An exercise for hearing God this Spring.

Posted on May 6, 2016May 3, 2016 by Matthew Laker

I was hiking with my family in a local marsh area and it was early spring. Things were still brown and there was a spring wind in the air keeping it cool.

As we started the trip I pulled my family together and instructed them that as we walk this trail, “I want you to look for things that remind you about Jesus.” Then we would talk about what we saw at supper when we got home.

As we walked we often paused to just take in the images, smells, and sounds. We would often pause and watch the birds come close and eat out of our hand. We saw the beginning of new growth and heard the sound of many frogs.

All of our lives are busy and often we pray and ask Jesus to be with us and guide us. This is a good prayer. However, I am becoming more aware that Jesus is already with us. We have just become deaf to his voice.

In this moment with my family I had three objectives. One was to just enjoy nature and spend some time together. Two was to help my kids begin to look for reminders of Jesus in the everyday. Three, to listen to what the Holy Spirit may have to say to me on the journey and as I listened to my kids share later. It was not an overly spiritual event, we just went for a walk and enjoyed it.

Later we drove home and prepared supper and at supper, I asked the question, so, “what did you see that reminded you of Jesus?”

A simple exercise for hearing God.

Go for a walk
Be open for reminders of Jesus. Some may want to pray inviting Jesus to speak and to give you the ability to see clearly. In the moment above, my family just went for a walk.
Enjoy nature, the sounds, the smells, and the images.
Quick reflection – two questions to ask

What did you see that reminded you of Jesus?
Why did do you need to be reminded about that?

This spring as you go about life, Jesus is with you. To enter, engage, and experience the life you were created for, take steps to listen to Jesus in the every day of life.

My experience has been often that he is not calling us to something new, but reminding us who he is and who we are.

What is your favourite place to go for a walk? How do you best hear God in your life?

Thinking about Sabbath Rest

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Matthew Laker

In the summer of 2015 I had to take some leave time from work. It was a time for self-care and restoring. I remember sitting in a canoe with my fishing rods. Often when I fish the time is also filled with reflection and prayer. I remember asking God, what do you want me to do this summer? Should I read a book, or go somewhere, or do something? Then the thought came, do nothing, just sit with me. In that statement was the idea of sitting with Jesus, and taking a break from work.

Psalm 23:1-2 says “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.”

We live in a 24/7 world. I still have this small memory where things were closed one day a week. In my lifetime I have watched how in Canada the general workforce in a lot of areas has moved away from working five days and having two days off to many working 6-7 days a week. At the same time, North America, as a society, has seen an increase in the percentage of people who suffer from depression and anxiety.

In scripture, there is a rhythm for God’s people to practise. For Jesus followers, this is not a salvation issue. God is not going to reject you because you do not keep this rhythm.

At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, he started by declaring that he is the “LORD of the Sabbath” and the meaning of the day (Matthew 12:8; Luke 4:21). In a sense the Sabbath was a stop day from work, it was a day for restoring.

When we look at the Sabbath we can become legalistic and create all kinds of boundaries around the pattern and forget the intent of the law. It’s not about keeping it, (although in a way it is), but it is really about restoring and trusting God. I am beginning to understand that that part of the Sabbath is not just about rest or restoring, but growing my trust in Jesus.

What if Sabbath is meant to be a refuge and not a prison?

There is much research out there now that is building a strong case for the need to slow down and take rest. In my personal life, I have gained wisdom through experience about the need to have a stop day–the need to just sit with Jesus at various times in our life.

The challenge is understanding what work is. Work has changed over time and is different for many. The Sabbath is about taking rest from the work we do. It is taking a break from the regular work of our daily week.

In my life I have seen that by taking a break from the routine of work/commerce has helped to build relationships with my kids, to the point that they anticipate a certain activity that has become a tradition for us. I have seen how it can help restore my physical body. I have found benefits to my mental capacity. I have found benefits in my spiritual walk and often I will take extra time in my prayer and meditation. During this time, I will often take the time to look both back and forward in my life.

I have lots to learn from this practice and believe me, I am not where I think I should be. However, Sabbath rest is something I see in scripture that can help us enter, engage and experience the life we were created for.

I would love to hear about your experience in this area and any lessons you have learned. Do you have a question about Sabbath?

Is Lent Biblical

Posted on March 16, 2016March 3, 2022 by Matthew Laker

Is Lent Biblical?

When we ask that question what we are wanting to know is, is Lent a practise that Jesus said we must do?

The bottom line is no. Nowhere in the bible do we find Jesus instructing us to follow Lent.

So, why then would we take part in the practise?

Lent generally is a time for followers of Jesus to reflect, repent, pray, fast and give. These are part of what we may call spiritual disciplines. Commonly Lent is held by those in the Catholic, Anglican, or Lutheran-influenced Christian traditions and many of the different Christian traditions observe it in different ways.

Someone who opposes Lent may say “Lent is just a tradition created by man.” That would be a correct statement. However, it is a tradition with the intent to make disciples. The core of it is to point people to Jesus. It is not a salvation issue or maturity meter.

Jesus said, “teach them to obey my commands.”

Yes, Jesus did not say you should practise Lent. However, I have come to see Lent as a system that could help us accomplish the mission of Jesus. Yes in many circles perhaps we have not used it to its full potential. For some, they have not had good experiences with Lent, but when I look at Lent, I see connections to growing our own faith and other’s.

One may ask, “but are not the spiritual disciples we find in Lent part of our regular routine of following Jesus?”

The quick answer is yes. However like Jesus taking a 40 day time of fasting, there is value in a focused set time of seeking Jesus.

My experience has shown me that Lent can be this great set time of discipleship to help people align their life with Jesus. Like when building muscle you need to stress the muscle then release it and let it rest. Lent can serve as a time to focus and to stress the muscle of faith in order to build it. So Lent can be used to build the foundations of good habits/spiritual disciplines that are to be part of one’s life.

Is Lent instructed by Jesus to do? No, it is not.

Is Lent useful in discipleship? I believe it can be.

Do you have to practise Lent? No, you do not.

Can Lent serve as an avenue to build spiritual muscle? Yes.

http://lentapathway.teachable.com/p/beginners-guide-to-lent

What is Ash Wednesday?

Posted on February 10, 2016January 3, 2020 by Matthew Laker

What is Ash Wednesday?

Ash Wednesday is the start of Lent. Lent is the season before Holy Week (Easter) used to examine our desires and realign ourselves with God. Many churches will host an Ash Wednesday service on Ash Wednesday.

The first time I experienced an Ash Wednesday service I was on staff at a church that practised it. As far as I remember I never took part in any such service growing up. This was a new experience for me and was a little strange and different. One of the strange elements was the putting on of ashes.

The big symbol of Ash Wednesday is the “Ash”.

At some point in the service people come forward and the leader with ash on their finger makes a cross on the forehead of the individual. As the ash is placed on the forehead the leader says, “Remember that you are ashes, and unto ashes shall you return.”

The ash is a visible reminder of our own mortality and need for repentance. It is a reminder of our sin and the need for a saviour. The making of the cross on the forehead is a reminder that death is not the end. In that moment, we are reminded of the sacrifice and mercy and love that God has given. It is a call to transformation over the Lent season moving away from death in our life to life in Christ.

The Ash Wednesday services are a great way to:

1. Connect with our rich heritage.

2. Contemplate our own sin.

3. Contemplate your own death.

4. Connect and draw close to Jesus through the experience of communion, putting on of ashes, prayers, music and community.

Ash Wednesday can be a great tool in enriching our spiritual journey and in the discipling of others in the way of Jesus.

If the lent season is not part of your journey consider embracing it this year as a way to further deepen your walk with Jesus.

Looking for a resource on beginning with lent? Check out these posts here.

4 Reasons Why Evernote can help your Bible Study

Posted on January 15, 2016January 10, 2016 by Matthew Laker

Ever sat and listened to a speaker and taken notes, only to misplace them?

bible5 Have you ever been part of a smaller group, or master group, where you are reading/studying something together and are looking for a place to keep your notes? Have you ever been doing your own bible study and have notes all over the place?

I used to have so many little pieces of paper shoved in my bible from insights I picked up from various locations. Then they would fall out and everything would be completely disorganized. I have found that Evernote can help with all this.

[sh_quote]Evernote is a great tool to help with your Bible Study.[/sh_quote]

In 2013, I decided to do a personal trail run with a software called Evernote . Evernote is a free note-taking software and for most people all you will need is the free version. They do offer an upgrade that is not too much, which I upgraded to about a year after my trail run, but it is not necessary for everyone. Evernote works on multiple devices and you can sync your notes across each device.

There are many uses for Evernote, one great perk being note-taking for bible studies, or notes when listening to a sermon.

Here are four ways Evernote can help you take your bible study to the next level.

1. One place

You can keep all of those thoughts and notes together. For a long time I had so many little notes jammed in my bible that they would fall out and I would lose them. Evernote lets me keep my notes in one place.

2. Organized

You can create several different notebooks in what they call “stacks”. This lets you have notebooks inside notebooks. The advantage of this is you could have a stack notebook called “sermons”. Then in there, you could have a notebook called “2016 sermons”. Then inside of that notebook, you create notes. Then on Sunday, or whenever you are listening to a sermon, you open this up and create a note in the notebook for that day. You tag and give it a title and it is there for you. You could even create a notebook stack called “bible study” and in there have notebooks for each book of the bible or even themes.

3. Recall

Let’s say you are talking with someone or studying and want to recall some information. You can search for words and find your notes. Evernote has a tagging feature that makes searching even easier. I strongly suggest using descriptive tags that will easily narrow down what you are looking for. Another help for the recall is good notebook organizing.

4. Mobile

This has become one of the greatest reasons why I love this program — I can use it on my phone wherever I am. Then when I am home, I can sync it on my wi-fi. I can then bring it up on my laptop and use my notes however I want.

Evernote can be a great tool to help take your bible studying to the next level. If you do not have Evernote, it is free and you can follow this link to sign up and download.