I often share links of interest on my Facebook account… I guess I should share them with you too. Here are the links I’ve posted in June.

Most Americans Believe in Higher Power, Poll Finds
Source: www.washingtonpost.com
Most Americans believe that angels and demons are active in the world, and nearly 80 percent think miracles occur, according to a poll released yesterday that takes an in-depth look at Americans’ religious beliefs.
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Father Emil Kapaun’s cause for sainthood to be officially opened
Source: catholicnewsagency.c…
The Cause for the Canonization of Father Emil Kapaun, an Army Chaplain who died while in a North Korean Prisoner of War Camp in 1951, will be officially opened on June 29.
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War’s Stresses Take Toll on Military’s Chaplains
Source: www.nytimes.com
“Just as it has claimed so many other members of the military, the war in Iraq has taken a toll on chaplains. Although they do not engage in combat, chaplains face the perils of war as they move around Iraq to visit troops. None have been killed, but some, like Chaplain Brunk, have been wounded. Many report post-traumatic stress disorder and other stress problems.”
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Soldiers’ Self-Harm: ‘Anything Not to Go Back’
Source: www.newsweek.com
There’s a rising trend of soldiers harming themselves to avoid returning to war.
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Not only does this book contain a wonderful collection of classic devotional reading, but it also begins each selection with an intro about the author. I love that.

Sorry for the late post. I got a lot out of the reading earlier today but didn’t take the time to write.

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Reading notes on: Devotional Classics / Preparing for the Spiritual Life / Page 41

The sixth selection includes excerpts from On the Love of God by Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153).

Here’s my favorite quote: “Thus it happens that once God’s sweetness has been tasted, it draws us to the pure love of God more than our needs compel us to love him.”(43)

Here’s a summarizing quote. I recommend reading further.

“What are the four degrees of love? First, we love ourselves for our own sake; since we are unspiritual and of the flesh we cannot have an interest in anything that does not relate to ourselves. When we begin to see that we cannot subsist by ourselves, we begin to seek God for our own sakes. This is the second degree of love; we love God, but only for our own interests. But if we begin to worship and come to God again and again by meditating, by reading, by prayer, and by obedience, little by little God becomes known to us through experience. We enter into a sweet familiarity with God, and by tasting how sweet the Lord is we pass into the third degree of love so that now we love God, not for our own sake, but for himself. It should be noted that in this third degree we will stand still for a very long time… I am not certain that the fourth degree of love in which we love ourselves only for the sake of God may be perfectly attained in this life. But, when it does happen, we will experience the joy of the Lord and be forgetful of ourselves in a wonderful way…” (40)

Bible Selection: 1 John 4:7-21
I LOVED this passage. I’ve decided to memorize it.

Reflection Question: “Which of the four stages of love have you experienced in your spiritual journey? Describe.

Reading notes on: Devotional Classics / Preparing for the Spiritual Life / Page 33

The fifth selection includes excerpts from The Dark Night of the Soul by John of the Cross (1542-1691).

Dark Night of the Soul

I first heard the phrase my freshman year at Evangel University. I’ve definitely experienced it. I wrote a letter to Nicole in February of 1998 explaining the dark place I found myself in. I wrote,

“… I’m feeling a little lost, like I’ve entered into another one of those “dark nights of the soul” like Abraham after he made the covenant with God, he fell into that deep sleep. . . or maybe like when he had to wave his arms and chase away the birds that were trying to eat the covenant sacrifice. There are some buzzards circling round here. It’s all I can do to yell “shoo.”

…I’m distressed, discouraged, disillusioned, and discontent. I’m so thirsty, my throat is parched for lack of the Spirit. I feel like yelling and wailing and shouting and falling on my face and crying out to God, “I want to come home.” But I can’t because my head’s in a vice and there’s an anvil on my chest. . . I can hardly breathe. Oh for Aslan to jump over the white witch’s wall and to breathe on this cold white marble statue His breath of life.

Don’t get me wrong it’s not like I’ve fallen into some great immoral sin of any sort. . . well doubt, and complacency, and apathy. . .uggg I guess I have.

sigh…

I’m not sure where I’m going and I can’t remember where I’ve been; though I know it was better than where I am. I faintly remembering how real God was to me, how real and awesome His call was. I know He spoke, I’m sure I heard his voice. But I no longer recognize it. Henry Blackaby says, “If you have trouble hearing God speak, you are in trouble at the very heart of your Christian experience.” That sounds serious to me.

…I just want my heart to stop hurting and my stomach to stop churning, and my head to stop spinning, and most of all my soul to stop aching. God is dealing with me in a powerful way and I’m not enjoying it in the slightest.

John of the Cross explains this dark dry place as a tool God uses to purify the soul.  At some point in our Christian walk, God removes the feelings involved in religious activities in order to bring his children into a deeper walk with him.  It’s painful, but these times in our life “teach virtue and prevent vice.”  John of the Cross proceeds to explain seven spiritual vices a “dark night of the soul” helps treat and prevent.  They include spiritual pride, greed, luxury, wrath, gluttony, envy and sloth.  I encourage you to read more about these spiritual vice, they might not be what you expect.  When God sees these spiritual imperfections in us he wants us to grow up… “No soul will ever grow deep in the spiritual life unless God works passively in that soul by means of the dark night.” (37)

Bible Selection: Psalm 42

Reflection Question: “Have you ever experienced what might be called a “dark night” in your spiritual journey, a time when the joys and delights seemed to vanish?

Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comment section.

Note: Sorry I don’t have more time to write on this.  Homework calls!

Reading notes on: Devotional Classics / Preparing for the Spiritual Life / Page 26

The fourth selection includes excerpts from Introduction to the Devout Life by Francis de Sales (1567-1622).

Once again, today’s devotion spoke directly to my recent thoughts. It begins by discussing “phantom devotion” that is when a person does things that make him outwardly appear devout… but inwardly their hearts are not in line with God’s.

Francis de Sales defines “genuine, living devotion” as simply true love of God. He says this true devotion is sugar which removes the bitterness from discipline and sweetens “the most cruel torments and even death itself.”

In fact, this love for God makes everything sweeter, he writes,

“So also every vocation becomes more agreeable when united with devotion. Care of one’s family is rendered more peaceable, love of husband and wife more sincere, service of one’s prince more faithful, and every type of employment more pleasant and agreeable.” (30)

This emphasis on loving God addressed a longing I’ve had lately: to love God more. I contemplated the words this morning, talked to Rachel about them before church and prayed that God would show me how to love him more.

Then I went to church and listened to Pastor Bradford’s sermon on…. How to love God. Of course he preached on exactly what I had been reading and praying about. I’m not even surprised anymore. It’s just too obvious that Someone is orchestrating my life lately.

Bible Selection: Romans 13:8-10

Reading notes on:
Devotional Classics / Preparing for the Spiritual Life / Page 19

The third selection includes excerpts from Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758).

I enjoyed this selection so very much. I wish I could quote all of the excerpts chosen by the editors. I intend to read the rest of Religious Affections. Thankfully it’s available as a free download at CCEL.org. Edwards addresses more deeply the thoughts I shared earlier about casual Christianity.

“The kind of religion that God requires, and will accept, does not consist in weak, dull, and lifeless ‘wouldings’–those weak inclinations that lack convictions–that raise us but a little above indifference. God, in his word, greatly insists that we be in good earnest, fervent in spirit, and that our hearts be engaged vigorously in our religion: ‘Be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord’ (Rom. 12:11)” (19)

“If we are not earnest in our religion, and if our wills and inclinations are not strongly exercised, we are nothing. The importance of religion is so great that no halfhearted exercise will suffice. In nothing is the state of our heart so crucial as in religion, and in nothing is lukewarmness so odious.” (19, 20)

Edwards goes on to say in contrast that, “True religion is a powerful thing.”

Patti commented earlier this morning about the last paragraph of section two. Here it is:

“When we receive the Spirit of God, we receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost who is like “fire, ” and along with it the sanctifying and saving influences of God. When this happens, when grace is at work within us, it sometimes “burns” within us, as it was for Jesus’ disciples (Luke 24:32)” (20)

Edwards continues to discuss his ideas of true religion. He wrote, “A person who has a knowledge of doctrine and theology only–without religious affections–has never engaged in true religion.” (21)

What are these religious affections that “true religion” requires? Edwards writes of nine.

1. Holy Fear - “The fear of God is a great part of godliness.” (21)
2. Hope in God
3. Love
4. Holy Desire - “This holy thirst is spoken of as a condition of participation in the blessings of eternal life.” (22)
5. Joy
6. Religious Sorrow - A contrite heart. Psalm 51:17
7. Gratitude
8. Compassion
9. Zeal

Bible Selection: Deuteronomy 10:12-22

Suggested Exercise: “Use the list of nine holy affections, focusing on one in which you would like to see growth in your life. Notice that each affection is based on a scriptural foundation. Do a personal Bible Study on that particular affection, paying attention to the theology and doctrine that undergirds it.” (24)

Note: If you want to do the suggested exercise I quoted, let me know which affection you’re studying and I’ll send you that part of the reading.

Reading notes on:
Devotional Classics / Preparing for the Spiritual Life / Page 13

The second selection includes excerpts from The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives by Dallas Willard.

Willard’s views of discipleship and the lack thereof caught my attention yesterday. He wrote,

“Most problems in contemporary churches can be explained by the fact that members have not yet decided to follow Christ.

Little good results from insisting that Christ is also supposed to be Lord: to present his lordship as an option leaves it squarely in the category of the white-wall tires and stereo equipment for the new car. You can do without it. And it is–alas!–far from clear what you would do with it. Obedience and training in obedience form no intelligible doctrinal or practical unity with the salvation presented in recent versions of the gospel.”(14)

Willard explains the Great Commission and says the church has changed it. We’ve stopped making disciples [students of Christ] and teaching people to obey Christ… now we “Make converts and baptize them into church membership.” (14)

Willard says that “The disciple of Christ desires above all else to be like him… And if we intend to become like Christ, that will be obvious to every thoughtful person around us, as well as to ourselves.” (15, 16)

The selection concludes with an explanation of the cost of nondiscipleship.

“Nondiscipleship costs abiding peace, a life penetrated throughout by love, faith that sees everything in the light of God’s overriding governance for good, hopefulness that stands firm in the most discouraging of circumstances, power to do what is right and withstand the forces of evil. In short, it costs exactly that abundance of life Jesus said he came to bring.” (16)

I want to be like Christ. I want to be a student of his. I’m so very tired of casual Christianity. I want an abundant life full of love, faith, hope, and power. More and more, our culture values authenticity. People are turned off by nondisciples who call themselves Christians. They have no desire to become like them– people playing church but lacking true faith, love, hope and power. Why play church as if it were a social game or a get out of jail free card when Jesus has offered us the amazing opportunity to become his students? Why merely pretend to know the great teacher when He has invited you to follow him daily, hear his words, share meals, rub shoulders and take part in what he’s doing?

Bible Selection: Matthew 28:16-20

Reflection Question: “What would change about your life if you were to focus all your energies on becoming like Christ?”

Reading notes on:
Devotional Classics / Preparing for the Spiritual Life / Page 7

The first selection comes from Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis.

My favorite quote from this selection:

“When He said, “Be perfect,” He meant it. He meant that we must go in for the full treatment. It is hard; but the sort of compromise we are all hankering after is harder–in fact it is impossible. It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.” - pg 9.

I love this. We can’t just be a “good egg.” We have to fully surrender to Christ and give Him everything. Earlier in the reading, Lewis explains why anything less just doesn’t work.

The Scripture for this selection: Luke 14:25-33.

A Reflection Question:

“In Luke 14:25-33, Jesus encourages those who would follow him to “count the cost” of being one of his disciples. What has being a Christian cost you?” - pg 11.