Reflections

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works?  Can faith save you?  If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?  So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.”  James 2:14-17

Last week, my pastor gave a sermon on these verses in the Bible.  It is not so amazing that he gave a sermon, as he does so every week; but this sermon was indeed so crazy amazing that I just had to blog about it.  I have no doubt that the Holy Spirit had a hand in the writing of that sermon, as it seemed to take on a life of its own.  After all, how can such a short verse in the Bible convict me to my very core and move me to a place of such great understanding?   It also reminded me of an incident that took place just a few short weeks ago on the parking lot of Wal-Mart.

I tell this story, not to boast; as frankly, I do not bode particularly well in it.  However, I use it to illustrate the point of this verse.  One evening, as I was leaving the Dollar store (on the parking lot of Wal-Mart), I was getting into my car.  I had $6.00 in my bank account and had gone to the Dollar store to pick up a loaf of bread and some jelly to go with the peanut butter in our pantry.   It was a few days until payday and just needed a couple of things to tide us over.  I had also gotten a couple of non-food items as well.  My account was now most certainly close to $0.  I got into my car and out of nowhere, a man appeared on the driver’s side.  He was missing many teeth, filthy and I believe, genuinely homeless.  I was scared since it was getting dark and he had literally appeared out of nowhere.  He motioned to his mouth; a sign that he was hungry.  I shook my head, pulled out of my spot and drove away.  As I was driving away, I immediately began to think about this man.  He seemed sincere.  More importantly, he probably targeted me because I was wearing a cross – a sign of a Christian.  Yet, my actions did not speak of my faith.  They spoke of my fear.  I did not trust God in this circumstance.

Our church gives away food bags and I was wishing I had one in my car.   I would like to think, I would have handed him the bag.  But I didn’t have one.   I began to think of the cross that was now most certainly weighing as heavily in my heart as on my neck.  I was convicted by the Holy Spirit and that hurt.  Did I go back and give him my food?  It was bread and jelly and I had no money for more.  But how would he put a sandwich together without a knife?   And my boys would do without.  It was certainly a dilemma.  I decided I would go home and put together my own food bag.  I live a couple of miles from Wal-Mart, so I went home and made two peanut butter sandwiches, put in two bottles of water and a couple of pieces of fruit.  Then, I drove back in search of that man.  I prayed to God that if he was sincere, for there are many in Las Vegas that aren’t, that I would find the man.  I circled the parking lot twice, looking in nooks and crannies of the buildings, as well as the adjoining parking lot.  I also took a slow turn around the main drag in hopes of finding him.  Nope, he was nowhere.  I had not been gone more than 10 minutes, and yet, he had moved on to a different place.  So had I.  I now realized that my faith was sorely lacking.  I took one look at that man and judged him.  And I didn’t like the reflection I saw in myself.

I’m certain it was no small coincidence that this week our pastor talked about faith.  It was a profound sermon.  Again, I was convicted in my spirit.  In the sermon, our pastor pointed out that James asks, “Can faith save you?”  We know it can.  Yet, even demons professed Jesus to be the Messiah – but are they saved?  However, the key question in this verse is not whether professing Jesus is our Lord that will save us, but “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works?”  It is here that James convicts us.  James acknowledges what Paul says regarding faith, which is that it can save you.  However, his question gives the supposition that works are a reflection of our faith as well.  James is, in essence, giving us a definition of “true faith” versus “false faith”.  After all, anyone can profess that Jesus is Lord – even the demons did it.  Professing, however, is only the first step.  We need to act in a way as the body of Christ, so that we impact the lives of others.  It must be a reflection of our belief in God.  How does this happen?  Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.”  Hmmm, what does it mean to have the fruits of the Spirit?

Once we profess Jesus as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts.  The fruits of the Spirit flow freely from our heart, which not only changes our lives, but the lives of those we come in contact with; we begin to make an impact.  We no longer just profess our beliefs but we begin to act upon them.  These experiences bless others with our gifts of the Holy Spirit, which in turn begins a flow of blessings; we bless others, who hopefully will see a reflection of the Holy Spirit in us.  They in turn, bless others.  Imagine throwing a rock in a lake...it creates a rippling effect.  So it is with the fruits of the Spirit.  It’s a beautiful cycle and what James speaks of; a kind of “paying it forward”.

So I guess the question now becomes, how can we act on our faith?  How can we allow the fruits of the Spirit to work so that they bless others, and so others can see a reflection of the love we have of Christ in us?  Each and every one of us is different.  I thought I was a good Christian until that day I met a stranger and realized how very short I fall.  Yet, I know God still loves me and will continue to build me up in the body of Christ.  Yes, I tripped and fell, but picked myself up and dusted myself off.  As I look in the mirror, I see a changed person; less judgmental and even more willing to step up and show others that being a Christian is more than lip service.  That's the reflection I see in my spirit – what do you see in yours? 

 

 

Who Put the Oola-la Back in my Life?

A few months ago, when I was going through my divorce, I joined Twitter at the urging of a colleague.  I saw no purpose in Twitter, really.  I mean, who can talk in 140 characters or less?  Certainly not me!  However, he told me that I could check all the news channels rather quickly for the headlines.  Well, that DID appeal to me.  I don’t generally watch the news but would like to know should there ever be a comet headed to earth so I can duck and cover.   And so I subscribed…unbeknownst to me that I would actually encounter some folks who would genuinely change my life!

I don’t know how I became Twitter-friends with Dr. Troy Amdahl or Dr. Dave Braun, who go by the monikers OolaGuru and OolaSeeker, respectively.  It must’ve been a retweet of a retweet of a retweet or some such thing.  What I do know is that they have written an incredible book about a way of life that they refer to as “Oola”.

 Now, when I first heard of this, I thought this must be some sort of New Age-y thinking or a new religion (move over Scientology) or something just not particularly kosher.  However, I asked Dr. Dave about it and he explained the basic philosophy.   He also told me they had a website and a book.   Again, not entirely convinced, I went to the website, www.OolaLife.com   I also checked out the book.  I was really looking to see what it was they were promoting.  I am what I consider a strong Christian and wanted to make sure that their philosophy aligned with my beliefs.  If it didn’t-- forget it-- I wasn’t interested.  However, I kept watching them on Twitter; their tweets, the quotes they chose, and even checked out their webpage.   Frankly, nothing seemed out of the ordinary or more importantly, out of line with my religious doctrine.  One day, I decided I needed to take a closer look.  I am, if nothing else, someone who believes in not being judgmental.  I bought their book, “Oola: Find Balance in an Unbalanced World.”   I was curious but no quite sure what to expect.

 What I discovered was an incredibly well written book in which the authors share the most intimate details of their lives and how Oola can enhance anyone's belief system.  The two men are like a ying and yang of one another.  Both seem to balance the other, making for a symbiotic friendship.  One can feel the camaraderie between the two.  However, that is just the icing on the cake.  Dr. Dave tells a gritty tale of where he was at one of the most significantly low periods in his life and how Dr. Troy, his former mentor, helped him get back on his feet.  But this blog is more than a book review.  It really is the importance of the OolaLife.  You see, I don’t often put myself out there and promote anything.  I don’t honestly feel it’s my place.  However, this is something that I believe in and that has truly helped move me beyond a life of the ordinary – and, it’s moving me into a place of the extraordinary.

By using the book, I learned about the 7 key areas in life that they identify and the key to Oola is to find balance.  One of my key areas is faith.  That will never change no matter what, and is a big reason why I am able to speak out about Oola.  You see, faith is an important component of Oola – as important as you want it to be – and that’s what I like about it.  However, there are also 6 other key areas that they identify. 

Presently, I am drawing up a plan for my life.  And yes, I do believe you need one.  You cannot reach your goals if you do not set any.  And that’s where Oola comes in.  It helps you not only lay out a plan for your life, but helps you determine how to balance those 7 key areas.  That’s the Oola in the Oola –la of your life.  In short, it’s what makes our lives awesome!  And as just an aside, 7 is the number for completeness in the Christian faith.

A few months ago, after my divorce, I was only about faith and family.  That is truly awesome and I am so thankful to God.  However, through Oola, I also realized that there are other areas of my life in which I needed to build upon.  So using my strengths, I began to build up my weaknesses.  I do it all the time with the special needs kiddos I work with – so why not do it for myself?

Currently, I am working on having some fun in my life; something that I had not experienced in years.  And believe me, requires some practice on my part.  It is not easy to go out and have fun; particularly if you have gone through something particularly painful in your life.  However, I decided that was an area I wanted to increase and needed to increase.  Some may refer to fun as joy.  Fun does not mean you have to go out and party every night; rather, it needs to be something meaningful to you and maybe even incorporate some other aspect of your life such as family.  For me, fun right now is getting together with friends for coffee or dinner once a week or watching a movie with my family on a Saturday night.  It does not have to be extravagant; it just has to be…well, fun!  Through Oola, I have not just experienced joy but actually developed deeper relationships and friendships, am more ready to enjoy life and continue to worship God as I always have.

 

When I was divorced, I was left with a large amount of debt.  However, I am slowly paying things off while keeping up with all my bills.  Again, planning my work and working my plan.  It sounds simple to plan for your financial future and I suppose it’s really not that difficult.  But it does require a commitment and more goal-setting.     
 

There are still other areas I continue to work on…I struggle with finding time to exercise.   Working two jobs just does not leave me a lot of time to think about fitness, and yet, it is a necessary component in our lives.    I think I get an “F” for that one.  But I am excelling in my field, which is teaching.  By the way, did I mention that Oola covers 7 key areas in your life and I have mentioned them all in this blog?  I challenge you to go back and find them.  All begin with the letter F.   
 

Many thanks to Drs. Dave Braun and Troy Amdahl for writing this incredible book.  It is a fast read which is great for those of us who struggle with time management.  More importantly, it is life-changing and one that I found fulfilling.  Now for those of you who believe that this is not for you, I urge you to read the book first before making that judgment. Talk with your Christian friends.  I did.  I also talked about it with my pastor.  Not one felt that there was anything that was not life affirming and not in line with the Christian faith.  So, I challenge you – get the book and read it.  Find out if it is something worth doing.  What are you out?  The price of a fast food meal?  However, if I am right and it is worthwhile, what do you stand to gain?  Take a chance – do what I did and put the Oola-la where it belongs…back in your life!