For those that don’t know I recently moved from San Diego to San Francisco. Moving is a funny thing it’s almost like you change lives. I never moved as a kid so I never knew what to expect, sure I move while I was in the Navy but it is quiet different, my ship moved so all my friends moved as well. This time my wife is the only one who moved with me and she is in medical school all of the time so I’m board quite a bit. Since I have moved I have noticed a steady decline in my spiritual life. I am not giving a defense of these reasons just what I believe are the causes.

            My first cause is idle time. The saying goes that an idle mind is the devils playground. I really feel that this is a killer of spirituality because I get so complacent then I start to wander to places I shouldn’t be. It seems that idle time is something to be avoided; however I like to relax so that is a hard balance to keep.

             My second cause is lack of a Christian support net. In San Diego I had an abundant amount of friends and I loved each one of them. Friends bring out the best in people. Here in SF I don’t have that; I don’t even have a church to go to. Now honestly I loathe searching for churches but I guess it has to be done, I have just been putting it off.

            My third cause is that I have been stressed out about finances and just money in general. This is probably the biggest cause of family destruction in the first place. It is horrible and can bring about many fights.

            My fourth and probably biggest reason is a lack of quiet time. Why is it when we are stressed out this is the first thing to go and what we need to hold on to tightest? I feel like even though I am out of practice of a quiet time and my Christian walk (not faith) are struggling. I know I am not the only person who struggles with things like this and deep down in my secondary thoughts I know I should be studying.

            Well there are my reasons, once again this isn’t an apology for how I have been living but basically it is for my self to see it written. So if you would keep me and my wife in your prayers.    

Man approacehes God most nearly when he is in one sense least like God. For what can be most unlike fullness and need, sovereignty and humility, righteousness and penitence, limitless power and cry for help?

C.S. Lewis the Four Loves, Introduction Para 8, p.14

The great I am, how I love to ponder that phrase. For me it strikes a reverent cord deep in my soul and causes me to rejoice because I am not but I know I am. Louie Giglios book title.

            I have been thinking lately of Christendom and how lazy most people seem to be when it comes to studying the bible. I'll be the first to admit I don’t do it quite as much as I would like, but it seems easily justifiable. (It's not) I was talking tonight with a good friend of mine about the people who don't read their bible but are Christians they are solely spiritual Christians who don’t know what they believe or really why, and at the same time there are the musty scholarly Christians who have no practicality to their faith. In my personal life I am struggling to find the balance that is between the two and at the same time trying to keep my head above water when it comes to religion and cookie cutter faith. It seems we are swamped by people who do not have their own faith but ride the coat tails of their parents or their grandparent's faith. We have this service that seems to be the same no matter where I go (city or denomination) that starts with music the announcements then it goes to a message that most the time I wonder if it hasn’t been put on paper fifteen minutes prior. I just don’t understand it at all. Why is "church" not like the church put forth in the book of Acts? When did cut the nails of the Lion and make him a common House cat? Why does it seem more often than not people get into the business of Christianity for the money? Most of the churches I see are more like corporations than like the model in Acts. I am not some crazed postmodern, but I am questioning what direction the church leaders are taking it in. Since when do the cross and the American flag go hand in hand (like I see at my neighborhood Christian book store)?

            Sorry about the rant.

Currently Reading The Last Battle By C. S. Lewis see related

      The beauty of the Christian faith or more so the Bible is the fact that you can study the intricacies of it and get lost in the splendor and beauty of truth, and the minute details of the bible are the wonders of it (it's Virtue). How is it not wonderful learning of the Nephilim, Melchizedek, the meaning of words, how the Gospels taken individually give very different outlooks on Christ but when taken together paint an entire picture. Why read a passage when you can study it? Why should you be content knowing a topic is out there when you can study it? Why read what other men thought when you can think for yourself? It's handy sure, but the Bible is so much more than other peoples experience with it, use them as a guide not as an absolute. Why read the bible with anything more than a Concordance, Bible dictionary, and Bible atlas?

I have all sorts of commentaries, sermon notes, and topic guides but I enjoy just letting the Holy Spirit guide me through the difficult stuff. I try to live my life by this verse: It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter. Proverbs 25:2. I love the Word of our Lord so I choose to study diligently that is why Predestination and free will are exciting to me because they are both in the Bible. Jesus is exciting and he knew the Septuagint well so should we all?