POOR IN SPIRIT

Yesterday I introduced a new sermon series where we will be taking a look at each of the Beatitudes individually over the next few weeks. 

The intro had to do with seeing Jesus as a teacher. In an important sense, He is even more foundationally a Teacher to us than He is a Savior. 

This week I am meditating on the first Beatitude: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven." (Matt 5:3)

You might think there would not be much to work with in a single line of dialogue like this. But considering its position as the opening line of Jesus' most famous recorded sermon, I think it is worthy of serious contemplation.

Perhaps ESPECIALLY when there seems to be wide agreement on what Jesus meant. I am always suspicious of easy and obvious interpretations of Scripture, especially when it comes to the words of Jesus. 

What is interesting to me about this verse is the way the usual interpretation makes a leap based on assumptions ... and little else. 

AI summed up the typical interpretation of "poor in spirit" as "having deep spiritual humility, recognizing one's own sin, and knowing you are completely helpless and empty without God". "It is about admitting you have no spiritual wealth or goodness on your own to earn God's favor." 

Some human commentators suggest getting at Jesus' meaning by swapping the word "humble" in for "poor". 

"Blessed are the humble in spirit."

But this is exactly what makes me suspicious and determined to keep digging. If Jesus was talking about people who are humble in spirit, why didn't He just use THAT word?

CATCHING UP POST-GHANA

Catching up here tonight after a long absence. I had intentions of posting daily while in Ghana but it is just not feasible - even if I had the energy at the end of any particular day, I did not have the internet connection to make use of it. 

I have much to reflect on now that the trip is over - but I am also neck-deep in getting back into the groove of daily life back home.

And it's quite the week. I plan to take on as few Mission Resource hours as I can, considering I am employed for 20 hours/week and just came off two full weeks of 24/7 responsibilities. 

I am going to need to invest those hours elsewhere. 

I returned last Thursday at midnight and on Friday I was able to visit with a church member under hospice care. He passed later that night, so I was incredibly grateful to have seen him one last time. His visitation will be Wednesday evening, with the funeral Thursday morning at the church. I will be officiating. He was a humble and hardworking servant of Christ and the world is poorer for his absence. 

On top of funeral considerations, Saturday evening will be the final night of our summer VBS program and Sunday morning I will be starting a new sermon series. 

I have been helping put together a local magazine - published every two months - and the next deadline is fast approaching and immovable. Right now I have more ideas for stories and graphics than the time necessary to execute them. 

None of this would feel overwhelming to me, but this is also going to be the first week for me back in the classroom with my adult English students. So, Tuesday and Thursday evening I will be teaching from 5 to 8 pm - with a couple of familiar students and 7 or 8 new ones. And their English abilities will range from conversational to next-to-nothing. 

I'm going to need extra energy this week. 

I do plan to share some photos here from the trip along with some reflections on significant moments. To start with, here's the team as we headed into the Indianapolis airport for the first leg of our flights to Accra:

EXPANSION AHEAD

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” — Anaïs Nin

God willing, in less than two weeks, I will be stepping off a plane in Accra, Ghana with three college students - one being my youngest daughter, Sarah.

It will be my privilege to show them around the country and introduce them to microfinance as ministry. 

I came across the quote posted above in an email today and I include it here in hopes that I remember to share it with the three students. 

It takes a lot of courage to pack your bags and head to Africa for two weeks when you are still in your teens.

It's gutsy. 

And their lives - and faiths - will expand as a result.

And I will have a front row seat to watch that expansion! 

THE FLESH

If you asked people what is the biggest challenge they face in this life, I think most would point to family strife, a hated boss, financial stresses, or a major health crisis like cancer.

But Galatians 5 says humanity's biggest problem is NOT external.

Our biggest problem is IN-ternal. 

Our flesh and our spirit are opposed to each other. 

"For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do." (Gal 5:17)

But the flesh isn't some equally matched "big dog", doing battle with the Spirit, as the famous sermon illustration would have it.

When Jesus was in the garden praying in anticipation of his betrayal and death, the disciples could not keep themselves awake to pray with him. And in that moment, He told them, "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

He didn't say, "The flesh is strong. It will overpower you." 

No. He said it's weak.

It's a sandbag. An anchor. It suffers from inertia. It would rather sit on the couch, watching TV and eating Cheetos. It can't be bothered. 

It takes the path of least resistance. It is largely passive, only aroused by what is easy, pleasurable, or fun. If it encounters a bit of friction, it shuts down regarding anything that isn't feeding its own appetites. 

The flesh is NOT the all-powerful, unconquerable force we imagine it to be. 

It is not ferocious. 

The "flesh" is a couch potato. 

MORNING PROGRESS

I successfully hit the bed by 10:30 last night. AND I got a start on a new morning routine.

The most important aspect was this: I have decided that for at least the first hour after waking up, I will use my phone for nothing but a flashlight and a Bible. 

I was awake a bit before 5:00 am, got up and made my coffee and spent a few minutes in a comfy chair, praying. 

And, it turns out, prayer is much better for my pre-daybreak mental state than endless Facebook reels are. 

I followed prayer with some Bible study - which coincides with next Sunday's sermon prep but turned into so much more.

I followed that with a bit of kitchen cleaning before a two-mile walk - with more progress on the sermon. 

And THEN I came back to the house, picked up Melissa and the two of us walked to a brand-new donut shop that has opened near our house. 

All in all, a pleasant AND productive morning. And who could ask for more?

ROUTINES NEED FIXING

I have been struggling to re-establish my daily writing routine, not because of a lack of material to think about, but because of a lack of energy.

Especially in the evenings.

I am feeling the need to rework two very important routines: Morning and Night.

My mornings are a mess. I am not sleeping well and that leaves me groggy in the morning and prone to wasting time on my phone.

I rarely need to set an alarm. I am too often awake between 3:30 and 4:30, unable to fall back to sleep.

This would be great ... if I could kick some sense of productivity into gear. 

Instead, I spin my mental wheels. Very slowly. Often for 90 minutes or more.

What a waste.

And maybe it's because I don't have a good bedtime routine on the other end of the day. 

I should be shooting for hitting the bed by 10 pm at the latest. But in reality, I am averaging 11 to 11:30.

It's 10 after 10 pm right now and I am going to act TONIGHT to make a difference. 

I will not look at my phone again.  

I will do a bit of old-fashioned reading in a physical book. 

And then I will brush my teeth and go to bed. 

And maybe in the morning I will be in good enough shape to start making some changes there as well.

STILL WORTHY OF ADMIRATION

I haven’t watched much of the World Cup over the last several weeks. I am just not a sports guy in general and not a soccer fan in particular. 

But I do recognize the value in sports and in this case, I believe FIFA's tagline has proven true: soccer has brought the world together. 

And it has been of great benefit to the U.S. - as soccer fans from all over the world have converged on the U.S. for the games, they have gained a firsthand knowledge of this country.

It seems that a common result has been a greater appreciation of the greatness and uniqueness of this nation. 

Because I am not a sports guy, I knew nothing about the World Cup before the games started. I assumed it was one big game, like the Super Bowl. But I learned it’s every four years, like the Olympics, and that there are numerous games spread over several weeks and over multiple sports venues. 

And so, with soccer fans being as intense as they are, the World Cup has brought people from all over the world to the U.S. for several weeks. And these visitors have done lots of travel between venues, zig-zagging across the country by plane, bus, and car. 

And they are posting videos online about their experience of America and how surprised they are that it doesn’t match their expectations – formed through Hollywood and their own news media. I have really enjoyed watching these videos and, from what I can see, here is what surprises them the most: 

1) America is much safer than they expected. They expected to be dodging a lot of bullets. 

2) There are so many options available here. The number of brands of peanut butter alone leaves them speechless. And don't get them started on Buc-ees! 

3) They are impressed by the natural beauty. Some are stopping at national parks between games and discovering that Yosemite can give any European mountain range a run for its money.

4) They are caught off guard by the friendliness of average Americans on the street. I guess our movies don't often show people waving to each other or offering even strangers the friendliest of greetings on the street corner. 

5) Visitors also comment about American patriotism. And in the most positive terms! Of course, they are coming during our 250th anniversary, but they aren’t talking about the special events. They are commenting on how many homes have the American flag out front. And how even McDonalds will fly the flag in the parking lot – day after day, not just the 4th of July. And the consensus is that American patriotism is sincere, heartfelt, and natural.

It's been good for me to see this reaction from outsiders. In an era of intense political polarization, it's good to see that visitors recognize a positive core of unity.

And a country still worthy of admiration.