Recycled Air

I often feel that recycled or conditioned air stifles Jesus. I know it's not true. But I often feel like it is.

I meet Jesus outdoors. In Chicago I would regularly go to Navy Pier during the winter as it was the closest thing to outside I could get without freezing my fingers and face off while trying to read my Bible.

Days where I've been inside most of the day I get a headache. I feel weird. 

Days which go by without talking to Jesus, I get snappier. I feel dirty. Though it's the days that I'm outside that I end up smelling like "outside" or "sunshine" or, even better, sweat. It's most often those days that I can offer up to God the sweet-smelling aroma of a living sacrifice - myself.

The anthropology (doctrine of man) of the Old Testament is that we are bodies and we have a spirit. Not that we are a spirit and we have a body. The way we communicate with the world is through our bodies. We use our mouths and brains for speech, our bodies for nonverbal communication, our hands to work, our legs to travel, etc. We must remember that we speak to God not just with our spirits in prayer, but our bodies and minds in action. We close our eyes to shut out any distractions. Sometime we open our eyes to keep from distraction. We can pray aloud. We kneel, we stand. We write, draw, and cry out our prayers. This is how we know to communicate. Some need a busy place. Some need a quiet place. I need fresh air. I don't need a beautiful beach or a scenic mountain view (though they are always nice). Usually a park with a handful of people around is perfect. 

So do you have a place where you meet with Jesus? For me, I take my Bible, Blanket, Bug spray, and (Black) journal to the park. Now I have a green journal, but the "b" thing worked before :-) If you don't have a place, or even a time, start. Take ten minutes, the Gospel of John and a pencil. Read from bold heading or number to bold heading or number at a time. Circle things that stand out. Underline powerful verses. Write in questions in the margin. Pray about what you read before and after your read. 

Just make sure you spend time not just talking to Jesus in prayer, but listening to Him through His Word. How else do you expect your faith to grow? Your blessings to increase? Your relationship with Him and others to deepen? 

Go! Go outside if you need to, with a glass of ice water or a warm blanket. Get somewhere with good lighting. And read your Bible and meet with Jesus.