My Epic Journey

Though I have a lot of my plate right now, EPIC, Grad class, family, etc., I have been reading, just for personal development, the book, Discipleship Counseling by Neil Anderson.  I have been a student of Dr. Anderson for quite some time and have always enjoyed his biblical approach to the counseling process.  In this recent book a quote caught my attention om relation to how we, in the church, often use secular reasoning to deal with spiritual issues,

Have we taken into account the reality of the spiritual world?  In other words, do we have a biblical worldview?   Are our struggles against flesh and blood?  Are we trying to accomplish God’s will without the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit?  Is the person mentally ill, or is there a spiritual battle going on for this individual’s mind?  Do we us the same message and methods with believers as we do with non-believers? Are we trying to help people establish their identities, find purpose and meaning in life, and see to meet their needs without Christ?  Isn’t that what the devil is doing?  Sobering!

I have had a lot of opportunities to meet with students and parents recently over a number of different issues and yet, almost every time, I find myself reverting to secular practices to deal with spiritual issues.  I have tried so hard to make my psychological schooling match my spiritual needs.   This is not going to work.  Though I see to help others, there is no one outside of the Holy Spirit, that can change their life–no one!!!  Not even me!  I am not, nor can I be, anyone’s Savior.  All I can do is point that person to Jesus Christ and help encourage them to be open to the Holy Spirit.  I am thankful for this reminder.  My desire is that this would continue to be at the forefront of my mind.

A little while ago, I wrote about being a balanced person.

I took a break from school for a couple of days and picked up the book, The Importance of Being Foolish, by Brennan Manning. 

The book is a great reminded that Jesus doesn’t call us to a "feel good" Christianity or to a Christianity that is just about TALK.  Instead, Jesus calls us to a life of action.  Action to love and serve the poor and ungodly to fight against the egotism and arrogance of people who talk about God more than do things for God.

In the very first chapter of the book, Manning makes this statement about balance, "A truly balanced person retains a capacity for wonder and the willingness to express it in the very confession of creaturehood, the spontaneous acknowledgment that his is a human being and not a god, a being with limitations who, far from having embraced infinity, is happily and hopelessly engulfed by it."

Quick thoughts:

• When was the last time you just allowed your mind to wonder about the incredibleness of who God is and why He created you? (Psalm 139.13-18)
• When was the last time you reminded yourself of the who you are and who God is?  (Isaiah 6.1-8)
• When was the last time you put that all together and lived a life in harmony with the personality and characteristics of God? (Philippians 2.5-7)