A Year of Gritty Faith

By Patrick Siegler

"A Year of Gritty Faith" consists of daily thoughts, meditations, and devotions to help each of us on our continued journey toward the Divine.
To use "A Year of Gritty Faith" in the most relevant way is to take a minute to be honest with yourself. Don’t get bogged down with the “shoulds” and “oughts,” because you can’t go back. Lay your garbage on the table, walk away, be honest with yourself throughout your journey, and live.
Pat Siegler, a pastor in Madison, Wisconsin, uses many of his own experiences to bridge a gap between old school, handed down religion, and an authentic relational spirituality with Jesus. Throughout "A Year of Gritty Faith," you will encounter Pat's belief that compassion and kindness can transform the world.
"These thoughts, meditations, devotions come from my deepest place of truth. A place where a spark of the Divine shines within my personhood. " Pat Siegler

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Dec 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9780996702744

Book preview

Notes

Preface: Honesty on the Journey

We are about to begin a journey together. But we really don’t know one another. I like to be straightforward. I will be honest with you. My prayer is that you are honest with yourself. You’ve already noticed one thing: I write like I am talking to you. And I am talking, which means the grammar, punctuation, and word use may not follow all the rules.

What you need to know: I was diagnosed as living with Bipolar Disorder in 2008. Looking back to high school, college and seminary, I can see this diagnosis. During times I self-medicated. I smoked a lot of pot. I also drank to excess at times. I hit inanimate objects like walls, car windows, and doors, in order to feel. I got and get tattooed to absorb the pain. I tend to swear a bit, so there will probably be some of those words throughout this book. I don’t use them to be cute or even to show irreverence. Sometimes the best word happens to be a curse word; I beg your pardon now.

That’s about it. My wife and I were married in 1991 and had our first of three awesome kids in 1998. I also entered my first parish in 1998 in a town outside of Madison, Wisconsin, and was there for 4 years. I have been in my current parish on the east side of Madison since August 2002. I deeply love God. I have fought with God, sworn at God, pled with God, bargained with God, and even turned my back on God. Maybe you’ve had some of these experiences, and that’s okay. Most of the big dogs in Scripture did the same, and God still used them, accepted them, loved them, and redirected them for God’s will.

In a powerful way, I try to follow the Jesus path. Sometimes I sit and pout, though. Jesus is amazing, his love is astounding, his empathy has carried me through troubles. When times are darkest, I have discovered that Jesus has always been there.

Take a minute to be honest with yourself. Don’t get bogged down with the shoulds and oughts, because you can’t go back. Lay your garbage on the table, walk away, be honest with yourself throughout your journey, and live.

This book is called A Year of Gritty Faith based on the personality trait of grit.

Grit in psychology is a positive, non-cognitive trait based on an individual’s passion for a particular long-term goal or end state, coupled with a powerful motivation to achieve their respective objective. This perseverance of effort promotes the overcoming of obstacles or challenges that lie within a gritty individual’s path to accomplishment, and serves as a driving force in achievement realization.¹

May your faith be gritty.

January

January 1

Every now event begins with a breath. Breathing is at the base level of living. Breathing is one of the many things we do without even thinking about it. We may notice when we can’t catch our breath. Maybe you breathe through your mouth, or nose. Sometimes your breath comes out as a heavy sigh. Thich Nhat Hahn (Zen teacher of Mindfulness) says, Notice your breathing.¹ And again, When you breathe in this way, your breath is a celebration of life.² As we begin the New Year, take a breath for the now.

January 2

Light

Light

Light shatters

Light shatters our darkness

Light shatters our darkness deep within

Light shatters our sins

Light shines

Light

~PES

January 3

So, there’s this notion that we are all dirty, rotten sinners to our core. It is part of our inmost being, and we have no control over it. Basically, we all suck.

My guess is this is what you’ve heard. But, my gut tells me that you are a bit pissed and ready to quit reading right now. Please don’t.

There is also this notion that at the core of our being, we are beautiful, loved, loveable, good, and we are a blessing for the world. Do you feel better now? I do, just writing it.

I feel bad for the people in the first camp. They see the world as dark, everything grim, and no real way for God to love us.

So, what do we do with sinners? Maybe the way we look at sin is wrong. Maybe we can get to a different place in understanding sin. Perhaps sin is not a state of being, but instead missing the full potential of what God has in store us.

This, some might say, is quibbling over words. But I don’t think so. I believe it is important for each of us to know that inherently in your nature, you are good, and that is how God sees you. A child of God’s creation, declared by God to be good.

January 4

For many of us, we have been told by our doctor to perform self-examinations to head off potential physical illnesses. The same is true with our soul. We are encouraged to examine our relationship with God. When we are straying from the Lord’s path, we often need help to get back on track. We know from our doctors that discovering an illness early makes the cure much easier. As you examine your soul, you are invited to lift your hearts and hands to God.

January 5

It’s the triple-dog dare. It’s been out there for literally thousands of years. Treat each other as you want to be treated. That is God’s dare.

Every major religion on earth has some form of the golden rule, to love your neighbor as yourself, as part of their basic understanding of how to live. It’s the compassion dare, and we have failed to take a running start at it. But not you. You can change all that and accept the dare. Do the dare. It’s a triple-dog dare.

I wonder what the world’s reaction will be; I wonder what God’s reaction will be.

January 6

Passion is what gives our lives a sense of direction. You may say, I have a passion for helping people in need. This points to a specific direction, a path that one might take to engage in their passion and enjoy what they are doing.

Many times we get caught in the swirl of life’s toilet bowl, doing what we have to do, just to get by. We aren’t enthused, much less passionate about what we are doing. This leads to suffering. A suffering that is within your soul, but leaks out into relationships and everything you engage in.

To protect yourself from this type of suffering and dis-ease, it is important to focus your energy where you have passion. Maybe not all the time, but at least some of the time. This is soul tending, and passion enlivening.

January 7

Psalm 139:13 You knit me together in my mother’s womb.³

There is a great amount of intimacy that goes with knitting. Every bit of yarn is touched. Your hands can get dry, but you go on.

Metaphorically, we are knit together as a human race. God divinely knits all the loose ends together, bringing us into an amazing piece of useful art.

The thing with knitting is that we don’t see the end straightaway. It takes a while for something to form. It needs tending, care, and work, before the true mystery of creation comes to us.

God is continually knitting the world together; watch and be part of the Master Knitters creation.

January 8

This chalkboard painting is the first thing you see when you enter Zion Church ELCA in Madison, Wisconsin. It is both a statement and a promise for those who come to this faith community.

It is also for you. Believe it or not, one of my promises is that I will pray, daily, for those who use this book as a means of getting through the grittiness of life. You are important. You are being prayed for. Seriously.

January 9

Mark 8:29a [Jesus] asked them, But who do you say that I am?⁴

When it comes down to it, that’s the personal question Jesus asks all of us. This answer doesn’t come from a book, it is not a church doctrine, and your pastor cannot answer this for you. Jesus asked, Who do you say that I am? He’s asking for your answer.

Every answer is correct, because how we answer is where our faith is coming from at that particular point in time.

There are so many ways to answer, that no single answer seems to be a proper response. So, are we left hanging in the wind, saying nothing, caught in a trap of not knowing what to answer in the midst of all the possible answers?

Maybe your answer is something like, Savior. Oh, but there is more: Teacher, Friend, and then there is Redeemer - and don’t forget Life-Giver. You see how it goes? A personal relationship with Jesus takes on dimensions that are beyond a single answer.

Jesus is a mosaic.

January 10

A prayer for today:

God, you’ve done such great things for me. You’ve taken me, molded me, blessed me, and provided for me. I ask that you give me strength, sustenance and compassion throughout the day. I ask that you give me a clear path to follow, and an open heart to be your child. Amen.

January 11

Suffering is a very real, very difficult part of our world. Personal suffering has a biting, gnawing, pounding impact on our lives. When we see past our own suffering and notice the suffering of others, something is triggered within us. Something that makes us want to help – that something is called compassion.

But why do we often feel that we need to speak amidst someone’s suffering? Or solve their suffering? There are times when suffering just is. It can’t be talked through, can’t be solved. True compassion is taking the time to just be with that person. This is the hard path, the path that is slow; it is the path that leads to healing and wholeness.

January 12

There are times when we find ourselves in what can only be called desolate places, both literally and figuratively.

Desolate places, though often seen as negative, can be places of great peace and prayer. In these places and times we come to a realization that we are dependent on God. Prayer and peace help us to re-orient ourselves, listen to God, and get clarity for our lives.

Allowing yourself to go through these times, instead of fighting them, will strengthen your faith and understanding of your dependence on the Divine.

January 13

Rejected – Dejected – Wrongly Suspected – Negatively Infected – Disrespected

All things that we have felt in our lives. All things that get to the core of our being and hurt. These are the people Jesus hangs out with. He actually wants to be with people who have messy lives. Jesus brings compassion to our lives, within our mess. He doesn’t accuse, he doesn’t try to fix, he just listens.

As Jesus listens, we are invited to share our stuff. Things we don’t feel we can tell another human being because of shame, he is ready to hear. Things we’ve done, but buried deep in our gut trying to forget, yet they fester in our soul, he has the salve for.

Jesus also helps us to see ourselves for who we are. To be open and available to others, we must be open and available to ourselves. We cannot change our past, but we can be liberated from it. In this compassionate relationship with Jesus, you no longer have to be the person you have been told you are. You can say, I am no longer a hostage to my past. I am free.

Today is a new day. No longer