Category: Doctoral Studies

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Being & Doing – Reflection from James

Today, reflecting on James and the idea that we are to be & to do. Being is the internal reflection we do see how we are doing – of course the key here is to have the correct standards to assess our life, the Bible. Doing is the external praxis of living out our faith – it’s not enough to only know, we have to do.

Being is done in solitude, well doing is doe in community. We were created to seek both solitude and community. The key here is finding the the right balance. In solitude and silence we can reflect on the things we believe, God’s Word, and if we are living a life that that is congruent with them. In silence we can better hear that still small voice of God encouraging us, correcting us, guiding us. It is here were we are taken into the crucible to be tested and refined, purified to become more like Christ. When we are in the crucible we are put into situations that cause us to grow. We may feel along but God is with us. When we emerge from the crucible we are able to reflect God’s glory a little brighter since another layer of impurities has been burned away. At times when we exit this transformation process we feel alive and especially close to God. From this mountain top experience we must then head back down into the valley where we can again engage our community and do the things we have learned.

Silence and solitude is in part how we live out the first part of the greatest commandment – love God with all you have and all you are. It is in community where we live out the second part of this commandment – loving others. We can and do love God in community, but it is only in community where we can love others. The question is not “If I should love others?” rather it is “How can I love and serve others?” How is it I can allow this newly minted me to better reflect God’s glory and bring honor to Him? How can I come along side another in their journey to deepen their relationship with God?

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A Dream Is Forming

These last couple years have been a time of wonder and awe for me. God has brought me down paths that I did not even know existed. I have thought thoughts and pondered ideas that I had only given a passing look at in the past. I have, as was pointed out to me a couple of weeks ago, been struck with what was termed theological angst. This has come about as I have begun to ponder on the theology of spiritual formation.This path will be played out in my doctoral work over the next year of so. All this is background to a dream that is beginning to form.

I want to preface this by saying that I really do enjoy my current job and if this is where God keeps me I am good with that (for my boss if he where to read this). The dream I am having thought is much different than this. It is a dream of God size proportion. It involves the creation of a ministry whose purpose is to develop a retreat center where people can come and ponder, listen, and reflect on God and how God is working in their life. This would include both personal/private retreats as well as more structured retreats for small groups of people. I don’t know what this will look like, but they would be based on the works of Dallas Willard, Richard Foster, Henry Nouwen, Erwin McManus and others. This would be a non-denominational center rooted in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. This part of the dream is in part the reality I live right now.

The God part comes with where I would love to see this go. I have stumbled upon an old farm (78 acres, barn, granary, milking house) for about $200,000. I could imagine converting the barn into a small retreat center (you have to check my brain for what that would look like). I would also love to build some cabins around the property for the private retreats. Here is what I don’t know. I don’t know if this portions of the dream is my dream/fantasy or if it is God’s dream for me. What I do know is that I don’t have the half million dollars or so to make this a reality. I don’t even know where to turn other than to God. It is at this point that I wish I were a bit more entrepreneurial.

Prayer, wisdom, and insight is welcome from all. Thanks.

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Visualization of My Ponderings




What you can see here is one of two visualizations for my current ponderings. Now if I could just figure out what it all means.

The adventure I have been on the last couple of years has been interesting to say the least. In a conversation this morning I reflected back on where this current thread started. I find a number of preliminary events, seminary, Heart of a Warrior, reading a lot of Erwin McManus, and spending time in jail (doing ministry, not time). All these experiences equipped me, encouraged me, or excited me in different ways. However, the event that really got my mind going was a blog posting my Josh Kesler a couple of years ago about a stupid sheep (Stupid Sheep or Barbarian Sheep?). From there my mind has been going a lot of different directions.
The interesting thing is that there seems to be a synergy as I reflect on all the different components. What I am doing now is looking for the connector, the idea that God is trying to teach me, the focal point of my ponderings. This is the key for my future work, doctoral studies, and spiritual transformation.
I can not simply sit back and remain where I am. That would not be honoring to God or to my formation. What I need to do is continue to embrace who God is transforming me into, knock on doors that are closed and look into doors that are open to see if I should enter, continue to write, speak, and teach about the things God is showing me, and finally be prepared to lean into my fears, embrace change, and accept the path that God has prepared for me to follow at this time in my life.