Posts Tagged: 3-Minute Retreat
“No Reason to Fear”
I enjoy doing a daily devotional exercise from Loyola Publishing. I particularly enjoyed this morning’s meditation. You can do the same by accessing the entire meditation—free of charge—at https://www.loyolapress.com/retreats/the-lord-goes-before-you-start-retreat/. (It takes about three minutes to go through the retreat. Just saying.)
Here is the Scripture on which today’s “3-Minute Retreat” was based. “It is the LORD who marches before you; he will be with you and will never fail you or forsake you. So do not fear or be dismayed.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)
So, what has Deuteronomy 31:8 got to say to us? A lot!
The Israelites were about to enter the promised land, after wandering in the wilderness for forty years. They had gotten lost, because they had lost their GPS, their “God Positioning System.”
Or rather, their parents had lost their GPS. Their parents, even after seeing God’s miracle-working power in rescuing them from slavery in Egypt and preserving them in the wilderness, had come to the very edge of the promised land forty years earlier. But they decided that they were not able to enter the land. Best to go back to Egypt! Best to go back to slavery.
God said to them, “No, you can’t go back to Egypt. But you won’t go into the promised land either. You will die in the wilderness since you refuse to trust me.”
And now the children of these needless wanderers are themselves standing on the brink of the Promise. Like any of us who are standing on the brink of a major unknown, they needed some reassurance.
I looked at Deuteronomy 31:8 in Hebrew. There were several fascinating things that are difficult to put into an English translation. This gets a bit technical but hang with me; it is worth the effort!
First, God emphasizes that He—God—will be with them. In Hebrew, as in many languages, the verb does not need to be expressed for simple, short statements. Therefore, if the independent pronoun is included, it is often for emphasis. The independent pronoun that stands in for God (“he”) occurs twice in this little verse, even though grammatically it is not needed for making sense of the sentence. God is underlining the fact that He, their God, will go before them. God does not lead from the rear. God goes in on the first wave of this battle.
Second, God will not only go ahead of them. God will be with them. God is not simply a God who leads. God is also a God who accompanies.
Third, Go encourages the Israelites not to fear or be dismayed. In fact, the Hebrew word that is translated “dismayed” in many English translations is quite a bit stronger than our word “dismay” suggests. The Hebrew word is used (sometimes literally) for something or someone who is broken. In a more metaphorical sense, it connotes panic. If God is God and if God is with us, then panic is always premature.
The retreat from Loyola connects Deuteronomy 31:8 with the New Testament in an interesting manner.
“We have every reason to trust in God. The Book of Deuteronomy promises that the Lord goes ahead of us and will never abandon us. Jesus is the fulfillment of this promise. By his Incarnation, Jesus accompanied us in our human experience. When we call Jesus Emmanuel, which means “God is with us,” we are reminded that we are not alone. After the Resurrection, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be with the disciples and to remain with us always. There is no reason to fear.”
No reason to fear! That is always a good thing to remember.
“Repentance and Conforming to the Gospel”
Today’s “3-Minute Retreat” from Loyola Press (which you can access at https://www.loyolapress.com/retreats/the-consequences-of-not-repenting-start-retreat) was based on Luke 13:5:
“But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”
The retreat master writes, “To perish, to be lost forever, is not a pleasant thought on which to dwell. It is better to repent, to be contrite, so that you can come to a place of starting anew. In the deepest part of ourselves we know there is no other way to change. To repent is much more than saying “I’m sorry.” It is the profound understanding that we must conform our lives to the Gospel, or be lost forever.”
To say “I’m sorry” is very difficult for me. It probably is for virtually everyone.
But to conform to the Gospel of Jesus Christ—that is on border between excruciatingly difficult and absolutely impossible. Anyone who thinks it is easy to follow Jesus has probably never read Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. Or, at least, they have not taken those documents seriously.
There is a good reason for the subtitle of this website: “Musings of a Deeply Flawed Christ-Follower.” Sometimes, the flaws seem so much more real than the part about following Christ.
One of my 12-step readings from Hazelden made a very similar point about actually living a transforming life. Here it is:
“Let no one be deluded that a knowledge of the path can substitute for putting one foot in front of the other.
—M. C. Richards
Recovering men know this path is not always easy. We usually talk about the benefits of recovery and the many promises of the program. Today, in our fellowship, we talk of the challenges we must face in order to recover. Honesty may be the greatest challenge. It is frightening to be honest with ourselves about things we have never really admitted or faced before.
Sometimes we have new and confusing feelings and think something must be wrong with us. But we may be just experiencing the logical outcome of our earlier commitment to be honest. No one recovers by thinking about it. We must actively take each Step and meet the challenges presented. We are not alone with our difficulties. We are part of a large movement of men committed to recovery, and this quiet moment is one way in which we are simply putting one foot in front of the other.
Today, I pray for the courage to remain faithful when the fears and pains of my transformation are overwhelming.” (From Touchstones: A Book of Daily Meditations for Men ©1986, 1991 by Hazelden Foundation.)
Yes!
Conforming myself to the Gospel, being transformed by putting one foot in front of the other in the direction of a sane, sober, loving life—these are not easy. But then, neither is staying the way I am. And no one has to do any of this alone or all at once. I have good companions who both encourage and hold me accountable. And I have the strength to take this one step in this one moment.
“Am I Growing with Age, or Just Aging?”
We are all growing in age, but are we growing with age? That is the question for today.
Consider, for example, the words that conclude the account of the boy Jesus in the temple. Luke sums up over half of Jesus’ life in one verse at the end of Luke, chapter 2.
“Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.”
(Luke 2:41–52 The Holy Bible, English Standard Version
https://accordance.bible/link/read/ESVS#Ex._12:48, bolding mine).
My “3-Minute Retreat” from Loyola Press reading for this morning was based on parts of this passage from Luke’s Gospel. The retreat master asked a very pertinent question: “In what ways am I being called to grow in wisdom, age, and grace?”
And based on this reading (and the Scripture from Luke upon which it was based), I asked myself an equally pertinent question: Am I growing with age, or am I just aging? Am I still growing with age, or just growing older?
Of course, Luke wrote these words about Jesus when Jesus was just a boy. We tend to think of boys and girls as growing in stature and weight. Think of the statement, “Well of course he eats a lot! He’s a growing boy!”
But what about growing in age? We recognize that, in a sense, this happens automatically. Of course, we are growing older! But that is not the same as growing with age. While growth has an upper limit when it comes to height (but not, unfortunately, when it comes to weight), and while there is an upper limit to the years we get to live, there is no limit to growing with age.
However, there needs to be some intentionality in our growing. Growth in age happens no matter what we do or don’t do. Growth with age is kind of up to us.
A good question for me to ask myself today and every day is this: What will I do today to grow with age?
“Fatherly Care and Sovereign Rule”
“Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
(Psalm 103:1–5 The Holy Bible, English Standard Version)
https://accordance.bible/link/read/ESVS#Psa._103:1-5, accessed 11-18-2019.
I am being besieged by Psalm 103:2-3 right now. The preacher at the church we are attending quoted it in his sermon yesterday. This morning, the “3-Minute Retreat” put out by Loyola Publishing used Psalm 103:2-3 as the basis of their daily meditation.
Motyer comments insightfully about Psalm 103. “The blend of changeless fatherly care and endless sovereign rule is the distinctive stress of this psalm.”[1] I need both of those things right now: fatherly care and sovereign rule. The changeless and endless modifiers are also very important.
All the verbs in verses 2-5 (except for “renews” in verse 5) for what God does for us are participles. In Hebrew, participles often suggest continual action that flows out of the character of the one who is acting. God is continually forgiving, continually healing, and so on.
The retreat master for the 3-minute retreat writes, “God’s compassion is abundant. There are times in life when we feel so unlovable, so unforgiveable that we want to hide. We may think that if we just ignore what is going on in our lives, ignore what needs healing and forgiveness it will just go away. Thankfully, God does not act that way. Rather, God waits patiently to receive us and to forgive us again and again. This is why our souls sing out, ‘Bless the Lord, my soul.’ ”
Yes, right now, I would very much like to hide. But there is nowhere to hide. (I try to hide in the refrigerator. I eat when I’m stressed and when I am depressed. Of course, I like to eat anyway.)
Perhaps I could try hiding in
God. Now there’s a thought!
[1]J.A. Motyer, The Psalms, New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition; ed. D. A Carson et al.; Accordance electronic ed. (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1994), 551.
“You Can do Something!”
A friend of mine was telling me the other day that he hates the saying, “You can be anything you want to be.” We usually say this to children or young people. My friend thinks that this is a lie. I agree. Where we’re born, whether we’re male or female, born into wealth or poverty, the color of our skin—these things and thousands of others tend to limit our options.
But there is another lie that is equally pernicious: the lie that you can’t do anything worthwhile. In one of my 12-step readings today, I read the following:
“Being the victim is, or was, uncomfortably familiar to many of us. Perhaps some of us are only now realizing we have choices, that we need not let life happen to us. Becoming responsible to ourselves, choosing behavior, beliefs, friends, activities, that please us, though unfamiliar at first, soon exhilarates us. The more choices we make, the more alive we feel. The more alive we feel, the healthier our choices.” (From Each Day a New Beginning: Daily Meditations for Women by Karen Casey)
And in my 3-minute retreat this morning, I read these words:
“Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.” (Psalm 34:15, English Standard Bible)
The key for all of us is to turn from evil, do good, seek peace, and pursue it.
Yesterday was an incredibly good day for me. Why? Because, I turned away from evil—not the evil in the world; only my own evil. I did some good things. I sought after and pursued peace, at least for the most part.
There is no reason that I can’t do the same today. No, I can’t “be anything I want.” But I can do something good. And if I do some good things, I will also be something good.
And if I seek and pursue peace, then peace might just find and overtake me.
“God’s Garden—and We Get to Help!”
“The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” (English Standard Version)
Commenting on Genesis 2:15, the daily meditation from Loyola Press, today’s “3-Minute Retreat” master wrote the following:
“When we look at the wonder of creation, it is apparent that God is a good gardener. From the will of God, the earth brings forth abundant and varied forms of life. In this story from Genesis, we are invited into the garden and given the task of caring for it. Taking care of creation is a moral obligation for us. Our care for plants, animals, and one another reflects our cooperation with God’s plan.” (From https://www.loyolapress.com/retreats/caring-for-gods-garden-start-retreat, accessed 05-24-2019)
Now, I should know everything there is to know about Genesis 2-3. After all, I spent ten years of my life studying this passage from the Bible, while pursuing a graduate degree. However, even simple insights can blindside me.
Based on this 3-minute retreat, it suddenly occurred to me that, even though the man and woman messed up big time and ate of the one tree that God had put off-limits to them, and even though they were punished and driven out of the garden, the charge to tend the garden was never rescinded. In other words, humankind is no longer in the Garden of Eden, but that doesn’t mean that we are not responsible for tilling the soil outside the garden. In fact, that very phrase (“to till the soil”) occurs after God had confronted the man and woman and passed judgment on them. The story says, “therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.” (Genesis 3:23, English Standard Version)
I grew up on a two-hundred acre farm, and we had a huge garden. Every year, my mom and dad would do the same dance in September. “We don’t need such a big garden!” And they didn’t. They had green beans canned from years before the current crop, still unused.
But over the winter, their memory faded along with the fading leaves. Every spring, Dad would say to Mom, “How much of the garden do you want me to till up?” And Mom would reply, “Oh, I guess you can plow up the whole thing. We don’t have to plant it all.” After a few years of this same pattern, I realized that I was going to be hoeing just as much this summer as I had hoed last summer.
But. you know what I think? I think that Mom and Dad realized that they were doing what God wanted them to do. They were participating in something very primal, but also something very theological. They were helping in God’s garden.
And I got to help too!
Go out and plant or tend something today! Maybe it’s a garden, or a flower, or a relationship. But go out and plant something or tend something today!
“Gnawing Hungers”
One of my recent online readings challenged me in the following manner: “List your gnawing hungers. How can they best be satisfied?” https://www.loyolapress.com/retreats/are-you-hungry-start-retreat, accessed 03-17-2019.
So I did list them—or at least the ones I could identify! I will not embarrass you or myself by printing my entire list. Some of my “gnawing hungers” neither can nor should be satisfied. Addictive, sinful hungers will never be fulfilled until the addict/sinner is completely consumed. I think that is another name for “Hell.”
Jesus, according to the Sermon on the Mount, said that those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be filled. Indeed, they will be blessed (Matthew 5:6). So, it would appear that not all hungers gnaw on us. There are blessed, fulfilling hungers too.
But what is the meaning of this “righteousness” for which we are to hunger?
Righteousness means many things in the Bible. Here is a partial list:
- Right behavior, which includes treating other people with fairness and generosity.
- Right relationships with God and other people.
- God declaring us righteous, because of Christ.
- God making us righteous, once we have been declared righteous.
All of that seems to be a worthy form of hunger.
It is interesting that, in the Greek, the word “hungering” is in the present tense, which may suggest that this hunger is a continual or ongoing hunger. This is hunger that satisfies, just by being there. It does not cease, but it is filled, even as it continues. A strange hunger, this!
I like sweets and other junk food. I like them a lot, and I like a lot of them. Perhaps my gnawing “hungers” (or, more accurately, “appetites”) would gnaw less if I were to have a continual hunger for righteousness.
Let the Hunger Game begin in earnest!
“Transformed by the Goodness of the Lord”
Today’s “3-Minute Retreat” from Loyola Publishing was wonderful. (You can access it for yourself at https://www.loyolapress.com/retreats/enjoy-gods-goodness-start-retreat, accessed 03-04-2019). It was a meditation on Psalm 27:13.
“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living!” (English Standard Version)
The retreat master writes,
“What a wonderful mantra the psalmist offers! Try repeating this belief statement as you go through a typical day. We most often see what we expect to see. Do you expect to see the Lord’s goodness as you go through the day? It takes many forms: a surprise phone call, a random act of kindness, some unexpected good news, or the daisy growing through the concrete. We are invited to go one step further, however. After we see the Lord’s goodness, we are challenged to enjoy it. That means slowing down to take notice. In this way, we are changed by what we see. Give yourself the gift of being transformed by the goodness of the Lord.”
Indeed, Psalm 27 has many beautiful things in it, but it also acknowledges that the world is a dangerous, scary place. In fact, in the verse that immediately precedes the one about seeing the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living, the psalmist pleads, “Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations.” (Psalm 27:12 English Standard Version) Affirming the LORD’s goodness does not mean that we are blind to the obvious badness in the world.
The sun is coming up just now, lighting up the snow-covered pines in my neighbor’s yard. There is incredible goodness and beauty in the world, even when a polar vortex invades the month of March. I’m not sure polar vortexes are actually evil, but they may seem so when we are all looking for spring and new life.
Nevertheless, we can see the goodness of God, if we choose to do so. And we are all capable “. . . of being transformed by the goodness of the Lord.” But such transformation is a gift you give yourself, a gift that I give myself. And if I give myself the gift, I can also be transformed to the point where I can give the gift of God’s transforming goodness to others that I meet along the way today.
“OF CHANGE, HEARTS, FULL MOONS, AND LOVELY SUNRISES”
Are you familiar with the Joe Raposo Sesame Street song? It has a nice, catchy tune and really profound lyrics.
“I nearly missed a rainbow
I nearly missed a sunset
I nearly missed a shooting star
I nearly missed a rainbow
I nearly missed a sunset
I nearly missed a shooting star going by
While lookin’ at my feet, at a crack in the sidewalk
An old tin can by the side of the road
I nearly missed a rainbow
I nearly missed a sunset
I nearly missed a shooting star going by
While studying a brand new hole in my sneaker
And finding a quarter and an old bus token
I nearly missed a rainbow
I nearly missed a sunset
I nearly missed a shooting star going by
Looking down at the ground means you know where you’re going
No head up in the clouds to lead you astray
But you can’t ever have any kind of dream that way
Looking down at the ground means you know where you’re going
No head up in the clouds to lead you astray
But you can’t ever have any kind of dream that way
While looking at my feet at a crack in the sidewalk
An old tin can by the side of the road
I nearly missed a rainbow
Elmo nearly missed a sunset
I would’ve missed a shooting star going by
I nearly missed a rainbow
Don’t want to miss that sunset
I wouldn’t miss a shooting start going by
Passing me by
Passing me by.”
Sometimes, we all lose our focus.
So, I was waiting for my ride to the twelve-step meeting this morning. I was walking around looking for change in the parking lot at Planet Fitness, keeping one eye out for someone arriving for an early morning workout. People who haven’t had their second cup of coffee can be a little less than alert than they need to be.
I found a dime, which gave me great cause for rejoicing. It also inspired me to keep looking. No more money, I’m afraid.
And then it hit me: It was a cool, clear morning with a big bright full moon. The sun was already making its presence known, and there were some lovely fluffy clouds in the eastern sky, roughly the color of orange sherbet. And here I was, with my head down, looking for a few coins! I was missing the real treasure.
This is especially ironic because, just an hour or so before my treasure hunt, I had read the following words from Matthew 6:21, in my 3-Minute Retreat from Loyola Press:
“For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”
Then the retreat master for the day made these simple, yet profound, comments:
“Whatever we claim as treasure in our lives is where we put the bulk of our effort and energy. Over time we generally grow in understanding of what is really important to us, and we let go of some things in order to have the time and energy for things that are more important. For people of faith, treasure is found in the love God has for us, in our love for God, and in the love we have for others. The choices we make each day are based on what we treasure.”
I would only add that God’s creation is also something we should treasure.
So, I quit looking for coins in the parking lot, and instead spent a bit of time worshiping the God who made full moons, sunrises, and cool mornings.
DOWN TO EARTH BELIEVER
- “Even a Sliver of Light” April 9, 2024“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:6, English Standard Version) I missed the total eclipse yesterday. There were a number of good reasons for this, but […]
- “The Process in Miracles and the Miracle of Process” March 11, 2024“2 Kings 5:1 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. 2 Now the Syrians on one of their raids […]
- “The Power of Encouragement—Even for Old People” March 10, 2024“But encourage each other every day while it is ‘today.’ Help each other so none of you will become hardened because sin has tricked you.” (Hebrews 3:13, New Century Version) Yesterday, I was walking at a nearby park. There was a large group of young people some of whom were running while other young people […]
- “Endurance” March 10, 2024“For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” (Hebrews 10:36, English Standard Version) “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us […]
- “The Limits of Non-Judgmentalism” February 24, 2024“Matt. 7:1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. Matt. 7:2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2, English Standard Version) This morning, in my virtual 12-step meeting, we discussed the topic of judgmentalism. There were many wise […]
- “Delighting in Being Told What to Do?!?” February 23, 2024“Psa. 112:1 Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! 2 His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures […]
- “Character is the Real Lesson” January 19, 2024I am often confused about what lesson I’m really supposed to be learning. For example, this morning I was trying to knock out several Spanish lessons. My intentions were a lot better than my internet connection. I’ve done three lessons. Or rather, I’ve done two lessons. One of them I did twice because the internet […]
- “The Year of Becoming Un-Planked” January 1, 2024Each year, I try to come up with one word or a short phrase for what I intend to work on in the upcoming year. 2024 is “The Year of Becoming Un-Planked”. What?!! What does that even mean? So glad that you asked! Jesus said to his disciples, “Why do you look at the speck […]
- “Searching for the Noble One” December 26, 2023My wife and I were reading Luke, chapter 2 on Christmas Day. Luke 2 talks about the shepherds being told to look for this very special child—in fact, this King—in a stable. I prefer the word “barn”. I grew up on a farm. I know what a barn is. A stable is entirely too biblical […]
- “That Don’t Impress God Much” December 14, 2023DTEB, “That Don’t Impress God Much” “That Don’t Impress Me Much” (Song by Robert John Lange and Shania Twain) Micah 6:8 (MSG) “But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be […]
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