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A pastor and a priest stood alongside the road with signs saying “The end is near!” And “Turn your ways before it’s too late!”

A man drove by and saw their signs and yelled out his window “You guys are nuts!!” And continued driving. A few moments later they heard the sound of screeching tires followed by a splash. The pastor looked at the priest and said, “Maybe this isn’t the best way to let people know that the bridge collapsed.”

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The pastor told the Congregation: “Spiritually, we’re comatose. We all need to wake up.” The worshippers’ refrain went, “We’re waking up, reverend, we’re waking up.”

“Then we need to start standing up.” “We shall stand, reverend, we shall stand.” “After that, we need to start walking.” “We shall walk, reverend, we shall walk.” “After that, we need to start running.” “We shall run, reverend, we shall run.” “And to run,” the pastor thundered, “we shall need money.” They went silent for a minute. Then their refrain went: “We shall walk, reverend, we shall walk.”

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A man is sleeping peacefully in his comfortable bed.
His mother suddenly yells at him, “GET UP! YOU’LL BE LATE FOR CHURCH!”
He groans. “I don’t want to go to church.”
Mom: “Why not?”
Man: “I don’t like any of the people there. They’re such goodie goodies, it’s boring.”
Mom: “But you have to go to church!”
Man: “Give me one good reason I should go to church.”

Mom: “Because you’re the dang pastor Phil.”

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A pastor and an airline pilot meet St Nick at the Gates to Heaven. The airline pilot is first to approach the saint.

Peter: Name and profession please
Pilot: John Williams, Ryanair pilot.
Peter: *riffles through a massive book* John Williams…John Williams… umm… ah yes!
Peter: clicks his fingers and a beautiful silk robe and ornate golden staff appear out of thin air.
Peter: please take these, and you may enter the kingdom of heaven!
Pilot: alright! *takes robe and staff and runs through the gate.

Pastor approaches.

Peter: Name and profession please.
Pastor: Frederick Adams, pastor, preacher, religious leader.
Peter: Frederick… Adams… pastor… yes… here you are.
Peter snaps his fingers and a simple cotton robe and plain wooden staff appear.
Peter: Please take these, and you may enter the kingdom of heaven!

The pastor pauses, and chooses his words carefully.
Pastor: St Peter, I really don’t mean any disrespect, and I trust and have faith in his ways… but why does John, an airline pilot, of all people, get a golden staff and silk robe, and I, a man who had dedicated his life to god, get a cotton robe and wooden staff?
Peter: Oh, well you see, here in heaven, we work on a merit system, and when you were preaching, people were sleeping.
But when John was flying, people were praying!

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A pastor walked outside walked outside of the church because he heard the children being loud. He sees the kids all grouped up. “What are you doing?” The children make the circle wider to show a puppy they had found. “It’s a beautiful dog, who will take it home?” The pastor asks. The children look at each other until one of them speaks up. “I know! Whoever tells the biggest lie can take it home! Would you like to play pastor?” The pastor shrugs his shoulders and says, “I don’t know, it will be hard because I’ve never told a lie.” The child picks the dog up and hands it to the pastor, “Here you go. You win.”

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One Sunday morning, the pastor noticed little Alex standing in the foyer of the church staring up at a large plaque.
It was covered with names and small American flags mounted on either side of it.

The six-year-old had been staring at the plaque for some time, so the pastor walked up: stood beside the little boy: and said quietly, “Good morning, Alex.”

“Good morning. Pastor,” he replied, still focused on the plaque. “Pastor, what is this?”

The pastor replied, “Well, son, it’s a memorial to all the young men and women who died in the service.”
Soberly, they just stood together, staring at the large plaque.

Finally, little Alex’s voice, barely audible and trembling with fear asked, “Which service, the 8:00 or the 10:30?”

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A church pastor is invited to dinner at the house of a parishioner.

The pastor sits at the table with the family. The mom requests her daughter, age six, say grace before the meal. She sits in silence. “It’s okay, dear,” the mother calms her. “You can do it. Just repeat what you heard daddy say before breakfast this morning.”

The little girl folds her hands, bows her head, and says in a loud voice, “Oh Christ, why did you invite the pastor over for dinner tonight?”

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A greedy old miser dies alone. In his will he’s divided his fortune between his pastor, his doctor, and his lawyer with one last request…

The old man’s will states that he wishes to take his fortune with him. His final request is that these three, the last man on earth he feels he can trust, each bring their allotment of his fortune to his funeral, ten million each, and deposit the money in his coffin and bare witness as it’s sealed and lowered into the ground.

On the day of the funeral, unsurprisingly, the pastor, doctor and lawyer are the only three on attendance. As they gather around the coffin the pastor speaks first.

“I’m sorry, gentlemen. I could not fully honor our friends dying wish. His money can do nothing for him in the afterlife, but here on earth it can still do some good. So, I confess that I’ve donated one million to several reputable charities I know are in need of funds and used another million to sponsor missionaries to spread the word of God. But look.” he opened a bag of cash he had with him.

“I still have the remaining eight million. I trust this will be enough to satisfy our friend and justify me before the Lord.” And he dumped the money into the coffin.

The doctor spoke next.

“I too have partially betrayed the trust of our friend. I feel a little guilty, but I can’t condone burying all this money while so many people are suffering. I gave two million to my hospital to help them update and replace all our old, outdated equipment and I donated two million to Doctors Without Borders to help them save countless lives in the developing world.

“But I’ve brought the other six million.” With that he opened the bag he carried and dumped the cash into the coffin.

“Our greedy friend can still rest in peace and I can still live with myself.”

The lawyer glared at the other two with a stern expression.

“How dare you? Both of you ought to be ashamed of yourselves! It’s not a question of what this money could or could not be used for. It’s a question of legal and moral responsibility. Our poor friend wasn’t benevolent, or generous, or even very nice. That caused everyone he knew to abandon him. Everyone but we three. We were the only three in the world he trusted to honor his last request.”

At this he produced an envelope from his coat pocket.

“That is why I will leave this check for the full ten million with our dearly departed friend.”

Now keep that smile on your face all day long, and share it with everyone you meet!

In 1901, Charles Wagner published his second book titled, “The Simple Life.” His first book was “The Better Way.” In “The Simple Life,” Wagner claims that once we get past all of the individual causes for the distractions in our life, the reality is that the one general cause of our complicated lives is this: “confusion of the secondary with the essential.” In other words, we who live complicated and distracted lives tend to make many things in our lives “essential,” though in truth they are not.  

This is true especially of material things, Wagner claims. But the truth is, the essential things in our lives are not material possessions, but rather, he says, our conscience, our character, and our will. Wagner was on to something then, but he just came up short at the end. His secular world view left out the most important thing of all, our spiritual life and our relationship with our God. 

Wagner goes on to say that, “(s)implicity is a state of mind” that “dwells in the main intention of our lives.” And that’s half right too. The cause of our complicated and distracted lives is because we confuse the main intention of our lives quite often. There is only one main intention, and that is to live for the glory of God. And yet we make many things our temporary gods in our lives, from money to fame to winning – all closely related to serving our self-will. But rather than being a “state of mind” matter, the main intention in our lives is a matter of the heart. And whether or not we’re willing to lead with our heart as we give our heart away to Christ. 

It’s as if Wagner wants to come to terms with the spiritual primacy of our lives on earth, but doesn’t quite know how to say it. Here’s how he puts it in his book: “At bottom, (simplicity) consists in putting our acts and aspirations in accordance with the law of our being, and consequently with the Eternal Intention which willed that we should be at all.” That’s the long and vague way of saying that the main intention in our lives is to live for God and God alone. Indeed, it’s what Jesus told us 2,000 years ago. You can see it on bumper stickers today: “Know Jesus, Know Peace; No Jesus, No Peace.” 

If you’re really interested in removing the complications and distractions in your life, and finding the simple way, it all starts with God, and your personal relationship with God. The reason that is, is because we find our peace when we find our true selves – when we become the person God created us to be, and turn that relationship into the “main intention” of our lives. Then we can find a way to simplify our life by minimizing the impact of all those false temporal gods that intrude so rudely into our lives, and to turn our will and our life over to God. Like Jesus tells us; Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and all these other things will be added unto you – alleluia, alleluia! 

   Our American culture today is fascinated with the concept of “simplicity.” We crave a simple life, because we have made such a complicated and confusing, not to mention stressful, mess of our daily existence that we hunger for relief and meaning. And Wagner, and so many other writers and religious leaders and practitioners, know that the remedy for our malady is found within. Nothing that the world can give you will offer you the peace that God can give you. So, buying more and more _______ (you fill in the blank) will not result in what we seek the most. Indeed, more and more things lead ultimately to more and more distractions in our life. 

We can fill our drawers with more clothes (or socks, in my case!); we can fill our refrigerators with more food; we can fill our bank accounts with more money; we can fill our houses with more stuff; we can fill our garage (or garages!) with more cars; and we can even fill our storage spaces to the brim, and start looking for more storage space to rent, but that will never, ever take us to the promised land that God has prepared for us. Maybe you’ve heard this: The most important things in life are not things!

And so, we come to the point of this week’s article. If you really want to simplify your life, remove, or at least minimize, the complications and distractions, and find the inner peace of mind and heart that you know deep down you crave, then it’s time to come to terms with your spiritual life. 

In recent weeks. I have written 2 articles about the nature of the spiritual life and the key concepts involved in seeking to become a person of spiritual wisdom. Perhaps you have never considered yourself for the spiritual life. I hear that often. We tend to think that because we’ve never been told about, much less taught, the simple way of the spiritual life. The sad irony of this situation is that you, and everyone else, were created for the spiritual life first, and then the earthly and material life on earth would all fall into place. But without the spiritual life leading us, we eventually find ourselves buried under a mountain of complications and distractions. For some of us, we literally suffocate our true lives by putting all our focus on the false gods in our life, and making them all “main intentions” for us. No one can survive that weight!

On the other hand, God tells us that mountains can be moved, and that peace can be found, by seeking God first. You see, God created us all, and made each of us uniquely gifted to live an “abundant” life on earth. Not “abundant” in terms of many things, but “abundant” in terms of the authenticity and integrity of your life – which always begins and ends with your Creator. 

If you want to find the simple way … live the simple life … and come to know peace in your heart on a daily basis, then start with God. Don’t just put “God” on your “to do” list each day, or make church a priority, or occasionally read scripture – but make a personal and sincere effort with God to surrender your life away, each and every day, so that God can recreate your life in a way that you on your own could never do. 

Finding the simple life seems to have been a desire for human beings since the beginning of time. Even Adam and Eve chose to complicate their lives and become distracted from God by their own act of self will; desiring to be more of god themselves, rather than letting God continue to offer them a perfectly simple and peaceful life in the garden of paradise. And, of course, we all make the same mistake. (That’s why it’s a story of eternal and universal truth!) 

But there is good news in the midst of our struggle for peace. Jesus came to show us exactly and precisely how to live an abundantly good life … and it’s not about accumulating all the stuff we can. Rather, the good and simple life we all seek is found in the “way of Jesus.” God showed us the answer when Jesus came to show us how to live. Jesus lived in radical simplicity. He may have owned a few articles of clothing, and maybe some sandals, but all He really needed He trusted God for. Even for basic needs such as food and shelter. And I’m pretty sure he didn’t crave the new infomercial gadgets nor did He peruse Amazon in His free time to find something else to make Him feel better. 

Jesus kept it simple. He kept the main thing (God), the main thing. And He asks us to do the same; to make God the center of our lives, and to surrender our own will for the sake of His Father’s will. The peace we all crave, and think impossible, is right before us. Jesus is living with each us through the Holy Spirit. Isn’t it time to simply admit that, and to turn our lives toward God, and away from all the complications and distractions of the world? 

No … it’s not easy. And each one of us has our own challenges in doing this. So, each one of us must make and walk this path with Jesus alone. But so many have chosen to do this, and in so doing, have discovered that the peace that comes from God is the single most valuable part of their lives. 

It can be for you, too. It’s not impossible. It is hard. But, anything so cherished is always hard … and worth the effort. So, isn’t it time for you, too? Go ahead: give in, give up, and embrace the simple way of Jesus Christ.

Letting the Lord Lead!

Now that the previous Vision article on “Becoming a person of Spiritual Wisdom” has been soaking in our soul for a couple weeks, let us now turn to Part II. Part I taught us about the process of developing spiritual wisdom, and it informed us of the 7 concepts that are the foundation for becoming a person of spiritual wisdom. Each one of the concepts are essential to your personal spiritual quest, and to our spiritual walk together as a church … a beloved community … a tribe of Jesus followers … and a family of faith! And yet, each one of us has our own unique path into this realm of divine glory – and it’s a lifelong journey.

We will now present a summary of the most important features about each concept. But before we start, I want to remind you why these concepts and the journey to become a person of spiritual wisdom is so vital to our life here on earth. To be blunt, all of us reading this article share one divine calling from God in this life … it’s the one thing that God gifted us with that provides the remedy and sometimes, the cure, for everything in the world that is not part of God’s plan. That calling is God’s call for you to live spiritually first, and worldly second. And the double blessing of that is that when you put the spiritual pursuit first, then all of the other pursuits become better, sometimes in miraculous ways! 

Here is a a line I wrote in Part I that I think will be motivation to you as a Christian and a follower of Jesus:

“Without spiritual wisdom, it is not possible to absorb, interpret, or understand what the teachings of Jesus and scripture mean.”

KEY TEACHINGS FOR EACH OF THE 7 CONCEPTS

It’s been far too long since the Christian Church in America has asked these questions. Church worship services have been going on in the world since the 2nd or 3rd centuries. Over the course of those almost 20 centuries, in many cases the worship service has evolved into a cross between an entertainment show filled with energy and emotion and a hopeful dose of instant gratification.

Indeed, many church attendees think of themselves in the worship service as “the audience.” (Don’t be like that!) And the people leading the service are seen as “the performers.” And just to be clear, the audience expects the performers to either entertain them or inspire them. After all, that’s why they get up early on Sundays and come to church. 

I had a special God moment this past week when I opened up yet another used book I had recently bought, and out fell a stapled 2-page article from the 1994 edition of the Anglican Digest. I’m convinced that since it’s been more than 20 years since it was published, God wanted that very article to literally land in my lap. And, by God, it did!

So, in the interest of God’s will, I want to share some excerpts from the article with you, because I want you to be reminded why we really worship God like I was.

Excerpts from “Worship” (1994) by Rev. Samuel R. Todd, Jr.                                                          Rector, Church of the Reconciliation; San Antonio, Texas  

See you this Sunday. And I can’t wait for all of us to perform for the audience of one – God! 

Pastor Bob <><

Among the several books I read over the Christmas season was the story of an interesting journey about learning and living a different and deeper way: “The Teachings of Don Juan” by Carlos Casdaneda. 

The author’s intent was to offer lessons on how to live a “Yaqui” way of  life. The Yaquis are an indigenous people of Mexico who live in the valley of Rio Yaqui in the Mexican state of Sonora, and in parts of the Southwestern United States. They are a “Uto-Aztecan” speaking “nation” and are the only “non-native” Indians in Arizona. Some refer to them as the “Apache” of Mexico because of their strong resistance to “outsiders” coming onto their land. Others refer to them as the “Fighting Farmers of Mexico” due to their reliance on an agricultural economy for subsistence. 

The Yaquis are indeed an interesting people with some compelling aspects to their culture and way of life. But as I read deeper and deeper into the story of Carlos Castaneda, I realized that his story had a much broader application. Many of the lessons Castaneda was teaching in his book were much more universal and spiritual then even he thought. 

As an example of this more universal teaching, I am going to extrapolate from some of the lessons in his book and rework them so that non-Yaquis like me and you can actually come to understand better the challenges we face in our own quest for the spiritual life. Below are my words laid on top of Castanedo’s story so that the meaning and significance of his lessons become relevant and inspirational for our own stories. And, with that as an introduction, I present for you my first lesson on “Becoming a Person of Spiritual Wisdom.

Lesson 1: 7 Important Concepts in Becoming a Person of Spiritual Wisdom

If I haven’t explained it well enough to you yet, let me first say that all of my preaching and teaching and counseling and devotions are all about one thing: to show you, and me, how to become a person with spiritual wisdom. To me, this is the starting goal for anyone pursuing a Christ-like life and calling themselves a follower of Jesus. Without spiritual wisdom, it is not possible to absorb, interpret, or understand what the teachings of Jesus and scripture mean.

And, when we lack spiritual wisdom, we rely on our own, or another person’s, knowledge about these things. That leaves out the one and only “teacher” that Jesus says we need – the teacher He left for us as our new “friend” – the teacher that He says will teach us everything we need to know! You see, when we rely on our own knowledge, we leave out the power of the Holy Spirit.

Whether you have ever thought about it or yet realized it, your religious life is intertwined with, and dependent upon, your spiritual wisdom. Many religious leaders, churches, and denominational principles and practices minimize, or completely ignore, this amazing, transformative, enlightening teacher called the Holy Spirit. In its place, they substitute their own human knowledge, which again, as Jesus teaches us, is “foolish in the eyes of God” and to the way of Jesus. Maybe you’ve noticed that I feel so strongly about this as to call out at times the misguided and heretical view of Jesus and the Bible that so many human religious teachers offer. 

My brothers and sisters in Christ: getting to know Jesus is not something you or anyone else is capable of without the power of the Holy Spirit. As humans, learning and accepting that truth is one of the simplest and hardest teachings in our effort to live like Jesus. We are not intellectually or emotionally equipped to accomplish what we so desire and need – a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Only when we submit to the power of the Holy Spirit can we begin to “see” all that God has done for us, and what that means for how we are called by Jesus to live. No one – only the Holy Spirit – can do that. And for that to happen, we must surrender our own need to understand these universal and eternal lessons so that the Holy Spirit can enter into our hearts and lead our intellect to these otherworldly truths that can save us, revive us, resurrect us, and make us true disciples! This is Lesson 1! 

If we all can come to accept this as our first truth about God … our fundamental understanding of who Jesus is and what it all means … then we have made the most important discovery in our whole life. We (all of us) are spiritual beings created by God with a divine (otherworldly) capacity to live as a “Godly person” in this world. But nothing in this world is able to teach us that truth. It is beyond this world because it is directly from God. Your truth is not determined by the world. It is determined by God and consummated when we let go of our egotistical belief that we can figure it all out and be in charge of our own spiritual life. The truth is; God has already figured it all out, and God wants to be in charge of our spiritual life. Agree and accept that, and you are on your way! 

I will end Lesson 1 with the 7 concepts that are critical to our efforts to become a person of spiritual wisdom … for the rest of our lives. Here they are: