I am so blessed to share the privilege of communicating at Crash with someone like Maxie Burch. Many of us are aware of Maxie’s expertise when it comes to church history and theology, but his ability to help us get at the real issues in our lives and do so with compassion, empathy and vulnerability is unmatched. Last night’s talk was INCREDIBLE and if you weren’t there, you need to get it on podcast HERE. The talk should be live sometime tomorrow.

In the meantime, here are some maxie-isms from last night. The message was entitled “Facing the elephant”, week 3 in our Tension series.
BIG IDEA: Our true self is revealed and transformed when we trust God and face the elephant.
-When there is an elephant in the room, introduce him. (from Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture)
-If you want to know where the elephant is in your life, I suggest you follow the fear and the anger.
-Definition of an elephant: An issue or person that is too painful or too difficult to acknowledge but too big, too obvious, to overwhelming to ignore; but we do, and that is what creates the tension. I like to call this condition elephant denial.
-In most cases, elephant denial has a significant payoff that makes the practice worthwhile. And that payoff is often power and control.
-Over time, the elephant begins to characterize and control our lives (WOW, I know people that this sentence describes to T).
-There is always a price to pay for facing the elephant – fear, rejection, pain, etc. (which is why so many of us don’t face the elephants).
-Elephants are a part of life. It is not the elephant’s presence that defines you; it is what you decide to do about the elephant that will define you. There is always a third option.
-My dad was a weak man. He couldn’t deal with the elephant. But just because he wouldn’t and couldn’t deal with the elephant did not mean that I couldn’t deal it in my life.
-A lot of people try to be hip and they use cool clips from movies. I like cowboy movies. I am not hip. I don’t care.

If you have another Maxie line from last night, please add it in the comments below.

Also, some of my lovely friends got together and created a fantastic video recounting a statement I made in my sermon last week on Sunday morning at North Phoenix. I have included it below for your viewing pleasure.

-Savage

Three books I would recommend…

1. Mudhouse Sabbath by Lauren Winer. Lauren became a Jesus follower after a childhood in Judaism. She is a funny and intelligent writer.

2. Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton. This book speaks of many disciplines addressed previously on the blog including Sabbath.

3. The Sabbath by Abraham Heschel. Eugene Peterson, who first taught me about Sabbath, considers this the authoritative book at this point. Hopefully he is more accurate with this recommendation than he was in comparing The Shack and John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress (I enjoyed the Shack, but a classic on the level of Bunyan’s allegory is a mighty stretch).

Two things I would recommend for your reading that are online for free….

First, this blog post is an interview with Eugene Peterson, the man who wrote the paraphrase of the Bible entitled The Message. He is one of the first church leaders that I heard speak on his own commitment to Sabbath-keeping.

Second, this essay on Sabbath-keeping had some insightful comments…taken from the official blog of Asbury Seminary…

Hopefully, these resources will be helpful for you. If you have any other suggestions or comments to make on these, post away!

-Savage

(I apologize at the beginning for the delay in getting this post live.)

I wanted to talk about what some steps toward Sabbath might look like for you. As I have stated before, I tend to shoot for universal, systematic change too quickly and I am learning to try to focus on incremental change, especially if traditions and processes are firmly established.

1. Start small, but challenge the status quo.
What would it look like for you to change the way you spend one morning or afternoon on your day(s) off? Adjusting a time when you do errands and being “productive”/catching up and making a time for quiet, rest, or your favorite hobby? Challenging what is “normal” for you is harder than you think, but a small intentional shake-up can create momentum.

2. Consistency is more important than inconsistent large quantity.
Build from that small step incrementally at a pace and level that you can sustain consistently. If Sabbath for you needs to look like Saturday mornings for the next month, then do that. You will be doing more than most, but use that as inspiration and motivation, not a blessing to stop there. The only habits you keep are the ones you can sustain with consistency. That’s a “duh” moment, but we aren’t always as sharp as we give ourselves credit for.

3. Do things that make you stronger, that renew you.
Spending time with friends renews me, while it zaps my wife, Dani. When it comes to the weekend, I would love to have a full social calendar. Her dream is often an empty one. Different things renew our strength. So, I need to go hang out with my buddies. She needs to nap and to read. Do what works for you, but keep Sabbath for Sabbath.

4. Ask someone who knows you well to give you some direction.
Many of us are afraid to seek insight from those who know us best. Because we know that they know the truth and we know they will make us deal with it. So, if you don’t want to hear it, don’t ask. Keep burning yourself out and keep complaining that you hate the way you are living your life. If you want to change, then seek the counsel of some you know, someone you trust. Maybe your movement will inspire them in a similar way.

Look for a post Friday afternoon about some resources for you to explore Sabbath further.

-Scott

I shared on Sunday night about a question that I think is important in this discussion of Sabbath. I asked “What are some roadblocks that stand in the way of your making Sabbath a discipline in your life?”

As you wrestle with this question, I have been dealing with it myself. I see several barriers in my own life.

1. Boundaries. I read a book several years ago which was very challenging and instructive. It was titled Boundaries, and it was written by Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend. They talk about the importance of setting healthy boundaries in all areas of your life and taking control of what’s your responsibility. The area where this is a biggest struggle is maintaining boundaries between personal time and church-related work since so much of my social network falls into both categories – personal friends and church members. This is an area I need to work on. It’s hard to engage Sabbath when you don’t take a hard line on boundaries.

2. Essential or critical roles. In several places in my life, I am doing things that others could be doing. Because of this I have been serving in roles that I am not best suited for, and I need to step out and create space for someone else to step in. Because of this, I haven’t been able to give attention to what only I can do or what I can do better than anyone else on my team. It’s hard to engage Sabbath when you are doing too much.

3. Transition. I am in the midst of a significant life transition. I won’t be in school this fall for the first time since I was wearing pull-ups. It’s been over 20 years. And that transition is causing me to re-assess and rethink a lot of things. I am having to learn a new way of life. I knew how to create space for Sabbath amidst the school, work and personal life. But now that there’s no school, it is a different ball game. This is going to be a roadblock I have to work through over the next few months.

What about you? What’s a roadblock standing in your way? Is it legitimate and what would it take for it to be removed?

Tomorrow we will talk about what it takes to start making something happen here. Small steps with big impact.

-Savage

As I indicated at Crash on Sunday night, we would like to extend the dialogue re: Sabbath to the blog this week.

For me, Sabbath is a hard concept to wrap myself around. There are many possible explanations. My love for living life at a fast pace with lots of things filling my calendar. My struggle to rest and just be (which is why I resonate with so many spiritual disciplines that involve rest and silence). My attachment to social networking, email, texting, etc. Sabbath has been a limited experience for me – I am not an expert.

However, there was a season in my life where I engaged in it. During the summer of 2005, I studied abroad in Central Asia. A friend encouraged us to take a Sabbath one day a week. We were taking intense language classes, dealing with culture shock, and trying to make friends who saw the world completely differently. That one day a week where we did laundry, watched movies, ate American food, and slept was INVALUABLE in helping us be at our best for the other six days. Some of my best journaling came from those restful days.

When I returned to school for my senior year, I had to be a bit more creative. So, I decided to apply my experience in Asia to Phoenix. I took a Sabbath from noon Friday to noon Saturday. I didn’t do homework. I made sure I wasn’t scheduled to work. I got a good night of sleep. I hung out with friends. I read a favorite book. My friend Joshua and I would split a French Press of good coffee.

What are the roadblocks standing in your way, between you and making Sabbath a discipline? I will share some of mine tomorrow, and then some resources on Thursday to learn more about how to make it happen.

Consider making this a part of your life. From experience, I can tell you – it’s worth it.

I spoke twice yesterday. First, in the 10:30am service at North Phoenix. The link to this video will be starting late on Tuesday (maybe 4pm or after). Follow my Twitter feed for a note when its up…I will also post a blog with the live link. Click here if you want to keep checking for yourself. Also, you can see an edited version (for time, not content) on KAZTV Cox Channel 13 next Sunday morning at 8am.

I also spoke at Crash. You should be able to get the podcast here starting tomorrow evening, about the same time.

I am gonna throw out some Scott-isms from Sunday morning and Sunday night, but a reminder that if you weren’t in the room, these are just out-of-context soundbites. If you had some favorite lines, please throw them down under the comment area.

Like I mentioned at Crash, we will be begin a three or four part series tomorrow on Sabbath and its place in our lives.

Sunday Morning – “Fear or Hope?” (based out of Numbers 13 and 14)

-Turn off your cell phones; you may think its off, but every week somebody gets proved wrong.
-Pastor Dan was once a college minister, like me.
-The community in the 3-5 mile radius around our church is a diverse place.
-Maybe you are afraid that last year was a fluke for the Cardinals and they are going to bomb this year.
-I respect my elders; that’s why I am not wearing jeans and sandals today.
-Our calling as a church is to be a catalyst for change and transformation in our community.
-There is a massive generation gap in the church.
-We keep generalizing and taking pot-shots at one another, but we do not really know one another.
-You are powerful. You can make this gap larger or smaller.
-My elders, I am afraid of you.
-And you are afraid of me too (I guess an older lady sitting behind one of my friends said, “Amen, yes I am.”)
-I now call Dr. Hornecker “Yoda” because he is this deep well of wisdom and insight.
-Our response – fear or hope – will determine if the generation gap grows larger or smaller.

AND last but not least…the line that will go down in infamy…that one friend put on her facebook as “the best preacher line I have ever heard”…
-Jesus is sexy….

Sunday Night – Crash – “In, But Not Of” (Week 2 of Tension) – Hosea 3:1-5

-We confuse proximity and character when it comes to our life in the world.
-I don’t get why raisin cakes are sacred or involved in idol worship, but apparently they were a big deal.
-Saved is a movie where you are laughing and cringing because its hilarious, yet painfully true.
-Some Christians have decided the way to stay pure and righteous is to disconnect from the world; the truth is that IT’S NOT WORKING!
-Pastors are the number two profession when it comes to divorce rates.
-As long as your primary goal is to be liked and accepted, you are never going to really ever express who you are in Christ and the message of Jesus will continue to be invalidated by your life.
-Pharisee Phils make me want to vomit and I question whether they really know Jesus or whether they just know theology and doctrine.
-Arrogance has no place in the church.
-Our righteous acts are like snot rags in the eyes of God – stop being arrogant.
-I am harsh on Pharisee Phils because they are stubborn and refuse to listen. They need to be shocked and woken up.
-I am gentle and loving and gracious to Apprhensive Annies.
-If you are worried and have doubts, then I am here to tell you that God majors in redeeming and restoring broken lives. God is the God of second chances. God is not done with you.
-Some of us never put our forks down…and we have no idea how.
-If Sabbath isn’t a regular thing for you, one day is not going to fix everything. It has to become a regular habit.
-Sabbath is not about vegging out or sleeping. It is about recognizing, understanding, and celebrating God’s work in the world. And admitting that the world will keep spinning if you step out and life goes on when you pull your hands off the wheel.
-I will go Pharisee Phil on you (I think what I meant to say here was “I will go off on you the way I do on Pharisee Phil – but I was at the end of my second 35-40 minute sermon of the day – my brain was fried).

What were some of your favorite “Scott-ism’s”?

-Savage

maxie’s sheep video – Got this one from Maxie Burch. Great combination of what happens when boredom, free time, creativity, and imagination come together with the resources you have.

Seth Godin’s take on tackling the elephant in the room.

very cool video – this dude some unreal stuff…

I wrap this series up with what is the most difficult thing for me to achieve with regularity in my life.
A combination of two things – regular, consistent journaling and silence/solitude.
Let’s tackle the challenge and the particulars of these disciplines simultaneously.

Regular, consistent journaling is pretty simple. A pen (I recommend Pilot inks, Sharpie Pens or anything by Uniball) and a notebook (I am a Moleskine addict) and you are on your way. Every day, several times a week – processing what is going on in your life, thinking through conversations, life lessons, increased self-awareness, gratitude and thankfulness to God, praying on behalf of others.
This discipline is really just prayer with a pen – thinking before God and and pursuing wisdom and direction through Holy Spirit. It is incredibly hard for me to journal regularly and consistently because I live life too fast and don’t reflect regularly enough. I journal in phases and during retreat experiences (or labyrinths). But the regularity and consistency of it challenge me – this explains all my half-finished Moleskines and notebooks.

The silence and solitude were new to me when I began college. But a good friend named Jeff Meakins helped me to understand how God speaks in the silence and solitude of our moments sitting in His presence, just as greatly as when we read the Scriptures for a long period of time. Silence and solitude are discipline where we slow down, quiet our minds, silence our technological connections, and just be.
If you know me with any familiarity, you have now figured out why this is so hard for me. I don’t do “slow down” well. I don’t disconnect from my mac or blackberry well. But, even as I reflect in writing this post, I remember so many times of silence and solitude when God finally got through to me about the thing I had needed to hear for days and weeks and sometimes months.

I have been reminded in recent days about the importance of developing a plan and habits to pursue connection with God. I speak from personal experience – this kind of thing does not accidentally happen. And you can’t just plug in when you haven’t been seeking connection for a long time. Prepare for the future challenges, crises, opportunities, and successes in your life by making a plan and executing it. I hope retreats, Lectio Divina, labyrinth walking, journaling or silence/solitude will become a part of your plan. Thanks for letting me share.

-Savage

Today’s discipline is the most consistent experience I engage in that connects me to God and results in the Holy Spirit speaking into my life.

Labyrinth walking shares an ancient heritage (like Lectio). It emerged in Western Europe and has moved to America subsequently. While labyrinths have been used in manners outside of Christian contexts, I don’t believe that invalidates them. Walking a labyrinth can be an experience that quiets the noise of your everyday life and centers your spirit towards listening to God’s voice. I find it to a very reflective and emotional experience that yields significant revelation. I have led many people through this guide and walking the path. While it has not been for everyone, when given a good set-up, the experience has always expanded each person’s perspective.

This link is to the Crash podcast. JonMark Shillington and I discussed the four parts of Labyrinth walking, in the context of a larger discussion about the rhythm at which we live life, during our January 2008 series “Rhythm”.

Below you will also find a guide that I wrote for the Rhythm series in January 2008 that also includes info on sites in the Phoenix area.

-Savage

The Labyrinth – also known as a meditation or prayer labyrinth is one of the oldest contemplative and transformational tools known. It is not a maze and rather has one path on which one cannot get lost, serving a powerful symbol of individual life journeys and pilgrimage in faith. Walking the labyrinth is a discipline that allows for reflection, confession, prayer, and deeper connection with God.

1. Beginning the Labyrinth – Before you begin the labyrinth, you stand at the entrance. However long that moment lasts, we can be certain about that moment. A decision was made within that space. We decided what kind of experience our time in the labyrinth was going to be. We have an opportunity to process and sift through our life and have a dialogue with God about its contents. The moment may seem ordinary, we may want to assert our own self-sufficiency, we may not be where we wish we were…but if I decide that I am not going to hide behind cynicism, shallow subjects, or remain quiet, then my experience in the labyrinth will be one where I connect with God in a personal way. And that experience will help me connect with others in the world in a more meaningful way.

2. Enter with your palms down. Begin to think about the spaces and places in your life. Fight through distractions and discipline yourself to be present in the labyrinth. If you made the decision before you entered to be honest and transparent, and you invited God to meet you on the path, listen for what God has to say as you move from space to place in your life rhythm. Take deliberate steps. If you feel the need to hesitate for a moment, before you continue walking, that’s okay. If you are walking the Labyrinth with a friend(s), allow several minutes between each of you as you enter.

3. You will finally arrive in the center circle. Plant yourself there for as long as you feel you need to remain. Listen and hear what you need to hear. Look deep within and see what you need to see. Ask the questions that you need to ask. Recite Scripture. Sing a song to yourself that has meaning and relevance to your journey today. When you feel peace to leave the center – that you have heard what you needed to hear today, then begin to move back towards the exit of the circle. Prepare to move back into the path, this time to re-enter the world.

4. When you leave the circle, walk back out with your palms up and receive from God what you need to be and do what is necessary in all of the places you reflected on during your way in. I am convinced that the greatest things in life are not earned or discovered; they are received. Love, compassion, trust, mercy, grace, hospitality, faith, hope – these are great human things that we don’t will ourselves towards; rather, we receive them from God and others.

5. After you exit the Labyrinth, consider journaling your experience and reflecting on what you heard, saw, and experienced.

Labyrinths in the Phoenix Area

Trinity Cathedral – 100 West Roosevelt Phoenix, Arizona 85003
Spirit in the Desert Lutheran Retreat Center – 7415 East Elbow Bend Road, Carefree, Arizona 85377
Foothills Christian Church – 3951 W. Happy Valley Rd. Glendale, Arizona 85310

One of the challenges of “growing up in the church” is that you struggle to own your spirituality. As I have grown up, I have had to own my own spirituality and connection with God. And along that journey, the four things that makeup the core of my own personal “connecting time with God” form up this series.

Part two of this series is Lectio Divina. Lectio is a way to combine prayer with Scripture reading. Lectio is an ancient practice that has been used for hundreds of years as a way to connect with God.
St. Benedict was one of the earliest proponents of the practice, and Lectio went on to become a part of the monastic rules of Sts. Pachomius, Augustine, and Basil. Lectio was combined together with manual labor and participation in liturgical life, forming a tri-level monastic expereince.
In the 12th century, Guigo II, a Carthusian monk, wrote a book titled “The Monk’s Ladder” (Scala Claustralium) wherein he set out the theory of the four rungs: reading, meditation, prayer and contemplation.

Lectio has been a huge part of my spiritual experience over the last four years. It helps me move from the “intellectual” study of Scripture to a more emotional experience. It helps me connect what happens when I study Scripture with my actual life. So, I have included a guide below that outlines how it works. I recommend you give it a shot and create space to connect with God on a regular basis.

-Savage

Lectio Guide OR How to Pray the Scriptures
A. Clear away any books, journal notebook, pen, etc. so that your hands and lap are free.
B. Place both feet flat on the floor.
C. Sit erect, head squarely (but comfortably) resting on your spinal column. Do not bow or lower your head due to the fact that it makes it more difficult to breathe.
D. Place your hands with palms facing up or down on the tops of your thighs or fold them in your lap.
E. Close your eyes. If you prefer to keep them open, focus your vision on a particular object that falls in the natural path of your sight (e.g., the base of a lamp across the room).
F. As you close your eyes (or choose an object to look at) breath deeply, relax, rest, and be still. Know that God is present. Open up your heart, mind, soul, and body in anticipation and expectation of being nourished and fed by God’s personal word to you, for you, and with you.
G. Pray that the Holy Spirit will illumine, enlighten, instruct, encourage, challenge, convict, heal, and/or love you as you listen attentively and deeply to the words being read.
H. Select a short passage of scripture from one of the Gospels and read the passage aloud two times.
I. While reading the selection, allow the Scripture being read to move from your ears (hearing) into your heart. Listen and be open with your heart.
J. As you listen with your heart, during and after the selection, allow yourself the freedom to experience any thoughts, feelings, images, memories, etc. that may come to your awareness.
K. During and after reading your Scripture selection, be aware of the mental, emotional, and physical response(s) you have. Pay attention to yourself.
L. Verbally pray your response to the insight, call to commitment or word of comfort that God has given you.
M. Continue to sit quietly until one word or phrase that you have heard sinks deeply into your consciousness.
N. Remember your “word” during the day.
O. Journal about your word in the evening. Remember the situation(s) in which the word came to mind during the day.