
"Spending the day with God does not usually involve doing different things from what we already do. Mostly it involves learning to do what we already do in a new way with God.”
John Ortberg God is Closer Than You Think
I Wonder as I Wander
I love the Christmas song, "I Wonder as I Wonder", and have recorded it both as an instrumental and vocal version on my "Winter Wonderland" CD. Our lives as Christ Followers should consist of much wondering! In addition, (for better or worse), our lives also have a lot of wandering in them as well! When I speak of wandering, I am not thinking necessarily of physical wandering, such as moving from place to place. Rather our lives as a whole within this journey, and the wanderings that God leads us into as we learn more of his nature and character. For example, I wandered from extreme to the other extreme in relation to theology, and many aspects of this journey. In fact, I am still very much in the state of wonder...and wander!
This idea is far from new, because one of the first wandering wonderers was Abraham nearly 4,000 years ago. He not only wandered spiritually learning of God, but he also wandered physically, in response to his initial calling from God in Genesis 12; 1, telling him to pack up and get moving to another land. We are in very good company with Abraham, as he is both called "the father of our faith", and "a friend of God."
I must add a caution do not get me wrong, wandering is not always a good thing! We remember the wanderings of the Israelites in the wilderness, and the first wanderer in the Bible, Cain, who began that journey as a curse and punishment for killing his brother. Both of these wanderings are different, they are aimless!
As Bob Dylan put it, "...a complete unknown, with no direction home, like a rolling stone". Both the Israelites and Cain wandered aimlessly without focus on destination. In fact, Cain was called a "vagabond" which means just that, an aimless wanderer!
In Hebrews Chapter 11 we are clearly told that Abraham did not know where he was going either, so what is the difference? The difference is first, Abraham knew what he was looking for - the city of God without foundations, and secondly, he knew, in a growing and progressive manner, God was the one who was leading him to it.
Shouldn't that be our experience as well today? We usually have no clue as to where we are going both spiritually and physically, yet we should know what it is we are looking and working for by his grace. Namely, again - the city of God, without foundations, God's invisible kingdom being established both in our lives, in the lives of people around us and on the earth at large.
To wonder, invokes images of children, where in their world everything is new, exciting, and filled with anticipation! Maybe that is what Jesus had in mind when he said,
"These children are the kingdom's pride and joy. Mark this: Unless you accept God's kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you'll never get in."
Jesus in Luke Chapter 18 - The Message
Pilgrim
This idea of a wondering wanderer is really a good definition of the word - pilgrim. If someone is on a pilgrimage, he or she is on a spiritual journey, but in the Biblical sense of the word, he or she is also captivated with wonder, and there is anticipation within each day.
My first understanding of this word, pilgrim, became personal and vivid to me just over twenty years ago during my trip to Israel. Even while there, when asked by people what the purpose of my journey is, while it was part pleasure, part work, it was also very much mostly a pilgrimage! I answered as such at least several times, and many more since my return as well. I had gone with my spiritual mentor, Dr. Hart Armstrong, a man who had written dozens of deep, lengthy books on Biblical issues, and focused on the prophetic as pertains to Israel. He had taken over two dozen trips there before me, and led hundreds of people all throughout the country. Yet, upon our return, he had mentioned many times to others that no one he had taken was more enthusiastic, and filled with excitement and wonder than I was!
As I think back upon that time now, I can say that my great awe and excitement on going to Israel largely came from my love and understanding of God and the Bible, and the fact that Jesus physically walked on the ground, and will yet fulfill prophetic scriptures there as well!
However, isn't Jesus still "walking" on earth within his people by his Spirit? Isn't God's presence still alive and well right in front of all of our spiritual eyes? Shouldn't we still all be living with awe, excitement and wonder knowing that our pilgrimage continues each day, and not just upon brief visits to Israel? Of course, the answer to these questions is - YES! But they are difficult to grasp, at least for most of us.
But it was with these things in mind that when I formed my own company in 1996, and embarked upon my vocation, which continues today, I named it, "Pilgrim Productions Inc."
Nearly a week does not go by when someone does not ask me, "So just what is a pilgrim? What do Pilgrim's produce?" It opens up many very good conversations!
I am a pilgrim! So are you, if you are on the same journey as a Christ Follower, and especially if you are growing into this beautiful magnificent mundane mindset concept!
For further reference and encouragement, look up the old Gospel classic song, "Wayfaring Stranger," or pick up a copy of John Bunyon's classic book,
Pilgrim's Progress.
"How do we live in the presence of the living God? In wonder - amazed by the traces of God all around us."
Brennan Manning The Ragamuffin Gospel
"Wonder is that possession of the mind that enchants the emotions while never surrendering reason. It is a grasp on reality that does not need constant high points in order to be maintained, nor is it made venerable by the low point of life's struggle. It sees in the ordinary - the extraordinary, and it finds in the extraordinary, the reaffirmations for what it already knows. Wonder interprets life through the eyes of eternity while enjoying the moment, but never lets the momentary vision exhaust the eternal."
Ravi Zacharias Recapture the Wonder
We have come to the end of this E-book, and I hope the journey has been enlightening, helpful, joyful, educating, and most of all life-changing!
If all we have is knowledge and great information in our heads, it can be somewhat intellectually stimulating, but does nothing for our practical day-to-day loves, and also nothing for helping others in theirs as well.
I began this E-book and CD project two years ago at this writing, and it has been a long journey for me too! But I sincerely trust in the invisible hand of our personal and loving God, that he has been working behind the scenes through you, and me and will continue to lead us forward by his grace. I hope that this project has been a helpful friend along your journey, similar to some of the good people that Christian, the main character in Pilgrim's Progress, met along his way and helped him.
If you have been with me through all five chapters, you know that I have borrowed much from others along this journey as well, and have included many of their comments.
Allow me one more, one who has summed up most of my thoughts into a few declarations that are good to post and look at to help remind us of these things:
"Coming to recognize and experience God's presence is learned behavior that I CAN cultivate."
"God is always present and active in my life whether or not I see him."
“Every aspect of my life - work, relationships, hobbies, errands - is of immense and genuine interest to God."
"My path to experience God's presence will not look quite like anyone else's."
John Ortberg God is Closer
Than You Think
If you would like to pursue some of these concepts further, here are some
highly recommended books and CD's! Also please see the links page on this site
for more helpful resources.
Thanks for reading; I hope to see you along the journey! JB
The Message Bible
Eugene Peterson
Abba's Child
Ragamuffin Gospel
Ruthless Trust
Brennan Manning
Living Before God
Ben Campbell Johnson
Carpe Diem
Tony Campola
Rumors of Another World
Soul Survivor
The Jesus I Never Knew
Philip Yancey
Scribbling in the Sand
Michael Card
Jesus Drives me Crazy
A Cup of Coffee in the Soul Cafe
Leonard Sweet
Freedom of Simplicity
Richard Foster
The Elegant Universe
The Fabric of the Cosmos
Brian Greene
The Secret House
E=MC2
David Bodanis
More Than Meets the Eye
Richard A. Swenson
The Practice of the Presence of God
Brother Lawrence
The Privileged Planet
Peter Ward & Donald Brownlee
Genesis and the Big Bang
The Science of God
The Hidden Face of God
Gerald Schroeder
Twelve Ordinary Men
John MacArthur
A Scandalous Freedom
Steve Brown
Finding God Where You Least Expect Him
Twelve Steps for the Recovering Pharisee (Like Me)
John Fischer
Messy Spirituality
Mike Yaconelli
The Accelerating Universe
Mario Livio
God is Closer Than You Think
The Life You've Always Wanted
John Ortberg
Where in the World is the Church?
Michael S. Horton
Here and Now
Henri Nouwen
Recapture the Wonder
Ravi Zacharias
Recommended music on CD .
These Cds reinforce the magnificent mundane mindset, and will help you to think outside the box, be more creative, and very likely put a genuine smile on your face!
The Magnificent Mundane
John Boda
Smell the Color Nine
Past the Edges
Chris Rice
Pure Imagination
Michael Feinstein
If I Left the Zoo
Jars of Clay
Fragile
The Yes Album
Yes
Romeo's Garage
Music Box
Peter Mayer
Dart to the heart
Bruce Cockburn
Your'e the One
Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Chaos and Creation
Paul McCartney