Within Christianity I have learned that there are three realms to spirituality.

1. Our connection to God.
2. Our connection to others.
3. Our connection to ourselves.

If we only have one or two of the three, our spirituality is missing something.  This article is primarily about the first realm.

Recently, I have come across several people who identify themselves as “spiritual.”  However, when prompted further, they couldn’t identity what makes them so.  I understand that within various religions and traditions spirituality looks different. However, in no tradition, including Christianity,  is spirituality actionless.

Just as we work on our self-understanding, relationships with our spouse, children, friends, our relationship with God takes work as well (most Lutherans I know have a stuttering “b b b-but” in their head right now. Put that aside. Keep reading).

A person who is “spiritual” with no practices has good intentions, but they are not “spiritual.”

My main point is this–spirituality takes work  (If you are uncomfortable with the word “work” think “cultivation” ).

As Lutherans, or Christians in general, the way we work on our spirituality is not through some practices we created.  The practices we participate in are created by God and in them God comes to us. Some people think “if” “then” here, but I don’t like that vending machine imagery, instead I think in these terms–God promises to come to us in specific ways.

God promises to come to us in our baptism.
God promises to come to us in communion.
God promises to come to us in worship.
God promises to come to us in the rightly preached Word.

If one is Lutheran and “spiritual” these are the absolute bare minimums of participation (Goodness, I hate putting it in those terms).

Moreover, we who do these practices recognize that the “work” we are doing isn’t actually our work but God’s.

In addition to the list above there is a host of ways that God comes to us (Lutheran Christians tend to neglect these).

1. Daily devotional Bible reading.
2. Private Prayer (fixed hour prayer, Jesus prayer, etc.)
3. Journaling
4. Lectio Divina
5. Meditation

I often find that my  spiritual compass goes eschew and needs to be made true.  When I am involved in regular Bible reading, prayer etc. I am able to identify earlier that my spiritual compass is off and am able to connect again to Jesus who rights it again (not a perfect metaphor, but you get the idea).

Regular practice of the spiritual disciples is how we work on (cultivate) our spiritual life.  They are the means that God uses to come to us and should not be neglected.  When I hear Lutherans ask how to be more spiritual, I often wonder if they are regularly practicing the ancient practices of the faith.

Working on my spirituality through the spiritual disciplines has lead me to understand that it really isn’t me working.  I am responding to the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit.  I am doing the “work” that I am called to do by slowing down enough to connect to God.  The work in the disciplines is all God’s.

Last tangetial thought: I find that the disciplines are a burden only when I am not practicing them.  They haunt me, calling me back to connection again.

So, how do you practice your spirituality?

-jpserrano

When times are tough it’s difficult for me to remember the blessings I’ve received.  Sometimes I get so caught up in the here and now that I simply get tunnel vision.   With stress, I tend to get focused in on what is causing that stress ignoring the bigger picture of my life.  It could be finances, school, work, any of a hundred different causes.

I’m sure that I’m not the only one guilty of this…right?

My wife and I have built into the rhythm of our year a time to remember how good our lives actually are.  We have a tradition with our Christmas tree.  Every year we get at least one tree ornament to remember what we did that year.  These ornaments memorialize our children’s births, family vacations, memorable moments etc.  My wife keeps a list in our ornament box that tells a brief history of each of one including the year, location of purchase, and event.

Here is part of our list with the ornament and what we remember.

60 Watt Light Bulb- Our first year dating.
Flowers- Our wedding.
Sandals- Hawaii Vacation.
Bottle Opener- Visit to Wittenberg.
Pinocchio- Visit to Rome .
Boat- Baltimore trip.
Cornhusk Angel- Guatemala trip
Girl Pregnant- Jess was pregnant with our first child.
Denver Mint- Colorado Vacation.

When Christmas rolls around and we decorate our tree, we pull out our trusty box of ornaments and begin to remember.

We remember our very first Christmas together when I pull out the 60watt light bulb with “Our first Christmas” written on it.
We remember our trips around the world.
We remember the births of our children.
We remember the year we couldn’t take a vacation because I was doing Clinical Pastoral Education at Children’s Hospital.

But most of all we remember how the incarnate God, born in a manger, has blessed us with more than we need even when times are tough.

So, how do you remember?

-jpserrano

Tim Ghali at Black Coffee reflections  has some questions on how we act as consumers. I have these same questions.

And so I find myself wondering …
Can one blog about poverty on a Macbook while sitting in the suburbs?
Can one wear an Invisible Children bracelet with a Swiss Army watch?
Can one wear $100 jeans with TOMS Shoes?
What should we wear? What should we drive? Where should we live? What should we consume? What shouldn’t we …? Yesterday’s post was concerned with “mercy/mission wear” which raised the question, “Are we bragging about our good works when we wear these things?” and “Would Jesus wear these types of shirts?”

To read the whole blog check it out here Black Coffee Reflections —.

What say you?

-jpserrano

This video talks a lot about sex.  It is an interview with Mark Driscoll by Dr. Drew.   The topic is Driscoll’s new book- Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship, and Life Together

Full Dr. Drew Interview from Mark Driscoll on Vimeo.

A couple nights ago I had the pleasure of watching Cowboys and Aliens. If you’re like me, you see more movies on Netflix and Red Box then you do on the big green. So, this may be a day late and a dollar short because of how far removed it is from the theatre showing.

Here is the movie’s tagline according to IMDB (to be read in the voice of the action movie voiceover guy), “A spaceship arrives in Arizona, 1873, to take over the Earth, starting with the Wild West region. A posse of cowboys and natives are all that stand in their way.” Are you thinking, what I’m thinking? I’m thinking this is going to be awesome–And it was.

But I don’t want to talk solely about how you should see this movie, I want to talk theology.

In movies I find the most interesting lines to analyse are those of the priest/preacher/pastor/minister whatever you want to call the token religious leader. I am always fascinated by what the writers unintentionally or even intentionally are saying about God through the pastor.

Clancy Brown plays Meachem, a small town pastor who can shoot, drink, and stitch wounds with the best of them. He makes several theological statements but non more in line with popular American Religion than this.

1. Speaking about God, “You gotta earn His presence, you gotta recognize it, then you gotta act on it.”

The preacher is 2/3 on to something here.

First, we can’t earn God’s presence.  God’s presence isn’t something the we can redeem at the vending machine of good works pulling from the wallet of good intentions.  God’s presence is gift.

Second, I agree  with him that we have to recognize God’s presence.  But, this is exactly why we can’t earn it.  God’s presence is only something we can point out when we see it.  Its like a been of light breaking from the clouds, we notice it.

Third, when we see God’s presence we should act on it.  I think too often I am guilty of knowing God is present in my life but succumbing to the the business of everyday activities and not acting on it.  I don’t act on it because I get apathetic.  I get tired.  I get lazy.

This line from the preacher actually spoke to me…well at least the last two clauses did.  It reminded me that I am called to be a scout for God’s presence and act on what I see.

Where do you recognize God the most?

How do you act on it? or come back from not acting on it?

-jpserrano

Preaching is a form of communication where it is difficult for the preacher to utilize any feedback given from the congregation. With a single sermon there are as many opinions as there are listeners-sometimes more!

With my own sermons, I realize that not every one is going to be a home run. But often, when I think one is terrible, someone will inevitably tell me how they experienced renewed faith though it.

In seminary I was taught by Dr. Clay Scmit the 5 things that make a faithful sermon. I try to keep these in mind while I am thinking, writing, practicing, re-writing, and further practicing the sermon. These points help me craft a faithful sermon.

A sermon should:

1. Be faithful to the text: A sermon should come from the Bible. It shouldn’t come from the latest theological book, the church’s confessions, or whatever happens to be on the preachers mind. The primary source for faithful preaching is the scriptures, a preacher should be deeply engaged with the written Word.
2. Be faithful to the context: A sermon is for a specific time and place. A preacher should know the people in the congregation well enough that the sermon speaks to them specifically. A sermon given in an urban nursing home will be different than one give in a suburban church service–even if the scripture used is exactly the same. This is why no preacher should ever take whole sermons from the internet-they are not written for your congregation.
3. Faithful in Theology: A sermon should not stray from the theological history of a specific theological tradition. This means that a sermon on the Eucharist is going to be different in a Lutheran church then it would be in a Nazarene church. Additionally, the sermon should always tell some part of the Good News God’s grace in Jesus Christ.
4. Touch the mind: A sermon should be clear and logical. It should cause the listener to think more about the scripture, God, and life or inspire points of further reflection.
5. Touch the heart: A sermon should not bore the listener. A faithful sermon is crafted like a piece of art that engages the hearer through the use of effective communication techniques-stories, repetition, eye contact, appropriate gestures, repetition. It should be “entertaining.” (I know some people will have a problem with my use of this word).

Though I’m mindful of these points, a sermon is more like art then assembly; just because I know them doesn’t make the writing any easier.

I have thought for many years about what I would add to this list. But every time I come up with something, I realize that it falls under one of the above categories.

I find what I have learned here is substantive and worthy of use and further reflection.

Is there anything you would add to this list?

-jpserrano

It wasn’t until I picked up one of his books that I realized he wrote this stuff down. If you are interest in reading the book where he wrote these points down and elaborates on them I recommend Sent and Gathered: A Worship Manual for the Missional Church (Engaging Worship) along with any of his other works.

You can find them here:

I have strict rule in the living room–no playing with balls. This rule comes primarily from a single concern. I think one day the kids will be throwing those hard little balls that they get from a gum ball type machine and will break the TV. Therefore, the living room is a ball free environment.

Well, the other day I was walking up our stairs and I heard the following conversation from two of my children.

(D is for Daughter & S is for Son)

D: “No playing with a ball in the living room. You might break the TV.”
S: “We can play ball in the living room.”
D: “No we can’t. Daddy says we can’t play with balls here.”
He then said words that struck terror into my heart and if your parent it will strike fear into you.
S: “Of course we can play ball in the living room. As long as daddy and mommy aren’t looking.”

My first thoughts were, “Holy $%@!. Where did he get that from?”

These words caused fear in my heart not because of my broken TV prophecy. I’m afraid one day he’s going to take that attitude and apply it to the rules of crossing the street or playing with fire.

I have to admit, I am scared that this mindset is going to get him seriosuly hurt.

My next thought, which I did not act on, was, “I need to have a come to Jesus moment with this boy and put the fear of God into him for what he just said.”

I realized that this would have been counterproductive. Not becuase I lack the ability to do so, but because I want him to vocalize those thoughts he has swirling around in his head. I want him to randomly spout off so that I can know what is going on inside of him. Had I put the fear of God into him, I would have began the process of killing that thing in him that vocalizes these thoughts.

So, a week later I talked (very harshly) to him about this “I can do whatever I want, as long as the parents aren’t looking” mentality when I saw him manifest it in some other action.

But, here’s the rub.

We all do this… don’t we?  To a certain extent there is something inside of us that thinks we can get away with things.  There is a certain part of us that knows what the right thing to is but thinks we can get away with it.

Maybe my biggest concern is that I inadvertently taught this to him? (See here for my traffic ticket incident).

-jpserrano