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I suppose the day after Independence Day is as good a day as any to suggest a Declaration of Dependence. In many ways, the Declaration we celebrate on the 4th is as much a Declaration of Dependence as of Independence. Surely we declare our Independence from England; by declaring our dependence on God. It seems to me that Independence is not only over rated; but completely unattainable.  Just as we proclaim our “independence” we demonstrate our dependence on so many things. One  or two hundred years ago, independence was at least partially achievable. Many Americans lived on farms where they grew their own food, built their homes from available materials and protected their property with their own weapons. That’s not life today. We are dependent on policemen, firemen, postmen, grocers and so many others.  The only real independence we can celebrate is deciding for ourselves upon whom we will be dependent. This is really the finding freedom in slavery scenario. Consider the issue of personal worth. Where do we find our worth? Is it in the opinion of others? Is it based on our “achievements” or our level of financial success? The problem here is that there is always […]

Who am I? Casting Crowns. On the way home from church today, Rosemary and I were listening to Ravi Zacharias. He was telling the story of a young man who asked the question, “How do I know that I exist?” In response, the young man was asked, “Whom should I say is asking?”  Often we get way too tied in in philosophical questions and lose touch with basic truths.  One of the secrets to Brother Lawrence’s happy life was his keen sense of who God is and who we are in Him. If you think about it nothing is more important that these two questions: Who is God? and Who am I? God is awesome. He is all knowing, powerful, present, holy, and loving.  Without Him we are nothing; but with Him we gain incredible value. We are valuable because of His love for us. Keeping these simple facts in mind, assure us of everlasting joy. When these thoughts slip away from us, we slip into sorrow and despair. If we can focus on the greatness of God without losing track of the fact that He seeks communion with us, we will be perpetually joyful. Nothing will steal our […]

“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” Romans 13:1 In the early 70s I went to Vietnam. I missed my ship in San Francisco and took a helicopter transport across the Pacific. The first night on that ship I went out to the bow to catch some fresh air. But the air wasn’t fresh; in fact, it was filled with the aroma of marijuana. Numerous sailors were smoking dope just under the bridge of the ship. There was no sense of subjection to authority. I knew then we were in trouble in Vietnam and “in trouble” in a larger sense in our country. Our generation doesn’t like the word authority. We don’t like to be under anybody. We stick out our chests and talk about being free-born Americans. If you’re a baby boomer, you’re of a generation of anti-authority figures. In your lifetime you’ve gone through the hula hoop, the Barbie doll, pop psychology, Dr. Spock, Donahue, and the Beatles. It was all anti-authority! Fathers were Archie Bunker. Preachers were Flip Wilson. The anthem was, “Do your thing. If it feels […]

I just spent some time on Facebook and Twitter reviewing postings of my “friends.” I am reminded of the words of Brother Lawrence: He said that useless thoughts spoil all – that mischief began there. Boy are there some useless thoughts online. I guess we all have a deep desire to communicate. One pretty good thing I did see online today was this:“Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.” – Plato I’m afraid there are few “wise men” on line these days. Maybe our compulsion to communicate is generated by our lack of real communication with our Creator. After all, we were created for communion with God. Again from Brother Lawrence:  We ought to reject useless thoughts quickly and return to our communion with God.  I am encouraged because even Brother Lawrence did not find this easy. His first steps in trying to establish communication with God did not go real well. In the beginning he had often passed his time appointed for prayer in rejecting wandering thoughts and falling right back into them. He could never regulate his devotion by certain methods as some do. At first, he had […]

Brother Lawrence practiced the presence of God continually. I find it difficult to keep God continually in mind and His presence constantly at the forefront of my thinking. I have to force myself to think of Him and to turn my thoughts to Him. Thankfully, Brother Lawrence had the same problem.  Brother Lawrence said that in order to form a habit of conversing with God continually and referring all we do to Him, we must, at first, apply to Him with diligence. Then, after a little care, we would find His love inwardly draw us to Him without any difficulty.  I guess it’s like becoming acquainted with a person for the first time and then building a friendship with them. At first it requires some effort. For some people, it requires a lot of effort. We have to remind ourself to call them or talk to them. But as we begin to know them it becomes much easier. We want to have communion with them. We want to be in their presence. I guess it’s a sign of the superficiality of our relationship with God if we are still at the stage of having to push ourselves to think […]

Spiritual growth requires the recognition that we are sinners deserving of damnation. That only a loving God provides a means of salvation that we do not deserve. If we never come to that realization, sometimes described as “coming to the Cross,” we can never benefit from salvation. Salvation requires a recognition that we need divine intervention.  For those humble enough to come to that realization, Satan make work their minds trying to convince the sinner that he is so unworthy of salvation, that such salvation can not be real. Such happened to Brother Lawrence. He said he had been long troubled in mind from a certain belief that he should be damned. All the men in the world could not have persuaded him to the contrary. This trouble of mind lasted four years, during which time he suffered greatly.  Finally Brother Lawrence was able to reason: I did not engage in a religious life but for the love of God. I have endeavored to act only for Him. Whatever becomes of me, whether I be lost or saved, I will always continue to act purely for the love of God. I shall have this good at least that until […]

Motivation in what we do is so important. We can perform “charitable acts” but if our hearts are not in the right place our acts are for nothing. Brother Lawrence resolved to make the love of God the end of all his actions. In other words, he did all things for the love of God. We often claim this as our motivation, but if we look closer we realize that’s not exactly why we are doing things. We may be active in our church because of guilt for the negative things we have done in our lives. We may enjoy the praise of others for our good works. We may simply enjoy the good feeling we get from our ministry. My work in Kairos brings the issue of motivation to mind. Those of us in the ministry will often honestly say that we get as much or more out of the ministry than those served. This is true. It is an incredible blessing to be in place to see God at work. But that should not be the motivation. We should,  with Brother Lawrence, seek to do all things for the love go God. When we are able to […]

Brother Lawrence is considered the great teacher and practitioner of the Practice of the Presence of God. Yet His advice is not complex or deep but simple and straight forwarded. For example, his primary advice for practicing the presence of God is to speak with Him continually, referring all we do to Him. Having been granted entrance into the Holy of Holies without representation. It is obvious that we should exercise this privilege freely. Speaking to God at all times reminds us of His presence and gives that presence the honor it is due. But even more respectful than speaking to Him is listening to Him. The greatest honor we can give another is to listen to him. It is a skill we all could use more of in dealing with our fellow man; all the more so in communing with God. Surely what He has to say is of more importance that anything we might utter.  Our words are unlikely to change much but His can change everything. How much time do we spend quietly listening to our God? Not enough. Brother Lawrence said we ought to act with God in the greatest simplicity, speaking to Him frankly […]