Today marks the beginning of the third month of my Proverbs 365 project.  It's going stronger than ever, and I find that I'm really enjoying this good, long soak in the wisdom of Proverbs.  Just like I did last month, I thought it might be interesting to highlight three of my personal favorites from the past month of the project.

My favorite Proverbs-related story from the last month would have to be P2306 - Coffee Cake Conflict.  In the post, I share a personal anecdote from my university years which helps to illustrate Proverbs 23:6-8:  "Do not eat the food of a stingy man, do not crave his delicacies; for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost.  'Eat and drink,' he says to you, but his heart is not with you.  You will vomit up the little you have eaten and will have wasted your compliments." You really have to read the post to get the full effect of my reflections on the subject -- but suffice to say the story involves young bachelors learning to run their own household, eating nothing but coffee cake for dinner, and gift presented to a 20-year-old with a note saying, "Happy Birthday, you bitter old man." Follow the link above for the whole story.

Secondly, one of the greatest personal challenges that I experienced in the month of February came from reading Proverbs 26:11, which prompted my recollections entitled P2611 - Vomitous Victuals.  The title of the post is a direct reference to the Proverb itself, found in chapter 26, verse 11:  "As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly." As I meditated on this verse, I came to realize how I can foolishly respond to feelings of loneliness by sitting at the computer, obsessively hitting the Send/Receive button on my e-mail reader -- hoping for some sort of pathetic companionship from a glowing computer screen.  When the e-mails don't come, I get sad.  When I don't get many comments on my blog(s), I get sad.  But I keep going in a foolish cycle of loneliness.  "It's the same story... when I check my Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, and YouTube pages.  I scramble around the internet like a squirrel, hunting for nuts that just aren't there... " If you can relate to these feelings at all, I would definitely recommend following the link and taking a look at the post for yourself.

Thirdly, I think one of the verses which stuck with me the most from February was Proverbs 3:3-4:  "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.  Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man." You can read my thoughts on this Proverbs at P334 - Love and Faithfulness.  Honestly, I'm not sure if my personal reflections in this post are really all that poignant -- but the Proverb itself is powerful enough to prompt us to question ourselves:  "So how do we get back on track with these core qualities of Love and Faithfulness?  How do we make these our calling card?  The necklace around our necks?  The tattoo written across our chests?" I attempt to start answering some of these questions in my post, and I would love to hear any other dialogue that others might want to contribute as well.

For a more comprehensive listing of the February's content, here are the titles of all 28 entries, along with direct links to the rest of the contact:

• P122 - Stuck on Simplicity
• P206 - The Key to Understanding the Proverbs
• P334 - Love and Faithfulness
• P414 - Traffic Advice
• P506 - Checking for Blind Spots
• P610 - How to Avoid a Hold-Up
• P702 - Apple of Your Eye
• P809 - Atheist Buses
• P903 - Lady Wisdom and Her Staff Team
• P1008 - California Ryan
• P1124 - The Wedding Card Dilemma
• P1216 - Wat Vervelend
• P1308 - Mo' Money Mo' Problems
• P1410 - Considering Condolences and Congratulations
• P1504 - Green Tree
• P1618 - The Prognostication Possibilities of Pride
• P1714 - Water Management is Serious Business
• P1803 - Downward Spiral
• P1919 - The Predicaments of Hot-Headedness
• P2029 - Gray Area
• P2109 - A Case for Separation
• P2204 - NHL vs. NBA
• P2306 - Coffee Cake Conflict
• P2410 - Feats of Strength
• P2515 - Bones Yes, But What About Bureaucratic Red Tape?
• P2611 - Vomitous Victuals
• P2711 - Prudence Not Panic
• P2809 - Love Triangles

And that's just February!  March promises to be another great month, so check it out for yourself at http://proverbs365.ericasp.com.

I had a great birthday celebration (my 33rd) this past weekend -- seriously, one of the best birthday observances that I've experienced in years...  But it all got me to thinking about some deeper stuff, too.

My 16th birthday was my Driver's License Birthday.  My 18th birthday was my Voting Eligibility Birthday.  My 21st birthday was my Legal Drink Birthday.  My 25th birthday was my Quarter-Century Birthday.  My 30th birthday was my Gateway to Middle Age Birthday.  But my most immediate association with the age of 33 is the Crucifixion of Jesus (who was, as far as we can tell, 33 years old at the time of his crucifixion, burial, and resurrection).  So I guess you could say that I just celebrated my Crucifixion of Jesus Birthday.

It's kind of an odd association, I realize.  But there is something powerful in the realization that this is what Jesus might have felt like -- what his body might have felt like, the thickness of his beard, the beginnings of ache in his joints, the slowing metabolism... and how his mind might have processed the events around him, the compiled power of memory, his sense of mortality, his ability to see humor in circumstances that might have previously frustrated or scared him, his perception of those older than him and younger than him -- in that last year of ministry, leading up to the climax of his ministry.  Maybe these thoughts seem a little bit morbid, but it somehow helps me to connect with the Passion of Jesus in a different way, during this season of Lent and preparing for Easter.

He was so young (at least from my way of looking at things!)!  There was so much of the world that he never got the chance to experience.  And yet, he made such a profound impact on the world with his 33 years.  Yes, of course, it helped that he was the Son of God and everything -- but still, he was absolutely human at the same time, and by the age of 33 Jesus had changed the course of human history.  It's amazing and humbling to consider.  And although I hope that I will not have to face  a crucifixion in the coming year, I do hope that I can follow Jesus more and more, every day.

Link: http://proverbs365.ericasp.com/

In light of this morning's headlines annoucing the results of yesterday's ice-hockey game between the United States and Canada (good news!) and yesterday's professional-basketball game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic (bad news), I thought it might be interesting to copy today's post from my ongoing Proverbs 365 project:  P2204 - NHL vs. NBA.

Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life (Proverbs 22:4).

Different sports have completely different cultures. The character qualities that are prized in golf (i.e. low profile, high self-confidence, clear-headedness) are completely different than the character qualities that are valued in American football (i.e. brash intimidation, team chemistry, sharply-channeled rage). And nowhere is this cultural contrast more clear, in my opinion, than in the differences between players from the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Hockey Leage (NHL). The NBA and NHL seasons overlap heavily. Both the NBA and the NHL have huge fan bases in North America (I enjoy both sports greatly, for the record). However, in spite of all the apparent similarities, NBA players and NHL players seem like they come from completely different planets, to hear them interviewed by the media. NBA culture seems to create players who usually come across as bragadocious, showy, territorial, and trash-talking. "I'm better than him." "In your face." "I got game and he don't." "He better get outta my face or I'm gonna throw him out." Many of the league's biggest stars are close personal friends with gangsta rappers (or occasionally even rappers themselves!). Throughout the past couple of seasons, two of the NBA's most dominant centers have developed an ongoing vendetta about who most deserves the nickname "Superman." It's just that kind of culture.

NHL culture, however, seems to create players who usually come across as very plain, unassuming, even-keeled, and "regular guy" (and not nearly as interesting as NBA players, in interviews!). Case in point: I recently read an on-line article about Ryan Miller, the goalie for the American men's ice-hockey team in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver (who also plays in the NHL, of course), which underscored the cultural difference between hockey players and basketball players. Through the weeks leading up to the Olympics, Miler had been repeatedly hyped as the Americans' best chance for success at the Olympic games. However, in responding to the hype, the star goalie responded with typical hockey-culture candor:

"It's flattering when you hear that," Miller told ESPN.com. "I don't know how many photo sessions I've had with the American flag draped around me or behind me; it's bordering on ridiculous. You know, I'm one piece of the team. I understand the whole concept of a goalie being able to steal a game. In these tournaments, everyone starts to hype how a goalie can steal a game; just like the Stanley Cup playoffs, everybody starts to hype how a hot goalie can win you a Stanley Cup. But the team in front of you has to play solid, and the goalie almost always reflects the way his team is playing... You're not going to skate through a tournament or win a Stanley Cup without a team that's paying attention to detail," continued the Buffalo Sabres netminder. "So I'm going to try and hold up my end of the bargain and give my team a chance to win. And if I feel I've given them that opportunity, then I've done the best I can, and hopefully that's good enough."

It's crazy to notice the different vibes for these different sports, isn't it?!? They both have their advantages and disadvantages. As far as sports and cultures are concerned you can't really elevate one over the other. But in real life, the Proverbs would suggest, it's much better to be an "NHL player" than an "NBA player." A person can get much further in life -- in business, in relationships, in personal reputation -- if they can maintain the attitude of a humble, unimposing, magnanimous "NHL player," as opposed to the attitude of a prideful, self-promoting, chip-on-the-shoulder "NBA player." If an NBA player tried to take up ice-hockey and bring his NBA attitude into the NHL's locker rooms and arenas, he would be ostracized from the rest of the team, alienated from the fans (who seem to appreciate the NHL's humility factor, even if it does make for more boring interviews), and smashed out on the ice at every opportunity. And this really seems to be the way that the "real world" works, on issues of pride and humility. The proud are destroyed eventually, while humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life. Yes, if your basketball skills are up to snuff, you might want to work on your NBA persona and see how that works out for you, throughout the rest of your life. But if they're not (and let me assure you: they're probably not), I would recommend developing your NHL persona and letting that guide you.

So how do we identify and follow the spiritual inukshuks in our lives?  How do we live by faith?  The most basic answer comes down to following the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who serves as our power for day-to-day living and spiritual interaction with God (and with other believers) and our means for obtaining spiritual wisdom.  1 Corinthians 2:9-16 explains this for us more fully:

It is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” -- but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.  The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.  For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him?  In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.  We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.  This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.  The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.  The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment: “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?”  But we have the mind of Christ.

So really, finding the inukshuks in life and determining God’s direction all comes down to having this “mind of Christ” (the Holy Spirit).  It's not a formula or a mathematical equation; it’s a spiritual thing.  The Holy Spirit is the ultimate trump card.  His leadership is most important!  But with that said... there do seem to be a handful of principles that we can observe in the Bible and from real-world experience for identifying the spiritual inukshuks around us and making Spirit-filled decisions.  In particular, I believe there are five main checkpoints that we can use to help determine the inukshuks in our lives and find the path being marked out by these inukshuks: (1) God's Word, the Bible, (2) Prayer, (3) Godly Counsel from Other People, (4) Circumstances, and (5) the Test of Time.

With actual inukshuks in the Canadian wilderness, Inuit hunters don’t just look at them and see a random pile of stones.  They know how to study the rock formation like a map and read it for specific clues as to which direction they must go.  In the same way, we can study the Bible to give us direction (see 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Psalm 119:97-99, 138, and John 14:21).  Secondly, real inukshuks are discovered through searching for them and consistently scanning one’s eyes across the flat, arctic horizon in hopes of spotting the next marker on the trail home.  An Inuit hunter knows that he won’t see anything if he’s not looking for it.  In the same way, prayer gives us spiritual eyes to see what’s in front of us (see Proverbs 2:3-6, Colossians 1:9-10, and James 1:5).  Thirdly, it's important to remember that an inukshuk is not just an arbitrary pile of stones on the tundra.  There may be quite a bit of variety in the way one inukshuk might look from the next, but there is an element of consistency as well -- stemming from the fact that they are a part of the Inuit culture, and people who are from that culture know what separates an inukshuk from just a bunch of rocks.  In the same way, our involvement in Christian community helps us in determining the direction God wants to take our lives (see Proverbs 12:15 and Proverbs 11:14).  Fourthly, it's significant to note that for the Inuit people, an inukshuk’s environment, placement, and circumstances are important in determining the inukshuk’s meaning and significance.  A pile of rocks in the middle of the wilderness means a whole lot more than a pile of rocks in the village.  Likewise, God can use circumstances in our lives to help prevent us from going wrong directions and steer us in the right direction for the future (see Acts 16:6-7 and Matthew 10:11-14).  And finally, it's important to realize that one inukshuk is not enough to guide an Inuit hunter on the entire path that he needs to follow.  Rather, it is the collective alignment of several inukshuks that mark the path, and the only way to know that you’re truly on the right path is to be patient and make sure that they consistently line up, pointing in the same direction.  I feel it’s the same way with spiritual inukshuks (see Psalm 27:13-14, Isaiah 30:18, and Proverbs 14:29).

In summary, I believe the better we can get at discerning these spiritual inukshuks and applying the principles outlined here above, the better we will be able to determine the Holy Spirit’s leading in our lives —- allowing us to make wise, Spirit-filled decisions.  At times, it will seem like the journey is incredibly long, with the inukshuks placed impossibly far apart.  But if we can keep moving forward in faith, staying true to the direction of the last inukshuk that we passed, we will reach our destination in God's time, and according to God's plan.

My story of the Inuit hunter is actually a story about my own spiritual journey.  Yes, I did some research and tried to create a true representation of Inuit culture, in northern Canada -- but I also think it holds tremendous meaning for individuals living here in Amsterdam in the 21st Century.  Perhaps different metaphors work better for different people, yet I feel like my own spiritual journey works a lot like a path marked out by inukshuks:  traveling through an unmarked spiritual landscape with just a vague sense of direction.  It really is a journey of faith towards an uncertain goal, and the only way that we're able to keep moving forward is through the guidance provided by the inukshuks in life -- those moments of spiritual clarity, scattered every so often, that remind us of our direction and goal.

We all have those moments in our lives, if we look hard enough.  Sometimes, they're referred to as moments of epiphany or revelation.  I’ve also heard them referred to as “spiritual mile markers.”  But for me, I like to think of them as “inukshuks.”  They don't come along very often on the generally flat, unmarked spiritual landscape of our lives.  But when we find one, we can immediately observe evidence of obvious design and purpose, comforting and reassuring reminders that we are not the only ones to have walked a particular path.  With these spiritual inukshuks, just like Inuit inukshuks, there is a great variety of design -- but their significance is unmistakable.  They're placed just every so often, barely enough to remind us that we are indeed on a designated trail.

And if we learn to look for the inukshuks that God has put in our lives, we can more effectively live with radical faith and trust in the directions that God takes us.

Everyone has big decisions that they have to make at some point or another in his or her life.  "Which university should I go to?" "Which job should I take?"  "When and how and to whom should I be married?" "What does the future hold for my life?"  These questions crop up whenever we find ourselves changing jobs, moving cities, or whatever.  They're all very difficult questions which don’t have very clear-cut answers.  But if we believe that God helps to guide us and protect us -- providing these spiritual inukshuks to mark out the right path to God’s will for our lives -- how do we really know what we’re looking for?  How do we figure these things out for ourselves and help to provide counsel for other people around us who are going through the process of making difficult decisions?

I strongly believe that the spiritual inukshuks are there, if only we'll look for them.  We just have to learn where to look and how to interpret them. Stay tuned for more ideas...