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Archives: March 2010

March 27, 2010

An Undivided Heart

by arthurstewart — Categories: Arthur, Bible, heart journey — Tags: , , , , — 1 Comment

Re-posted from a piece I wrote for today’s CRM Lent Devotional

SCRIPTURE READING – DAY 39 (March 27)

Psalm 86:11-12

Teach me your way, O LORD and I will
walk in your truth; Give me an undivided
heart, That I may fear your name. I will
praise you, O LORD my God, with all my
heart; I will glorify your name forever. (NIV)

MEDITATION

Our world lives under a curse that is so pervasive in our lives, we seldom recognize it. I call it the curse of the divided heart. In me, it manifests in good intentions not being as noble as I think, well-made plans that are fatally flawed, and words or actions that betray what is deep inside me.

We all, from our first ancestors onward, are torn between good or evil, black or white, today or tomorrow, win or lose, me or you. These are the polarities we find ourselves between, often faced with choosing one or the other. The tricky part is these choices are not nearly as extreme or obvious as they might seem. Deep down, our heart struggles with itself, because it wants to choose or do more than one thing. In Romans 7, Paul compares this to a war within ourselves.

David—Israel’s greatest king—anguished over this dilemma himself. We know his life was full of people and opportunities that could—and did—pull him in different directions. The Bible recounts his victories and travails, often the result of choices he made from his heart. We also find his honest wrestling with this condition throughout the psalms.

I join David in crying out, “Transform me Lord! Your way is different than ours—beautiful, mysterious, holy.” If we could only learn this way, we could live differently, better. I could get out of this struggle I have against my own self. I could live the way he created me to be. The key, as David knew so well, is our heart. But the wholeness he desired can only be given by God. We can’t will it; our hearts must be healed by One far greater than us. This is more than just learning to do right instead of wrong. This is a heart transplant!

David is asking for a heart like God’s. If we were to possess one, we would know God deeply, fear and honor him, praise him with all our heart…forever. It would resonate with God’s, sing to it, dance with it. This is what we all want because this is what we were made for. Our hearts are meant to be undivided and eternal, connecting us to our Creator at the deepest level possible.

Jesus shows us what it can and should look like. I’ve often asked how Jesus chose who to heal (or not), where to go, what to say. Maybe he didn’t choose. Perhaps he knew because his heart was not divided but completely given and bound to the Father. Indeed, the way, truth, and life is the One we join with David in seeking. He is the One with the power to transform our hearts, not simply by instructions or actions, but by perfectly living out the heart of God and making the way for us to do the same.

Teach me your way of undivided love; wholehearted for all, no internal struggle, no favorites—this is true and eternal life. Free me from this curse of needing to choose, except to choose you. Join me with your limitless heart of love, changing mine to be like yours. May it be so, now and forever. Amen.

REFLECTION

  • Re-read the psalm several times slowly. What divides your heart? What might God be saying to you about these things?
  • Take some time to picture what life with an undivided heart would look like for you.
  • Write out a prayer in response to God.

March 20, 2010

the wellspring of life

by arthurstewart — Categories: Arthur, God, heart journey, Melissa, sabbatical — Tags: , , , , , — Leave a comment

A heart is a fascinating thing -
It can be hard or strong or bitter.
It can be tender or soft or generous.
it can be several (or all?) of these at the same time!

Do you also find hearts to be complex, mysterious, even confusing?  Certainly true when it comes to others.  Often true when it comes to ourselves…  What I do know is that my heart is important.  It’s the core of who I am and it’s the only one I’ve got.  In the Biblical book of Proverbs, it says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (4:23).  I’m learning to do this.

Most of my life, I have guarded my mind.  I have fed it, trusted it, protected it.  This is a very important part of who I am.  However, I have often neglected my heart as a result.  In a way, I have not allowed my heart to do it’s job.  And, I haven’t guarded it well.  I don’t think “guard your heart” means to build walls around it.  Guard, in that case, sounds defensive and reactionary.  Seems like if you do that, it can’t be “the wellspring of life.”  How can a well nourish anything if it’s all walled up?  I am speaking from a bit of experience on this…

Rather, I think that in this case, “guard” really means to watch and protect.  Watch and protect your heart, for your life flows from there.  Watch for the things that would harm your heart – people, situations, etc.  In my case, I have been reflecting on the untrue things I sometimes believe that “attack” my heart.  And, how can I prepare myself better to deal with them?  Personally, I need to remember who I am so I am not easily affected by other messages that come my way and can be ok with my own limitations.

Hearts are precious.  I think they are a primary way we reflect the God who created us, and are the places we most deeply connect with God.  We have given our lives to helping people find/uncover/unbind their hearts and encouraging their development and expression.  That’s not a bad way to describe what we’ve been doing the past several years in South Africa and why we are preparing to head back.  It’s also what our sabbatical has been all about: reconnecting with our own hearts and giving them room to breathe and re-ignite.  I thank God for this opportunity to focus on this all-important process.

We appreciate all of you who have prayed and encouraged our hearts so much in this season.  Our hearts, and those of our children, feel more healthy.  These eternal hearts are important to me and to God.  Your heart is important too.  Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

March 11, 2010

Seeking the Giver

by arthurstewart — Categories: Arthur, God, marriage, Melissa, prayer, South Africa — Tags: , , , , , — 2 Comments

My wife Melissa is demonstrating an amazing amount of maturity these days.  I am both in awe and frustrated!  Here’s why…

As many of you know, we are finishing up our sabbatical.  Entering our last months, we are making multiple decisions – big ones, small ones, and many that open up a multitude of other decisions. These decisions relate to where we will be, what we will be doing, when… little things like that :)   So, important stuff.

And the PROCESS of these discussions and decisions is as telling as the results.  We are giving some of the work we and God have been doing in our lives and marriage a pretty good exercise.  How is our intimacy, how is our trust, can we say what we think, can we hear things we don’t like from one another, can we apologize?

I have to admit, I am a little more anxious than Melissa to get these conversations and decisions happening.  And although I wish we knew everything yesterday, I am proud that she is committed to waiting until she is confident in some things before moving forward.  Frustrated a bit, but proud.  She is bringing her strengths of thoughtfulness and discernment to our shared process.  And as I was telling a friend on the phone the other day, in watching her process I am reminded of a very good maxim… Seek the Giver.

back-story: when I was growing up in church, one of the principles that always came up when talking about spiritual gifts (those ways God supernaturally empowers people to serve) was, “don’t seek the gifts, but the gift-giver.”  In other words, don’t get overly-fixated on these specific gifts God can give (essentially a self-centered approach). Instead, seek God, and let His Spirit give gifts as God deems appropriate (see 1 Corinthians 12).

This came to mind as I was saying how one of the ways Melissa is discerning God’s desire is by being involved in a local Bible study on Jesus.  She isn’t only sitting with God and asking, “should we move to X?” every day.   Instead, she is connecting well with God, for the sake of their relationship alone.  I’m pretty confident that as she does, God is and will speak to those specifics because God loves her and knows they are important questions.

Thank you beloved for this reminder.  So glad to be doing this with you!

March 10, 2010

Theology After Google Conference

by arthurstewart — Categories: Church Next, Culture, God, Theology After Google — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — 2 Comments

I am attending this conference for the next few days in Claremont.

description…

Why “theology after Google”?

Progressive Christian theologians have some vitally important things to say, things that both the church and society desperately need to hear. The trouble is, we tend to deliver our message using technologies that date back to Gutenberg: books, academic articles, sermons, and so forth. We aren’t making effective use of the new technologies, social media, and social networking. When it comes to effective communication of message, the Religious Right is running circles around us.

Hence the urgent need for a conference to empower pastors, laypeople, and the up-and-coming theologians of the next generation to do “theology after Google,” theology for a Google-shaped world. Thanks to the Ford funding, we’ve been able to assemble a stellar team of cultural creatives and experts in the new modes of communication. We are also inviting a selection of senior theologians, and well as some of the younger theologians (call them “theobloggers”) whose use of the new media (blogging, podcasts, YouTube posts) is already earning them large followings and high levels of influence. For two and a half days, in workshops and in hands-on sessions, in lectures and over drinks, these leading figures will be at your disposal to teach you everything they know.

Excited to be with like-minded people and exercise my thinking a bit.  Must also admit I’m wondering how this conversation can stretch beyond academics and the “haves” of this world.  Will the playing field really be leveled by our postmodern reality, or further stratified by technology and wealth?  My presupposition coming in is that people WANT to be more active and include the whole body of Christ in formation and theology,  but will probably attempt to do so using new means that are not any more effective than the old ones.

They are streaming the conference

Stay tuned for posts from the conference…

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