CARPE DIEM

You know if I died right now, I would be satisfied with my life. I have done so much and seen even more. I am so thankful for the life the Lord has blessed me with. I can not do enough to show my appreciation for what God has done for me and through me. I never thought I would be where I am today. Yes, I do have regrets, but overall I know I have accomplished much. But, the beautiful thing about my life is this. It not over. I still have goals and dreams. I believe the attributes that have enabled me to live this life to the fullest are faith, perception, and discipline. This is not a formula for success. I am simply describing what qualities I believe have helped me live a full life up to this point. Faith was key because the alternate fear would have stopped me from taking any risks--and receiving life's real rewards. Perception has been invaluable because without it I would have missed how to take advantage of all the opportunities the Lord presented me with. And, finally, discipline was essential because without it I could have never mastered myself in order to push off gratification and embrace long term satisfaction. I don't know if I will be remembered 100 years from now. But, I can truly say everyman dies, but I have truly lived. With Christ help - Seize the day!

Fasting

It’s about four o’clock in the morning as I am finishing this article on fasting. The house is peaceful. The kids are asleep. I can perceive the central heating humming rhythmically in the back ground; besides my laptop, the only thing I hear in the house is my son rustling in the bed. This is a good moment for me. Currently, my heart feels at rest. It’s interesting; during these moments I can slow down and reflect on what is going on in my life.
During these moments I can asses myself: how am I doing as a husband, as a father, as a friend? Let the truth be told, this pulling away is when I see the most growth, and experience the most positive change in my character. Usually during these times I ask my self questions like: Did I respond correctly yesterday? Or, am I overreacting to the information presented to me last week?
This time is essential for me to develop into who God has called me to be. The solitude is satisfying to my soul. But, wait what is that noise I hear? “It’s my twitter notification informing me that one of my twitter friends has just updated their status.” [Beep, Beep, Beep] my alarm begins to avenge itself on the quiet. And, like an object being sucked through a vortex I am taken out of my solace and violently pulled back into the hustle and bustle of my very busy world. No worries, the Scriptures has an answer to my problem; God has prescribed a way where we can find satisfaction even if we live our lives seemingly opposed to tranquility.
God’s diagnosis is fasting. Merriam-Webster defines fasting simply as “to abstain from food or to eat sparingly”. Fasting as Richard Foster would describe it is a “discipline”. Dallas Willard would describe the practice as a “spiritual discipline”. These two great authors don’t contrast each other. What they are doing in their depiction of the practice is highlighting different aspects for the reader. The former focuses on the methods and the latter focuses on the motivation.
This article will briefly focus on the why! If done properly biblical fasting is a physical means of producing spiritual fruit. It is a means of maintaining our true prosperity, which is our relationship with God. Now I do want to clarify that there are practical and medicinal purposes for fasting as well, such as weight loss and the cleansing of undigested food that has built up in the intestines and colon. Yet, this article will only focus on the spiritual benefits of this discipline.
Jesus lays the foundation in Matthew 6:16 – 18.

16"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 6:16-18 NIV

Let’s focus on three points here. First, Jesus says “When you fast” this phrase makes it clear to all that fasting will be a normal part of the Christian’s life. He does not give specifics, but his general reference implies that it will be habitual and encompasses everyone who follows after him.
Next, Jesus commanded us, “do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting.” The implication here is our motivation for fasting must be scrutinized if we intend to receive any positive results from the practice.
And finally, Jesus’ statement—“But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face…and your Father…will reward you” indicates that God will reward you for the effort, and not just through the process. Based upon Matthew 6:16 – 18 the foundation for biblical fasting is clear: it is expected of every believer, the believer must watch their motives, and untimely God will reward him or her for their efforts.
Now that the foundation for fasting has been unpacked let’s look at some practical ways fasting bears fruit in our lives. I am intentionally excluding spiritual warfare and will focus on the spiritual rewards of the practice. Let’s start in the Old Testament.
Isaiah 58:6 is where we will start with the specifics on the spiritual rewards of fasting. In this popular text, the prophet’s rebuke of Israel concludes with God’s intended benefit for their fast; to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke.
The clarity here is unmistakable. To summarize it, Israel’s reward would be freedom from the bonds of selfishness. This is an amazing point. Fasting sets us free from ourselves. I have found one of the hardest things to do in this world is to make a selfish person see something other than their own situation. Have you ever tried to convince a selfish person they were wrong? Good luck! I would rather go 12 rounds with Mike Tyson in his prime than to do that. We all struggle with selfishness. Besides pride, it is the biggest wrestling match a Christian will have in maintaining a healthy relationship in his or her life; and I not just talking about with God. I mean with people too. James 3:16 says, “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing” (NASB). Nevertheless, God gives a prescription to free us from selfishness and that is Fasting!
In Matthew 9:15 Jesus focuses on another benefit for the practice.

Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.” Matthew 9:15

To contextualize this, Jesus’ disciples were eating well when the religious leaders and John’s disciples were fasting. At this point Jesus is questioned about his disciples’ actions. The primary point of what Jesus says is simple; they don’t need to fast when I am here with them. But, the peripheral point is appropriate for our discussion. Jesus says, “The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.” What is the benefit for fasting in this case? It is for perseverance.
Early in my Christian walk there was a saying I often heard repeated. “If you pray you stay, if you fast you last.” Fasting is like finding water in the desert. It gives you the strength to continue. Many times in our walk we get into the stagnant areas because of various reasons. It could be we find ourselves there because of sin, hurt, unforgiveness, etc. Regardless of why we find ourselves there, God says that fasting will help us to maintain and persevere until the race is done.
In Acts 13:2-3 we see the final benefit we will discuss regarding the practice.

As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
Hearing God is a vital benefit you receive from fasting. How can you have a relationship with a person whom you can not communicate with? You can’t. Thus hearing God is the most important thing you can do to maintain a healthy relationship with him. Fasting is like removing the wax from your ears. It clears the way for you to hear God. I am not saying you always need to fast to hear from God. But, there are times when fasting is necessary for obtaining directions from Him. I can hear the central heating humming rhythmically in the back again. I understand ultimately in life what we are really looking for is peace with God. But, it is difficult to obtain. Honestly, without His help it is impossible. So often we think we know what is best for us. So we wrestle against the direction our life is going. However, God directs our path. The only way to find peace in God’s path is to trust Him. Fasting helps bring us to a point of clarity! Thus, it is essential to practice fasting in order to find rest, in God. It brings you to a place where you can free yourself of yourself, gain strength for the journey, and to hear the God who has your best interest in mind. Fasting helps you live this busy life in a way that can still bring satisfaction to your soul. Where is that snooze button?

Storms

We recognize a storm in a variety of ways. Sometimes you can smell it coming, other times you can hear it, and yet other times you can see its ominous presence in the distance. So often we view a storm in a negative light. However, there is a blessing in the storm. Regardless, how it comes, you must always remain focused on what the storm is doing to the land. Because we are not an agrarian culture anymore we have lost touch of our dependence on rain. Now a days, rain is seen as a hindrance to our drive to true happiness. You know the song "Rain, Rain, go away come again another day." However, without rain the land would quickly become barren. And, our world would quickly become lifeless. Gain a new perspective! Because of rain the land has the opportunity to flourish and produce life. Honestly, I believe the same is true with the storms of our life. Regardless how the storm comes be thankful for the rain and focus on what it is doing to your heart. Recognize the opportunity to be fruitful is a process that requires tears (Wait a minute!) well let me say it like this...the opportunity to be fruifjul is a process that requires just a little rain.

My discussions with author "Steve Pressfield"

Recently, I wrote a review of a book entitled "Gates of Fire" from my new favorite author Steven Pressfield. My post must have caught the eye of his publicist because she emailed me back inquiring if I desired to ask the renowned author a couple of questions. Of course, I was flattered, and I agreed. To my suprise she even sent me a copy of his work entitled "The War of Art." My good friend and colleague Ben Komanapalli informed me there was a lot of buzz in leadership circles about this book. At this point, I was giddy with joy. Having received the book in the mail, I decided to wait and read it on may way to Haiti. By the way the mission trip to Haiti was awesome. The country is in need of one thing --Leadership training. Anyway, when I settled in on the plane leaving JKF I picked up the book and could not put it down. The book was so engaging. I read it from cover to cover in 2-hours. The book was awesome; and here are the questions I asked Steven after reading it:

In your book “The War of Art” you address the opposition we face in attempting to “completing our creative goals” could you explain why this monolithic internal opposition is so prevalent in humanity?

In The War of Art, I say that it's a clash between the Higher Self and the Lower Self, the small Ego. That's the closest I can come to something that satisfies me. It may be a little too "mystical" for others.

I think that we humans inhabit, as Shakespeare said, a realm somewhere between animal and angel. We're pulled in both directions. I believe that certain "laws" obtain on this earthbound dimension (death is real, individuals are separate from each other, time and space are real, the most powerful emotion is fear) that do not apply on the dimension above us. In that dimension (where the Greeks would have said the gods live), death is not real (the gods live forever), time and space are malleable (the gods travel "swift as thought") and the predominant emotion is not fear but love.

Though we are all here in this material, timebound dimension, I believe we somehow retain "memories" or "visions" of that higher dimension--and that a part of us, our best part, aspires to return there somehow. That's why, when someone in this earthbound dimension acts in accordance with the laws of the higher dimension (a soldier, say, who throws his body onto a hand grenade to save his buddies), we are moved profoundly by that act and we bestow our highest awards and honors on the person who performed it.

So, by this theory, our better parts aspire to rise to higher levels, to write the novel we know is inside us, compose the symphony, fight the good fight against evil ... but at the same time we are opposed by our baser, cynical, self-centered selves. Of course the lower will always resist the higher. If the higher wins, the lower is not only out of a job but is disgraced and rendered meaningless.

Do feel all fundamentals lack creativity? What about the great artist and thinkers who have come out of the fundamental camps – C.S. Lewis, Francis Schaeffer, J.R.R. Tolkien? Are they anomalies?

2) I would disagree with you that C.S. Lewis, Francis Schaeffer and J.R.R. Tolkien are fundamentalists. On the contrary, they are highly cultured, highly individuated artists who have thought deeply about the problems of the human condition and have arrived at their philosophical and spiritual positions through a long and rigorous process of investigation, meditation and rumination.

The fundamentalist (as I define him, anyway) does the opposite. He stops thinking. He surrenders his free will and his capacity for reflection and deliberation. Instead he swallows whole some externally-derived doctrine or belief system (Communism, fascism, free-market capitalism, etc. etc.) and becomes an unthinking robot in its service.

I admire the hell out of the three artists you've cited above.

Do you feel satisfied once you overcome hindrances to writing/our goals? Would you term this self-actualization/purpose or is this just a step on the right path?

3) Great question. I do feel satisfied. In fact I would say that no other act is truly satisfying other than that. And to me it's a step along the way. I'm not sure where the way is going, but it does seem to trend, I think, toward greater awareness of one's own self and the potential within oneself--but with the paradoxical element that what we learn about our individual selves brings us closer to other people, so that the more we become the unique individuals we were born to be and the more we produce the unique contributions that only we can contribute, the more we admire others on the same path and the more communion we feel with them.

Its about the heart!

How do you respond when you are hurt? Do you put up a guard to protect yourself from being hurt again. Imagine if God did that...we would all be in trouble...the irony of being God must be that "he is love" yet the very people whom he loves constantly hurt him. I can not imagine how much pain we put him through...may people don't think about hurting his feelings. But, God hurts, cries, and has emotions. It probably make us feel better not to think that way... its easier on us to make him an emotionless robot...I am sure it makes us feel better about our own actions. But, we are created in his image and likeness...the scriptures are full of instances when God is pouring out his heart to no avail.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Matthew 23:37

I hate that I hurt God...often I am so self-absorbed that I don't think about him...only my feelings... I am so thankful for his grace...not only that he keeps making himself vulnerable to me--even though I hurt him--he gives me the opportunity and strength to show others his great love for me. How? By strengthening me to give His loving-kindness unconditionally to those who hurt me! What a God!