A Pilgrim’s Odyssey

We hear so much about what people are against. Ill will is a cancer. So today, I’m starting the week by doing nothing but affirming what I am for. Considering I'm enjoying a weekend at the Outer Banks with my love, thankfully, it won't be hard.

What do you believe? We don’t have to agree. But if we can move forward and focus on our beliefs and what we can control, we might just find more in common, along with creative ways to get along.

And if we don’t? Well, I’m prepared for that to!? “With a wink”

Little known, CS Lewis exchanged a series of letters, written in Latin, with a priest in the 1950s on Europe's fall from its Christian faith. His words are a prophecy for our world today.

His solution was simple, live your faith, do not worship the God of Mammon, but the God of the Holy Spirit. If we don't, those that call us hypocrites are probably correct.

Strong, but important words on making a difference and living our faith in a world on fire.

Hope in intentional.

In a time of isolation and loneliness, we must use the power of community and relationship to steer people from fear to hope.

Today, we discuss a training I just did with the National Park Service on overcoming trauma. On September 2nd, they will remember one of the greatest disasters in the history of the NPS, the MV Conception disaster. 34 lives were lost and scores more impacted forever.

Learned today of a business in Downtown Indianapolis forced to close after 30 years of business. We discuss in today's podcast. It better make you mad.

“Spiritual forces of evil”

I thought about this today in my leadership class here in Las Vegas. One officer shared a story on the public acceptance of human trafficking. She was invited to a party at a high-end club in the MGM grand. A wild rave with beautiful people and lots of money. She stood in the back, uncomfortable, only there to support a friends wedding party. A back door opened and a bouncer pushed her out of the way. In filed a long line of prostitutes. Beautiful prostitutes, young and exotic. They were headed upstairs to the VIP room. A den of iniquity for the high-rollers and famous.

These girls start young. Usually trafficked, they are treated like slaves until they know no other way. Many come from overseas. It is the selling of flesh. And it’s normal. It’s all around us.

Evil is real and it masquerades as light. This in the danger of exploring other dimensions without the armor of prayer. The light you see might just be the evil that will consume your soul, and the drugs you take to enter that realm hide the reality of what you are experiencing.

Yes, evil is real. Your prayer and humility must be equally real and deep.

Who would have thought that a book on the teachings of a mystical Indian sorcerer and the patient guidance of a priest could take me to a place where the stillness of the night became a fertile dimension of prayer.

The world is far deeper than the physical we can see and touch. Prayer allows us to escape these limitations and understand parts of the Bible like Ephesians 6 in ways we could have never imagined.

We are called to live deeply. To leave a legacy of love, and an example of focusing on the things that matter.

Cut through the clutter, focus, fast, pray, allow yourself to learn from the spirit of God.

Don’t be afraid to go deep. Break the rules that say your worth is measured by your house, and your car and the size of your 401k. Live according to the spirit and experience the joy of being a true rebel.

Rebel!

Fasting is a core principle of scripture that often get’s forgotten in our seeker-centered church world. Fasting is a denial of your worldly appetites. And it’s not just food. It could be from the internet, from swearing, from many other bad habits and preoccupations, you name it. Fasting is an exercise that conditions us to tame our base instincts, so we can learn to listen to and follow God. In a way, it teaches us to love.

Focus requires goals and direction. Long-term focus requires goals and direction we find deeply meaningful. Simplicity is the thing that allows us to eliminate distractions and have available the energy to move towards our goals.

Our daily battle is against the noise of life, and avoiding a feeling of muddling or going through the motions. What do we do if those goals aren’t so clear? 

Romans 8:28  "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

Discovering purpose begins with loving God.

In the midst of life that can make us feel like we are being swept away, prayer and fasting can help center your soul and focus your mind on the core of what matters, loving god, each other, and ultimately ourselves in way of humility.

We get distracted by the completely superficial and the memory of wrongs far in our past  – TV, what others think about us, betrayals, magazine covers, you name it.

We follow the temporal – money, jobs we don’t like, people who aren’t really our friends, celebrities.

How much time do we actually spend praying, in church, in deep conversations with family, following our passions and using our gifts?

Managing our time is one of the most important steps to finding hope and living a life of peace and happiness.