DEVOTIONS FOR DUMMIES
I just laid down my copy of Oswald Chambers’ My Utmost For His Highest for about the third time this week, thinking once again, “What in the world is this guy talking about?”
I have been a Christian for almost 35 years and I can read most of the Bible and understand it…but this guy is way over my head.
I need a devotional that is a bit simpler.
One that answers the questions:
Does God love me when I scream at my children?
If my house is a mess am I walking in sin?
If I tell my boss that I’m not coming in because I’m sick…and really I’m not physically sick, but just sick of work…Is that a lie?
Am I going to experience spontaneous combustion if I’m muttering four letter words when some guy cuts me off in traffic?
I think that we live in a society that at times needs a much simpler way of devoting than how Oswald Chambers talks. Mind you I have friends that think he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. I personally prefer unsliced, whole wheat or rye bread. Does this make me spiritually weird?
Whatever happened to “love the Lord your God with all of your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.” If I remember correctly Jesus said that the entire law was summed up in these two commandments. Why must we make things so complicated?
I guess I’m just a simple person. I don’t like pomp and circumstance. I prefer sitting in the park listening to the birds chirp to listening to a choir in a church on Sunday morning.
I think it’s great that some people get all of this other stuff. My friends who oooohhhh & aaaahhhhh over Oswald Chambers are welcome to him. Maybe they will explain him to me some day and I’ll get him. But I’m happy watching a movie and letting God speak to me through that or listening to my CD of the ocean and calm music. I hear God in those things.
Oh, well. When I meet Ossie in heaven, I bet we’ll have a rip snortin’ time. Until then, I think I’ll just sit his book next to my armchair and let it look nice.
Contento Reunion 2009
14 years ago
6 comments:
I doubt you're even going to make it into heaven if you don't like Oswald. ;-)
(sigh) I know.
You could really impress people by taking your Oswald devotional to a restaurant and reading it while you eat. ;-) But, hey, I just finished reading Betsy's blog about honesty, and I guess that just wouldn't be too honest. Oh well.
I'll go out on a limb here and be honest and say that, not only do I not understand Oswald, there is a lot of the Bible I don't understand either. Hopefully I won't totally give up on the Bible though.
I'm just thankful that God is patient with me and that my relationship with God doesn't depend on how much of the Bible I understand and that God speaks to me/us in so many other ways (music, nature, children...).
Amy
Hey Carla,
I enjoy you so-o-o much! Have I told you that before? You have such a direct way of cutting through distracting and mind numbing ritual.
I agree with you. God can easily be worshiped in nature, because He’s made himself known by what he created. (The Bible also agrees with you, by the way.)
But here’s the problem. The church is not the building, but the PEOPLE. You mentioned “Love God with all your heart … and love your neighbor as yourself. It gets complicated when individuals try to justify doing one without the other.
It really is pretty simple. I suspect there’s a reason for that.
J.
Oh. By the way. You left a message on my blog, but the email was blank. Please send again. Thanks.
Just read through a bunch of your posts and have been so encouraged by your thoughts.
I have lived in community in the big city and now am attempting it in a small town.
And today I'm poorer than I expected I was going to be, living with my husband's parents and being partially employed in a temporary position.
And reading a number of books on your favorite books like at the same time.
All that to say, thanks for sharing your heart on this blog. I have felt like I resonate with a lot of your ideas and appreciate the honesty here.
I appreciated your blog about shame. It's easy to look down on those who have less than us. I suspect it has something to do with repressing what God calls us to or maybe even feeling overwhelmed with the need.
~Danielle B. (close friends of Dave and Betsy, whom I think you know as well, right?)
p.s. This is meant as no offense to those who like Oswald, but for years I felt like everyone else liked Oswald so I should too, all the while feeling like the devo was REALLY random. (I heard somewhere that the book is really notes from sermons that his wife took down.) And I've run into others who feel the same about Oswald. This post is so gracious to those who do "get" Oswald.
I have heard so much about all of Betsy's friends. I am excited to finally meet one of them. Welcome!
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