Scrambling in the Spirit

July 19, 5:01 PMFaith & Culture ExaminerDr. Bob Beltz

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              Bart just finished his spiritual exercises

I’ve been scrambling lately. I’m sure you know the feeling. It’s the old “not enough hours in the day” kind of thing. Scrambling can leave you feeling tired, frustrated, discouraged, and even confused. You look back at your day, or week, or month, or year and wonder what happened to the time, and what have you accomplished. Or…scrambling can be an adventure that yields all kinds of positive outcomes. What is the difference?

One idea is to look at the concept of “scrambling in the Spirit.” What if you could come to the end of your day, week, or month and look back and see “the hidden hand” at work. In the words of Mother Teresa, you could see that you have been a “pencil in the hand of God.” How does one get into that kind of groove?

I think it begins the minute you open your eyes in the morning. Your first conscious act can be a commitment of your day to God. One of the psalmists (think ancient country-western song writer with a thick Jewish accent) wrote, “This is the day the Lord has made. Let’s rejoice and be glad in it.” As a person who is naturally prone to depression – especially in the morning – I’d like to have more of this kind of attitude to start my day.

Launching out of bed, you then head to the kitchen to get the coffee going. Some of you probably have those timer-controlled coffee makers that let you wake up and literally smell the coffee. We are a “grind your own” family so coffee prep takes a little longer around our house. But once armed with a good cup of Joe, I grab my Bible and try to get prepared for a day of Spirit-led scrambling. I do this by following the Rule of St. Bruno and reading a little bit in the Old Testament, a little bit in the New Testament, and a little bit out of the Gospels. I’ve developed a couple of devices that help me stay on track with this spiritual exercise. Although physical exercise is of value – even the Bible says so – if you want your scrambling to be led by the Spirit, these spiritual exercises are much more important.

One new idea I have been implementing this summer is scheduling God into my day by putting him on my calendar. I try to schedule time with him first thing in the morning. When I take my first look at what lies ahead for the day, I see this appointment: “God.” That is all it says, but it has helped me be more consistent in pulling this whole thing off. I’ve even had times when someone has wanted to schedule an early meeting with me and I have been able to honestly say, “I already have an appointment at that time.”

In terms of figuring out what to read in the Old Testament, New Testament, and Gospels, I coordinate my reading with the day’s date. I’ve done this through the years with the Psalms and Proverbs (think ancient cowboy/philosopher dishing out good advice in-between spitting his Kosher chewing tobacco juice on the ground next to the Temple gate) for years. If it is the 15th of month, then I am either going to be reading Psalm 15, 45, 75, 105, or 135. If I am reading Proverbs instead of Psalms, I am going to be reading the 15th chapter of these wise sayings.  With a high degree of frequency I find that something in these readings ends up having direct bearing on some event that occurs during that particular day.

I’ve been using this same concept, with modifications, for reading the Gospels. Matthew, Luke, and John all have nearly a month of chapters. On the 15th, I’m either reading Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John chapter 15. On the 17th, if I’m reading Mark, I go back to the beginning and read the book twice in the month (Mark only has 16 chapters), or I move over and finish the month in one of the other Gospels. My New Testament reading, outside the Gospels, tends to be random or related to some subject I’m speaking on or writing about during the week. Sometimes an idea floats into my mind that leads me to read a certain text. I’ve learned over the years that these “random” thoughts are worth attending to and again often take me to passages that will become applicable during the day.

If I only had one discipline to practice for my scrambling to become directed, reading the Bible thoughtfully and carefully would be the one I’d pick. Doing “the next indicated thing” is a phrase some of my AA friends use. The “indicted” part is the trick, and getting your brain tuned into spiritual things by reading the Bible can make a huge difference in getting that sense.

During the summer, I have also been trying to pray on a more regular basis. This is also part of the Rule of St. Bruno. I find that the combination of reading and prayer are essential if I am going to effectively scramble in the Spirit. I notice that if I miss a day or two of these disciplines my scrambling turns into plain, old, ordinary busyness. Getting grounded and tuned into the Spirit makes all the difference.