Blame is Contagious, Except When People Have High Self-Worth

Blame is Contagious, Except When People Have High Self-Worth

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In Your Inner Being-Jesus & Anti-Depressants

My favorite verse this week is: Ephesians 3: 16! It reads: I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.

I have read this verse multiple times a day! I am so thankful for having found it. I like this verse because I think of it as a spiritual (and literal) anti-depressant. In spending time submerged in scripture and prayer it is likely harder to find time to be depressed. Personally as I have focused on this verse this week I have had a more positive and loving outlook on things. I have been compassionate and forgiving towards others even in the midst of a tough week for my administration and leaders.

Throughout the chapters of Ephesians Paul has reminded us that we are forgiven of our shortcomings and sins through Jesus and we are saved through grace and faith, not through our own work. This reminds us that we are undeserving and should remain humble at all times.

In the commentary by N. T. Wright, the author writes that “As we draw to the end of a time of prayer, the overarching aim should be to give God the glory. But if it’s the true God we’ve been worshipping, we should be filled with a sense of new possibilities: of new tasks and new energy to accomplish them.

I have certainly been filled with new possibilities and new energy this week. It is nothing short of amazing. I have to admit I was feeling pretty low emotionally before I began reading Ephesians but since beginning the reading I have been filled with new energy and new possibilities. Praise God! This week especially I have had a heightened sense of energy but I have not been restless, rather I have had a consuming peace and joy.

As I turn to Verses 20-21, N. T. Wright proposes that we should “Then think of what God might do in you and through you—you as a community, you as an individual. Now reflect on the fact that God is perfectly capable of doubling that, trebling that, going so far beyond it that you would look back at the present moment and wonder how you could be so short-sighted.” Yet Wright reminds us that Paul waited three chapter to mention this capability, modeling first a state of constant prayer and thanksgiving.

I also am reminded that with great freedom in Christ comes great responsibility and am observant that not only does Paul spend three chapters before he shares that God will bless us beyond our imagination, he begins the next chapter with a statement that we should led a life “worthy of our call.” I read this verse in 3 different versions of the Bible and all 3 say to “live a life worthy of the call” to which you have been called. I’m excited to think about this new passage in the new week yet I know I will be returning multiple times to Ephesians 3: 16!

The Journey

The Journey

One day you finally knewwhat you had to do,
and began,though the voices around you kept
shoutingtheir bad advice--
though the whole housebegan to tremble
and you felt the old tugat your ankles.
"Mend my life!"each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind priedwith its stiff finger
sat the very foundations,
though their melancholywas terrible.
It was already late enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen branches and stones.
But little by little,as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly recognized
as your own,
that kept you companyas you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do the only thing you could do--
determined to save the only life you could save.~Mary Oliver

Posted from chris guillebeau at The Art of Nonconformity

The "Church"

Tonight I have been thinking about the church. I happened to think about reading my friend Adam’s blog. Here is what I found and I believe it very fitting for the question #2 for Ephesians 3: 1-16. Adam's blog can be found at: http://adammoore.us/

“… The question then is how we can form collectives that seek to invite, recall, and relay this deep truth, not to provide a space where we try to understand it.

“When writing about such spaces I will avoid using the word church, not because churches are excluded in any way from providing this space, but because the word can refer, in many people’s minds, to the acceptance of a variety of doctrinal creeds, sacramental activities, and authority structures that are not necessary in the formation of these spaces. The type of space that I am referring to cannot be described as a new type of church, an alternative to church, an addtition to church, or as a pathway that leads people back to church (although to those who attend it may legitimately act as one or more of these). So I will describe the type of collective that celbrates the miracle as a place of ‘transformance art.’

…

“Here I am referring to the formation of passionate, provocative gatherings, operating on the fringes of religious life, that offer anarchic experiments in theodrama that re-imagine the distinction between Christian and non-Christian, priest and prophet, doubt and certainty, the sacred and the secular—gatherings that employ a rich cocktail of music, poetry, prose, imagery, soundscapes, theatre, ritual, and reflection: gatherings that provide a place that is open to all, is colonized by none, and that celebrates diversity.

“Such an immersive, theodramatic space would aim to affirm the need for (1) collective reflection; (2) a space where individuals can lay aside political, religious, and social identities; and finally (3) offer creative, ritualistic acts that invite, affirm, recall, and relate the event housed within the religion without religion that is Christianity.

…

“The concrete result of such ideas will continue to manifest in the development of subversive collectives that engage in creative acts of dis-course (discourse that send us off course) and that point toward, invite, and celebrate this unspeakable Happening. These temporary spaces will likely appear as much in art galleries, on street corners, in bars and basements, as they will in churches and cathedrals. They may involve rituals and creeds that have survived millennia, or they may have been dreamed up moments before they are acted out. The liturgies may be printed in hymnbooks or scrawled on the back of beer mats. They may be accompanied by angelic choirs or by someone beating out a rhythm on a battered, beer-soaked tabletop. But everything, absolutely everything, will be designed to invite, encourage, solicit, seek out, recall, remember, reach out to, bow down before, and cry out to that unspeakable miracle testified to by faith—that miracle beyond miracle that dwells, quite literally, beyond belief.”

- Peter Rollins, The Fidelity of Betrayal

The Fullness of Christ

This week I really liked the following questions from Paul for Everyone. The Prison Letters by N. T. Wright based upon the passage Ephesians 3: 1-13:

The question this passage poses for us, then, is twofold. Are we learning to explore the riches of Christ? Or are we content to stay in the outer hallways of the great palace? Have we imagined that the inner rooms are too boring to claim our attention?

And are our churches, in the sort of life they lead, posing the kind of challenge to the power of evil which provokes a reaction? (pp. 37-38)

It seems that the passages in Ephesians are not going to allow me stay at arm’s length for this study! The more I saturate myself with God’s word the more my writings are personal reflections rather than a more sterile or abstract rumination! I don’t mind though because I believe such a study as I’m doing should change a person for the better. I would hope that after spending 12 weeks in God’s word I would come out on the other end a better person (and improve a little each week!).

The two questions above continued to push on me as I returned to re-read the commentary a few times this week. Am I learning to explore the riches of Christ? I do believe I continue to LEARN to explore with each day of my life. I certainly have NOT arrived. I catch myself worrying and have to stop and pray in order to give that weakness to Jesus. I catch myself doubting my self-worth or dealing with low self-esteem and I have to combat that part of me with prayer. I have experienced the riches of Christ repeatedly yet how quickly I forgot to be thankful for things. So, I think I’m falling short of truly exploring the riches of Christ. Right now I’m praying daily for something and I often remind myself to have more faith, to trust God to provide. I like that N. T. Wright worded the question with a LEARNING to explore instead of “Are you exploring the riches of Christ?” I am thankful that I am able to learn more about Christ’s riches each day! I am truly blessed.

The second question is: are our churches, posing the kind of challenge to the power of evil which provokes a reaction like Paul’s imprisonment? I do believe the Church, basing its work on the commandment of LOVE is doing God’s work. I believe that there are different work tasks to be done for different locations and different callings by God so it is critical the Church keep LEARNING how to fully explore the riches of Christ both individually and corporately. The members of the church must be seeking Christ as individuals and as a group they must come together as God’s people and seek the fullness of Christ.

A New Family

Ephesians 2:11-22

Through the years there have been movies and TV sitcoms about a family accepting an individual into the family. The stories usually detail some of the strife and troubles of integrating the individual into the family with plenty of humor to make for good entertainment. In real life there are families who adopt or serve a foster families who accept individuals into their homes and integrate these individuals into the established family.

Just as a work group goes through stages of development I suspect so too does a family. I assume there is plenty of conflict as an individual with completely unique norms and habits attempts to integrate into a system with different norms and habits. In this week’s reading Paul discusses how Gentiles are now part of God’s family. Now, I imagine back in the day Paul was writing, this was absolutely scandalous. How could “THEY” be part of “OUR” family the Jews likely thought. Paul quickly provide the answer: JESUS.

It is interesting to read and think about my (Gentile) own integration into God’s family. The Jews had had the market cornered on being God’s chosen and then Jesus comes and through his death and resurrection and the giving of the Holy Spirit he established a new Chosen group free to everyone, not just a certain bloodline. Suddenly people who where “outside” the bloodline were family dining at the same table and worshiping the same God!

Paul says that “He came and preached peace to those of you who were far away and to those who were near” so not only do we have a new “family” but we are instructed to live in peace and love. No longer do we have to have a “them” and “us” mentality, rather we have new brother and sisters in Christ and we are to go about our lives in peace and love. What a great recipe for happiness.

In reading Choices by Smedes (1986) he notes that to have happiness, a person needs to have: health, love, freedom, peace, truth, beauty, character, and gratitude. Jesus provides many of these things through his love for us. It is refreshing to read the story of my “birth” into God’s family because I am not Jewish so I am one who was outside of God’s family. As Paul would say, I was “far away” from God but through Jesus and my believe and faith in Him, I am now a part of God’s family, I am part of a new family and my father wants me to be filled with love and peace. What a great family to be a part of!

Goodness & Mercy

This week’s journaling prompt was “how can you demonstrate more mercy in your life?” While I’ve had a good reflective week thinking about God’s mercy and goodness. This week I have been filled with thankfulness for the mercy and goodness God has showered upon me and the knowledge that it will “follow me” all the days of my life.

This week two academic events occurred. First I worked with two other folks (Anita & Jolyn) on a paper submitted to the International Leadership Association (ILA). The paper married my followership interests with Jolyn’s governing board interests. I am praying for acceptace of the paper because I believe it makes a contribution to the emerging field of followership scholarship! So exciting.

I also began reading The Courageous Follower by Ira Chaleff this week. I am just through Chapter 1 but this book is challenging me personally as a middle manager (both a leader & follower). This book looks at the challenges and responsibilities of a follower (note: not the same thing as a subordinate) and has really merged well for me with the concept of mercy and goodness because the one person I show the least goodness and mercy to is: ME.

I am my harshest critic and thus this passage has fanned the flame of my responsibilities as a follower: to assume responsibility, to have the courage to serve, challenge, participate in transformation and exercise moral actions and given me a boost of encouragement to find my voice again.

At the same time I am to show goodness and mercy to my leader and be a follower who enables my leader’s vision to come to life. Over the past months I have been challenging myself to enhance my positivity strength. So whenever something happens that a negative thought might creep in, I challenge myself to find the positive flip sides. For example if I didn’t get an answer I wanted, I thought about competing demands or information I might not know about that would result in the response I received.

I have been working hard to “flip my thinking” and I hope it continues to allow me to be a good and merciful person towards myself and others.

Mercy, Ephesians 2:1-10

This week’s text is all about God’s mercy. Normally I don’t like to get too personal on my blog, rather I like to keep my blog posts a bit distant. However this week’s passage, Ephesians 2: 1-10 is anything but distant. This passage speaks straight to my heart and it is impossible to contemplate God’s overwhelming mercy and goodness without being personal.

How easy it is to get caught in the “norm” of what everyone else believes is appropriate. How easy it is to just go along with the media, the social norms, and with modern day pressures to conform. Thank the Lord that none of this was up to my own disciplined behavior or my own righteousness. Rather God saved me, through Jesus based on sheer mercy. I would have never been “good enough,” been able to make good enough choices, or behaved well enough-due to the sinful nature I have. Paul discusses this in saying “You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this world.”

One of my biggest stumbling blocks is low self-esteem. I have to work daily on this part of me-it can become encompassing and get in the way of even the gifts God created in me. It is easy for me to doubt my own thoughts, ideas, and initiatives only to later have someone else offer an idea I had previously thought of , and that idea go on to benefit a person or group. I hate doubting myself but I realize this is something I’m going to deal with forever. I have often thought that when Paul or other writers from the Bible write about being humble and not boastful that I’ve got it covered because of my ongoing struggle with doubting myself I usually take the humble route rather than the boastful route. I question myself immediately rather than questioning others, I have an automatic response, which I have to battle, to not assume I am wrong and everyone else is right.

Fortunately Paul goes on to say “By grace you have been saved” and “For we are what He has made us, created in Christ Jesus for goo works.” This passage gives me daily hope, reassures me when I am downtrodden and inspires me to new challenges. Luckily I do not have to rely on myself to know Christ. It is my faith in Jesus that saved me and now God’s mercy and grace flows across me. I like thinking that God has created unique things in me to allow me to make a contribution to the greater good. Lord knows I’ve made mistakes and have paid dearly for them but I’ve not paid nearly the debt Jesus paid for me-I may have been embarrassed or even humiliated but I’ve never had to give my life as Jesus did-in humiliation and shame all for me-so that GOODNESS & MERCY can follow me all my days.