dennis martin papp

What's Your Plan? (4 of 5)

April 30.

Next up, May 1.

How's your plan looking?

How will you use this month-long quarantine to take steps toward spiritual growth?

May is a great month for growth. Remember, April showers bring _________ __________.

We plant gardens, watch trees bloom and witness vivid shades of green again!

What growth will life's April showers bring to your spiritual May? Are you ready for some growth?

We have thirty-one days, that, if used intentionally and systematically, will result in a flourishing soul!

What will you do daily?

Bible intake? A new prayer practice? Some other soul practice?

If you've not tried it yet, jump on the Dwell app?

We receive Scripture differently when we hear it. If you want to try it, email me here.

Dwell offers several 30 and 40 Day Plans. Choose one and listen daily.

How about this? Why not wake every day and pray on your knees before touching a screen?

Maybe kneeling prayer morning, noon and night?

How about a daily prayer walk? I take mine on the I&M Canal Path and plan to do it every day this month. All 31, rain or shine!

Why not try keeping a daily journal. Maybe you'll write five reasons for thanks every day.

How about this? A meal every day at the table. Maybe even try reading a passage together or listening to a Dwell Plan.

Here's another. Completely turn off ALL technology for one hour every day.

What will you do daily?

Move to weekly.

Have you tried fasting one day a week?

Maybe it is time to take a true weekly Sabbath?

What if one day a week all technology was totally turned off all day long? 

How about connecting with a friend(s) for a Zoom study? Why not pray with someone weekly?

Is it time to revive letter writing? Write a letter of encouragement to someone.

Don't for get your weekly connection with SouthField.

Set your family's time. Worship is totally in your hands right now. Set a time.

Determine what you will do beyond the video. Communion? Singing? Prayer? Talking after about what you learned?

It is way too easy to put it off until later, and then never do it.

Monthy?

What one thing you will do this May to spur your growth?

Is there a book you've been hoping to read? Take it in this May.

How about memorizing a chapter of the Bible? 

You could organize a prayer journal.

Why not try unplugging from Facebook or the "news."

Maybe it is a serve of some sort.

How's your plan looking?

Time is ticking. Try something new. Revive something old. 

Share more ideas is the comments below.

What's Your Plan? (3 of 5)

We're all in this together.

Every time I catch that phase during the COVID quarantine (and we hear or see it about very 20 minutes), my mind starts blasting out with the kids singing on High School Musical. What is it about modern American life that we think a catchy, cute, sappy hashtag cures all? Sorry. I digress.

Let's stick with one word.

Together.

God made us to reflect Him. We are made in His image.

As image-bearers, we crave community. God have never existed apart from community. Three in One. Together.

Our church mission statement reinforces this concept:

WE CHALLENGE PEOPLE

TO TAKE THEIR NEXT 

LIFE-CHANGING STEP

TOWARD BECOMING LIKE JESUS

TOGETHER

That last word reinforces the power of community. We need each other for lasting life-change to occur.

A plan for growth designed and implemented in isolation often leads to a quick start and a quiet ending.

Whether exercise, diet or pursuit of spiritual disciplines, I've always done better in community.

As you map out a growth plan for May, think though the TOGETHER part. 

Who will be my partner on this journey?

What's Your Plan? (2 of 5)

May 1 is just a few days away.

It will be our second COVID shut-down month in Illinois.

We can let the month happen to us, or we can use this truly unique window intentionally.

God has given us space for growth.

Before we jump into brainstorming "what to do" ideas, let's talk when. Frequency.

May has thirty-one days.

I'd like to challenge you to consider three approaches: daily, weekly and monthly.

What is something, or maybe two things that we can do every day? Every day. All thirty-one.

Move on. What are a couple once a week commitments?

Finally, what is one thing I can do this month?

Growth plans tend to break down on a couple levels. 

The first is ambition! We line up thirty-nine daily activities. Two days in, we give up.

Think this way...what is one thing, one thing, that if practiced daily, could have a profound impact on me spiritually?

Same with weekly...one or two things, not twenty-two.

Finally, one biggy for the the month. A substantial event or accomplishment.

We try to undertake too much. Focus on a few practiced with consistency.

Which leads to the second break-down...consistency.

This happens when we go it alone. God meant life to be lived together. 

We will save that for tomorrow.

For today, just get the rhythm in your mind: daily, weekly, monthly.

I know, the "what to do" ideas are already brewing. That's ok. 

Daily. Weekly. Monthly.

Daily. Weekly. Monthly.

What's Your Plan? (1 of 5)

It's Monday.

No, really, today is Monday.

We invented a new Time Zone. Covid Time. All the days blur into one.

Last week we were informed that Illinois will be sheltering until the end of May.

As the days roll on, our habits risk fragmentation if we are not intentional.

May 1 arrives Friday.

How will you use your May?

The Bible makes clear that we are responsible for the use of our days:

Psalm 90:12
So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Ephesians 5:15-16
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,
16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

It is time to make a May plan.

How will we employ this unique thirty-one day period?

Maybe just stop a moment and dream a little.

What would you like to do or accomplish with the 31 days of May?

(pause. think.)

For our Daily Check In purposes, I'd plan to focus on some soul care initiatives. 

We will never have another season like this one (spiritual fingers crossed).

I want to look back on May 2020 as a season of spiritual intentionality and fruitfulness.

Spend some more time today in deeper thought. Maybe even in conversation.

Where do you need to grow? 

What habit or change have you been delaying for lack of time?

What spiritual focus has been on your "To Do" list?

To what do you keep saying, "Someday?"

We'll talk again tomorrow...that is, Tuesday. 

Grrr... (part 5.3 of 5) *Leaning into Lament*

Today's post is pretty simple, and you get to write it.

Write a lament this weekend.

Start by addressing God.

In the address you may include some attributes that are relevant to your complaint.

Move then to the complaint itself, Spell it out.

Seeing it may surprise you.

Many times what is expressed in our heads feels bigger than when we see or say it.

The complaint you've been feeling is real. Resist the urge to minimize it.

Then, boldly ask God for help.

Express with urgency your need for Him to show up!

Close it out with an expression of your confidence in God.

Write what you know to be true based on Scripture, even though you may be far from feeling it.

Express your hope in Him.

Pour out your trust in Him.

End with an expression of gratitude.

If you want to share it, you can include it in the comments below or email me here.

Grrr... (part 5.2 of 5) *Leaning into Lament*

Today we are breaking down the components of a classic lament.

Most scholars identify four, sometimes five elements of a lament.

Let's look to Psalm 13 for our example.

It opens with a complaint that is applicable to the Corona season:

How long, Oh Lord!

Enduring pain and suffering is classic cry of God's people.

¹ How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
² How long must I take counsel in my soul
    and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

In these two verses we see the first two elements of a lament.

First, He addresses God. Some laments go further and list several of God's characteristics.

To whom do you turn when you complain?

Since the mid-2000's we've let our fingers doing the wailing. 

Many of us moan by way of post to anyone who will read and hit the like button (or smoldering angry face or sad face).

God wants us to turn to Him. He welcomes our complaint. He can actually do something about it!

The second element is the complaint itself. We bring our complaint to God. 

David feels forgotten. He feels God has hidden His face. He feels abandoned and alone.

Moreover, he complains that his enemies are gloating over Him.

A lament starts by addressing God and clearly articulating the complaint.

³ Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
    light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
⁴ lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
    lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

The third element of a lament is to boldly ask God for help.

Why turn to God with our complaint? Because God can actually do something to resolve the situation!

God knows. God cares. God wants to help.

Every difficult situation is an open door to grow in our relationships with God.

More than the fact that God can fix the problem is the reality that we are never alone.

In our suffering we are comforted by God's presence.

⁵ But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
    my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
⁶ I will sing to the Lord,
    because he has dealt bountifully with me.

The lament concludes with the fourth element: an expression of hope and trust in God.

This trust is expressed even if we don't feel it. 

The distance between verse one and six is not far. David's trust is growing.

David is telling his soul what is true even if it is not felt quite yet.

We need to do the same. Facts are always true. Our feelings need to catch up to what is real.

I said some speak of a fifth element of lament.

The final stage is an expression of gratitude. A simple thank you.

Certainly verse six expresses a grateful tone.

There you have it. Pretty straight forward.

You will see this formula expressed repeatedly in the Lament Psalms.

Here's some homework for you. 

Take the elements of this structure and look at some of the Lament Psalms we listed in the previous post.

Study for yourself to see the predictable flow of a classic lament.

We will wrap up laments tomorrow.

Today is Friday, We're off to do some "Filming in Frankfort" as we prepare for Sunday!

Grrr... (part 5.1 of 5) *Leaning into Lament*

Lament.

Why is anger a go-to emotion?

Because we do not lean into other more accurate emotions.

Anger is our shot gun. It scatters everywhere. 

Other emotions are more finely tuned, but we have left them undeveloped.

Certain emotions have been stunted. We may have even labeled them as unbiblical.

Take lament for example. 

Lamenting, simply put, is bringing our soul's complain to God.

Is it right to complain to God? It feels ungrateful and grumbly.

Since we were two-years-old we've been told to stop whining.

As we grew, we were even given the impression that complaining was a sin.

Yet David and others, though inspired Scripture, teach us that God invites our complaint, our lament.

Here is what I'd like you to do today. I am listing some Psalms of Lament.

Listen to the Psalmist's heart complain to God.

Listen to him groan. You'll even hear some anger leak out. 

Mostly, you will hear a heart that has learned how to groan to God!

For today, just take the lament in.

We will look at the components of a complaint tomorrow.

Here's your homework:

Look at Psalm 13, 22, 77 (there are about 40 more)

Extra credit: (3, 6, 7, 17, 28, 31-32, 35, 42-43, 51, 52, 54)

Grrr... (part 4 of 5)

As last week moved along, my intense anger started to subside.

Spiritual practices really work. God's presence really works!

So far we've looked at the daily check-in prayer and monitoring what is feeding our souls.

Today we are going to look at control.

For most of us, anger gives us a false sense of control.

Anger makes us feel like we have power over our circumstances.

Sometimes we do, and it is time to act.

Quite often, we are powerless. The situation is out of our hands.

How do we know which is which?

Isn't that really the basis of the opening lines of the Serenity Prayer?

God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.

We are living in a season of shattered serenity.

Simply defined, serenity is the state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled.

Our world has been rocked, and a natural state of serenity has been shattered.

However, Christ followers, we do not rely on a natural state of serenity, but a supernatural one.

The classic example of this is Jesus sleeping in the bow of the boat in the storm. (Matthew 8:23-27)

Serenity seems "natural" when there is no storm. 

True peace is sleeping while the boat is sinking, not because we are oblivious, but because of faith in Him.

I need this prayer constantly...

God, help me to accept what is cannot change, and help me to change what You find unacceptable.

This is a life-long lesson. 

COVID-19 is a classroom. Let's get to work.

Grrr... (part 1 of 5)

I wish I had traced this better. 

I've been aware of it, but I have not written it down.

How have you reacted to the COVID shut-down?

Week One I went into overdrive. There was so much to do.

I also had a sense of fragmentation; really a low-level shock.

I'd stand at the grocery store and just stare.

Sometime in Week Two I could feel the sense of novelty wearing off and exhaustion setting in. 

The new things we were trying like LiveStream church services and Zoom groups were not new anymore.

The firsts were behind us.

The frantic pace of the first week left me tired. Really tired.

Third Week I had a sense of hunkering down and cooperative surrender.

I knew we were in this for the long haul and gave our leaders the benefit of doubt, even the ones I'd never vote for.

I could also feel myself starting to itch. How long will this last? What will be left in the other side?

Easter marked our Fourth Week of Church at Home. 

Where am I today? Grrr...

I feel agitated and grumpy.

It started Saturday when I drove by my path and saw barricades and Police Ordered closure signs.

Really?

The pot store is open but the path where I walk daily and can be guaranteed a safe social distance is closed.

The path my tax money bought and maintains is closed so I don't hurt myself or someone else?

Really?

Police Order. Barricades? 

Really?

Now I am just mad. I'm really mad and I am having a hard time getting past it.

The inconsistency of the Illinois closure order is crazy.

Jewel and Home Depot have full parking lots.

My lonely path. Closed.

Why write this? This is not a therapeutic rant. 

I want to talk this week about how to get to the other side of this kind of helpless anger in a spiritually productive fashion.

So, tomorrow we will start to dig into this. 

I suspect you may be feeling the grrr too!

Easter Sunday with SouthField

Watch with SouthField this Easter Sunday starting at 9:00am.

Check in and say hi on the live chat.

Watch to the last minute. The ending is priceless!

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