the encounter

another thought from my latest visit to the Fort Worth Water Gardens…

on the sign at the entrance to the quiet pool area, it reads that Philip Johnson referred to Alice in Wonderland when describing the Water Garden’s design.

he created spaces where people would experience different elements of scale.  like Alice in Wonderland, there are times when you will feel small against the surroundings and others when you would feel large in comparison. 

elements of scale add wonder to our life.

so often in our day to day experiences we live in a “we are big” world – we control and get what we want.  i control my tv, i get my food when i want it, i go where i want, i have it my way.  these all feed our ego perspective of greatness.  they also lead to pride, ingratitude, selfishness, and cruelty.

it is healthy at times to place ourselves in spaces that remind us of our smallness.

the architects of cathedrals long ago sought to create spaces that were overwhelming, intimidating, and created a sense of the grandeur and size of God.  they also created a sense of smallness for those who visited.  perspective came with the experience. 

when we intentionally place ourselves in moments of smallness it remind us of scale. 

• when i serve someone
• when i sit in silence before God
• when i pray or sing to God
• when i express gratefulness to others
• when i act on truth from Scripture
• when i forgive someone
• when i confess my sins
• when i’m honest about my heart
• when i’m vulnerable with others
• when i humble myself before others

where are the physical places you go that remind you of your smallness?

what are the moments you intentionally place yourself into to experience smallness?

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Ever wonder why Jesus says, “Pray for your enemies, bless those who persecute you.”? Ever started praying for someone and realize that while sometimes they may change — it’s usually you who changes the most in the process.

I had a friend in college that often warned me, “couples who pray together – lay together.” His logic was that if praying for your enemy changes you so much – then praying with and for your significant other makes the attractions that much stronger. Can’t say I disagree.

Scientists are now starting to see that in meditating and praying for people we physically mold our brains differently!

NPR reports…

More than half of adult Americans report they have had a spiritual experience that changed their lives. Now, scientists from universities like Harvard, Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins are using new technologies to analyze the brains of people who claim they have touched the spiritual — from Christians who speak in tongues to Buddhist monks to people who claim to have had near-death experiences. Hear what they have discovered in this controversial field, as the science of spirituality continues to evolve.

Methodist minister Scott McDermott says, “I think we’re wired for the supernatural. I think we’re meant to sense a world beyond our five senses. Come on! Taste and see that God really is good.”

What do you think? Check out the full 5 part series on NPR.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

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at our student gatherings we often use games and activities to get the students to interact, know each other, and have some fun.  sometimes they are competitive games, sometimes they are just for fun.  i laugh at the times that i have to remind them that it is just a game.  it seems their default setting is that every activity is a competition – that they have to be faster, better than the next person or group.

i’ve noticed that sometimes today’s christians view their relationship with the world in the same way.  its as though the ultimate goal is to compete and outdo those who don’t follow Christ.  its as if proving Christians can be better entertainers, businessmen, politicians, artists, etc. that we will somehow prove that it is worth it to follow Christ. 

maybe i’m missing something, but following Christ has never been about popularity, success, making millions, or achieving places of power.  Jesus had multiple opportunities to become politically powerful, socially popular, and financially successful.  He ran from those moments.  He diffused the crowds when they sought to put Him in those places.

Because that is not what the kingdom is about!

the 80′s and 90′s introduced this insidious and deceptive thought into christianity.  today we are paying the price for it.  today a world sits back with disinterest in christianity’s message. 

the day we set aside our competition for political seats, Hollywood stages, and corporate office; and instead be filled with compassion, humility, concern, and intentional care; will be the day that the kingdom expands.

the day we stop trying to beat the world and instead love, will be the day that change comes – and it will come to us first.

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fresh out of high school my dream was to be an architect.  i studied the great architects of the day and their works.  only later to be called into a completely different line of work – pastoring.  it would seem at first the two had little in common.  as days and years have passed however i see more and more the two have in common.

architects do more than design buildings, they create environments.  through form, texture, resources, and desing they create spaces where people interact, move, and experience space.

i was recently at the Fort Worth Water Gardens.  it is one of my favorite local design pieces.  at the Gardens a sign describes the architect, Philip Johnson’s intentions.  his goal was to create micro-environments where people could experience escape from the city.  he created multiple spaces through the use of water, trees, surfaces, and design.  in each space visitors move through and experience different sights and sounds that immerse them in the beauty and wonder of the space.  some are quiet and reflective.  some are noisy and overwhelming.  some are majestic and imposing. 

each micro-environment is completely different, yet accomplishes the same goal – escape from the city.

pastoring and the work of ministry, as I have come to see it, is not too different.  my goal has been to create environments where people can fully experience the depths of God’s love and passion for them.  we attempt to do so at encounter through a variety of micro-environments (sunday morning group gathering, living room home groups, men’s groups, outings, personal relationships, and counseling). 

each micro-environment is part of a much larger space that Jesus called the Kingdom.  these micro-environments attempt to show the beauty, freedom, wonder, and grace of the Kingdom.  there is no fee for entrance.  there are no forced routes for movement.  there is only the beauty of each micro-environment.  

for decades the standard environment of faith has been the church building.  it would appear in our day that God is doing something new and fresh in where the environments of faith exist.  would it be all that bad if the new mirc0-environments of faith existed in homes, communities, coffee houses, theaters, back yards, and community centers?

take a trip to the Forth Worth Water Gardens.  experience each of the micro-environments created by Philip Johnson.  experience the uniqueness of each one.  then ask yourself…

• what am i doing to create in my life micro-environments of the kingdom? 
• what beauty, wonder, awe is inspired in my micro-environment?
• what parts of my life add to the wonder of my space?
• where are other places that these slices of the kingdom could exist?

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solitude in prayer does not mean inactivity.  solitude involves intentionality.  it is the directed action of quieting our soul for the purpose of listening to God, communing with our heart, and purposing our direction toward His heart.

solitude is far more than inactivity.

here are a few suggestions for practicing and conditioning your heart toward personal solace in prayer:

• journal – write your thoughts, feelings, observations, questions, memories of where you are in your journey with Christ.
• draw – visually depict your heart, sketch what you see, let your talent be a tool for hearing from God and communing in your heart.
• meditate – contemplate in your heart and mind a specific verse or passage of Scripture. 
• sing – allow the language of your heart to flow with the words of a favorite song .
• search – look through the Scriptures by topic  for answers to the most relevant needs in your life.
• be grateful – remind yourself and thank God for all that He has and is doing for you.
• quieting - intentionally keep pushing aside worrisome thoughts about your day, people, your future.
• relax – focus on the depth of what Christ has done for you that makes you at peace in His presence: full acceptance because of Christ’s death, full peace because of God’s pardon, full rest in His sovereign power over your life, etc.
• picture – imagine scenes from the Scriptures.  drink in their setting, the emotion of the moment, God’s presence there, what you would have done were you there.
• cry out – hold back nothing in your honesty, vulnerability, confession, and desperation for God.  the very real areas of hurt and need in your life are there to draw you to Him.  express them with all the intensity you can. 

the purpose of personal solace is to mesh your heart with the heart of God.  solace may include the exclusion of things that bring noise and distraction.  but it most certainly includes the intentionality of rushing into and experiencing the presence of God.

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