What Do Jogging and Worship Share in Common?

One evening as I jogged the commonalities with worship resonated in my thoughts as I puttered along. 

First, before I hit the pavement I had a goal of running 6 miles. The goal of Christian worship is celebration of, adoration of and submission to Jesus. When one begins jogging or enters worship, the goal should be our focal point.

On that evening, with laser focus I ran determined to complete 6 miles. When we worship whether privately or corporately, our primary and only focus is Jesus. 

Throughout the run, my body gave me reasons why I shouldn't continue running: my stomach knotted, my knee felt weak, my arms tightened – each symptom offering legitimacy for terminating my goal.

When we attempt to worship our bodies conspire with our minds convincing us that worship doesn't require any physical movement; that we should avoid any verbal emoting; in our self-centeredness we refuse to humble ourselves; our sinful selves believe we are the focal point for adoration and exaltation and our minds drift allowing food; unfinished tasks and our issues/challenges to become priority.

With every step I jogged whether with ease or great challenge, I had to  remind myself of my goal because the desire to quit constantly entered my mind. It seemed every reason both physically and mentally taunted and tempted me to give up. I had to continually muster the will to reach my 6 miles goal.

Similarly, there's this warring of the flesh and Spirit when one attempts to worship particularly in the public context. Worshipers enter churches across the world, either unwilling to or unsure if the goal of celebrating, adoring or submitting to Jesus is possible. The would-be worshiper experiences sweaty palms, knotting of their stomachs, tightening in their arms, a sense of loneliness (because of the absence of others worshiping); even the social/cultural resistance to worshiping Jesus makes for uncertainty of reaching one's goal of worshiping Jesus.

Jogging and worship require determination of both the will and Spirit. If we are to have success in reaching our physical and spiritual goals, we must attain a laser focus because:

“The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.” Galatians 5:17

  

Whether it’s jogging or worshiping, discipline has to become our primary resolve. Referring to his journey of remaining faithful to Jesus Christ and encouraging others in the faith, the Apostle Paul reminds us, I Corinthians 9:27a:

”Like an athlete I punish my body, treating it roughly,

training it to do what it should, not what it wants to…”

Jogging and Worship require steadfast commitment and determination to overcome the obstacles that will arise.

INSPIRED BY LOVE, 

Pastor Marcus J. Singleton 
 

Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord, I Want to See You!

“I am an invisible man...I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. . .Nor is my invisibility exactly a matter of a bio-chemical accident to my epidermis (and I add social location). That invisibility to which I refer occurs because of a peculiar disposition of the eyes of those with whom I come in contact. A matter of the construction of their inner eyes, those eyes with which they look through their physical eyes upon reality. I am not complaining, nor am I protesting either. It is sometimes advantageous to be unseen, although it is most often rather wearing on the nerves. Then too, you're constantly being bumped against by those of poor vision. Or again, you often doubt if you really exist. You wonder whether you aren't simply a phantom in other people's minds.” Prologue to Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man

“Open the eyes of my heart Lord, I want to see you!”

Do we really want to see God? Do we want to see Jesus? We intimate that as true; yet, we avoid even negate the existence of folks with whom we are unfamiliar or uncomfortable. When our nostrils are repulsed, we refuse to allow our emotions to sense and identify with the person emanating the insulting fragrance.  Jesus followers profess like the Apostle Peter, “. . .to see clearly that God shows no favoritism” (Acts 10:34) but our acts of omission implicitly betray our profession.  

How can we develop intricate strategies ensuring we avert certain neighborhoods and people groups? We convince ourselves these practices are mere safeguards for our own well-being. Can I offer a contrarian thought?

Refusal to acknowledge the humanity of another is an act of terrorism!

Denial of the God breathed life pulsating through another is violent, destructive and crippling. Can you imagine, doubting if you really exist? Intricately and sensitively created, all human beings can discern if their presence is welcomed or rejected. Being a Black male navigating a racialized culture which openly rejects opaque epidermises, I have an acute awareness of the detriment which follows devalued, overlooked and unseen persons. My determination is for all people to experience their God-given human worth and for all people to be afforded dignity as God created beings.

“Open the eyes of my heart Lord, I want to see you!”

Marcus and Joshua, today we are serving a community where people for reasons unknown to us may or may not have the same luxuries or the same accesses to shelter, quality education, food, freedom, safety, etc. as you BUT you aren’t better than, superior to or worse or less than any of the people you will serve today.

Me: Do you understand?

M & J: Yes sir!

Me: Okay, so when you hand her/him their bag, look into their eyes, greet them politely and shake the hand of the person with whom you are sharing space. Do you know why this is important? Long silence. Lil fellas, the same God that loves and created you, loves and created all people. If you enter a room or are around people, would you want to be rejected or welcomed?

M & J: Welcomed of course!

Me: Exactly, all people feel like people when they are welcomed, that’s why you need to look into the eyes of each person, politely greet folks and shake hands.

This conversation aroused a fear that my children might succumb to their middle-class privilege and private school experiences and knowingly or unknowingly practice acts of terrorism like blindness, insensitivity and/or have a desensitization toward difference. Thus with age appropriate language I fervently teach my sons that devaluing, overlooking or the ignoring of another human being is to wage war against God, ourselves and others in whom God breathed life. 

My prayer is their/our hearts and minds are constantly affixed on and aware that from an inexplicable depth of Love, God created all people in God's own image without favoritism toward any of us. Additionally, I John 4:20 provides this instruction, "....if we don't love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we have not seen?"        

Perhaps our challenge isn't loving, perhaps our challenge is seeing!!

Oh Lord, open the eyes of our hearts so that we SEE ALL PEOPLE!!!

INSPIRED BY LOVE,

Pastor Marcus