Mark R. Spencer

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. (Psalm 42.2a)

We do it all the time.  We sit down at a restaurant, grab the menu and ponder, “what am I hungry for?”  What follows is this process of sifting through the menu options and determining whether they’ll really satisfy our craving.  It’s a subjective, but real practice and we tend to be experts at it!  But how about feeding our souls?  Do we know how to quench what our soul’s thirsty for?  I’ve found that most people don’t.  Christians know we are supposed to have “quiet times”, but if we’re honest they are far too quiet and about as satisfying as dry toast!  So what can you do?

1. Learn your soul’s “hunger pangs”.  You know when your stomach is empty, figure out when your soul is.  For most of us, it shows up on the slightly more negative register of emotion.  It’s like when you are physically tired and crabby. When our souls are hungry, we get more irritable, excitable and prone to temptation.  Most of what we call “stressed out” is what I’m talking about.  For me I become withdrawn, dazed and weary.  How does your soul groan for food?

2. You don’t eat alone, so be sure to share ALL of life with God.  There is no great divide between sacred and secular.  Paul says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” (Colossians 3:23).  Often times we are at work or school struggling in our own strength.  Invite God into it with you.  Our souls become weary when we do life apart from God.  Seems to me there was some profound Teacher who once said, “apart from Me you can do nothing.”  Tell me, do you take God to work with you?

3. You have favorite restaurants, get some favorite soul food stops.  If you haven’t read Gary Thomas’s book, “Sacred Pathways” I’d advise you to.  We all have various ways we connect with God more readily.  For some, it’s music.  Others it is fellowship.  Still others love quiet.  For me, I love the woods.  If I walk into a forest, I feel like I’ve just run into God face to face.  I get calm.  I feel wonder and awe.  I worship.  A two mile walk in the woods with God fills my soul up with jet fuel.  I also love quiet and listening prayer.  There are numerous other ways as well, but the challenge for me is giving some time to them.  When my soul is weary I have to ask myself, “when was the last time you tapped into some of your favorite filling stations?”  What are some of your most fulfilling ways to connect with God?

I’d love to hear how some of you fill your souls…post a comment when you can.

“To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;” (Psalm 25:1)

How many of you can miss a meal without noticing?  My wife can.  I can’t.  My stomach howls as if I’ve been neglecting it for days!  Now, how many of you can starve your soul and not notice it?  My hunch is that can go on for a solid 40 day fast at times.  I understand.  I talk to people.  I have a calendar too.  I get it.  Our lives are zooming at roadrunner pace.  For awhile you can cheat your soul’s nutrition, but the impact of long neglect can be devastating.  It’s like grocery shopping on a hungry stomach.  Watch out for that!

Here are 4 starving signs to watch:

1. When you “listen” to your soul it is revving.  You know what I mean…your insides are racing.
2. You take a nap but don’t get refreshed.  It’s not your body that is tired, but your soul.
3. You feel dull.  Or the only emotions you feel are aggravation and anger.
4. You are isolating yourself.  Watch out when you pull away from others.  It is not good for man to be alone.

In my next post I will offer some delicious recipes for feeding your soul!

I’m working on my sermon for this Sunday.  Currently we are touring the book of James and wondering together, “how does faith work…really?”  As I have been studying, I’ve been struck with how weird the Bible is-at least to our “rational minds”.  Consider some of the things it tells you to do:

1. Love your enemies: now seriously…when you are mad at someone…really mad…do you want someone to tell you, “Well…here’s what I think you should do…love them.”  Weird.
2. Lose your life to find it.  Another weird one.
3. Or how about money?  Struggling having enough to make ends meet?  What does the Bible say?  Give 10%.  In fact, Jesus seems to preach give it all away!  That sounds so weird.

The book of James also has some really weird things to say.  Last week Brendon shared about how we are supposed to, “count it all joy when we encounter all kinds of trials…” (James 1:2)  Now tell me that doesn’t sound strange.  Imagine friends asking you why you look so happy and you tell them, “Oh I’m having such a challenging time right now”.  It’s weird…but it’s right.  Oh so right.  Hope you’ll be listening this Sunday as the Bible tells us some more strange but true things.

2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. 5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. (James 1:2-6)

1^st key: Consider it an opportunity…and do it joyfully…not because trouble is fun but because somehow God is going to use this trouble for good.  That’s why we can have joy in it.  God the indestructible, immovable, all-mighty One is working for you behind the scenes.  I know it may not feel that way, but it’s a reality.

2^nd key: Let it…don’t resist it.  Outward bound has a saying, “if you can’t get out of it…get into it!”  Let your endurance grow.

3^rd key: Ask God for wisdom.  Wisdom is seeing life through God’s eyes.  If you keep looking at trouble through your eyes you will likely fail to see the value of the struggle.  God sees the end from the beginning.  God sees the inherent value of the trouble.  God sees what He could work into you through the trouble.  Take God’s invitation…ask for His perspective.

1. Get up: Sitting paralyzes you.  A recent study found that adults who sat for 11 hours or more a day had a 40% increased risk of dying in the next three years than those who sat for less than four hours a day.  No wonder it’s dead at work!
Read more:
http://healthland.time.com/2012/03/28/standing-up-on-the-job-one-way-to-improve-your-health/#ixzz1uqk3cKiH

2. Look up: Remember He is with you. Research has shown that people who pray regularly are less likely to become ill and when they do get sick they also recover faster. Studies also show that people who pray have better mental recovery, lower blood pressure and greater emotional resiliency.   Who doesn’t need more emotional resiliency?  Why don’t you pray right now.

3. Drink up: Water that is.  Blood, muscles, lungs, and brain all contain water. You need water to regulate body temperature and to provide the means for nutrients to travel to your organs and tissues. It also helps transport oxygen to your cells, removes waste, and protects your joints and organs.  No water = no energy.

4. Give up: When you notice frustration…let the project go.  You have a few 90 minute blocks during a day to concentrate and do your best work.  When you go past 90 you start to burn up and burn out.  Frustration and brain lock are two key symptoms that it’s time to take a break.  If you are staring at the screen right now…guess what?  It’s break time!

5. Team up: Yes two heads are better than one and many hands make the work light. Scripture says, “Two are better off than one, because together they can work more effectively.” (Eccl. 4.9)  Sometimes just teaming up with a friend to think things through brings new creativity and energy.

But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. (Isa. 40:31)

Remember the scene from “Chariots of Fire” where Eric Liddell is preaching from this text? It flashes from him speaking to athletes struggling in vain to win.  It is all so poignant because of his radical decision to not run on the Sabbath.  Unheard of.  Yet something deep within the runner reminds him that the real race comes in trusting God to work it all out-not in running solo.  In the end, Liddell runs in a different event but secures the gold.  A powerful message of trust rewarded.

So here’s why I think we fail to rest…we don’t trust God.  In this plate-spinning world we think if we don’t keep moving it will all crash down.  So we run and run and run…until we crash like the athletes pictured during Liddell’s sermon.  You see the whole point of Isaiah 40 is to recognize who sustains all things-God.  Did it require unusual courage and conviction for Eric to say no to running on the Sabbath?  Absolutely.  Be sure it will require great courage and conviction for you to declare a Sabbath as well.  But when you do, you discover the renewal of trusting in the One who holds all things together.  He is the Master plate spinner and He knows which plates matter!

So this week plan a break.  Give God your concerns and fears about what “has to get done”.  Lean on Him to accomplish what is important and don’t run alone!

They must realize that the Sabbath is the LORD’s gift to you. (Exodus 16:29)

How is your capacity to rest?  For most people it is simply non-existent.  Consider this: A recent work survey determined that over 60% of employees take 20 minutes or less for lunch.  25% don’t ever leave their desk at all during the day and 67% fail to use their allotted yearly vacation time.  Hmmm…any question as to why we are so stressed?

The problem is we are working harder but certainly not smarter.  Over 50 years ago a sleep researcher named Nathan Kleitman discovered that we have 90 minute cycles that roll through our sleep (that is if you sleep!).  He also discovered that these same cycles operate during the day.  You move from high levels of concentration to diminishing returns until you end up fidgety, tired, distracted or hungry.  If you don’t take a brief break to deliberately (note that word) charge up you will begin to break down.  The reward for your labors will become increasingly impaired.

So you must learn to pace and rest.  In his revealing study of young talented violinists researcher Anders Ericsson discovered that the best of the best practice with these rhythms in mind.  He found that they divided their practice in three segments of no more than 90 minutes each, with a deliberate break between each session.  Scientists continue to find that the best athletes, chess players, thinkers and musicians all follow this same pattern.  Think you can learn something from them?

My next post will talk about a central reason we fail to rest, followed by some simple practices you can institute today!

Imagine you have a big gas gauge on the back of your hand.  What does it say?  E?  Half full?  Life’s continual demand is always guzzling gas from our tanks.  Hence the oft quoted moan, “I don’t have enough time!”  But time is only part of the equation.  Energy is what matters.  If you have time, but no energy what will you get done?  So energy management is probably the most critical metric.  I’ve found this particular tool helpful:
http://www.theenergyproject.com/tools/the-energy-audit#step1

Take the personal energy audit and come back in the next few days to learn how you can fill up again!