Anita Mathias: Dreaming Beneath the Spires

Anita Mathias's Blog on Faith and Art

In which I am surprised by Christopher Columbus

By

“Christopher Columbus,” Jo March of Little Women cried whenever she was astonished.
Well, he’s surprised me.
                                             * * *
I first pondered Columbus in 1992, five hundred years after he sailed the ocean blue. Visited a few quincentennial exhibitions, especially one in Minneapolis, which was chiefly focused on the noxious effects of the Columbian Exchange particularly on native peoples.
More recently, in reading Mark Batterson’s Wild Goose Chase, I learned that Columbus was a man of faith.
Most experts believed that finding a westward route to the Indies was impossible. But Columbus challenged the assumption.
He later said that it wasn’t intelligence, mathematics or maps that made his voyage a success. He credited the Holy Spirit with the idea.
Columbus wrote, “It was the Lord who put it in my mind, (I could feel his hand upon me) the fact that it would be possible to sail from here to the Indies. All who heard of my project rejected it with laughter, ridiculing me. There is no question that the inspiration was from the Holy Spirit, because He comforted me with rays of marvellous inspiration from the Holy Scriptures.” (Peter Marshall and David Manuel, The Light and the Glory).
And Columbus sailed with a crew not one of whom had ever been more than three hundred miles offshore.
* * * 
Columbus was honoured by King Ferdinand which aroused some jealousy. His rivals murmured that anyone could have sailed there, and discovered a New World.
Columbus called for some hard-boiled eggs. “Can you make them stand up on end?” he asked his critics at court.
“Of course,” they said, but failed.
He slammed an egg down on the table, and it stood up on its flat, broken end.
“We could do that,” the nobles muttered.
“But you didn’t think of it,” said Columbus. You could have taken my route—but you didn’t think of it. I “thought” of it first.”
* * * 
When I wander around modern art galleries, I frequently hear one matron say to another, “My child could have done that.”
Ah, but did they think of it?
Genius thinks of what no one else has before, and makes it appear simple.
And the Holy Spirit gives us ideas no one has had before, and makes them appear elegant and natural.

Three Brilliant Insights on Happiness from Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project

By


The Happiness Project: Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun
Well, I am only on month three of Gretchen Rubin’s extensively researched The Happiness Project, and love many of her insights.
Here are three which I particularly enjoyed:
1) W. B. Yeats writes, “Happiness is neither virtue, nor pleasure, nor this thing, nor that, but simply growth. We are happy when we are growing.
She goes on to point out that the process of striving after goals—growth—brings more happiness than achieving them.
As we become wealthier or successful, we become used to new comforts, privileges, achievements and respect. It’s “the hedonic treadmill.” You get used to what you have, and want more.
An “atmosphere of growth” on the other hand, provides a more abiding satisfaction. “Tending your garden will give you fresh joy and surprise every spring.” Like the process of writing and thinking, and striving towards excellence in one’s creative work.
·      * *
In my daughters’ school, Oxford High School, they are given only one yardstick for which subjects to choose—what most interests them, what they love best. This can be annoying for parents who want them to pick subjects which will be of the most use to them.
Gretchen shows us why the school’s policy is sensible.  As Malcolm Gladwell points out in Outliers, the most important element in mastery is the 10,000 hours of practice.
So, to quote Rubin, “Enthusiasm is more important to mastery than innate ability, because the single most important element in developing an expertise is your willingness to practice. Therefore, you are better off pursuing a profession that comes easily and that you love, because that’s where you’ll be more eager to practice. Passion is a critical factor in professional success. People who love their work bring an intensity and enthusiasm that’s impossible to match through sheer diligence.”
3) And then, there’s this paragraph which is particularly brilliant and useful. And interesting. Not sure I knew it.
She writes: “I’d always followed the adage, “Don’t let the sun do down on your anger,” which meant, in practical terms, that I scrupulously aired every annoyance as soon as possible to make sure I had my chance to vent my bad feelings before bedtime.
I was surprised to learn from my research, however that the well-known notion of anger catharsis is poppycock. There is no evidence for the belief that “letting off steam” is healthy or constructive. In fact, studies show that aggressively expressing anger doesn’t relieve anger, but amplifies it. On the other hand, not expressing anger often allows it to disappear without leaving ugly traces.”
It’s a very interesting book—well-researched, compendious, but written in an very easy, readable style.


In Which I am a Single Issue Voter

By

File:UK-US flag.png

I was brought up Catholic, but made a real commitment to Christ when I was 17. Since then, as a Christian woman, I have been a citizen of three countries—of India, of the US (a citizenship I retain) and of the United Kingdom—we were sworn in last month, and are now dual citizens of the US and the UK. That’s appropriate—my thinking is mid-Atlantic; the English I write is mid-Atlantic; and the English I speak, oops, is a melange of words, usages, expressions and pronunciations I’ve picked up from both nations I retain citizenship of.
This is pathetically simplistic perhaps, but I have always supported political parties on one basis—and that is not gay rights or abortion rights.
The question I ask is: Whose policies will be best for the poor? The poor of their own nation, and the global poor, for as Christians, we do have to realize that we are on this earth for a few decades more at best, and then will, we hope, gain citizenship in heaven with those of every race, and tongue and people and language, and so must begin acting as citizens of that everlasting kingdom.
How have we treated the least of these?: That is the great question we will be asked on the last day (Matt 25:31-46).
And that should surely be a major issue as we gather to bestow earthly political power.
Politics, like sex or money, is, of course, an intensely personal matter. In England, in particular, it is impolite to mention them socially, leave alone in a blog!!
But, how about you? Are you a single-issue voter? Does your faith affect your voting practices? Should it?If so, what do you look for in a politician or political party?

 

“The Anointing,” Imitation and The Ridiculous

By


I am really enjoying reading R. T. Kendall’s brilliant book, The Anointing.
He points out that Christian preachers attempt to imitate famous ones. But, he says, “when I try to imitate someone else, I never capture their real genius, but their eccentricity. It is a fact that what is most easily copied in any man or woman is their odd manner, even their weakness.”
He mentions the Professor of Preaching at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Forth Worth, Texas, who had an eccentric habit of cupping his left hand over his ear when he began to soar in his preaching. Young ministers all over Texas and Oklahoma cupped their ear with their left hand when they thought they were soaring on the wings of eloquence. They thought they had the anointing. One could always tell his students, Kendall says.
R.T. Kendall later asks one of the preacher’s colleagues why he did that. “Because he was slightly deaf. He did it to hear his own voice better.”
                                                          § § §
Kendall goes on to write, “When anybody begins to imitate another who happens to have a great anointing, the person will end up aping his eccentricity. Martyn Lloyd-Jones told me of a man in Wales who had the habit of shaking his head back to keep hair from falling over his eyes. Sure enough, there were young men all over Wales who would shake their heads as they preached! One was even bald-headed.”
                                                        § § §
I saw this recently. Heidi Baker has a highly original preaching style, original to the point of extreme eccentricity (see here). She bends sideways as she preaches, as if pushed, says things like Shika Baba or Shazaam. Apparently, she is being overwhelmed by the power of the Spirit (and the words are glossolalia or an African dialect).
Well, I would never second-guess the wonderful Heidi who I have deep respect and affection for. But at this Revival Alliance conference I went to last week at which famous charismatic leaders spoke (John Arnott, Bill Johnson, Randy Clark, Che Ahn etc.) I saw two women imitate that mannerism—the swaying sideways as if pushed by the spirit, the breaking into prayer and praise in the midst of preaching.
Most annoyingly, the adult child of one of the speakers did it during announcements. “Whoa,” she said, and bent sideways, as if overwhelmed by the Spirit, while making quite pedestrian announcements. Would the Spirit really manifest in the same way to all these women? Who knows?
                                                      * * *
I taught my children to pray at a time when my own life was very difficult. My husband was consumed by his mathematical research; we had babies; things were volatile. So, when I came to pray, I first sighed deeply, exhaling the sadness, the stress, the tiredness, and the helplessness.
And then when it was the turn of little Zoe and Irene to pray—they couldn’t have been more than 3 or 4—they would first sigh, deeply and exaggeratedly, and then pray.
They obviously thought that that was how one prayed—you sighed deeply, you exhaled!! You said, “Oh Lord,” in an exhalation of exhaustion!!
Well, perhaps we were being theologically correct. Romans 8: 26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs and groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit.
                                                      § § §
 I see that in the blogosphere. Ann Voskamp has a highly original style, with much contortion of grammar. Since she is an original, a stylist, an accomplished writer with the ear of a poet, her stylistic contortions are not jarring.
What is irritating is when bloggers who lack her stylistic flair imitate her ungrammatical contortions and her style. Since it doesn’t fit into the texture of their pieces, it merely seems odd.
There are lots of original bloggers—Sarah Bessey, let’s say or Rachel Held Evans. But sometimes, when I read through the blogs of those I follow on Facebook, I am amazed by how many are similar in style, subject matter and preoccupations.
Imitation brings quicker success because we are working in a popular vein. It however militates against long-term success because we never discover our unique voice, style and preoccupations.
                                                      § § §
I love this passage from Thomas Merton:
Many poets are not poets for the same reason that many religious men are not saints: they never succeed in being themselves. They never get around to being the particular poet or the particular monk they are intended to be by God. They never become the man or the artist who is called for by all the circumstances of their individual lives.

They waste their years in vain efforts to be some other poet, some other saint.  

 They wear out their bodies and minds in a hopeless endeavour to have somebody else’s experiences, or write somebody else’s poems, or possess somebody else’s spirituality. 
There can be an intense egoism in following everybody else.  People are in a hurry to magnify themselves by imitating what is popular—and too lazy to think of anything better.
Hurry ruins saints as well as artists.  They want quick success and they are in such haste to get it that they cannot take time to be true to themselves.
                         ( Thomas Merton, Integrity, New Seeds of Contemplation).


Mike Rizzo of IHOP (International House of Prayer), Kansas, guest-posts on Smuggling Eden into Marriages

By


Mike Rizzo introduces Longing for Eden  
















Over the last thirty plus years of pastoral ministry, I can’t remember a single instance of a husband and wife being in severe conflict (talking divorce) while at the same time being spiritually vibrant. The disconnect between husband and wife is always a manifestation of a “God disconnect.” In other words, every marriage problem is ultimately a God problem. 

Naturally, we will have minor differences to iron out, stemming from personality differences, cultural backgrounds, and personal preferences, etc… But if we have agreement on in our core values and vision, and consistent renewal in the Spirit, then our one flesh covenant union should never be broken.
My wife and I pray that “Longing for Eden” will renew a fresh vision in both singles, engaged, and married couples. The fourteen chapters are roughly divided into three parts: having a vision in marriage, the importance of healing the heart, and the eternal vision that should be in the crosshairs of every Christian. Please enjoy the excerpt below: Chapter Thirteen.
 “Partners in Longing”
Marriage is the most affirming relationship on the planet. Just to think that someone loves me to the extent that they want to spend the rest of their earthly life with me, is overwhelming. This is a glorious shadow, cast by the greatest affirmation of all. Jesus has chosen me to do the same, not only in this age but for all eternity.

The longing to be enjoyed by God is a chip implanted in every human soul. He already enjoys me; I need to learn how to live with this reality. It must go from head to heart in understanding. This is the longing that the devil exploits every which way he can to divert attention away from the Son of God. Even within Christian marriage we must be vigilant to keep Jesus as our primary passion. Like Joseph’s dream, all the sheaves must bow.  
Married life is good when we’re both sitting at the King’s table. Connecting with God’s enjoyment of us releases a joy into our friendship. Another foundational desire that we have is the longing to be fascinated.
“One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.”  Psalms 27:4
My wife and I have prayed that our partnership would be a marriage of “one thing.” The beauty of the Lord is absolutely transforming. Even “seeing through a glass darkly” has made us different people. (1Cor.13:12) Over the course of his life King David studied the personality and emotions of God. This great warrior and worship leader was caught up with the beauty of God. He also knew the diabolical power of being caught up with the forbidden beauty of another man’s wife. Like Adam he ate of a forbidden fruit. Like that which they sought at Babel, David had already made a name for himself and he wielded that kingly power to meet his dark longings. That’s why the “one thing” must be the one thing. Dark fascination has the same bulls’ eye as godly fascination – the center of our hearts. Its power is derived from spiritual stagnation, boredom, and unbridled lust. A fascinated man does not need pornography; a fascinated woman doesn’t need to escape into romance novels.
If fascination came easy to the average believer, our churches could not contain the masses wanting to get in, as they recognized the abiding joy we manifested. As I look back over the landscape of battles I’ve fought in, one that comes to mind is depression. I’m not speaking of major depression (requiring medication) but of what is called “low grade depression.” Because the symptoms are considered mild, most people don’t seek help; they just plod on through it. That was me over a period of years. I remember looking forward to the end of the day so that I could escape into sleep.
I fought against hopelessness and low motivation. By God’s grace I was able to continue in my duties as husband, father, and pastor. But it was wearing me down. A major factor in the breakthrough I experienced was the revelation of two things: the beauty of God, and the promise of the age to come. Beyond some ethereal world, life after death became revealed to me as a continuation of partnering in ministry with Jesus. My hope-less became hope-full. These concepts made the trek from my head to the center of my heart. The enemy’s attack was fierce, trying to convince me that I would still be sad even in heaven! He’s quite brash isn’t he? Praise God, truth prevailed and the dark clouds parted. In the meantime, I “borrowed” from my wife’s joy.
God unveils his beauty to the hungry heart. His hiding of the deep things is for our protection and humility. The process of unveiling creates ownership on our part and rehabs our damaged emotions in the process. I focused more and more on the personality of God and meditated on portions of scripture that spoke of His attributes and revealed His glory. (E.G. Revelation, chapters 4 & 5, Ezekiel ch.1) The divine treasure chest is unlocked as we seek and search. When I’m filled to overflowing my marriage gets the spillover.  The more beautiful God looks to me, the more beautiful my wife looks to me.
God’s beauty is a powerful force that empowers the heart of a husband and wife to love one another. A spouse that strays into adultery has ceased to be fascinated not only with their marriage partner, but also with God. Think back to what originally attracted you to your spouse. You may or may not have known that it was the beauty of God reflected like light through a prism that fascinated your heart to want that “one” for life. The beauty you saw, the force that fascinated, was a longing being fulfilled. I encourage you to sign up again to be “partners in longing.”
“Longing for Eden: Embracing God’s vision in your marriage” by Mike Rizzo with Anne Rizzo, is a newly released inspirational book that will challenge couples and inspire singles, to more clearly see God’s intent for marriage. The authors write from thirty years of pastoral experience, much of which has been in the realm of marital and pre-marital counseling. Their passion is to see husbands and wives dwell together as “married disciples.” Small Group Study Guide (covers all 14 chapters) is included in the book. Over 170 questions, designed for individual couples or small groups to study together. Author info: http://mikerizzo.wordpress.com/ )




Mike Rizzo
Mike and Anne Rizzo
Mike and Anne say

Our current ministry assignment is two-fold: 1) To dedicate our lives to the prayer movement (at the International House of Prayer, Kansas City); to see kings and priests take their rightful place before the Throne in intercession. 2) To work with married and pre-marital couples; to see the prophetic picture of Christ and the church reflected in every marriage. 

In which Christ says, “Come, dance,” and this time, I hear The Lord of the Dance

By


This may make some of you laugh, but all through my thirties, on New Year’s Day, and many, many times throughout the year, I used to pray, “Lord, by the end of the year, let me be twice as close to you as I am now.”
Oh gosh, was it my Catholic upbringing, bad counselling, or just native stupidity??  I was visualizing the Christian life as a ladder.
If I prayed more, read my Bible more, did the laundry more, served my family more, loved more, da-da-da, I would be closer to Jesus.
While all the while–I could cry to think of it–he stood there, arms open wide, saying, “Come, dance?”
And all I had to do to be closer to him was just step into the waltz, stand close, very close, and let him lead me, deeper and deeper into the dance.  Now faster and faster, now slow and intimate. Now into service, now into intimacy, and now, into rest. 


In which I forgive a pair of ecclesiastical rascals, and my soul finds peace

By


The Happiness of Those who Walk in Forgiveness, Irene at 5.

   Okay, so I am at this Revival Alliance Conference, listening to amazing speakers like Bill Johnson, John Arnott and Heidi Baker whom I’ve heard before and whose vision, talks and books I love, and Randy Clark, Che Ahn and Georgian Banov who are new to me. Amazing music by Martin Smith of Delirious.

                                        § § §
And the girls save a space for us, and the Rector of our old church which we attended for six and a half years, sits in front of them, turns around, and says, “Oh Golly!”
“I’m Zoe, Anita’s daughter,” my older teen says.
“I know,” he says. “Is she here?”
“Yes.”
“Oh golly!! Oh golly,” he says, and does not sound pleased.  Is on the phone to his wife, disappears. She comes and retrieves their jackets. They sit somewhere else.
                                                   § § §
I had seen them earlier, was bouncing up to say Hi, then remembered my oblique posts dealing with the post-traumatic stress of being in that church, which had been so toxic for me, stopped mid-step, and turned round.
The girls tell me of their encounter in high amusement. I say, “Golly!” (Does anyone still say golly? Apparently so!) “They still haven’t forgiven me.” And feel a bit surprised and shocked.
And I ask myself a counter-question. Have I forgiven them?
Oh dear!!
                                                   § § §
And if I haven’t, I decide I absolutely have to–to  progress in my spiritual walk.
Carol Arnott, introducing the Arnott’s book Grace and Forgiveness says learning to forgive is worth a trillion dollars.
Okay then, let’s put some of that trillion dollars in my wallet.
                                                   § § §
On what point would you split company with Jesus? What is his most difficult saying?
The saying of Jesus which I find most outrageous, unfair, blood-boiling, ridiculous, and sublime is from the Sermon on the Mount.
It’s made me grit my teeth so often that I know it by heart:
Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who persecute you.
                                                   § § §
But, but, but, but, but… Should you do good to your enemies when they sin against you? Should you not rather expose the deeds of darkness? Won’t keeping things silent perpetuate abusive behaviourso that others suffer?
How can you bless them, when you are powerless, and they are not, and you desperately want God to see justice done? And now, instead of asking God to blow the whistle on them, and soon, you are to bless them?
Pray for them? Not pray that God punishes them? But pray for them?
And do good to those who’ve harmed you?
And, talk about going to extremes, love them?
                                          * * *
Phil Vischer of Jellyfish Productions (and Creator of VeggieTales) said he wants to be a jellyfish in the tides of God, taking what God gives him, now riding a wave high, now resting.
Forgiveness is like that. You are leaving justice and vengeance and fairness to God; you are just floating in the ocean of God’s love. Perhaps, your eyes will see his justice on this earth. Perhaps not.
We can forgive if we change our focus.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
        Look full in His wonderful face,

                           And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

                                           In the light of His glory and grace.

                                                       § § §
Ah, no more pussy-footing around.
I would either in obedience have to decide to do good to my enemies, bless them, and pray for them
Or part company with Jesus on this issue, quit following him who commanded me to  “whenever I stand praying release aught against any”
Who warned me that I would be tormented if I could not let go of the ways people had sinned against me—and that somehow my own sins would not be erased either (Mt. 18).
 There is a connection between forgiveness and creativity.  When I abide in the waterfall of God’s love and have it flow through me without meeting impediments of old grudges and old scores, God’s creativity is also more likely to flow through me.
                                                   * * *

Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who persecute you.
How hard that sounds!! But that’s the paradox of following Jesus: he turns the bitter sweet. The cross, symbol of shame, becomes a symbol of blessing.
Jesus could just as easily have said:
Don’t hold on to anger; it will make you gain weight.
Don’t hold on to hatred; it will affect your sleep.
Don’t hold on to grudges; it’s uncreative.
Don’t hold on—you will become bitter; you’ll be less fun to be with.
Don’t hold on. Keep your palms open to the flow of God’s love.
So then, am I going to forgive these two ecclesiastical rascals?
Yes, once and for all, and completely. This is the last blog they are inspiring!! I am forgiving them, not for their sakes, but for my own.
                                                   § § §
 Oh, how I wrestled to forgive them, and then suddenly forgiveness comes like a sweet stream.
And if I remember stuff again, will I struggle to forgive again?
 Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers says it takes 10,000 hours to master a craft. Well, it takes 10,000 steps to forgive.
But just as I persisted in the 10,000 hours it took to learn to write well, even though I fell backwards sometimes, and took long, long, breaks from writing, I will persist in the 10,000 steps it takes to forgive. And if I take one step backwards, and I will repent and take two steps forwards.
                                                   § § §
So, goodbye, I will no longer write about you, barring clear direction from the Lord.
 Goodbye, and I bless you with a return to your first love.
Goodbye, and I pray God uses you to bless those in your church as long as he is pleased to leave you there.
Goodbye, and I bless you with the Spirit of Sonship, that you may turn to the Father for the gifts you covet, and never seek to block the springs of giftedness in others, but may instead unblock the springs of the Father’s gifts in other people. I bless you with the Spirit of Sonship that trusts the Father for what you need, instead of using others to get what you want.
Goodbye, you who have blessed me with your prayers, your preaching, your counsel, and even your injustices which blocked the stream of my gifts, made them run underground and come up even stronger. Which forced me into the Father’s love, so that I came up even stronger.
Goodbye, for what you meant for evil, God meant for good.
Good bye, for bringing this sad, sordid and painful interlude of my church life to a conclusion beings me much peace
Good bye, God bless you, and I forgive you, and pray for you in the name of Jesus. Goodbye!