Reflections from the North Land: All Creation Praising God!

North Shore of Lake Superior


Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
  let the sea resound, and all that is in it;
  let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them.
Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy;
  they will sing before the Lord! (Ps 96:11-13)

Last weekend Sharon and I relished three days on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Staying at our favorite cabin right on the water, we lingered the whole morning sitting on the rocks, soaking in the sun and the waves and the fresh breeze. Reading, sipping coffee, praying and sharing were the sum of our whole agenda there. It was a true time of being led beside quiet waters while the Lord restored our souls (Ps 23)!

Our first morning, Sharon shared with me reflections from a chapter she read in Albert Haase’s wonderful new book, Catching Fire, Becoming Flame. He gives four simple steps to help us be fully present to God each moment. [1]

Ask
Ask yourself: Where am I? So often we are physically in one place, but mentally a million miles away. This was a helpful question for me while on the North Shore. Every so often I would just ask myself: Glenn, where are you? This would remind me: Wow, I am at our favorite spot on Lake Superior basking in the sun! I want to be fully present here! I’m going to delight in every moment!

Attend
Next, we need to be attentive to what is around us. What do we hear, see, smell? Haase suggests we take one of these to focus on. The morning I took the photo above, I centered on what I was seeing. Iwas enthralled with watching the sunlight twinkle in the spray from the waves as they crashed against the rocks. It was just beautiful.

Assess
Next, we reflect on what we are seeing, hearing, touching or smelling. We ask ourselves: How do I see God in this? What character of God is revealed? As I watched the waves that morning, I was caught up in praise. Each splash of the lively waves simply showered forth praise to the creator!

Adore
Finally, take a few moments just to adore the Lord. That is what I did that morning—I sat in silent awe of our awesome Creator. I let my heart sing praise to our God, joining in the celebration that the waves sprayed forth.

As Psalm 96 declares: Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; / let the sea resound, and all that is in it!

[1] Material adapted from Albert Haase. Catching Fire, Becoming Flame: A Guide for Spiritual Transformation. Brewster, MA: Paraclete Press, 2013.

© 2013 Glenn E. Myers

Spiritual Formation and Enjoying a Garden

Our Garden

I come to the Garden alone,
 While the dew is still on the roses;
And the voice I hear falling on my ear,
 The Son of God discloses.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
 And He tells me I am his own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
 None other has ever known. (C. Austin Miles)

I have always loved meeting the Lord out in his creation! After a hectic day in the office, I love coming home and going into our back yard to work in the garden. The smell of the flowers and the soft beauty of the grass and evergreen trees help me let go of all the stress—sometimes several layers of strain and tension and worry—until I begin to enjoy life again.

So often in the out-of-doors, I reconnect with the Lord. I reconnect with Sharon, as we work in the garden or do a walk on the tail. In addition, I reconnect with myself, my true self.

Glory of Creation
The loving Creator reveals himself to us in a special way in creation. There we get a glimpse of God’s grandeur as we see the order of the spheres. We touch God’s essential beauty as we soak in the gorgeous sky, the colorful flowers and all of the Almighty’s handiwork.

The heavens declare the glory of God;
 the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
 night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language
 where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth,
 their words to the ends of the world. (Psalm 19:1-3)

God’s deep love for us is also revealed in all that he provides for us—meeting our every need and simply blessing us with the enjoyment of creation!

Spiritual Formation
One of my spiritual rhythms—a.k.a. spiritual disciplines—is getting out in nature. It is a “discipline” because I need to remind myself to do it! I need to break out of my responsibilities and get my nose away from the grindstone for an hour in order to enjoy God out in his creation. When I do so, it makes all the difference in my life.

Spiritual formation is often interwoven with gardens and creation. I know they are integrally connected in my life. Prayer, listening, meditating, and even reading Scripture come alive in a fresh way in the fresh air. Let us take God up on his invitation to revel in his awesome creation!

© 2013 Glenn E. Myers

Evening Examine: Taking Time to Reflect–Insights by Francis de Sale

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
    behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. . . .
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
    Try me and know my thoughts![c]
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalm 139:23-24 ESV)

Long-term spiritual growth necessitates reflection. We must reflect on our actions and attitudes—what we have done well and what we have not done well—if we want to see substantive change in our lives. Without regular inspection, we simply repeat the same mistakes and sins again and again.

If, however, we take time in prayer to look back over the day, we are open to what God has to show us. Of course we need to have a teachable spirit in order to listen to what the Holy Spirit wants to reveal to us. The Lord might open our eyes to see a missed opportunity to reach out to someone because we were too afraid that we might look stupid. Or, he might show us that something we did was right—but we did it with the wrong attitude or for the wrong reason. On the other hand, the Holy Spirit might point out a blessing during the day that we entirely overlooked.

None of this will happen, though, if we fail to take the time to slow down for a few minutes, reflect and listen. This is known as daily “examine.”

Examine
The practice of intentional self-assessment has traditionally been referred to as daily examine. In prayer we evaluate our thoughts, words and deeds in light of God’s Word. In his classic, Introduction to the Devout Life, Francis de Sales offers a very simple but practical pattern for daily examine each evening.

1. “Thank God for having preserved you through the day past.

2. Examine how you have conducted yourself through the day, in order to which recall where and with whom you have been, and what you have done.

3. If you have done anything good, offer thanks to God; if you have done amiss in thought, word, or deed, ask forgiveness of His Divine Majesty, resolving to confess the fault when opportunity offers, and to be diligent in doing better.

4. Then commend your body and soul, the Church, your relations and friends, to God.”

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10)

This practice of morning prayer (see last blog) and evening examine makes a wonderful rhythm for spiritual growth. De Sales summarizes, “Neither this practice nor that of the morning should ever be omitted; by your morning prayer you open your soul's windows to the sunshine of Righteousness, and by your evening devotions you close them against the shades of hell.”

*All quotes are taken from the online free edition of Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, http://www.ccel.org/ccel/desales/devout_life.txt

© 2013 Glenn E. Myers

Francis de Sales: Introduction to the Devout Life: Suggestions for Morning Prayer

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

“In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice;
  in the morning I lay my requests before you
  and wait in expectation.”
-Psalm 5:3

Morning Prayer
One of the greatest aids to spiritual growth is establishing a rhythm of prayer. Just as rhythm gives “backbone” to melody and harmony in music, so a spiritual rhythm helps to give strength and structure to our devotional life with God, freeing us from the mood of the moment.

Many, if not most, Christians during the past two thousand years who have walked with God over the long haul have found the value in establishing a morning and evening routine. Far from being a form of legalism, such a pattern of morning prayer and evening prayer becomes the steady rhythm of breathing for our spiritual lives.

In his Introduction to the Devout Life, Francis de Sales offers some insightful—and very practical—suggestions for daily morning prayer.

1. “Thank God, and adore Him for His Grace which has kept you safely through the night, and if in anything you have offended against Him, ask forgiveness.”

2. “Call to mind that the day now beginning is given you in order that you may work for Eternity, and make a steadfast resolution to use this day for that end.”

Each day is an opportunity to start out on the right foot. God’s mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23), and we can tap afresh into his grace and faithfulness to empower us to love and serve him.

3. “Consider beforehand what occupations, duties and occasions are likely this day to enable you to serve God; what temptations to offend Him, either by vanity, anger, etc., may arise; and make a fervent resolution to use all means of serving Him and confirming your own piety; as also to avoid and resist whatever might hinder your salvation and God's Glory.”

Thinking about the potential challenges of the day is not enough: we must be ready to obey the Lord if the temptation indeed comes. “Nor is it enough to make such a resolution,--you must also prepare to carry it into effect,” states de Sales. “Thus, if you foresee having to meet someone who is hot-tempered and irritable, you must not merely resolve to guard your own temper, but you must consider by what gentle words to conciliate him. If you know you will see some sick person, consider how best to minister comfort to him, and so on.” De Sales—like the Scouts—wants to think things through and be prepared for the day!

4. “Next, humble yourself before God, confessing that of yourself you could carry out nothing that you have planned, either in avoiding evil or seeking good.”

Our plans are worth little without committing them to the Lord. De Sales continues, “Then, so to say, take your heart in your hands, and offer it and all your good intentions to God's Gracious Majesty, entreating Him to accept them, and strengthen you in His Service, which you may do in some such words as these: ‘Lord, I lay before Thee my weak heart, which Thou dost fill with good desires. Thou knowest that I am unable to bring the same to good effect, unless Thou dost bless and prosper them, and therefore, O Loving Father, I entreat of Thee to help me by the Merits and Passion of Thy Dear Son, to Whose Honour I would devote this day and my whole life.’”

More than our own will power, we need his strength to carry out our good intentions. There is our part, and there is God’s part. As Paul asserts in Philippians 2:12-13, we need to actively and passionately engage in the process as we “work out [our] salvation with fear and trembling”! However, we do so because the Lord enables us to, “for it is God who works in [us] to will and to act according to his good purpose.”

Let us likewise seek the Lord in the morning, engaging our whole heart and will and determining to act in full obedience. Let us offer our good intentions to the Lord, receiving his grace to follow through with all he directs!

*All quotes are taken from the online free edition of Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, http://www.ccel.org/ccel/desales/devout_life.txt

© 2013 Glenn E. Myers

Francis de Sales: Introduction to the Devout Life: Placing yourself in Scripture

Minnesota Arboretum

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105 KJV)

Scripture
In his Christian classic, Introduction to the Devout Life, Francis de Sales lays a foundation for spiritual growth by encouraging all believers to meditate on God’s Word. Precisely because it is God’s very Word, it is beyond value. We must therefore be attentive to whatever the Lord has to say to us.

“Cultivate a special devotion to God's Word,” exhorts de Sales, “whether studied privately or in public; always listen to it with attention and reverence, strive to profit by it, and do not let it fall to the ground, but receive it within your heart as a precious balm.”

Receiving Correction and Direction
Sometimes God gives us a word of comfort in Scripture. Other times it is a word of correction, as 2 Timothy 2:16 states: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” Often times the comfort or correction is accompanied by some specific direction for our lives.

Whatever correction or instruction comes our way, we need to be ready to obey Scripture. Reading the Bible or hearing it is not enough, we must have our minds made up ahead of time that we will truly “listen” to it and follow through on whatever the Lord speaks in his Word. As Jesus asserts, we will be blessed if we hear the word and keep it (Luke 11:28).

Scripture should never be boring! If our Bible reading is dull, it is because we come to it with a dull mind and dull attitude. God’s Word itself is alive and vibrant, as Hebrews 4:12-13 declares, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.”

Helping us to approach God’s Word with all our attention, de Sales offers some very practical steps as we approach Scripture to read it and reflect upon it.

First, we Need to Place Ourselves in God’s Presence
One way to do this is by realizing “that His Presence is universal; that is to say, that He is everywhere, and in all, and that there is no place, nothing in the world, devoid of His Most Holy Presence, so that, even as birds on the wing meet the air continually, we, let us go where we will, meet with that Presence always and everywhere.” Another way to make ourselves attentive to God’s presence, says de Sales, is “simply to exercise your ordinary imagination, picturing the Saviour to yourself in His Sacred Humanity as if He were beside you just as we are wont to think of our friends, and fancy that we see or hear them at our side.”

Second, Ask for God’s Grace
De Sales instructs, you “must ask of Him grace to serve and worship Him in this your meditation. You may use some such brief and earnest words as those of David: ‘Show me Thy Ways, O Lord, and teach me Thy paths’ [Psalm 25:4]. ‘Give me understanding, and I shall keep Thy Law: yea, I shall keep it with my whole heart’ [Psalm 119:34].”

Third, Place Yourself into Scripture
We can also mentally place ourselves right into the biblical scene that we are meditating on. This is a great way to bring God’s Word alive in our hearts and lives! De Sales challenges us simply to kindle “a vivid picture of the mystery to be meditated within your imagination, even as though you were actually beholding it. For instance, if you wish to meditate upon our Lord on His Cross, you will place yourself in imagination on Mount Calvary, as though you saw and heard all that occurred there during the Passion; or you can imagine to yourself all that the Evangelists describe as taking place where you are.”

Spiritual Life Founded on God’s Word
Many forms of “spirituality” are in circulation today. How do we know which ones are true Christian spiritual formation? First and foremost, we must see whether they are founded upon and saturated in Scripture.

In his classic, de Sales gives some down-to-earth suggestions in approaching God’s Word and making it our own. He also offers some helpful devotions in the opening chapters of his work, including meditations on Creation, on the Purpose for which we were Created, the Gifts of God, on our Sin, and others.

I pray that we would all be so saturated in God’s Word that it transforms our thinking, empowers us for godly living, and fills our hearts with God’s inextinguishable love for us!

*All quotes are taken from the online free edition of Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, http://www.ccel.org/ccel/desales/devout_life.txt

© 2013 Glenn E. Myers

Francis de Sales: Introduction to the Devout Life: Spiritual Growth for All

Minnesota Arboretum

“Do you not know that in a race the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” (1 Corinthians 9:24-25)

One of the great spiritual classics of all times in the Introduction to the Devout Life by Francis de Sales. Welcoming believers of all ages and levels of growth to move forward in their walk with the Lord, de Sales’ work breathes a breath of fresh air and candid invitation. It describes what a genuine believer’s spiritual or devotional (devout) life can look like. Above all, it offers encouragement in our relationship with Jesus and a gentle challenge to move toward Christian maturity.

Spiritual Maturity for All Christians
De Sales is down to earth about spiritual progress. Rather than seeing spiritual formation as something set aside for those who are “spiritual,” he encourages everyone to nurture a deeper walk with the Lord. He recognizes that spiritual rhythms will look different for people in different callings in life—a pastor and a mother with small children have very different demands on their time.

Nevertheless, we can all cultivate our spiritual life. God “bids Christians—the living tress of His Church—to bring forth fruits of devotion, each on according to his kind and vocation,” writes de Sales. “A different exercise of devotion is required of each . . . the artisan, the servant, . . . the wife; and furthermore such practice must be modified according to the strength, the calling, and the duties of each individual.”

Work with Peace in Your Hearts
De Sales is one of the first major spiritual writers to highlight everyday spirituality. Christians can grow through their daily activities, as well as through their consistent devotional life.

How do we live in the active work-a-day world and still maintain our sense of connection with God? De Sale observes that “we must attend to the business of life carefully, but without eagerness or over-anxiety.” When Jesus rebuked Martha, it was not for her serving “but giving way to disquiet and anxiety.”

He goes on to paint a picture for us of what anxiety of the much-ness and many-ness of life is like: “Flies harass us less by what they do than by reason of their multitude, and so great matters give us less disturbance than a multitude of small affairs. Accept the duties which some upon you quietly, and try to fulfill them methodically, one after another. If you attempt to do everything at once, or with confusion, you will only comber yourself with your own exertions, and by dint of perplexing your mind you will probably be overwhelmed and accomplish nothing.”

Our devotional times need to influence our daily life and work. If we have truly connected with our loving Lord during our time of Scripture reading and prayer, we need to actively bring that peace into all our activities. Summing it up de Sales exhorts: “In all your affairs lean solely on God’s Providence, by means of which alone your plans can succeed. Meanwhile, on your part work on in quiet cooperation with Him, and then rest satisfied.”

Deep Devotion and Service to Others
Genuine spiritual maturity consists of both a fervent pursuit of our personal relationship with God and a self-emptying service of those around us. No matter our place in life—whether young or old, student or parent, in Christian work or a secular job or retired—we all need to put our roots down as well as stretch our branches out toward others. The devout life is both vertical and horizontal. Our spiritual formation will be lopsided without both dimensions.

“Ponder Jacob’s ladder,” recommends de Sales, “it is a true picture of the devout life.” Just as we can go both directions on a ladder, we need to be “ascending by contemplation to a loving union with God,” as well as “descending by good deeds on behalf of our neighbor.” What a great invitation that is to us follow the two great commandments: loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and loving our neighbor as ourselves (Mk 12:29-31).

*All quotes are taken from the online free edition of Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, http://www.ccel.org/ccel/desales/devout_life.txt

© 2013 Glenn E. Myers

Reading Christian Classics: Spiritual Maturity for All Believers

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2 NASB)

Growing and Running
God calls each and every one of us toward spiritual maturity. Much of contemporary Christianity emphasizes “getting saved”—being born again—so much, that it forgets the fact that once we are born we need to grow! Just as a human baby needs to develop physically and mentally, so we must mature spiritually.

The Gospel invites us into an intimate relationship with God the Heavenly Father through the person and work of Jesus the Son, by the nurture and care of the Holy Spirit. That relationship is one that needs to develop over the years. Like any genuine friendship, it must deepen in our hearts as we become more real and vulnerable with the One we love. The friendship also widens to affect every area of our lives.

From beginning to end, the New Testament summons us to transformation. As we walk with God, we need to be changed—not simply forgiven but also conformed to Jesus’ very image. For God “predestined [us] to be conformed to the likeness of his Son” (Romans 8:29). Genuine Christianity is all about becoming like Christ—dying to our old ways of thinking, speaking and doing, in order that Jesus might live through us, not just in theory but in actuality.

Spiritual Classics
The Christian Classics are works written by believers over the past two thousand years that help us do just that. Penned by men and women who pressed on toward that spiritual maturity, the classics welcome us to do the same in our day and age. They offer insight into the growth process, which can help us along the way, especially when we are stuck. They encourage us when we have grown weary and they challenge us in our moments of laziness.

As a student of Church History for over half my life, I have come to appreciate the classics more every year. The godly women and men who wrote them are now part of the great cloud of witnesses described in Hebrews 11 and 12, who cheer us on as we run the Christian race. Many of them suffered greatly during their lifetime, so they have much to say about the role of suffering in the maturation process. They offer genuine encouragement when we are weary and in pain, and they provide notable examples for us in our life situation. Like James, they call us to “consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect [mature] and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4 NASB).

Invitation to Press On
One of my main reasons for beginning this blog site was to introduce Christians today—of all denominations and backgrounds—to our common heritage in the Church and the wealth of spiritual encouragement and instruction available to us from ardent believers of the past twenty centuries. Through recommending various classics, as well as telling some of their authors’ life-stories, I hope to offer some of their wisdom and insight on the Christian life. By providing quotes from their writings, I hope to whet the appetite of readers to find copies of the classics and make them your own.

Above all, I pray that my blog would stir you to push forward in your walk with the Lord—through inspiring seasons of growth and dull times, when prayer comes easily as well as when it seems so dry and difficult. “I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus,” exclaims the Apostle Paul, even after serving God for many years. “Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14 NASB). By God’s grace, let each and every one of us do the same!

© 2013 Glenn E. Myers