So what do you do when you find yourself up a tree? You climb down, of course.
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As a Spiritual Father, I am often asked about a plan to follow for Scripture reading. I am a proponent of daily Scripture reading no matter how much or how little you do each day as long as you do something. Our entire spiritual life is based on Scripture and although I appreciate the works of the fathers and mothers of the Church, we have no hope of understanding what they are writing about if we do not have a grasp of Scripture.
I am not one for memorizing the odd phrase here and there as that does nothing to expand our knowledge of Scripture that is what is important. I recommend a study Bible such as the Orthodox Study Bible for the footnotes that help explain what we are reading but again reading is what is important.
So what do we read? I have three suggestions
You can sign up for my free daily readings email that will send the daily readings from the Orthodox lectionary, plus a quote from the fathers and mothers of the church, each day. This plan is a very convenient way to start to read Scripture as it puts them right in front of you on your computer or mobile device. Having the readings delivered daily to your inbox takes all of the guesswork out of what to read, and it will take you no more than 10 minutes to read.
The second suggestion is the plan that I follow and will take a bit longer to complete. Read one chapter from the Gospels and one chapter from the Epistles and group of Psalms that is called in Orthodoxy the Kathisma. This plan takes some time but is designed to read through the entire New Testament. Completing the Gospels and the Epistles as well, and the reading of the Psalms repeatedly.
The third suggestion takes more time and is much more involved, but it is well worth the time and effort however it does take some practice, the ancient monastic practice of Lectio Divina or Divine Reading. The idea here is to pray with the Scripture. Not merely reading Scripture for reading sake or even to accomplish a significant amount of reading. It’s reading a passage over and again so it becomes a part of you. It’s like savoring a fine wine when it rolls around in your mouth, so the taste permeates our entire being. I write about this practice in my book, Listening to the Heartbeat of God.
Try to remember that it does not matter what plan we follow. These are three suggestions, and there are many more plans out there, it matters that we begin to read the Scriptures and make them a part of our daily lives.
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The entirety of the spiritual life is based upon our desire to change our lives. Maybe this comes after a tragic event in our lives or a realization that we cannot continue to go in the same direction. Perhaps we just decide that we want to be more tuned in with our spiritual life. Whatever the reason, the desire to change is the first step.
This past Sunday in my parish we began the five preparation weeks prior to the start of Great Lent. It is hard to believe that Great Lent is only five weeks away – after all, we have just finished with the Christmas season – but here it comes. The Orthodox Church gives us these five weeks to prepare us for the preparation. I like to say that in Orthodoxy we prepare to prepare and then we prepare, well, I think that is true in life as well, especially the spiritual life.
On this first of the five weeks we read the story of a man named Zacchaios (or Zacchaeus) from the Gospel of St. Luke. Not much is known about this man other than that he is rich. He hears that Jesus is coming to his town and he wants to go out and see him. The Gospel tells us that he climbs a tree because he is “small in stature” – in this way he can see Jesus. Jesus comes by, sees Zacchaios in the tree, calls him down, and goes and has a meal with him in his house. This event changes his life.
There are many symbolic meanings in Scripture and this passage is no different – in fact it is filled with symbolic meaning. The fact that Zacchaios is small in stature is brought to light as way to show that he was a man that was short on faith and virtue. As his story unfolds the reader learns that he has cheated many people and he wishes to make amends for that by giving back what he owes to those he has cheated. I will add here that no one else in Scripture is described this way, so this is an important symbol.
Because he is short he needs to climb a nearby tree in order to see Jesus as He passes by. In Orthodoxy we have practical meanings and theological meanings to things like this tree. Practically Zacchaios needed to climb the tree to see but symbolically this was to show that it is we who are attached to or anchored down by earthly matters and concerns, and thus we will not be able to see Jesus. One of the prayers of the Orthodox Liturgy calls us to lay aside all the earthly cares of life that we may receive the King of all. We cannot climb the tree of faith if we have an anchor around us holding us down to the ground.
Much emphasis is placed on the fact that Jesus is going to “pass that way.” Zacchaios knows ahead of time the route that Jesus is going to take so he intentionally gets himself to that place. He goes out to see Jesus – he does not wait for Jesus to come to him – he goes to meet Jesus. While in that tree Jesus approaches him and bids him to come down. The intentional act of climbing the tree shows that Zacchaios is willing to repent for his past sins and believe. Jesus recognizes this, as He does in all of us, and bids us to follow Him.
When they come to the house of Zacchaios for the meal, he makes the pledge to give half of what he owns to the poor and to make restitution to those he has cheated. He is fulfilling the law by helping those in need but he takes it a step further by seeking out those he has harmed. Saying that we are sorry is not always enough and it needs to be followed by action. Our faith is not a static faith; it is a faith that requires us to do something. Zacchaios needed to give back to those he cheated as a mark of penance for the wrongs he had committed. Understanding that this is not always wise or possible, we need to approach this one with extreme care.
In the end Jesus says that “salvation has come to this house” and that Zacchaios is a son of Abraham for his righteousness came by his faith, he was generous to the poor, and he was united to the people of God through reconciliation. This is our goal – to be called sons and daughters of Abraham, and it all starts with the desire to change. Climb that tree, for Jesus is passing by!
There is an old leadership principal that you cannot lead other until you can lead yourself. In the Scriptures, there are admonitions that bishop be the husband of one wife, have no debt, etc. The idea behind this is that is our lives are a mess we will not be effective leaders of others. Those of us called to lead, unfortunately, are held to a higher standard than those we lead. If we wish to be in leadership, and we don’t want our lives under a microscope, then perhaps we need to find another profession.
I have begun to read a book about the leadership style of Civil War General Robert E. Lee. For me, this satisfies two areas of interest, the Civil War and leadership. I do believe there are many leadership lessons to be learned by military leaders of the past, as well as the present, so this book piqued my curiosity as soon as I saw the title.
The authors lays out three principles of leadership; self-awareness, putting others first, and do what your conscience dictates. The author then proceeds to describe the leadership of Lee under these characteristics with self-awareness being first on the list.
“I cannot consent to place in the control of others one who cannot control himself.”
This was the axiom that Lee lived by and how he led during his long and distinguished career. Lee, like most of the men of his day, was raised in the Anglican tradition, and it was through this tradition that he became self-aware. He had a belief in original sin, and this taught him to expect the failure of humans. He believed that the more one worked on defeating the base passions in our lives, the better we would become. As a gentleman, he thought that he had an obligation to do better and when, not if, he failed he needed to learn the lessons of that failure and put them into practice in the future.
Lee knew that if he wanted to lead by example and to inspire the respect of those he was leading, he was going to have to fulfill the ideal of a person who was aware of his failings and learned from them. Failure is not a defeat it is a time to learn. Sometimes the lessons we have to learn are painful but they are necessary if we are not going to fail again.
Self-awareness is tied to self-denial. Writing to his wife on the raising of their son he said, “teach him he must deny himself.” This lesson comes straight out of the religious upbringing that Lee had as an Anglican, self-denial, never putting one’s self first, always thinking of others before you. This is the second principal of leadership that will be discussed in a later essay. However, it is tied to self-awareness as well.
A successful leader must be self-disciplined, and this self-discipline comes first from knowing and understanding ourselves. Getting to know one’s self is not easy and perhaps is a painful exercise but if this is not accomplished one will not be an effective leader. Knowing one’s weaknesses and faults and working to overcome them is not weakness but strength. Sometimes we think we can do it all when in actuality we cannot.
In my particular religious tradition self-knowledge comes through prayer and work with a spiritual guide. The spiritual guide is not one who has all of the answers he is the one who has all of the questions. Self-knowledge does not come from the outside, but the inside, leadership begins on the inside and then, and only then, moves out.
The work of the spiritual guide or coach if you are not an especially religious person guides us, with a series of questions, to discover the answers for ourselves. The guide pushes us to go deeper into our lives of the past, our lives of the present, and perhaps our lives of the future. The guide helps us discover for ourselves the weaknesses that we have so we can overcome them and work out a plan.
Lee was an amazing military strategist, but he only had one set of eyes. He needs those around his to inform him of the ever-changing landscape and how best to use the resources that he had available at the time. He did not surround himself with “yes men” but with men who were not afraid to speak up and offer suggestions that might make the plan better and run smoother. The mark of a true leader is to know that they do not know and to find people work with them who have that knowledge.
I have started to change the way I think about food and what I eat. I actually started a few months ago but I gave up because I really did not know what to make. In talking with others about this a book was recommended to me, It Starts with Food. The book focuses on changing the way we think about food. So with that in mind I set off to find some great tasking recipes and I found a real winner with this one. Trying to reduce, or eliminate the amount of grains I am eating this one is great. Use this when you would use rice or couscous although I have not tried it in soups or other dishes that would require it to simmer.
This is based on a recipe I found on the website Nom Nom Paleo Do not over spice this dish let the cauliflower be the star.
1 small head of cauliflower (coarsely chopped)
1 small onion, chopped finely (I used some frozen onion I had in the freezer)
2 tablespoons butter (I used Smart Balance)
1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil (I used olive oil)
Kosher salt to taste (remember let the cauliflower be the star)
Black pepper to taste
1. Chop up the cauliflower and place it in a food processor
2. Pulse until it reaches to consistency of rice, about 2 minutes
3. Saute the onions until translucent, in the butter and olive oil, salt to taste
4. Add the cauliflower to the pan and mix well to incorporate the onions and fat.
5. Enjoy!
In the comments let me know if you tried it and what you thought.
Here is the book
On January 7, 2015, radical Islamist gunmen entered the offices of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and killed twelve employees including several cartoonists. The magazine had published several cartoons over the years of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the radical Islamists were there to exact revenge for the cartoons that they claim were disparaging to their faith. These attacks set off a conversation around the world about free speech and if there are limits to what can or should be said.
On his most recent papal trip to the Philippines, Pope Francis was asked for his thoughts on freedom of speech and freedom of expression and the question was put to him should there be limits. In answer to the question he joked with his spokespersons saying that if he said some “bad words” about his mother he should expect a punch. This was a good illustration of the point he was trying to make.
“One should not use freedom of expression to provoke or offend others deliberately, and we should not be surprised when they react to such taunts.” Now I don’t think His Holiness was making an excuse for the terrorists who murdered the employees of Charlie Hebdo, but I believe what he was saying is that with freedom comes immense responsibility.
There are some very fundamental human rights of which freedom of religion and freedom of speech top the list. As an American I hold these freedoms sacred and would be willing to sacrifice everything, including my life, to guard these freedoms. Wars have been fought over these very same freedoms and, I hate to admit it, will continue to be fought. I believe that the securing of these freedoms is so fundamental to human life that is has become a national security issue for the United States as well as a moral imperative. But this is not easy to achieve.
In response to the events of last year in Ferguson, Missouri and New York City, a group of protesters chained themselves to barrels filled with cement on two major roadways in and out of Boston. This “stunt” snarled traffic and prevented at least one ambulance, with a critically injured person on board, from reaching the hospital. Now, I fully support anyone’s right to protest – after all America was founded on protest – however, that right and freedom to protest comes with responsibility. The person trying to get to work to put food on their table, or the patient in the back of ambulance trying to get to hospital, had very little to do with the events that were being protested, and in my belief the protesters did more harm than good to their cause. Does your freedom give you the right to impinge on my freedom?
It has been said that your right to swing your fist ends where my nose begins. Placing another life in jeopardy and preventing hard-working people from being able to get to work is over the top and all that stunt did was put more lives at risk. Freedom was dealt a blow on that highway last week – a blow it may never recover from.
We are so blessed in America that we live a relatively free life compared to others in this world we live in. But the responsibility that is attached to that freedom can be staggering at times. We need to exercise that freedom with caution. As Pope Francis said in the quote I used at the start of this essay, “One should not use freedom of expression to provoke or offend others deliberately.” Now I will admit there is a fine line between what I might think is offensive and someone else might think is offense, but ask yourself this question: What is the purpose of saying what I am going to say or doing what I am going to do? Is it to cause harm and bring someone down or it is it for educational purposes? Pointing out where someone or something is wrong is fine but we can carry that too far. I am a Christian and I make no apologies for that. I believe that Jesus Christ is the ONLY way and that unless you are a follower of Him, then you are lost. To me that is an undeniable truth – if that offends you, well I guess that is just too bad. I do not say this to degrade your faith, or lack of faith, or your religion. I say this because I believe it to be the truth. I will not kill you if you don’t agree, but at the same time I will not apologize for it.
In the end it all comes down to our motivation. What do we hope to gain by what we do or say? The magazine Charlie Hebdo is a magazine based on satire and that involves poking fun at things – everything, as a matter of fact. They have a right to print what they wish to print and you have a right to be upset about it, but when your right to be upset causes you to kill someone that is when you have crossed the line.
The training of leaders today is a multi-billion dollar industry, but what are the qualities that we look for in leadership?
The last few weeks I have been writing a lot about action, make a plan, look in the mirror, and other such essays on how to get motivated to get things done. But, too much activity can be just as bad as not enough activity. We need to lean to pause every now and again to, as the old saying goes, “stop and smell the roses.”
But more important it the pause allows us to check to see that we are still one course. If we are moving full speed ahead the gentle course corrections become harder to make because it is not always obvious that we have drifted off course. The pause, or a time to slow down just a little, will allow us to see when these corrections need to me made.
In his book, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, John Maxwell lays out the 4 benefits of the pause.
“Experience is the teacher of all things.” I have started to program of intentional reflection of my life and of my leadership direction. I am reflecting on the past to so I can dwell on the past but so I can see where I made mistakes, and also where I had success, and to learn from all of it. The past will not dictate our future, or at least it shouldn’t, but it can guide us as we move forward. Taking the time to reflect will take the experiences that we have had and give us some insight into our strengths and our weaknesses and guide us to making corrections. Every experience should be one that we learn from. Learning from the past will enable to grow into the future.
This is a valuable lesson that we all need to learn. The church tradition I follow has built into the calendar several times during the year when we slow down. Two of the major ones come right before Christmas and right before Easter. These are intentional times on the calendar when the world is moving quickly but we are being asked to slow down and contemplate the season we are about to enter. This helps us refocus our attention spiritually, but an intentional time of pause, or a time away, can do amazing things for our life in general. I am not talking about vacation where we sometimes are busier than we are when we are home, this is an intentional time away, call it a retreat of you like, a time of rest and refreshment but also a little time for reflection. This can be done alone or with the team. It can be for a few hours or for a few days. I would suggest a place away from the distractions of work and that all outside communication is cut off so the focus can be totally on the task at hand.
On a personal note, I try to take time twice a year, although the last few years I have been lucky to be able to take one time, to go away to a monastery for a few days and power down. I spend the first day napping and walking and just relaxing and then the work begins. I take a book with me that I want to read and study, and spend the next few days relaxing and studying but also reflecting on where I have been and where I am going. These times have been very rewarding for me and I think if you take the time you will find them rewarding as well. You might say “I don’t have the time.” I say, “you have to make the time.”
This comes right out of the last one. All of the great thinkers of the world spent time alone. After a day of teaching and healing Jesus would go off by Himself to pray and to recharge in order to face what was coming the next day.
Several years ago I was granted a mini sabbatical from the church. I had just come off a very difficult situation in my life and I need to recharge and refocus and I knew there was no way that was going to happen while continuing the daily work of running the Church. I am grateful for the time away and for the fact that the lay leadership of the Church recognized the power associated with such a break. We do not always have the ability to take several weeks off to do what I did but we can make the time in small bites right in our own world.
Each of us needs to create a quiet place that we can go and be alone to think and, as I mentioned in the previous point, to slow down. Use this time to figure out what is really important and what is not. Henri Nouwen said, “When you are able to create a lonely place in the middle of your actions and concerns, your success and failures slowly can lose some of their power over you.”
Unlike the previous example where I suggested going away for a few days, this can a time of an hour or so or maybe a half day, that just be alone with yourself.
There are four I’s that will help us form a direction:
Investigation – We do not just stop and smell the roses but we stop and figure them out. What makes the rose smell so nice? How does this rose grow and what kind of soil is it in? Continual growth comes from asking questions about ourselves and our situation.
Incubation – I am not a great one for taking time to do things. I am a judgmental thinker where I want the decisions behind me so I can move on with the task at hand. I need to learn to slow down and really give thought to decisions and the outcomes prior to implementation. It has been said that we want slow cooker decisions not microwave decisions. There is one problem to watch for here, slow cooker decisions can often lead to procrastination so we have to be on guard for that.
Illumination – This comes when the slow cooker is on and the smells of what is cooking start to permeate the house. By allowing the idea to simmer we allow it to permeate our entire being and we are able to see if from all angles not just one or two. It becomes part of us and we let it dwell in us and in the end it is a much more satisfying result.
Illustration – If the foundation is not strong the rest of the structure will fail. This is as true in business and it is in our personal and spiritual life. The time we take in preparation is far more important than the time we will take to actually implement the plan.
This past summer the house I live in was painted. It is a rather large building; it includes not only my house but the parish hall and a small chapel, so it took some time for the painters to complete their work. I would guess that 75% of that time was spent in the preparation work of scraping, sanding, and cleaning up. After all of that work was done the painting began. But before a drop of paint touched the building the preparation work had to be complete. If this was done the paint would fail over a period of time. Spending time in preparation will have rewards that cannot be measured at the time but will become very certain in hindsight.
Slowing down and taking time to reflect is extremely important in all aspects of our lives. We move at 90 MPH each day and because we move that fast we tend to miss important details that may help us to find our destination. Take the time and slow down I think you will find the rewards worth the effort.
In my last article I asked a question about the legacy that we are leaving behind and how would people remember us. This week I am following up on that question with another that deal with how we see ourselves, after all if we do not like ourselves it will be hard for us to like others.
In the Snow White story, the Queen stands before her magic mirror and asks, “Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?” The usual response from the mirror is, “My Queen, you are the fairest in the land.” This response makes the Queen very happy until the day Snow White reaches the age of seven and it all changes. The mirror responds that the Queen is no longer the fairest in the land and that she has been replaced by another.
Although this is a fairytale, for some this is real life. What do we see looking back at us from that mirror in the morning? Do we like what we see, and by that I do not mean the externals, but what do we see on the inside? Are we at peace with ourselves or are we hanging on to something from our past that tarnishes the image of ourselves. All of these questions can affect our self-worth and as much as I speak about forgiveness of others we need to begin with forgiving ourselves. Here are a few tips to help us move towards self-forgiveness.
We need to guard ourselves against self-talk. Each day we carry on an internal conversation, or if you are like me this conversation takes place out loud. Do you encourage yourself or are you hard on yourself? Sometimes we are our own worst critic and we never have anything nice to say about ourselves. In their book The Answer, John Assaraf and Murray Smith write about the negative messages children receive when growing up. By the time we are seven years old we have heard “no you can’t” on average 150,000 times and “yes you can” about 5,000 times. That comes out to 30 nos for every yes. That is powerful. Change the conversation and focus on what is good in your life.
One of the other techniques that will help us along this road is to stop comparing ourselves to others. This is a needless distraction that will amount to nothing in the end. We are all different people and we all experience things in different ways and to compare ourselves to others put an unfair burden on us. Compare yourself to yourself from a month or a year ago and see where you are now compared to where you were then.
When I speak with people about how they feel about themselves, the conversation often turns to integrity. After all when you strip it all away all we have left is our integrity. Scripture tells us to “let your yes be yes and your no be no.” We need to do the right thing even if it is not popular and we need to be true to our values and to ourselves. Positive character will expand into all areas of our lives and standing up for what we believe will give us great confidence and positive feelings about everything that we do.
Celebrate the small victories that come along in our lives. Maybe you have decided to lose some weight or start an exercise program. Maybe you have decided to go back to school or read a book, whatever it is celebrate the loss of one pound, one page, or one class. Don’t wait for the final victory to celebrate do it each day. When I started college I was of an advanced age compared to the rest of those in my class. I was standing at the starting line looking toward the end, four years away, and getting very discouraged. I decided to modify my direction and pointed myself to a two year degree and once that was completed to another two years and before I knew it the four years were completed. Small victories get us through.
There is so much more that could be said about this and perhaps I will continue in future articles however transformation begins each day, make a point of looking at those qualities that you like and make a list of them. Focus on the positive in your life and celebrate the small victories as them come along and don’t worry about what others are doing; you are you and not them. Stand up for what you believe and don’t let “the crowd” dictate your beliefs. Do all of these things, daily, and you will be on the right road to a better image of yourself.
The first installment of my new Video Cast, In the Truck