When you have trouble keeping your mind on your Bible reading, praying, or on a sermon (never happens at Shandon – right?), here are a few tips:

1) Don’t expect too much of yourself.  When you do, in any field of endeavor -including time with God – it leads to short-term trying harder and a long-term sense of failure frequently followed by quitting.  There are parts of Scripture that are fascinating.  There are prayer needs that are riveting.  There are others that are common and everyday but still important.  Set a level of focus that is fairly normal, and if you fall below that normal level of focus, make yourself go back and start again as a discipline. 

 2) Tell yourself you’re going to have to pass a pop quiz on this passage and make yourself pay attention to the details.  While you pay attention to the details, you may be surprised at the inspiration that pops out of the page at you. 

3)  When your mind wanders during prayer, just stop.  Say, “Lord, excuse me for just a moment.”  Pick up a paper and pen or pencil and write out the distraction you have.  Then you won’t forget it and you’ll be able to go back to it and deal with it when you’re through with prayer.  As soon as you’re finished jotting down a note, just start talking with God again when you were interrupted.

4) Ask yourself, “Why am I bored with this passage of Scripture or this prayer need?”  Maybe you need to eliminate that prayer for a time.  That’s ok to do.  With Scripture, maybe you don’t have any idea why it was written in the first place.  (For example: law, genealogies.)  You can also find out from a Bible dictionary why that Scripture was written such as Nelson’s New Bible Dictionary (the best one-volume, Bible dictionary I know of at this point).  That has helped me, at times, to make difficult passages more interesting.  Also, I’ve been really rewarded by puzzling over something that is in Scripture for years (like genealogies) and finally getting it.  As one man said to me, “I wouldn’t spoil your search to understand the genealogies by telling you why they were written for anything.”  Twenty-five years later, I’m glad Dr. Nelson didn’t give me a quick and easy answer, and I’m glad the Lord made me puzzle about it.  I’m not going to tell you why either.

             I finished the interview and didn’t feel like going to a restaurant, so I went to a grocery store to get some sushi.  In the checkout line a young man in a proudly tattered CAT cap was buying a bag of organic salad greens, a loaf of white bread, and a big bag of Doritos.  This young man looked more the Doritos and white bread type to me rather than the Rosewood natural foods type.  Was this inconsistent fare his idea of a balanced diet – two tasty but not so nutritious items balanced by one very nutritious one?  The problem is you can’t balance white bread with anything.  (On second thought, maybe with Jif.) 

             Consistency of diet may not be that important to this young man, but consistency in the Christian life is to our church and to you.  You can’t balance harsh words with kind ones or thoughtlessness with thoughtiness (as my dad used to say).   You may think everybody is watching us, but the truth is the world has given up on expecting much from us Christians.  We have said, “We’re only human,” and they believe us.  In fact, they don’t see much difference between them and us and wonder what all the hullabaloo is we make about our Savior.  Will we get consistent in honoring God so that our failures hurt our own hearts before they hurt our witness?

There is a great article on the first page of the Sunday style section of the New York Times dated August 16, 2009, about comedian Stefanie Wilder-Taylor.  She is the former standup comic who is now the mother of three. She had a very popular blog about the joys of sipping cocktails and drinking wine as a way to alleviate the boredom of being a mother.  She was a hero with a lot of other early afternoon wine sippers around the country.  Several months ago she became convinced she was an alcoholic and that in order to take care of her children she was going to give up the sauce.

             The response on her blog has been quite surprising.  A lot of women have written in to say they think they have problems too and want to quit.  However, a significant number of women have also written in trying to assure her she is not an alcoholic, doesn’t have a problem, and should continue to enjoy the fun of self-medicating when she wants to. 

             The Scripture is very clear about the use of alcohol.  “Wine is a mocker and strong drink is raging” (Proverbs 20:1).  There are a lot of people who fail to heed this warning and who act like “I’m an adult, I’m a big grownup, and I can handle this.”  As a person who has alcoholism on both sides of my family, I can tell you it’s a dangerous thing.  I want to encourage you if you are self-medicating – and yes, all drinking is self-medication at some level as is marijuana, cocaine, and the recreational use of prescription drugs, take a careful look at yourself and be prayerful about this. 

             I have said for years that if someone gets through life without getting in trouble in the areas of money, sex, and alcohol/drugs, they will have had a pretty good life.  This really is one of the big areas that get a lot of people, and I think it’s important for us to be mindful that while it is legal, it is not nearly as safe as the advertisements on television would have you believe.  Go to the New York Times website and read this article.  I found it interesting.  You may too.

For the article, click here http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/16/fashion/16drunk.html

Heard anybody say, “I’m not a human doing. I’m a human being”?  Somebody said that to me in a staff interview, and I said, “What’s that look like?”  He said, “I need to get off and pray.”  “Good,” I said.  “Sounds like you’re still doing something.”  He does have a point poorly stated.  What he means is something I have to work at all the time.  Truth – I would be happy being a human doing.  I like action.  But just like filling my car’s tank is no fun (regardless of the price at the pump), driving is.  But no filly; no drivey.  Same for me.  I do things that fill my spiritual, emotional, and personal tank and things that drain it.  Leave off either and you aren’t much of a Christian.  Why do we love one or the other so readily?