"Emotionally Healthy Spirituality!" Becoming Mature - Loving Well

SERMON NOTES:  

“Emotionally Healthy Spirituality!”
 Becoming Mature – Loving Well

The joining of emotional health and contemplative spirituality takes us below the surface of our lives so Jesus can heal and transform.

At the heart of living as a follower of Jesus – Christian spirituality - is living a life of love - loving God, others and myself well! This is emotionally healthy spirituality. 
Jesus reconciled us to our Father in heaven through His death and resurrection.  We can now live this reconciled life of love by faith.  Love is always the fruit of this reconciled life with God.

John 7 “38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.

Luke 10 27‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

The Challenge

We can be chronologically mature and emotionally immature! Emotional immaturity really trips up our capacity to love well because at the heart of our sinful nature is acute narcissism!

How am I doing on my maturity journey?
(EHS pg.168-169)

Infant -
Child -
Adolescent -
Adult –

The Hope
In Christ I have hope!   I can mature in love as I practice the presence of God, the presence of others and the presence of me in light of Jesus!

STUDY GUIDE

SOLITUDE, SCRIPTURE, AND PRAYER

“Why is it that we have ‘SLOW’ when God appears to delight in it? Lord, help me take steps today to slow down and live more attentively to the voice of Jesus. “ (Day by Day p 34)

 Find a quiet place and 15 minutes.

Solitude – Spend TWO minutes quietly alone. Take some deep breaths… Just be… … …Ask, “Holy Spirit, speak to me through Your Word!”

Scripture – Read slowly, out loud if possible, listen, reread, dwell, notice words & phrases you are drawn to & return there!  (Sermon notes may help with understanding, but don’t stop there.)

Keep asking, “Jesus, what are You saying?  Why this word this day?

What are You asking me to believe about You and about me?

How do I join You today on Your mission and in my transformation?” 

Prayer – Let your conversation with God flow from what He is saying then talk about what you notice is on your heart and also on your list.

Finish – Spend TWO minutes again with God

Monday – John 7:37-43

Tuesday – Luke 10:25-37

Wednesday – Mark 10:17-30

Thursday– Mark 5:21-36

Friday – Romans 5:1-5

Saturday – Galatians 5:19-26

Got questions?  Continue the discussion.  Follow the link @  https://goo.gl/Jd93J7

"Emotionally Healthy Spirituality!" Rhythms and Structure

SERMON NOTES:  

The joining of emotional health and contemplative spirituality takes us below the surface of our lives so Jesus can heal and transform.

Remember: Jesus is the one who heals and transforms!

John 15 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 

 Matthew 11 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Psalm 37 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;

Psalm 46 10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”  11 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. 

How do we practically “remain in Jesus”, “come to Jesus”, “find rest”, “be still” in our very busy, hurried, distracted world?

Daily and weekly rhythms (such as Daily Office and Sabbath) set us up well to experience “union with God” as a way of life?

Stopping, centering, silence, scripture and prayer are daily lifelines with Jesus! 

Stopping, resting, delighting and contemplating God and His gifts are beautiful elements of “Sabbath” God wants us to experience.

Rhythms and structure in our spiritual life is intended as a “want to” for connection with Jesus and not a “have to” for pleasing God!  

STUDY GUIDE

SOLITUDE, SCRIPTURE, AND PRAYER

Silence and stillness helps us to enter into awareness of God’s presence and to rest there in His love.  We stop our activity and turn our attention to the Living God. In a posture of attentiveness and surrender, we allow Him and His will access to the innermost parts of our lives.  This is the very core of being in loving union with Him.  - Peter Scazzero      

Find a quiet place and 15 minutes.

Solitude – Spend TWOl minutes quietly alone. Take some deep breaths… Just be… … …Ask, “Holy Spirit, speak to me through Your Word!”

Scripture – Read slowly, out loud if possible, listen, reread, dwell, notice words & phrases you are drawn to & return there!  (Sermon notes may help with understanding, but don’t stop there.)

Keep asking, “Jesus, what are You saying?  Why this word this day?

What are You asking me to believe about You and about me?

How do I join You today on Your mission and in my transformation?” 

Prayer – Let your conversation with God flow from what He is saying then talk about what you notice is on your heart and also on your list.

Finish – Spend TWO minutes again with God

Monday – John 15:1-6

Tuesday – Psalm 46

Wednesday – Matthew 11:25-30

Thursday– Psalm 119:9-16

Friday – John 7:37-39

Saturday – Psalm 1

Got questions?  Continue the discussion.  Follow the link @  https://goo.gl/Jd93J7

"Emotionally Healthy Spirituality!" Enlarge Your Soul Through Grief and Loss

SERMON NOTES:  

The joining of emotional health and contemplative spirituality takes us below the surface of our lives so Jesus can heal and transform.

At the heart of our transformation journey is the inevitable – “Grief and Loss”!

Matthew 5 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

How well do we handle loss?

A very human response:

·       Deny or Minimize the pain and impact of loss

·       Blame others or ourselves or ….?

·       Rationalize away the emotional reality of loss,

·       Anger becomes a friend instead of a phase,

·       Addiction and unhealthy habits become our means to cope cover the pain of loss

    Note to self: “When I am hurting I am vulnerable to unhealthy agreements!”

God’s Way:   Embrace loss through healthy grief!   (Not just endure loss by suffering!)

·       Pay Attention !

·       Wait in the Confusing In-Between!

Psalm 27 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
1 Peter 5 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

·       Let the Old Birth the New … in God’s time!

1 Peter 1 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

SYNC GUIDE

SOLITUDE, SCRIPTURE, AND PRAYER

Find a quiet place and 15 minutes.

Solitude – Spend several minutes quietly alone. Take some deep breaths… Just be… … …Ask, “Holy Spirit, speak to me through Your Word!”

Scripture – Read slowly, out loud if possible, listen, reread, dwell, notice words & phrases you are drawn to & return there!  (Sermon notes may help with understanding, but don’t stop there.)

Keep asking, “Jesus, what are You saying?  Why this word this day?

What are You asking me to believe about You and about me?  How am I learning to Sync up?

How do I join You today on Your mission and in my transformation?” 

Prayer – Let your conversation with God flow from what He is saying then talk about what you notice is on your heart and also on your list.

Monday – Matthew 5:3-12

Tuesday – Psalm 27

Wednesday – 1 Peter 5:5-11

Thursday– 1 Peter 1:3-9

Friday – Romans 8:31-39

Saturday – Psalm 37

Got questions?  Continue the discussion.  Follow the link @  https://goo.gl/Jd93J7

"Emotionally Healthy Spirituality!" Going Back in Order to Go Forward

SERMON NOTES:  

The joining of emotional health and contemplative spirituality takes us below the surface of our lives so Jesus can heal and transform.

What is challenging about “Going Back in order to Go Forward”?      What defenses come up?

The critical need is summed up in two Biblical truths:

·       The blessings and sins of our families (2-3 generations) profoundly impact who we are today.

·       Following Jesus as His disciple requires putting off sinful patterns (some learned from our families of origin) and relearning how to do life God’s way in God’s families. (Transformation)

Rom. 12 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  

What are some of the commandments, rules or invisible scripts you deal with in doing life? 

What good news does Jesus bring to this transformation call?

·       God intends for us to grow up into mature men and woman transformed by the presence of Jesus.  We honor our parents, families, cultures and histories but we trust and obey God!

·       Identity “in Christ” trumps all other identities! Way of life “in Christ” trumps all other ways of life!

·       Forgiveness works!  Grace works! Jesus made sure of it through His death and resurrection!

In Christ we can look through the present into the past to understand not condemn, for the healing of wounds not the repeating of pain! Unhealed wounds open us up to habitual sin against God and others and perpetual sadness for ourselves.

The Joseph Story – Genesis 37-51  
Genesis 51 19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God?20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
Romans 8 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 

STUDY GUIDE

SOLITUDE, SCRIPTURE, AND PRAYER

Find a quiet place and 15 minutes.

Solitude – Spend several minutes quietly alone. Take some deep breaths… Just be… … …Ask, “Holy Spirit, speak to me through Your Word!”

Scripture – Read slowly, out loud if possible, listen, reread, dwell, notice words & phrases you are drawn to & return there!  (Sermon notes may help with understanding, but don’t stop there.)

Keep asking, “Jesus, what are You saying?  Why this word this day?

What are You asking me to believe about You and about me?  How am I learning to Sync up?

How do I join You today on Your mission and in my transformation?” 

Prayer – Let your conversation with God flow from what He is saying then talk about what you notice is on your heart and also on your list.

Monday – John 3:1-8

Tuesday – 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Wednesday – Romans 12:1-2

Thursday– Genesis 50:15-21

Friday – Romans 8:12-17, 28

Saturday – Psalm 121

Got questions?  Continue the discussion.  Follow the link @  https://goo.gl/Jd93J7

"Emotionally Healthy Spirituality!" Is there a problem?

SERMON NOTES:  

The joining of emotional health and contemplative spirituality takes us below the surface of our lives so Jesus can heal and transform.

The Problem-  “You cannot be spiritually mature and remain emotionally immature!”

2 Corinthians 12 Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Three insights from the Apostle Paul as we begin the Emotionally Healthy Spirituality journey:

-          Healthy active self-awareness is vital to EHS but not natural or normal!

-          A close personal life with Jesus on His terms is vital to EHS but not natural or normal! 

-          It’s notoriously human to simplistically misinterpret life’s difficulties - but not at all healthy!

Silence and Solitude are vital for Emotionally Healthy Spirituality!

Symptoms of emotionally unhealthy spirituality:

1-Using God to run from God                              

2-Ignoring anger, sadness and fear                          

3-Dying to the wrong things 

4-Denying the impact of the past on the present                      

5-Dividing life into “sacred” and “secular” compartments   

6-Doing for God over being with God       

7-Spiritualizing away conflict              

8-Covering over brokenness, weakness, failure 

9-Living without limits  

10-Judging other’s spiritual journeys           
                                                                         

SYNC GUIDE

SOLITUDE, SCRIPTURE, AND PRAYER

Find a quiet place and 15 minutes.

Solitude – Spend several minutes quietly alone. Take some deep breaths… Just be… … …Ask, “Holy Spirit, speak to me through Your Word!”

Scripture – Read slowly, out loud if possible, listen, reread, dwell, notice words & phrases you are drawn to & return there!  (Sermon notes may help with understanding, but don’t stop there.)

Keep asking, “Jesus, what are You saying?  Why this word this day?

What are You asking me to believe about You and about me?  How am I learning to Sync up?

How do I join You today on Your mission and in my transformation?” 

Prayer – Let your conversation with God flow from what He is saying then talk about what you notice is on your heart and also on your list.

Monday – Matthew 6:28-34

Tuesday – 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Wednesday – John 2:12-22

Thursday– Matthew 16:13-28

Friday – Philippians 3:4-11

Saturday – Psalm 51

Got questions?  Continue the discussion.  Follow the link @  https://goo.gl/Jd93J7