July 8 - Fear of living a silly, confused, trivial life

Scripture focus: But God's angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn't treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand. Romans 1:18-23 (The Message)

One of my greatest fears is living a silly, confused, trivial life. I do not want to be illiterate with regards to life. I don't want to settle for cheap figurines that can be purchased at any roadside stand. I was promised the abundant life by Jesus himself, and I want to claim this prize. Without sense or direction in our lives, we who are created for grand epic adventures and participation in God's prevailing purposes degenerate into shame-filled, sinning people who betray God, self and others. This is a great sadness. It has terrible, frightful implications for our community. By-products of betrayal include crisis and trauma. Crisis and trauma (two distinct experiences that we will define in future devotionals more specifically) have deleterious effects on people. We were not created to handle sin, stress, shame, and trauma. Our bodies react negatively; they cannot cope or adjust to godlessness. Below are some statistics that illustrate the reality of our inability to find the abundant life if we are surrounded by a community that is illiterate with regards to life.

• One in three women are sexually abused prior to age 18 by someone they are supposed to love and trust; many of these abuses are chronic. This is betrayal in action.



• One in five men are sexually abused prior to age 18 by the same group of people -- people they know and are supposed to count on for love and support. This betrayal is often chronic too.



• Thirty percent of women experience domestic violence at the hands of a man they should be able to love and trust. Men experience this same domestic violence at the hands of women that should love and trust them as well.



• 5.2 million adults in the United States ages 18-54 have post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) -- as a result of violation of trust and in response to crisis or trauma. 61% of men and 51% of women have experienced traumas linked to PTSD.

Anything that interrupts God's prevailing purposes of living and loving abundantly is dangerous.

Recommended reading: Judges 18-21

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© Copyright 2009 NorthStar Community

July 7 - Right standing

Scripture focus: I, Paul, am a devoted slave of Jesus Christ on assignment, authorized as an apostle to proclaim God's words and acts. I write this letter to all the believers in Rome, God's friends. 2-7The sacred writings contain preliminary reports by the prophets on God's Son. His descent from David roots him in history; his unique identity as Son of God was shown by the Spirit when Jesus was raised from the dead, setting him apart as the Messiah, our Master. Through him we received both the generous gift of his life and the urgent task of passing it on to others who receive it by entering into obedient trust in Jesus. You are who you are through this gift and call of Jesus Christ. Everyone I meet--it matters little whether they're mannered or rude, smart or simple--deepens my sense of interdependence and obligation. And that's why I can't wait to get to you in Rome, preaching this wonderful good news of God. It's news I'm most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God's powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else! God's way of putting people right shows up in the acts of faith, confirming what Scripture has said all along: "The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives." Romans 1, selected verses from The Message

Evidently, according to Paul, right standing before God occurs as we trust God. As we trust God, we get a life. Remember the list from a couple of days ago -- the one where we wrote down everything we simply could not live without?

What if we take that list now, and trust God with it? This puts us in right standing with God, and gives us a truly abundant life.

Anything on that list that is not a God thing will never truly satisfy our longings and yearnings anyway -- so what do we have to lose?

Get in right standing with God -- trust Him to order our lives.

Recommended reading: Judges 14-17

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© Copyright 2009 NorthStar Community

July 6 - Joy, not punishment

Scripture focus: From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in--we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands. The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we're telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us. We saw it, we heard it, and now we're telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy! This, in essence, is the message we heard from Christ and are passing on to you: God is light, pure light; there's not a trace of darkness in him. If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we're obviously lying through our teeth--we're not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God's Son, purges all our sin. If we claim that we're free of sin, we're only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins--make a clean breast of them--he won't let us down; he'll be true to himself. He'll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we've never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God--make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God. 1 John 1 (The Message)

Confession, oddly enough and in spite of our preconceived notions is more about joy than punishment. Confession doubles our joy. Actually, I don't think it is the confession that creates the joy. At least for me, the confession brings release. The joy springs from those thoughts and beliefs that I hold fast to -- those ways of thinking about God and myself that free me to boldly go where I resist going -- to the place of rigorous, honest confession.

As we read 1 John 1, note the following:

• We are created for communion with God -- he isn't a distant, punishing presence.
• The motivation of God is so that we might be filled with joy (not fear).
• We are created for community -- and when one among us embraces joy, we all receive a blessing. So our ability to enjoy life is an interdependent experience -- we love as a team or we lose as a team.
• Communion with God provides the ability to experience community with others.
• In light of the above, confession of our own sins is an invitation to prove that we not only can say the right things but we can also live the right life.

Don't be like those crazy Galatians -- get a life!

Recommended reading: Judges 10-13

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© Copyright 2009 NorthStar Community

July 5 - Letting go of distractions

Scripture focus: Another day, a man stopped Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" Jesus said, "Why do you question me about what's good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you." The man asked, "What in particular?" Jesus said, "Don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't lie, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as you do yourself." The young man said, "I've done all that. What's left?" "If you want to give it all you've got," Jesus replied, "go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me." That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crest-fallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn't bear to let go. As he watched him go, Jesus told his disciples, "Do you have any idea how difficult it is for the rich to enter God's kingdom? Let me tell you, it's easier to gallop a camel through a needle's eye than for the rich to enter God's kingdom." Matthew 19:16-24 (The Message)

Learning how to listen, truly listen, requires letting go of things that distract.

I wonder if we took a few minutes and made a list of all the things that we simply cannot let go of -- what heretofore unnoticed addictions and dependencies might we uncover?

Why do we pick at God, asking for clarification about what is permissible and what is not?

What is our point?

Is it to mollify our sense of shame and self-condemnation? Are we trying to justify our actions?

I'm going to go make a list of the people, places and things that I believe I simply cannot live without and see what pops up.

I suspect this is going to result in some confession.

If you make your own list, let me know what you discover...

Recommended reading: Judges 7-9

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© Copyright 2009 NorthStar Community

July 4 - Identity Confusion

Scripture focus: Wives, understand and support your husbands by submitting to them in ways that honor the Master. Husbands, go all out in love for your wives. Don't take advantage of them. Children, do what your parents tell you. This delights the Master no end. Parents, don't come down too hard on your children or you'll crush their spirits. Servants, do what you're told by your earthly masters. And don't just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you'll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you're serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn't cover up bad work. And masters, treat your servants considerately. Be fair with them. Don't forget for a minute that you, too, serve a Master--God in heaven. Colossians 3:18-4:1 (The Message)

At NorthStar Community, we understand the serious nature of addiction. We have first-hand experience with the cunning, crafty nature of the disease. For us, this is not a theoretical discussion involving "those people" -- we are those people. We have names. We live in families. We work at jobs and for companies that are also affected by this dreaded dependency.

AND we belong to and embrace our spiritual community, diverse as it is, where people show up because they believe, or are curious, maybe desperate, sometimes angry about the alleged existence of a "higher power."

This can be very confusing.

For those who believe in God and Jesus, the word of God is not taken lightly. So when it calls wives and husbands and parents and children and servants to a certain level of conduct, we take those words seriously. Even with all our sincerity, we find ourselves sometimes (in the words of the TrueFaced team) "saying the right things but living the wrong life." So what do we do with all this messiness? We confess (James 5:6). We tell ourselves the truth, and support each other in the process. Is confession a magic pill to all that ails us? No way! But it does provide an opportunity for the community to encourage each other in practicing the opposite of self-addiction.

We begin to practice the spiritual discipline of conscious contact with God. This is not a pie-in-the-sky, sounds-good-let's-try-it-so-that-we-can-feel-good-about-our-spirituality contest. It is in response to desperation. Desperate people take desperate measures. Addiction is a desperate condition. It robs us of our true, God-created self. It fills us with shame and sin, neither of which is the human form capable of handling or managing. This is the fight of our lives.

At NSC we're trying to break the age-old habit of ignoring God and growing forgetful of Him. This is totally unnatural. It requires the right environment to even attempt this other-worldly existence. But it is also the only path to freedom.

Recommended reading: Judges 4-6

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© Copyright 2009 NorthStar Community

July 3 - Listening

Scripture focus: So Jesus explained himself at length. "I'm telling you this straight. The Son can't independently do a thing, only what he sees the Father doing. What the Father does, the Son does. The Father loves the Son and includes him in everything he is doing. John 5:19-20 (The Message)

As I hurtled through the skies toward my next appointment, I came across the words of the very straight talking Son of God and was reminded anew of exactly what must happen in order to 'be ye transformed.'

Did Jesus say disgraced beauty queens needed to become truly gorgeous inside and out? How did Jesus say greedy people would transform into generous givers? When do the addicted find freedom? Did Jesus suggest we redouble our bible study, increase our prayer potential, attend church more faithfully, commit to better following, or do more outreach into our community? NO HE DID NOT SAY ANY OF THOSE THINGS!

Do you remember in the scriptures how Martha was busy doing a bunch of good things, and she got all tensed up because Mary was wasting time listening to Jesus? What did Jesus say? "Only one thing is necessary." Listen.

Listen to God.

My nephew spent a few days with us during our son's graduation weekend. I realized how much Robbie loves his family. Was it the long car ride that convinced me of his love? Did his patient attention during Michael's graduation ceremony seal the deal that this kid loves his cousin?

Those were good and kind acts. But I know he loves us because he listens when others in the family speak. He stays engaged in the conversation. He asks questions for clarification. He takes the time to give input, too. He adds thoughtful commentary, makes suggestions, and brings a youthful creativity of thought to the conversation.

People who love others listen to them without murky motivations. They aren't sizing up the crowd, trying to figure out how to get others to like them or do for them. They listen because they deeply care for what the other person is sharing.

Robbie loved well. And so must we. It is the one thing, that if we miss it, we miss everything. Trusting God, loving God, listening to God, and then, and only then, we will know what to do. I believe that this is that one thing that can save us from our addiction to self.

Recommended reading: Judges 1-3

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© Copyright 2009 NorthStar Community

July 2 - Addiction to Self

Scripture focus: The religious leaders asked Jesus' followers: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and 'sinners?'" Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

In Gerald May's book, Addiction and Grace, he echoes the thought held by the founders of the Twelve-Step program; both agree that the core human disease is addiction to self. I observed this phenomenon recently while traveling across the country via air during a major storm surge. It is never good news to live on the East coast and have an appointment scheduled on the West coast on the very day that Mother Nature decides to blanket the mid-section of the nation with thunderstorms, tornadoes and other weather-related crises. The delays this causes in airports across the nation are extremely annoying. But the good news is that it provides extroverted types lots of opportunities to meet new people and enjoy interesting conversation. I was sitting in Dallas, waiting for the storms to ease off to the East so that we could take off, and found myself surrounded by conversationalists. Soon we were recounting where we were headed and why. I met a women's lacrosse coach and a college alum headed to his reunion. I listened to a disgraced beauty pageant contestant share her story with an older gentleman who blatantly admired her "attributes" while trying to evangelize her soul. I talked to a "Hot Shot" (that's their real name) firefighter (female) whose mother wants her to put down her ax, find a nice boy and settle in Poughkeepsie. Somewhere along the line we got to talking about recovery. Everyone had an opinion about the recovery process. Some felt like there was no such thing as addiction -- just people who took the concept of a good time too far. Others thought it was a character issue. No one was unclear or confused about their personal perspective -- until I brought up the issue of addiction to self. A guy who happened to have told us he was sitting in first class thought that was a ridiculous over-statement -- until I offered to take his seat in first class and trade him mine (row 31 -- back in the back and in the middle seat of three). The disgraced beauty queen thought that, perhaps, maybe, just possibly there might be something to this concept of self-addiction. The college alum was having none of it. He believed that we were supposed to take pride in ourselves and look out for number one. He thought we should all strive for excellence and peak performance. In the spirit of the moment, this caused the "Hot Shot" to suggest that this desk jockey would never really test his limits until he abandoned his soft life and joined the forestry service where he, too, could train to fight fires. All this good natured banter resulted in an elderly lady asking a simple question, "What is it that you personally believe you cannot live without?" Slowly, one after another began to confess, "I am addicted to myself." Then our flight got called and we all proved the point by rushing the gateway in a determined attempt to grab our seat and cargo space as soon as possible so as not to be further inconvenienced. Once seated, I thought to myself, "Every person in this discussion knows they were created for more than just the relentless pursuit of self-care, and this conversation has triggered our shame. But what must happen to be inspired 'to be ye transformed'"?

Recommended reading: 2 Corinthians 10-13

Copyright 2009 NorthStar Community