Life is a Highway

I believe that it was Rascal Flatts that sang "Life is a Highway." My grandson got me hooked on this song after we watched the animated movie "Cars" for the umpteenth time! Whether or not you like the song or the movie the truth is that life is a highway.

We are all on a journey. Now you may be sitting in the same house you were born and raised in and thinking, "life is no journey for me." But life is a journey and we're all on it. We are all traveling toward a destination that is out of this world. Your body may not be moving but your spirit is. The question is what direction are you traveling in? Are you going forward or are you falling behind? Are you headed toward a heavenly home our have you settled for where you are?

I'm a wanderer. I get bored easily and I don't like the status quo. I used to think this was a problem until I heard the story behind the phrase "wild goose chase." The early Celtic Christians called the Holy Spirit the Wild Goose. When they felt the Spirit moving them to take a pilgrimage or go on a mission they called it a "Wild Goose chase." As history has shown the Celtic Christians were not afraid to take up their walking sticks or hop in a boat and go wherever the Spirit led them. They were a restless people who sought out adventure and God used that to spread the Gospel throughout the world. I guess I can attribute my restlessness to my celtic heritage, but I can also attribute it to God trying to get me to move out of my comfort zones and spread the Gospel around the world.

You don't have to travel the world to go on a Wild Goose chase! You can go out your front door and find an adventure. The key is to hit the bricks and spread the Gospel. We Christians cannot afford to stay cloistered in our homes, churches, and monastaries. It is time to hit the highway and move forward in our journey. Stagnation leads to atrophy. Many of my brothers and sisters in Christ are atrophying away.

Is the Wild Goose calling you? Are you feeling restless? Maybe it is time to change course and set out on a spiritual journey. As Mark Twain once said, "Throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails."

Fr. Rick

I Can't Do It Alone

Life is hard. It is so hard that many have chosen to give up on it. Some just drop out all together, neglecting family, friends, and work. Others go further and end their lives prematurely. Some continue to go through the motions but on the inside they have shut down completely. Life is hard.

I think we can all agree that life is hard. The question is whether or not it is worth the fight to persevere to the end. I believe that it is. But the problem that most people have with life is that they try to live it alone. They try to fight the battles of life alone and they end up losing. When we lose the battles we end up losing the war.

I discovered long ago that I can't do this thing called "life" on my own. I tried. I lost a lot of battles and I almost lost the war. But then I had an epiphany. I don't have to do it alone. I can have help and I can offer help to others. I also discovered that there is nothing shameful in asking for help. Pride almost destroyed me because it caused me to shut out the love and generosity of others. Wise King Solomon said that "Pride comes before a fall." He was right and he was speaking from experience. Pride almost destroyed him.

God has promised to be with us every step of the way in life. He has sent His Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us. But more than that He has given us many others to help make it through this thing called life. He has given us family. Even as I write this I know that many people have been abandoned by their families. They don't have that resource to turn to. But God, in His infinite wisdom, has given us another source of help called the Church. Now I know that as soon as I use the word "Church" many will be turned off. They have had horrible experiences with the institutional church, as have I. But when I use the term "Church" I am referring to the biblical concept of church, which is also known as the Communion of Saints or the Family of God. Church is a community of worship, not an institution or building. Church is God's people.

My worship community, All Souls Mission, meets in a house. We are part of what is known as the New Monastic Movement. We take seriously the biblical injunction to "bear one another's burdens" and to have "all things in common." We worship together, pray together, serve together, eat together, and have fun together. We have committed to helping each other fight the battles of life. When we need special prayer, we all pray. When someone is in need, we all give. When one cries, we all cry. When one celebrates, we all celebrate.

We have discovered that, by the grace of God, we don't have to live life alone. We have members of our worship community that have been rejected by society and their families. But they have found a new Father in God and a new Mother in the Church. They have found a Big Brother in Jesus and a Friend and Comforter in the Holy Spirit. Even when the world rejects us and tries to destroy us we have the support of the Divine Family to help us fight our battles and win the war. We can persevere to the end because God is for us, and, as the Bible says, "If God is for us, who can be against us?"

Another thing I have discovered about life is that it is not all about me! One of the secrets I have discovered is that the more I try to help others in their journey in life the more blessed I am. When I stop focusing on me I find myself happy and exhilarated. When I find that I can help others I realize that I really do have a purpose in life and that just makes me feel good. That is the way that God intended it to be.

The Church as a whole has lost this since of purpose exactly because we have stopped looking outward and have become self-centered and self-absorbed. We are more concerned about the color of the carpet in the narthex than we are about the homeless guy sleeping outside of the building. We have become fixated on internal power struggles while Jesus continues to whisper in our ears reminding us that the greatest in the Kingdom of God are those who are the most humble and the most hospitable. Our buildings have become spiritual morgues rather than spiritual rescue stations.

When we formed the All Souls worship community we purposefully chose to call it a "mission" rather than a "church." We see ourselves as a mission station sending the Gospel into the world. We remembered our spiritual forefathers and foremothers who lived out their monastic vows, not in the cloistered solitude of a monastery, but on the edges of the wilderness bringing the Good News to a people who had never heard the "old, old Story" before. We also knew that we would not be reaching out to the high and mighty of society, but rather to the rejects of society - the homeless, the suicidal, the addicted, the lonely, the weak, etc. In short, we know that this Mission is not about us. This Mission is about God and about others.

The New Monastic Movement has helped us to look back to our roots in the Desert Fathers, the Celtic missionaries, and the Catholic cloisters. All of these monastics decided that a Rule of Life, a systematic and persevering prayer life, and the support of a devoted community would help them accomplish their purpose in life and help them survive the trials of life. In short, they realized they could not do this thing called "life" alone. We at All Souls have decided the same. With the help of God and our brothers and sisters we are moving forward to bring the Good News to our community and realizing our potential as creatures created with a purpose.

Life is hard. Don't try to do it alone. Turn to God for guidance and find a loving, caring, outward-looking worship community to help you on your journey. With His help you can win the battles of life, and in turn, win the war!

Christus Victor,
Fr. Rick

What is a Punk Monk?

I have fallen in love with the term "Punk Monk." I think it describes me and my parishioners at All Souls Mission. I also believe it should describe the Church as a whole.

The dictionary says that a Punk is a member of a rebellious counter-culture group. Isn't that a description of who and what Christians are? As Christians we have rebelled against the prevailing culture of this world. We have rebelled against Satan and the forces of evil. We live counter to a culture that is steeped in greed, sex, and violence by being a giving, loving and peaceful people. And we live our lives, not as individuals, but as part of a group called the Church. According to this definition we are Punks!

The dictionary says that a Monk is a religious person living in cloister and devoting themselves to contemplation, prayer and work. We are a religious people. We come together on a weekly basis to worship the Almighty. We read and study the Scriptures as we contemplate what they mean for our lives. We pray, not just during worship, but everyday at morning, noon, and night. And we work. We all have jobs, whether it be in an office, factory, home, etc. And even though the word "cloister" is used, which means living together separated from the world, we do that as well. We may not always be under the same roof together but we live our lives as part of the community of faith. Therefore we are Monks!

We are Punk Monks! We are living our lives in radical devotion to Jesus Christ. Are you a Punk Monk? Would you like to be? Live your life as Christ has called you to and you will most definitely fit the definition of a Punk Monk.

The Daily Hours

It has been a while since I blogged. That is because my schedule has been rather hectic (and that is being polite!). Because my life has been so chaotic I have been thinking more and more about how much I treasure the quiet times I spend with God. Our Mission has been studying the New Monastic movement lately and I believe I am being tested to see whether or not I will make time to be more in touch with God.

All of us face almost impossible schedules and live lives inundated by noise and information. But as we are confronted by these distractions God is whispering to us with His still, small voice saying, "Be still and know that I am God." Are we too busy to listen? To ignore God is to risk spiritual and physical peril. God wants to spend time with us, not only for His sake, but for ours as well. We need to remember that God is the God of the Sabbath. The Sabbath, according to Jesus, was created for us so that we can recharge both spiritually and physically.

I have opted to seek God more and more throughout the day. I have always observed the Morning and Evening offices of prayer, but I have recently been trying to pray the Divine Hours throughout the day. I have made it a priority to pray throughout the day according to the ancient monastic tradition of praying the hours of the Church. I carry a missal with me and pray at noon, at compline, at the midnight hour, etc. These five minute interludes throughout the day have helped me stay to focused on what is truly important in my life, my relationship with God.

As I seek to follow the voice of God I have become more intentional in my prayer and Bible reading. The monks lived lives of work, prayer, and study. Their lives were, and are, disciplined and centered upon these ancient practices. I have made the decision to follow these practices in the midst of my chaos to bring order, peace, and power back into my life through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I encourage you to do the same. Take time to listen to God. He always takes time to listen to you!

A Good Friday Meditation

It started in the Garden of Eden. A simple bite of a forbidden fruit set in motion a catastrophic series of events. By a conscious decision to ignore the word of God death entered into our world. Communion with God was damaged, our bodies began to decay, and nature rebelled against us.

By rejecting God we surrendered to Satan. We gave up the dominion God meant for us to have over creation and handed it over to the Prince of Darkness. Ever since then our world has been wrecked by wars, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and disease. Ever since then our lives have been wrecked by murder, jealousy, envy, guilt, and pain. Our lives are plagued by doubt and fear. But even in the midst of the chaos we've created and the chaos that Satan perpetuates - there is hope! Even as man was sinning in the Garden of Eden God was setting in motion a plan of rescue.
God promised a Savior. He would be born of a woman and bruised by the serpent, but He would crush the head of the serpent with His heel.

Throughout the long and winding annals of history God has continued to promise the coming of a Savior and He has foreshadowed His coming. He gave us a glimpse of the Savior on Mount Moriah as Abraham prepared to sacrifice his only son as an offering to God. He gave us a glimpse of the Savior as Moses led the Israelites to safety through the waters of the Red Sea. He gave us a glimpse of the Savior as David defeated the enemies of Israel and made preparation for the House of God. And throughout the course of history God has sent priests, prophets, judges, kings, and angels to tell us - "Do not be afraid, there is hope, the Savior is coming!"

The Savior came, not in splendor, but in swaddling clothes. He came not from a wealthy family, but from the family of a carpenter. He came not riding on a royal stallion, but on a borrowed donkey. And now He is hanging on a cross between two thieves. Where is the hope?

The hope is found in the words, "It is finished." As He hung bleeding and mangled on the cross, suffocating under His own body weight, He struggled to utter these words. He pulled up with His arms as the nails tore the flesh of His hands, He pushed up with His legs as the nail tore the flesh of His feet, just to get enough air into His lungs to utter each word - "It" - "is" - "finished." And as that final word rolled past His lips with His final breath His life left with it. He was dead.

When the world heard these words they mourned in defeat. When Satan and the host of Hell heard these words they trembled in fear. When God the Father, the Holy Spirit, the holy Angels, and all of the saints of Heaven heard these words they began to celebrate. Jesus wasn't announcing His defeat - He was announcing His victory! St. Paul tells us that the last enemy is death. Jesus died to conquer death. He was facing the enemy on its own turf. In the Creed we say, "He descended to the dead." Why? To announce His victory over death and to set the captives free.

What was finished at the Cross was our salvation. All of the sin, guilt, loneliness, depression, and chaos in our lives can now be given to the Savior and He will make our lives right again. He has broken the bonds of sin and death. He has taken back the dominion from Satan and will restore it to us if we are willing to live in Him.

That's why we call this Good Friday. It signaled the beginning of the end for evil and it points us to the ultimate victory found in the Resurrection.

Time to Pray

I'm angry! I'm angry at a Congress that has ignored the will of the people. I'm angry at the Church for not rising up in holy indignation. But most of all I'm angry with myself. I haven't prayed for my country like I should.

The one person I'm not angry with is God. He's been waiting for me to pray. He's been waiting for the Church to pray. He's been waiting for the people of this country to pray. He's been waiting for you to pray. But we haven't prayed. We've been too busy with protesting and letter writing. We've been too busy with social programming and evangelistic crusades.

If we want to save the soul of our nation and the souls of the lost we have to stop being busy and we have to start praying. We have to pray like our lives depend on it because it does! God isn't moved by protests or programs. He's moved by prayer...not pat petitions and perfunctory prayers, but by gut-wrenching, souls-searching, worshipful prayer. Jesus conquered Satan, death, and Hell by prayer. What makes us think we can do things any differently?

I've been reading a book called "Punkmonk" about the 24-7 prayer groups known as the Boiler Rooms. These groups have developed a 24-7, 365 day a year rhythm of prayer based on the ancient monastic model. They haven't been out protesting...they've been praying and where they set up camp and pray they have seen souls saved, bodies healed, lives and communities changed. They have paid the price with lack of sleep and calloused knees to reach the heart of God. But reach it they have and God is moving their midst.

I want God to move in my midst. I want to touch the heart of God. The question I have to ask myself, and the question you must ask yourself is this: Am I willing to pay the price? Am I willing to give up the things that consume me and my time to spend time alone with the God of the universe and pour out my heart to Him in praise and worship? Until we're willing to do that everything else is just a joke.

I'm not saying that we should stop doing all of the other things I've mentioned. What I am saying is that until we get our priorities right with God everything else is useless. We must seek God and His righteousness and then everything else will fall into place. As the author of Punkmonk says, "The currency is prayer, the price is massive, but the prize is glorious." What are you going to do?

The time to pray is NOW! Pay the price and the high prize of our calling in Jesus Christ will indeed be glorious.

Temptation

Temptation...It is something that is common to every human being. We are all tempted to do that which is wrong even when we know the right thing to do. It is a basic human trait, an instinct. It is part of our fallen, sinful human nature. Notice that I used the word "basic." It is the lowest common denominator amongst us. It is the lowest of the low.

When bad things happen we revert back to our base. If our base is good we will do the right thing. If our base is bad we will screw up royally! Any police officer or soldier will tell you that in the heat of combat you revert back to your basic training. If the training was good you will perform well. If not, you may die. Good training helps you survive the fight. The same is true for us as Christians. We need a good, solid biblical base to overcome temptation. We also need the will to overcome temptation.

In Luke 4:1-13 we are told the story of Jesus going into the wilderness for forty days and battling the temptation that Satan throws at him. The text says that He went into the wilderness "led by the Spirit." Jesus had just come from His baptism in the River Jordan and He had been anointed by the Holy Spirit. He was on, what we Christians call, a spiritual high, when He was confronted with one of the most ferocious battles of His earthly life. Jesus was about to be tested by Satan to see if the events at the Jordan River had truly been life-changing events. You see, it is easy to be spiritually high while surrounded by the minister, the congregation, and the Sacraments. It's not so easy when you are all alone.

We know how the story ends. Jesus passed the test! But have you passed yours? Thnakfully Jesus has shown us how we can overcome temptation and pass the test when we too are confronted by evil.

The first thing that Jesus taught us was we must never enter into any spiritual battle without being full of the Holy Spirit. Whether it was a trial in the desert or the horrors of the Cross, Jesus stayed in touch with His Father and empowered by the Spirit. How did He do this? Well, we know that He prayed incessantly. He was always going away into the woods, up on a mountain, or into a garden to pray. He stayed in touch with the Father through prayer. There are no shortcuts here. If you want to stay in touch with God you are going to have to make time to talk to God. But that wasn't all that He did. We also know that He worshiped in the Synagogue weekly. He gained strength from the public worship of God. He celebrated all of the biblical feasts and festivals. He participated in the Sacraments as evidenced by His Baptism. Jesus stayed filled with the Spirit of God by staying in touch with God through prayer, worship, and sacrament.

Secondly, we know where Jesus' base was - it was rooted in Scripture. He was trained in the Hebrew Scriptures by His parents, the Rabbis, and by self-study. As a good Jew Jesus became a biblical scholar. He had no formal theological training but He absorbed everything He could at home and in the synagogue. Every Christian should be a biblical scholar, immersing themselves in the Word of God.

As we travel through this Lenten season and focus on our human weakenesses and mortality we need to learn the lessons that Jesus has taught us. When we are on a spiritual mountaintop we are going to be attacked by the Evil One. When we are at our weakest we are going to be attacked by the Evil One. Wherever you are in life you are going to be tempted. Are you ready for the attack? Is your base solid and is your will sound? Get prepared for the fight by getting in touch with God. When we are enlightened by the Word and strengthened by the Sacraments and Spirit we can withstand anything the world has to throw at us.

Get ready, stand firm, and overcome through and with Jesus Christ our Lord.