Knees first
I just finished a book (I’m a reader if you’re wondering) by Bill Hybels called JUST WALK ACROSS THE ROOM. The author is the pastor of a humongus church near Chicago called Willow Creek that is both very influential and very controversial for their emphasis on “seeker” events and services. Their mindset is very evangelistic, but then Jesus seemed to be interested in people coming to know God, too. The book is about being open and available and active in engaging with people at every opportunity, with the ultimate object of pointing them towards God somehow. It’s intentional, lifestyle evangelism and Hybels says it’s something we all can and should do if we really believe Jesus was all that. Cool book and I recommend it.
Fooled you. Touting evangelism is not the point of the post. What struck me most in the book was what Hybels calls a “silly spiritual discipline” that I think I badly need and I’m gonna try. From the book:
Some of you may know that a few years back I started a rather silly spiritual discipline in order to balance the activist side of my personality. The commitment was this: every morning, the first part of my body to hit the floor would be, without fail, my knees. This may sound easy but I dare you to try it. It takes a little finagling to get your hips and legs to swing just right so that your knees come down before your feet. Before making that commitment, I had learned that if my feet hit the floor first, I was off to the races….. So to right my Type-A tendencies, I decided to roll out of bed each day and, as a representation of my submitted spirit, will and attitude, adopt a posture of prayer. It’s of symbolic import to me because it sends a message to me and to all of heaven that I’m in this thing - this life, this ministry, this day - soli Deo gloria, for God’s glory.
How can you NOT love that?!
