NYC Churches should not be homeless

Dear New Life Fellowship and friends,

As you know, New York City has barred churches and other religious groups from meeting in public schools and community centers. By February 12, at least 70 churches will be homeless. As a result of this issue, a growing coalition of church leaders and politicians are working to amend a vaguely-worded law that has been used to justify this action. They are asking that NYC encourage their members to send letters to key politicians asking them to support either a City Council resolution encouraging the State Assembly to act on this bill or to vote for the bill being offered by the Assembly.

Although we are not impacted by this decision at New Life Fellowship, the body of Christ in NYC is being impacted, and as a result, it would be a great act of unity to respond accordingly.

Councilman Cabrera (of the Bronx) and his office has taken the lead in mobilizing this endeavor. Below are templates that you can copy, paste and send. We’d love for you to write/call/email your representatives to take action by next week. Your actions can significantly impact this decision.

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To:
The Honorable Christine Quinn
224 West 30th St (Suite 1206)
New York, NY 10001

Re: Churches in Schools, NYC Council Resolution # 1155.

Dear Speaker Quinn,

I urge that you support the effort to allow Churches and Religious Groups equal access to rent spaces from Public Schools. Non-religious groups are allowed to meet in schools for activities central to their missions and religious groups should be allowed do the same. The exclusion of religious groups is discrimination against religious speech.

Speaker Quinn, in light of the impending February 12, 2012 deadline for religious groups to vacate schools, I urge that you provide your full support by expediently authorizing a public hearing on City Council Resolution # 1155, and bringing this vital legislation to the floor for a vote.

New York City has called on churches and religious groups during times of crisis in the past; I now ask that you not turn your back on us. I ask that you stand for the Equal Access.

Sincerely,

Name: _____________________________________________
Affiliation (optional):_________________________________
Address: ___________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Phone Number: ______________________________________
E-mail: _____________________________________________

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To:
The Honorable Sheldon Silver
250 Broadway, Suite 2307
New York, NY 10007
212-312-1420

Re: Churches in Schools, NYS Assembly Bill A8800

Dear Speaker Silver,

I urge that you support the effort to allow Churches and Religious Groups equal access to rent spaces from Public Schools. Non-religious groups are allowed to meet in schools for activities central to their missions and religious groups should be allowed do the same. The exclusion of religious groups is discrimination against religious speech.

Speaker Silver, in light of the impending February 12, 2012 deadline for religious groups to vacate schools, I urge that you provide your full support by expediently authorizing a public hearing on NYS Assembly Bill A8800, and bringing this vital legislation to the floor for a vote.

New York has called on churches and religious groups during times of crisis in the past; I now ask that you not turn your back on us. I ask that you stand for the Equal Access.

Sincerely,

Name: _____________________________________________
Affiliation (optional):_________________________________
Address: ___________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Phone Number: ______________________________________
E-mail: _____________________________________________

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To:
The Honorable Dean Skelos
55 Front Street
Rockville Centre, NY 11570

Re: Churches in Schools, NYS Senate Bill S6087

Dear Majority Leader Skelos,

I urge that you support the effort to allow Churches and Religious Groups equal access to rent spaces from Public Schools. Non-religious groups are allowed to meet in schools for activities central to their missions and religious groups should be allowed do the same. The exclusion of religious groups is discrimination against religious speech.

Majority Leader Skelos, in light of the impending February 12, 2012 deadline for religious groups to vacate schools, I urge that you provide your full support by expediently introducing NYS Senate Bill S6087, holding a public hearing, and bringing the bill to the floor for a vote.

New York has called on churches and religious groups during times of crisis in the past; I now ask that you not turn your back on us. I ask that you stand for the Equal Access.

Sincerely,

Name: _____________________________________________
Affiliation (optional):_________________________________
Address: ___________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Phone Number: ______________________________________
E-mail: _____________________________________________

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To:
The Honorable Michael Bloomberg
City Hall
New York, NY, 10007

Re: Churches in Schools,
Administrative Section I.Q of Chancellor’s Regulation D-180

Dear Mayor Bloomberg,

I urge that you extend the deadline for religious groups to vacate public schools, and moreover urge you to lift the discriminatory ban imposed by the Department of Education on religious groups renting school spaces for worship. Non-religious groups are allowed to meet in schools for activities central to their missions and religious groups should be allowed do the same. The exclusion of religious groups is discrimination against religious speech.

You have called on churches and religious groups during times of crisis in the past; I now ask that you not turn your back on us. I ask that you stand for the Equal Access.

Sincerely,

Name: _____________________________________________
Affiliation (optional):_________________________________
Address: ___________________________________________
___________________________________________________
E-mail: _____________________________________________
 

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To:
The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo
Governor of New York State
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224

Re: Churches in Schools
NYS Assembly Bill A8800 and NYS Senate Bill S6087

Dear Governor Cuomo,

I urge that you sign NYS Assembly Bill A8800 and NYS Senate Bill S6087 when they come to your desk. These bills would allow Churches and other Religious Groups to rent space from New York State Public Schools. Non-religious groups are allowed to meet in schools for activities central to their missions and religious groups should be allowed do the same. The exclusion of religious groups is discrimination against religious speech.

I hope that you sign this bill with the same earnestness that you did the Marriage Equality bill. I ask that you stand with us for Equal Access.
Sincerely,

Name: _____________________________________________
Affiliation (optional):_________________________________
Address: ___________________________________________
___________________________________________________
E-mail: _____________________________________________

Potty Training, Mistakes and Leadership

“I read an article on potty training your child in 3 days. I was skeptical. Now, I’m a believer.”

This was my Facebook status/Tweet this morning. A few days ago, my wife, Rosie, and I were in despair, concerned that Karis will be in diapers through her adult years. Since Karis is our first child, this is our first experience in parenthood, therefore, we slip into modes of irrational despair every other day.

We read an article together on potty training your child in 3 days. We were quite skeptical, but decided to apply the steps exactly as outlined. After the first day, Karis had some mishaps. By day two, she was showing drastic improvement. By day three, she was going without us even knowing! Does she have mishaps every now and then? Yes. Is she making great progress? Absolutely!

Part of the process of potty training has been messy (on a number of levels). But, the key to her development has been us providing a supportive environment that makes room for mistakes. As I’ve thought about this over the last 4 days, I’ve thought about leadership.

Part of my role as a pastor/leader is to empower leaders and release them into their God-given gifts and talents. The difficult part of leadership mobilization is dealing with mishaps. People make mistakes. Working with people can be messy (on a number of levels), but I’m convinced that unless leaders provide an affirming, supportive environment to work through mistakes, maturity will never happen. For me, this means delegating and giving space for people to lead, even if it means making “mistakes.” It also means being patient with people, when they don’t progress as fast as I’d like them to. I’m sure there are scores of other applications for me, which I will be reflecting on.

So, God has been speaking to me through the ordinary and messy symbol of the potty. And, I’m convinced that unless this supportive and affirming environment is created, many potential leaders will be wearing diapers well into their adult life, and not growing in maturity. And, that’s messy!

Some books I read in 2011 that I recommend

Below is a list of books I read in 2011. This is not the complete list, but the books listed are books I recommend. As you will see, the vast majority of books have to do with Christian theology, church leadership and spirituality. In 2012, I hope to broaden my list to include more fiction, biographies, etc. This list is in no particular order. At the end, I’ll mention my three favorite books of the year:

- Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert
- Next Generation Leader by Andy Stanley
- Simply Jesus by N.T. Wright
- The King Jesus Gospel by Scot McKnight
- Church Unique by Will Mancini
- Unconditional (the call to Jesus to radical forgiveness) by Brian Zahnd
- After you believe by N.T. Wright
- Search and Rescue by Neil Cole
- Collected Sermons of Will Willimon
- Rumors of God by Jon Tyson and Darren Whitehead
- Replenish by Lance Witt
- The Pastor by Eugene Peterson
- Introducing the Missional Church by Alan Roxburgh and Scott Boren
- Small Groups with a Purpose by Steve Gladen
- The Contemplative Pastor by Eugene Peterson
- Invitation to Lead by Paul Tokunaga
- New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton
- Falling Upward by Richard Rohr
- The Best Kept Secret of Christian Mission by John Dickson
- The Good and Beautiful Community by James Bryan Smith
- The Good and Beautiful God by James Bryan Smith
- Why Jesus? by Will Willimon
- The Shattered Lantern by Ronald Rolheiser
- Simple Church by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger
- Pure Desire by Ted Roberts
- The Preaching Life by Barbara Brown Taylor
- Generous Justice by Tim Keller
- Reconciling All Things by Emmanuel Katongole and Chris Rice
- In Praise of Slowness by Carl Honore
- The Unnecessary Pastor by Eugene Peterson and Marva Dawn
- Cracking Your Church’s Culture Code by Samuel Chand
- Our one great act of Fidelity (waiting for Christ in the Eucharist) by Ronald Rolheiser
- Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas

All of the above books were very good and I highly recommend them. My three favorite books that I read in 2011 were Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas, The Pastor by Eugene Peterson and Simply Jesus by N.T. Wright

I loved Metaxas’ book because Bonhoeffer is probably the theologian/pastor that has influenced my theology and practice more than any other. I loved the book.

I loved Eugene Peterson’s memoir because his journey as a pastor was a journey I can very much identify with. He happens to be one of my favorite authors as well.

N.T. Wrights book, Simply Jesus gives another compelling vision of who Jesus was/is and what the Kingdom is about. I can’t get enough of Wright’s books.

Can’t wait to start my 2012 reading!

Significant mentors in my life (part 2)…Pastor Roberto Otero

A few months ago, I wrote about mentors in my family that God has used to shape me as a follower of Jesus. I have many other mentors, who, over the course of the last 13 years have invested in me. I will write other posts about some of them, but for this post, I wanted to focus on one of the key mentors of my life. My first pastor, Roberto Otero.

When I became a follower of Jesus, I started attending a church that was instrumental in calling many of my family members to faith in Christ. Arca de Salvacion (Ark of Salvation) was a church located a couple of blocks away from my home in East New York, Brooklyn (the church still exists today). When I turned my heart over to Christ, this church was in a season of unique revival. Families, not just individuals were coming to Christ and it was there that I received my first training in leadership. The man leading the church was Pastor Roberto Otero. Pastor Otero was a man with a serious disposition (he was indeed serious about his faith) and a warm, loving heart. As I look back, he was a true pastor. Pastor Otero seemed to see something in me, because at 20 years old, he gave me significant opportunities to teach the English Sunday school class, which was attended by 10-20 people (most of which were older than me).

Pastor Otero would sit in my class, and be a continual voice of affirmation and correction (I didn’t like the correction part). After teaching in Sunday school, he started giving me opportunities to preach in other churches. While I had tons of zeal, I had no experience, limited knowledge of the Bible and had no idea who I was as a teacher of scripture. Consequently, I delivered sermons that would make me cringe today (that’s the beauty of one’s journey though, I think). Pastor Otero modeled a heart of worship (he was a great singer) as well as a shepherd’s heart to care and serve people in his flock. The thing I’m most thankful for is he gave me space to make mistakes and develop a gift to make scripture come alive in people. He provided a young, zealous kid a laboratory to lead at an early age. As I lead people today, I’m aware that sometimes all a young person needs is an opportunity to lead, fail and space to try it again. I’m where I am today because of men like Roberto Otero.

An opportunity to pray and practice generosity

Dear New Life,

I hope all in well with you and your family after Hurricane Irene. For some of us, the impact was minimal. For others, it turned out to be quite a headache. All in all, I’m thankful that no one was injured. Let’s continue to be in prayer for all those affected by this Hurricane.

This was the first time that we’ve ever canceled services at New Life Fellowship. While it was a difficult decision to make, we thought it was the prudent one to make in light of the projected impact on our city.

As a result of the canceled services, we didn’t get a chance to sing and worship together, come under the preaching of the word (although a “cyber-sermon” was sent) or get the chance to “practice generosity.” So, I wanted to use this letter as a means to let you know a couple of things:

1) If you would like to gather for prayer, you can do so tonight (Tuesday) at our prayer meeting, which is held at New Life, beginning at 7pm. This is a great time to gather in community to pray for the needs of our families, city and the world. It’s also a great environment to hear from God for your own life.

2) Many of you might not know that you can give (tithes and offerings) via our website. This is a very convenient way to “practice generosity.” With all the great things happening at New Life through our Sunday services, outreaches and our Community Development Corporation, you don’t want to miss an opportunity to join us in advancing the Kingdom by offering a financial gift. If you prefer to bring your tithe/offering from this past Sunday to church next week, that is totally fine. We just wanted to give you another easy option. Here’s a link you can click to give today.

Also, if you’d like to hear messages on finances and faith, feel free to check out a sermon series we did last year at New Life.

At New Life we believe that we don’t have to give…we get to give. Thanks for your all your generosity, prayer and service. Looking forward to being with you on Sunday!

Blessings,

Rich

Sunday Sermon: Making Room for Interruptions (Hurricane Irene Edition)…Mark 5:21-43

Dear New Lifers,

Although we are not meeting together to sing, worship and hear a word from scripture in community this Sunday, I wanted to offer some thoughts that can serve as a cyber-sermon as we wait for Irene to pass by.

This hurricane has interrupted the regular flow of life in the city, as millions of people are regulated to their homes. As I’ve been thinking and observing the news and weather reports, the word that keeps coming to me is “interruption.” Whether it is a category 1 hurricane or a tropical storm, life as we know it has been interrupted. Granted, this interruption might only last for a couple of days, but it serves as an illustration to the other “little interruptions” that we experience.

For some of you reading this, you’ve experienced economic interruptions, or interruptions in your dating life. For some, your interruptions have come via illness or depression. In short, interruptions have a way of impacting life as we know it.

When interruptions come, it’s easy to gripe and complain and blame, but I think there’s another way we can respond. Henri Nouwen writes these words that I think are full of wisdom and insight:

“While visiting the University of Notre Dame, where I (Nouwen) had been a teacher for a few years, I met an older experienced professor who had spent most of his life there. And while we strolled over the beautiful campus, he said with a certain melancholy in his voice, “You know . . . my whole life I have been complaining that my work was constantly interrupted, until I discovered that my interruptions were my work.”

The phase “interruptions were my work” reminds me so much of Jesus and the way in lived in the world. Jesus was constantly bombarded with people’s needs, illnesses, requests and interruptions. In Mark 5 (a sermon I preached on recently), Jesus is interrupted on his way to a healing. Check out this passage in Mark 5:

21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 23 He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him.
A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”
32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
35 While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”
36 Overhearing[c] what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 But they laughed at him.
After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

Jesus is interrupted by a woman who has a serious personal illness that leaves her alienated from the community. And yet, instead of brushing this person off, Jesus lives from a place of centered attention. As I see it, Jesus converts interruptions into invitations.

Jesus seems to view interruptions as invitations to display the love and power of God to the world. Jesus had a way of living that was open to what the Father would bring to him. As a result, he allows what I would see as an interruption to become an opportunity to do good.

Brother Lawrence, the great monastic author, wrote a book called, “Practicing the Presence of God.” Recently, I heard of a book by an author named Mike Mason entitled, “Practicing the Presence of People.” In this story, Jesus does both. He’s attentive to the Father, and attentive to the people around him.

As I sit in my living room writing these words, I’m aware that there are many times that I’ve missed God’s invitations to slow me down, or teach me something, because I’ve looked at them as interruptions to my plans, my agenda and my will. Yet, I’m reminded by this passage, that whenever life doesn’t unfold the way I’d like it, God might be up to something.

If we are going to make room for interruptions, I believe it’s going to emerge out of a contemplative life. That is, a life which submits to a rhythm of prayer and activity. Although this hurricane has interrupted life on the east coast, and in particular, in our city, I believe this is just another invitation from God to have followers of Jesus display the love and power of God to a world that desperately needs it.

So, as you go through your Sunday, and this week, my prayer is that you (and I) would intentionally carve out time to be with God, so that when go about our business, you might view interruptions in a new light.

The Lord bless you! Can’t wait to sing and be with you next Sunday!

Rich

P.S. I recommend that you spend part of your Sunday reading this passage above, and consider these questions for personal reflection or family discussion:

1) How do you respond when your plans are interrupted?
2) What would it take for you to view interruptions the way Jesus does?
3) What is God teaching you through this hurricane?

A story about someone putting weed in the offering bag

On Monday, August 21st, I posted an update on Facebook and Twitter that said, “Here’s a great story from New Life: someone put a bag of weed in the offering bag yesterday after I encouraged generosity!” Quite rapidly, people started commenting on this very interesting event. I found it comical, yet felt that the person who put this in the offering might have been taking a significant step of faith.

When I came into the office today, the person who found the “stash” said that it came with a note attached. As I read the note, my heart went out to this person. I don’t know who it is or how long they’ve been coming to New Life. I don’t know if it’s a man or woman. I don’t know if it’s a teenager or a middle aged person. All I know is that these words communicate a narrative that all too many of us understand. Check out these words. I was really moved by them. My guess is that you will be moved as well.

Lord I’m addicted
Free me I pray
I sacrifice my idols to you
Save me.
I can’t stop, but I’m willing to try,
Please be real in my life again.
Please free me from my depression
Please help me to live
Please free me.
You said that he that the Son sets free is free indeed
Save me
No more nights with the flies
Rid these demons inside of me
Give me the courage, wisdom and strength to do the right thing
Let my life be pleasing to you again
In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

This person closed the note with these words. “Brothers and sisters, please pray for me. The devil has a hold of me.”

***Note from Rich*** If you are the person who wrote this poem, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to walk with you through this. rich@newlifefellowship.org

God’s glory or my glory?

As I mentioned in another post, I’ve been thinking a lot recently on the topic of ambition, achievement and success. I find myself in an ongoing battle to determine what success is based on comparison and not on focusing on what God might define success for me to be. As I’ve been reading Dale Bruner’s wonderful commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, he asks a question that I’ve been pondering all day. He asks:

“When are desires to do well legitimate desires for the glory of God and the service of others, and when are desires to do well illegitimate and for one’s own glory?”

At this point, I might respond, well, you feel it! You know somewhere in your soul when you’re doing things for God’s glory and when you’re doing things for self-promotion. Right? Well, maybe not.

Bruner answers this question with profound simplicity. His short response to this critical question is, “Disciples never know exactly. They can only pray—constantly—to be delivered from temptation.”

Like the psalmist, this is my prayer for the evening:

23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
(Psalm 139)

The most significant mentors in my life (part 1)

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been thinking about the people who have helped shape me, particularly in my spiritual formation. I’ve been following Christ for 13 years now and during these years God has brought an amazing group of mentors that have walked with me during important seasons in my life. In a post to come, I will write about my peers and how I’ve been influenced by them. But for this entry, I wanted to celebrate the people who are in many respects, uniquely responsible for me being where I am today. I write this with heartfelt gratitude and a deep realization of my dependence on wise, godly and affirming mentors. This first post will highlight family members who have served as mentors. Part two will focus on non-family mentors. Part three will focus on peer-mentors.

Richard Villodas Sr. (dad)

Although we became Christ followers around the same time, my father stands as a premiere mentor in my life. As a child, teenager, young adult and as a pastor, my father has ever been the affirming and encouraging presence in my life. During his lifetime he has modeled a dedication to hard work, to pushing beyond the limitations that others succumb to (especially athletically), and to an endearing love for family. His parenting as a father has served as a template for me as I father Karis. His love for me has also demonstrated the love the my Father in heaven has for me.

Nicolasa Villodas (mom)

My mother as well, has mentored me in many ways. Besides her affirming and nurturing presence, one thing in particular stands out to me and has influenced me as a leader. I can’t remember a time when my mother ever complained. I’m sure she had plenty of reasons to complain, to gripe, or to be pessimistic, but I can’t recall her ever going down that route. She is the epitome of hard, disciplined work and as I think about the work I do, my prayer is that I approach it with the same discipline and optimism as my mother continues to model.

Marcos Rios Sr. (Grandpa)

When I became a Christian, my relationship with my grandfather blossomed into something beautiful and unprecedented. Because of a language barrier, the extent of my conversations with grandpa were limited to small talk about the Mets or boxing. When I would see him, it would be for 5-10 minutes a visit (he lived down the block), and then I would give him a kiss on the cheek and then hang out in another part of the house. However, when I became a Christian, all of that changed. I found myself meeting with him 4-6 days a week for 2 or more hours talking about scripture, faith, Jesus, prayer or anything that had to do with the Bible. I had an insatiable desire to learn more about this new faith that I had and he had an insatiable desire to teach. His English was limited, but he worked extra hard to communicate and illustrate the truth of scripture to me. Our relationship took a lot of work due to our language barriers, but those 7 months spent with him before he passed away were instrumental in giving me a vision of how a man of God lived. Of all the things my grandfather taught me (with and without words), one thing that stands out is his love for Trinitarian theology. Since my time with him, my love for the mystery of Trinitarian theology has continued to deepen. I owe a debt of gratitude to my grandfather for that.

Carmen Rios (grandma)

While my conversations with my grandmother were limited as well due to a language barrier, her very presence modeled a life of someone committed to a deeply profound relationship with Christ. Of all the things she did (love for family, sacrificial living, caring for a tribe of grandkids everyday) my most enduring image of her is seeing her on her knees in prayer. It seemed like she prayed for hours at a time (and maybe she did). That she was a woman of prayer is an understatement. She seemed to live and breathe prayer. She also had a wonderful sense of humor that could disarm anyone. I’m grateful to have seen what a woman of prayer looks like at an early age.

Lydia Padilla (aunt)

My aunt, Lydia, has served as a mentor to me since I became a Christian. Actually, when I was a kid, she was my Sunday school teacher. Of all the great things she’s taught me, a couple of things stand out. Lydia (or Gigi, as we call her) has an uncanny sensitivity to the “movings of the spirit.” That is, she has an ability and intuition (discernment) to hear and follow what she believes God is speaking to her. On many occasions, she has been in tune with God and has prophetically spoken to people words straight from the heart of God. She also has an profound hunger to hear from God. I recall many times riding the train with her, and someone would get up to preach. Inside I’m saying, “Oh boy, here we go!” Yet, Gigi would be hearing with a whole different set of ears. The street preacher would say something simple like “Jesus loves you and died for you,” and Gigi would be visibly moved by these words. I’m thinking, “Don’t we know this already?” Her heart for God has inspired me to have a deep desire to hear from Him.

Minerva (aunt)

My aunt, Minerva, is another person who on many occasions mentored and shaped a significant season of my spiritual formation. I was fortunate to live in the same house as she did. My family lived on the 2nd floor, while her family lived on the 1st. Minerva, like Lydia, had and continues to have a profound desire for reading scripture, prayer and a love for the church. Every time I spend time with her, I am moved by her passion for God, as well as her faith-filled optimism in a God who can intervene in any situation. She, too, was one of my first Sunday School teachers and has modeled integrity and leadership in deeply penetrating ways. This is a prayer that Minerva taught me (and my cousins) as a child. I still recall the words, and as I continue to pray them as an adult, I’m moved by the depth of this prayer. Here it is:

Heavenly Father, we thank for this day, and we pray that you would give us a new heart and a new mind. Heal the sick, help the needy, uplift the fallen, free those in bondage. Guide us in our going out and our coming in. Until that day, when we come to see you face to face, until that day, may we be true to you.

Amen.

Why we can’t practice the presence of God like Brother Lawrence

Being on staff at New Life Fellowship under the leadership of Pete Scazzero has deepened and challenged my life of prayer. Since coming on staff 3 years ago, I have embraced the rhythms of monastic spirituality. Actually, monasticism and desert father spirituality has been a love of mine since my days in college. But being at New Life has helped me to cultivate this kind of life. In short, monastic spirituality means that our lives are slowed down and centered on being in communion with Christ. In a world that operates at a frenetic pace, and with the addiction of achievement, slowing down brings us to a place of centeredness and stillness before God. It gives us the opportunity to be present to God throughout the day.

This concept of being present to God during the day was really popularized by a guy named Brother Lawrence. Brother Lawrence was 17th century Carmelite monk who wrote a book that has crossed theological lines in the church. Mostly every leader I meet has read or heard about this little book. The concept is simple. In every activity that you are engaged in, remember that God is present, and offer your heart to God in prayer. So, if you’re washing the dishes, writing a paper or watching the Mets play (Lord, please help my Mets), we are to be present to God. Simple enough, right? Well, in my life and in the lives of people I have spoken to about this, this is one of the most difficult things to do.

As I’ve been thinking about this, I realized that people forget that Brother Lawrence lived in a unique context. As a result, his ability to “practice the presence of God” was more attainable because the structure and the rhythm of his life was built for this kind of communion. When followers of Jesus try to implement the practice of the presence of God in the way of Brother Lawrence, without the structure and rhythm of his life, it can easily lead to a life of perpetual disappointment and disconnection. The challenge, as I see it, is that Christians (especially western Christians) have tried to practice the presence of God as individuals, as opposed to how Lawrence modeled it. So, to unpack how Lawrence was able to practice God’s presence better than most of us, I want to highlight important factors:

1) He was a monk!

Brother Lawrence lived in a monastery. This ought to give us some insight into his life situation. For the last three years, I have spent time in St. Joseph’s Abbey, which is a Trappist Monastery in the Boston area. I spend 5-7 days hanging out with monks and observing their lives. Let’s just say this: It’s quite conducive to practice the presence of God when you live in that kind of environment. As we look at our lives, we have jobs to work, kids to raise, errands to run (this is not to negate the disciplined work of monks that they engage in daily). Here’s what I’m getting at: Being in this kind of environment helps to practice the presence of God.

2) He had fixed hours of prayer:

The monastic rhythm that Lawrence lived in required that he stop and pray multiple times a day. When I visit my monastic friends in Boston, I wake up at 3am to pray with them. Then I go to my room to study (or sleep!), then have breakfast, and pray with them again. I’m praying 5-7 times a day with them. When your life is structured in such a way, it makes it quite conducive to practicing God’s presence. The idea of these multiple times of prayer is to structure one’s life so that when one is “active” he or she is remembering God. In our world, because of life’s interruptions and our busy schedules, it’s almost impossible to regularly pray throughout the day. BUT, I do think it’s worth a try! As I’ve been reading Bonhoeffer’s biography, I was pleasantly surprised to see how much emphasis he put on fixed hours of prayer. If we had a doctor’s appointment at 3pm, we would arrange our schedules accordingly. This is the same concept with regard to practicing the presence of God. If we are going to do it in the way of Lawrence, it’s going to entail quite a shift in the way we schedule our calendars.

3) He prayed in community and in solitude:

Lawrence had a group of fellow monks with whom he would pray with during the fixed hours. Having this kind of support puts one in a better position to be in prayerful communion with God. Because he lived with these men, they were a constant source of accountability and support for him. In our day, we try to practice the presence of God in isolation. While we do need to create our own personal rhythm of communion, there’s something about praying regularly in community that brings a person to the place of practicing God’s presence.

So, what am I saying? I’m saying that followers of Jesus need to read Brother Lawrence with a new appreciation of his unique context, and attempt to contextualize his environment in our own unique settings.

So, here are my next steps. I’m asking God to help me to structure my life in such a way to be in communion with him 3-5 times a day (5-30 minute fixed hour prayer sessions). At New Life, we call this the Daily Office (latin for work of God). This is something that I practice quite often, but I have never built in the fixed hour component. Maybe I’ll fail miserably. Maybe I’ll won’t. All I know is that I want to be in communion with God.

I’m still trying to figure out how I can bring the monastery to the city, in terms of praying in community. This is a work in progress.

Plan my next visit to the monastery. This gives me a fresh vision of what it looks like to be in perpetual communion with God. It’s quite an experience. For a look at one of my monastic experiences, you can go here. Or here.

If you’d like more information about the Daily Office or on practicing the presence of God, I’d recommend you read this and this for starters. You can also join us for one of our contemplative services that we offer a couple of times a year.