Meditations on Life

What do you do when you can't sleep because your brain is in a different time zone? I like to spend this time thinking about life, even though I'd rather be sleeping. In the past few days I've had the opportunity to reflect on how I'm living my life and how well I'm living as a Christian. I'm in the process of evaluating Christian Values from a Biblical perspective; my desire is to extract my cultural beliefs and ideals from my faith. Cultural Christianity isn't always Biblical Christianity. Given the size and scope of the Bible, as well as the reality of where I've grown up, this isn't an easy task. But we always have to start somewhere :)

Scripture Immersion-
I read the Bible 3-7 days a week. I say 3-7 because some weeks I fall off the bus and don't get to spend as much time reading it as I'd like. Other times its because I'm reading difficult portions of scripture, like the destruction of Jerusalem, and I need a break from the doom and gloom. Should Christians read their Bible? In the 21st century we believe this is a must. A personal must. But for 16 Christian centuries, the idea of a personal Bible was unheard of, Bibles were corporate property; they belonged to a community, not an individual. The point here is to spend time with Scripture, discussing what it means and asking ourselves difficult questions. This is best done in a group, not just privately by ourselves. I'm working on spending more time in groups discussing the Bible, not just hanging around other Christians. This is easier said than done, as not all Christians want to spend time evaluating their lives and asking themselves if they are living Biblically.

Giving-
I give 10% plus. The Biblical word here is tithe, which is Hebrew for one tenth. This fraction is an expression of giving a complete part of ourselves to God. In other words its a reminder to give all of ourselves, all of the time. Its also used in practical ways, such as supporting pastors, ministers, teachers and caregivers. When we don't give, the gospel and its mission goes unfunded. Tithing isn't just about an individual, its about communal support. If all Christians tithed and took care of the sick, poor and downtrodden, we wouldn't need government programs that do the same. I give more than 10% because I want to give more than what is required. I say plus because I don't really keep track of it. I remind myself that living the gospel isn't always about money, but personal costs such as time and effort. I give because I want to, not because I have to. Sometimes giving is hard, but I remind myself that God can meet my needs much better than a few dollars I earned at work.

Church Attendance-
This is a hot issue for me. Hot, as in it gets me fired up and looking for a soap box! I attend regularly; its rare for me not to be in a church on Sunday. I believe that we need to come together to hear the Bible, to listen to someone else's perspective, at least once a week. We should know whether or not the person teaching is preaching truth, or making it up. I've never left a group of Christians because the preacher wasn't a good speaker; I've left churches because preachers have been unbiblical: like always asking for money, focusing on emotions, focusing on self-help and focusing on disorderly spirit-led worship. I'm not always happy when I leave a church service, but I know that attending sharpens my faith and helps me identify truth.

Community Involvement-
I am involved in communities. I am not dedicated to a single one. I view this as somewhat of a personal problem that I haven't figured out how to solve yet. I want to bring my life into one singular focus, to not scatter myself all over the place. I'm working on it, but I'm also learning as I go.
Eating with Others-
This gets mentioned quite a bit in Scripture, and I'm just starting to get it. More often than not I eat alone; I'm too busy doing my own thing, going to my next community to stop and eat with others. I can grow a lot in this area.

Taking care of the Downtrodden-
I am regularly involved in an underserved community, with underserved youth, but to be honest, I suck at this. It's not a regular part of my life.

Prayer-
I pray. More often than not its on a regular daily and constant basis. I feel like my prayers have recently been weak, not much of a long term vision, but more hope and strength for the day. I pray a lot for my work, my small group, my basketball team and for other areas of my life. The problem is I spend a lot of time praying for me and those immediately around me. I need to spend more time praying for others.

As I look at my list I know its not complete. And it's clear to me I'm only doing the basics, that there's a communal aspect to my faith that I'm barely scratching the surface of. I'm doing the things I've been told I need to do: go to church, give, read the Bible, pray, but I'm missing out on the togetherness aspect of Christian life.