Politics and Food

You lose the argument when you start “Name Calling”

Yesterday we voted in the Republican primary. Folks in Michigan were doing our lot to decide who will face President Obama in the November general election. There are some that hope that we will elect a new president there are others that would prefer to keep the one we have. Some think that the results of the upcoming election has a forgone conclusion and all of this campaigning is a waste of time and money. Perhaps.

“They” say that any sitting president should win re-election. It is “their election to lose,” meaning, as long as the president doesn't do or say anything that is too far afield, he is assured a victory. This may be true.

But there is something about the process. There is something about engaging in the conversation. Once every four years people pay a little more attention to issues that are bigger than their world. We start to think nationally and internationally ( 0f course there are some of us who get a kick out of politics and think about these things frequently even between elections). There is something about thinking not only about what is best for you personally but what is best for the greatest number of people.

The two-party system in the United States tends to polarize us. We find ourselves supporting everything one particular party stands for because they may support one thing that we actually feel passionate about. Who knows, perhaps there is that person out there that just happens to have all the same personal convictions that the Republicans or the Democrats represent. I however am not one of them.

There is not one political party that encompasses everything I hold dear and true. And so I listen; I speak the truth and I make the best choice I can with the information I have at hand. The more we communicate, the more we speak with honesty about what we believe the closer we will come to the truth. This is something I have learned on my faith journey. When a community of faithful people honestly and earnestly seek the truth and engage in conversation, a wisdom beyond they sum parts of the participants emerges and the way becomes clear.

I don't have a card that says I belong to any one political party and I don't want one. There is no official list of members of a party that has my name one it. However when well meaning people try to vilify one party or the other and make blanket statements about how “Democrats are” or how “Republicans are,” I take offense. There are people, good faithful people, that I know and love that vote with the party of their choice on each side of the spectrum. I believe that all of them want the best for themselves and the world. There are simply different philosophies about how to get there. I expect the candidates to go negative because history shows that those tactics help win elections. But when those that are close to me do it, I take it personally.

I say have the conversation. Discuss the differences. Defend what you believe. But don't tear others down.

Food Awareness

This is the first sign down one of the isles of the local
grocery store.  "Canned Fish"? Really?  This is what is
supposed to entice me?  It got me to thinking about the
way I do make food choices.

A lot of the time I choose to eat what ever is
in front of me.  These doughnut holes are
available every Sunday at church. 

One of my tacos.  look at all that sour cream.  Is that
much necessary? No, but its oh so yummy!  Rethink...Rethink

Honey Butter pork tenderloin on mashed potatoes and
peas.  One helping was enough.  Then I had a little more. 

I've had one of those moments where I've decided to grab myself by the bootstraps and take greater control over my life. I've been feeling sluggish and almost depressed as I usually do this time of year. I have decided to change my diet change my activities so that I can start to feel better.  I had this moment when I was contemplating seeing a doctor about all this. And ad as I was reflecting on my life as it has been over the last month or so I remembered the time spent on the cruise ship, eating way more that I needed being far less active than should have been; that coupled with the lack of sunshine and the stress of being a parent to six kids and all the other factors in my life led me to think that I need to do more for myself. I have to be more active in making healthy decisions rather than passively letting the world happened to me.
All this is coming as the fruit of my meditations over the beginning of this Lent season.  I prayed to God "what can I turn from? what can I give up? What can I sacrifice? what do I need to be able focus more on you God? And this is what came up.
Of course there are lots of other things that I could do.  There are innumerable ways to draw near to God but if I don't feel right, if I'm not taking care of myself, than it's  all the more difficult to do all those things so  this is a place I will start.

The Journey

Mark 1:9-15

This is the first Sunday I Lent.

A journey into the unknown only has value if you learn something. A journey into the unknown has value if we know what we are looking for...or better yet, when we are open to finding something all together new.

A season to reflect on the last days of Jesus ministry. We listen again to his words. We look deeply at His arrest, his trial, his execution and at the end of these 40 days we will celebrate his resurrection. It is also a time to look inward, to take our own spiritual temperature. It is a season of reflection. It is a season of entering into the unknown. Entering into a deeper relationship with God hoping that God will reveal something new, something True.

Days of winter become longer and we transition into spring we see signs of renewed life, energy and growth. The promise of green leaves, gentle breezes and a richer blue sky stir us a little more. But it is still February and we have to wait just a bit longer.

Sometimes we need a little extra stirring don’t we?

Sometimes we need a little extra motivation don’t we?

Of my 6 kids, 5 of them need to get up and go to school. Every day I have to wake my children and make sure they get off to school on time. Some days this task is easier than others. ON the cold winter mornings it is very difficult. My kids generally like school but anything can become burdensome if you are required to do it 180 days a year.

If you have grown up and went to school here in Ludington, I assume that you were taught about Father Jacques Marquette, since his name is attached to just about everything. Pere Marquette, school, highway, river... what else am I missing?

I am intrigued about Pere Marquette. He was a man of God who was very much interested in going into the unknown. He was an explorer.

He started the mission in St. Ignas and explored the Mississippi in the 1600s. Talk about a wilderness experience. But his journey was not a an escape from society or a retreat or a vacation. He was looking for a passage to the pacific ocean. He was on his way back to the mission in St. Ignas when he died very near here. He didn't find what he wanted to find but he certainly gained new information.

This monument marks the site where, as close
as any one can guess, Pere Marquette died.

His exploration into the unknown was not wasted.

School can be difficult; the winter is still harsh. But on days when the kids know that they will have a party at school it is very easy to get them out of bed.

We make sure they have enough sleep.

So that isn’t the issue. It is an issue of motivation. They like having fun. They like warm weather. They don’t wanna work hard at school. They don’t wanna get out from under the blankets when it’s cold.

What motivates you on your faith journey? In the spiritual life our motivation is important if we are to serve Jesus with energy, intelligence, imagination and love.

Lent which began on Ash Wednesday, is a season of hope. Lent is a time to grow in God’s graciously given faith. You may choose to take on some spiritual discipline this Lenten season. You may choose to fast from something that is destructive in you life, you may even choose to take on an additional service to help someone bear the weight of their burden.

No matter how you choose to prepare for Resurrection Sunday this Lent, the important thing to remember that it is not what you do, it is who you seek. And the one we seek is the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ.

As we seek to be in communion with our Lord lets look at what motivated him. In our scripture lesson, Jesus is being baptized by John in the Jordan. And as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

We don’t know if Jesus knew his true identity before this moment or not. If he did not previously know that he was the son of God, this moment probably made his whole life start to make a whole lot of sense.

Have you ever had a realization that made every thing fall into place? Like you suddenly understand why someone has been so grouchy with you, or you find that you are genetically predisposed to so some condition. It is good to know yourself, whether the news is good or bad in you opinion.

Now if Jesus knew that he was the son of God before this point, he is now being reaffirmed.

Why is Jesus being affirmed? Does Jesus need encouraging? Yes, he certainly does. He is about to spend 40 days (a good long time) in the wilderness, being tempted by the adversary, he will be with the wild animals. The Father did not invite him to go in to the wilderness on a camping trip; Jesus didn’t decide to go on a wilderness retreat. Jesus saw the Spirit descending on him like a dove, then that same spirit DROVE him in to the wilderness. Jesus had no choice in the matter.

How often do we willingly make our life more difficult?

How often do we intentionally make ourselves uncomfortable? It may happen from time to time but as a rule this is not a way of life for most of us. And it wasn’t for Jesus either.

Jesus was driven into the wilderness to face temptation. Jesus needed to face some things about himself and make sure that they were right. But he wasn’t alone. Scripture says that the angels waited on him. The very presence of the Father in the form of angels was right there with him.

We are tested on a daily basis. But that does not mean that God puts difficulties in our path.

It means that there will always be difficulties in our path and God promises to be right there with us over, under, around and through them all. The test comes in how much we trust God in the process.

Jesus succeeded in his time in the wilderness. He didn’t succeed by shortening it, or avoiding it. Jesus succeeded because he rested in who he was. The father told him “You are MY son, the beloved.”

After this time of testing, scripture tells us that John the Baptist was arrested and Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God had come near, repent, and believe in the good news.”

You would think that if Jesus said that the kingdom of god has come near that things would dramatically improve for human existence from that point on. Well that was 2000 years ago. And life has gradually gotten better but I don’t believe that the nature of humanity has gotten any better; it just seems that we have figured out how to make newer and better tools to get through this life.

According to John Wesley, the kingdom of God is a condition of the soul, not a political reality. He said that outward forms of worship have limited value as occasional helps to human weakness. We cannot substitute rituals for Christ centered faith. NO matter how much discipline we muster, no matter how many worship services we hold we cannot bring about the Kingdom of God.

True religion is characterized by Spirit inspired Joy, holiness, and peace. 

 How is it with you today?

Remember as you journey through this Lenten Season, that it is not what you do, but who you seek that matters. Would you pray with me?  

We are Dust

Ash Wednesday. Time to contemplate our mortality. Time to look deep within and see what we find. When we are honest with God and honest with ourselves about the things that keep us spiritually weak and mentally enslaved we can begin to find healing and wholeness. In our Lenten journey, may we find a deeper relationship with God and a simpler, more abundant life. God bless.

Go On Then!

I remember once when I was very young I was with my mom in the car and we stopped at the bank. She wrote out a check for cash, she handed it to the teller and the teller gave my mom an envelope of money.

This happened a few more times and I thought this process was great. Just write a number on a piece of paper and the lady at the bank will give you what ever amount you write.

So I remember asking my mom, “Why don't you just write down a million dollars?”

That's when my mom explained to me how bank accounts actually work.

I thought I understood the complexities of finance until I learned about Junk bonds, ponzi schemes, and mortgage bundling.

I learned and am still learning that there is more than meets the eye when it comes to finance and economics. There are things way beyond my control that effect me directly. I don't even pretend to understand it all. But I try to understand it enough to put myself in a position where I am less likely to be victimized. I try to understand that there currents that sweep through this life; those currents can either lead you where you want to be or they can sweep you beyond the breakers into dangerous waters.

There is more to this life than meets the eye.

My son Alex and I went in search of the highest elevation
In Mason County Michigan.  Not exactly a mountain but
here we are climbing to the top of a rather nice hill.  

We think we know. We do the best with the information we have at hand. I my young mind I knew for sure that the bank teller would give my mother just as much money as she wanted, she only needed to write it down on that rectangle piece of paper.

But now I know better.

As a young man I the 1990's. The information I had a hand was that many people believed in God and went to church. I have always believed in God but had no direct experience of God. I had always understood God to be distant. That God set things in motion and just sort of watched us to see how we were dealing with it all..

Then on December 29^th of 1999 I was presented with new information. It was that day that I was baking bread at our restaurant, early in the morning by my self. I had done this dozens if not hundreds of times before. That day was a very different day for me. Because that day I experienced the presence of God like never before. In a moment of realization/enlightenment/epiphany what ever you want to call it I knew that God was present and interested. I knew that God had a purpose for me. It was on that day that I was called into the ministry.

I knew it was that day because when it happened I wrote down everything I experienced. It was paragraph after paragraph of me trying to sort out what had just happened. One thing I did know was that God wanted me to serve Him.

This is part of what I wrote:

This is me on the "Mountain top."

“...its just I don't think I was meant to be a business person, although it feeds me n my family. But now I have a new focus, new goals for my life that give s me new hope. My initial ideas are to get some sort of clergy training. I don't know how practical or possible that is.

It was a very powerful experience that changed my life. However as the days and weeks went on and I was asked by various boards and mentors to explain my call. I found it frustrating because I kept going back to that moment in December 29^th 1999. I figured if they wanted to know about it they ought to go back and read what I wrote about it dozens of times before.

Again things are not as they seem. I didn't understand then that work of God in a persons life is ongoing and thy wanted to know about my call to ministry as it is today.

There is far more going on than meets the eye.

We have to understand that we don't understand all there is. We can only make the best use of the information we have at hand, with the knowledge that more may be revealed to us.

In the Gospel Lesson Jesus takes Peter, James and John to the mountain and shows them that there is indeed more to the world than meets the eye. Jesus is transfigured. His appearance changes the writer of the gospel tries to compare what he sees to what he knows in his world. Jesus cloths are whiter than any cloths you have ever seen. It seems that they are seeing Jesus in His glorified state. They are seeing the true nature of God's son. They are given special knowledge of Jesus identity. O sure they have used words to describe him. They have acknowledged him as Lord. They have even said he is the messiah. But these are things of the head. These are ideas. Jesus gives them the experience. Jesus shows them the reality.

On the mountain top Elijah and Moses appear. Elijah the premiere prophet and Moses the giver of the law are seemingly giving approval; sort of passing on of the baton to Jesus . If there was any doubt the appearance of these two figures should confirm for Peter, James and John that Jesus is the real deal. And further still the voice of God the father comes and instructs them to listen to Jesus.

What an experience that must have been! I don't blame Peter for offering to build dwelling places there as to make permanent that wonderful state of being. However that moment was not the end of their being there. That moment of revelation was not the end goal. It was to move into something new.

When can look backwards at past successes. We con look at past experiences. But we must be careful that we are not spending our time merely trying to hold onto feeling that we once had. And we should not be trying to recreate something that happened long ago. God calls us to move forward. God is calling us into something new. The mountain top experience, what ever it may be, is a gift to give us new information, to move us forward into a new understanding and a new reality.

It was the practice of the ancient Hebrews to place an alter at the place where they experienced god and then to worship God there. We have an alter here. We have a place, geographically speaking, where we gather to worship God. We must be careful however not to locate this place in a particular time. What I mean is we need to be attentive to the revelation of God for us in this time as to the direction he wants us to go tomorrow and the next day.

The true alter of God that we should be building is in our hearts. So that where ever and when ever we are we have the awareness of the presence of God with us.

This week a group of you will meeting to consider the future of this worship space. You will consider changes to the building. You will be dreaming and discussing. You should be focused on what God is calling us to be and to do today and moving forward. We should be praying about how God will make us new and how God will use us to love our neighbors.

Jesus on the mount of transfiguration got the go ahead. His ministry was confirmed by Elijah and Moses and was blessed by God the father.

Coming down from the "high place"

The ministry of Peter, James and John was set in motion by being joined with Jesus and by the God the Father instructing them to listen to Jesus.

We are Joined to Jesus and we carry on the the work of God in this time and in this place.

We are commanded to “listen to him” as well.

How is it with you today? When you listen what do you hear God calling you to?

Would you pray with me?

Bucket List

There is a show that I really enjoy, its called “An Idiot Abroad.” The show is in the second season and I have to say up front that it is not all together a good show. The basic premise is that Carl the “idiot” is sent all over the world to accomplish difficult and sometimes strange tasks. I like it because Carl approaches the world much like a child; he often asks “what's the point of this?” He is completely irreverent of the sacred and ignorant of culture and custom. His interaction with the unknown initially seems to be crass and offensive., but he makes up for it by being honest and willing (most of the time) to learn.

In the first season he was sent all over the world to the the man-made Wonders of the World. This season is choosing experiences on a “bucket list,” but the thing is, its not HIS bucket list. It is very entertaining if you can get past the fact that he is sent on his tasks and reports back to comedian Rick Gervais who has a maniacal cackle, is one of the rudest people on television and is really not that funny. This got me to thinking about my bucket list.

I came up with some experiences I want to have and some things that aren't really things but more ways of being and living. So here is bucket list as of today.

Alex with a BIG pile of homework after a week off of school

I want to:

• Make the world a better place by life's actions.
• Pray on Mt. Hermon.
• Raise my children to have the desire than the ability to contribute more than they take.
• Fly as often as possible.
• Learn to preach so well that I go unnoticed during a worship and the presence of God is the center of attention.
• Baptize my future grandchildren
• Lean to understand the complexities of life while living a simple lifestyle.
• Be surrounded by those that I love all the days of my life
• Die well when ever that time comes.

I could probably think of a lot more things to do in this life but if I accomplish all of these, I will be most satisfied.   

I recognized that Alex was getting stressed out about his homework
load, so I suggested he go out on a "winter expedition."  Which is
just a more interesting way of saying a nature hike.  As he was getting
ready to head out the door, I handed him my camera and said that if he
found anything interesting or beautiful to take a picture of it.  This is
I found later on my camera. 

Restoration

Mark 1:40-45

What may seem shiny and polished on the surface may not reveal the whole truth of what lies beneath. We all have brokenness; we all have scars. Its how we react to difficulties and how we deal with hurts that matter in this life. How we bring each other into a loving embrace and carry each other matters even more. And even more than that, what matters the most, is how we love our God.

Back in the 80s the movie “The Karate Kid” was released. A kid (Daniel Larusso) is transplanted from the east coast finds him self living in Reseda California. He was feeling out of place and out of touch until he found Mr. Miyagi, the maintenance man for the building he and his mother live in who also happens to be a martial arts master. Mr. Miyagi becomes his mentor and trainer. At first and second glance Mr. Miyagi seems flawless, until one night Daniel discovers that there is a brokenness to his teacher. He finds him extremely drunk one night. After Daniel takes care of his teacher he discovers that this was the anniversary of the death of his wife. Now the movie was remade recently and in the new telling of the story, Mr.. Han the maintenance man who is a martial arts expert has a beautiful car that he rebuilds every year and then smashes it with a very large hammer on the anniversary of his families death in an auto accident.

We do that, don't we? Not necessarily smash a car and rebuild it every year, but we do things that are not productive. We do things that are even self-destructive. These things are done out of our brokenness. They are done despite our best judgment and good sense. We snap at those we love and those who love us. We eat things that we know are bad for us. We fail to heed the warnings of our doctors, often for no good reason. There is not one person in this room that does not carry with them some hurt, some broken part of them that has shaped and guided part of who they are. The death of Paul this week demonstrates that. The Death of Whitney Houston demonstrates that. Those that have so much going for them can still be overcome by their own destructive behaviors.

A simple delight: a turtle made out of
Towels.  What is shiny, strong and beautiful
often hides and protects what is soft and
vulnerable.  

I am so thankful that you as a church family have demonstrated great love and support for each other. But let me tell you there are people here today who are hurting and feel like they are on the outside looking in. There is woundedness; there is brokenness; there isolation where there seems to be community. You may not see it because we are all like Mr. Miyagi, we push it down deep and “stay strong” and maintain a polished exterior. We are rebuilding that damaged car that caused so much hurt in our lives ; that caused us to be build the walls of protection around our hearts, and it looks nice. Someone sitting next to you is suffering in secret this morning. They need help carrying the burden that is on their shoulders. They need help dealing with the pain they feel; they need help feeling like a part of this community again.

Look to the person on both sides of you and say “I want to help you.”

Brothers and sisters I want to help you.

In the Gospel Lesson today Leper came to Jesus and said, “If you choose, you can make me clean.” The leper wanted to be made clean because, for one: he had a disease that was probably uncomfortable but secondly, because he had this disease he was an outcast. He was ceremonially unclean so he could not participate in worship services. He could not have contact with other people. He had to announce that he was unclean by yelling it out loud so that people would stay away from him. If others did touch him they would be ceremonially unclean for a time as well. And so the Leper lived a very lonely existence. He suffered alone. Jesus Moved with pity , stretched out his hand and touched him. Jesus touched the untouchable and said, “I do choose.” Jesus not only saw the suffering of the man in his disease but he saw the suffering of the man in his isolation. Jesus told him say nothing to anyone; but go show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.

Jesus main concern here seems to be the restoration of this man's place in the community. Jesus doesn't want credit6 for the healing, Jesus wants the man to present him self to the priests so that he can be declared clean and re-enter society. But the man doesn't listen does he?

The one healed by Jesus goes out and tells every body about what happened. And what was the result? Scripture says that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.

This is a negative result.

The man did not honor Jesus request to say nothing and the result was that people were coming to Jesus. Normally we would think that is a good thing. In our contemporary context we think people coming to church from all over is the actually the goal. But it really isn't. If we are really following Jesus lead we should be about restoring people. We should be about journeying with people in their brokenness while we are honest about our own. We should be about helping people join or rejoin the communities in which they live.

Jesus intent was to restore the man to his community. He told him not to tell anyone so that he could go about doing more of the same. Instead he was mobbed by people “wanting theirs.”

I'm not going to tell you to stop telling people what God has done for you. I wont suggest that you Stop inviting people to church. However if you have the notion that you need to “get something” out of church I would suggest a different perspective. Try to see yourself as an encourager, a servant, and a healer. Try to build community, try to build bridges; go out and restore people in what ever way they need it. Give God all the credit. Let me also suggest this: When you receive healing you go and present yourself before god. When you find new strength and new healing ask God how you are to use it to be more like Jesus.

Our purpose is not to increase church attendance our purpose to be obedient to the will of God. The beautiful thing about the church family is that we don't and shouldn't do it alone. Hopefully a couple of people said they want to help you a few minutes ago. You don't have to be perfect. You may be broken and flawed just like the rest of us, but we come into God's presence seeking restoration. And if I read scripture correctly God wants us to be restored.

But did you notice what started this whole scene with Jesus? The leper came to him begging him, and kneeling before Jesus. We have to come to Jesus with our Dis-ease. We have to be able to admit to our selves that we are not polished and perfect. We have to admit to God that we need to be restored. Otherwise we will be stuck in the unending cycle of restoring and destroying ourselves over and over again.

So...how is it with you today? Are you ready to come to Jesus on your knees, in humility asking for a restoration that will last?

Would you pray with me? 

vacation 2012 cruise to Belize and Mexico

At the end of the trip Jay asked when we were
getting on the boat?  Then he saw a barge and yelled
"There's a boat!"

Fabulous meals

Alex and me at dinner

In Belize waiting for sister to get her hair done

More waiting

Juliana getting her hair done

Eli and me getting sick of waiting

Diane and Savannah waiting

This is where Alex, Savannah and I went Snorkeling on
Cozumel, Mexico

A couple sleepy boys

What a smile

Good times

Back home

Let it Flow

Unbelievable, typically the coldest days of the year in West Michigan (the end of January and the beginning of February) and we have a thaw. As the ice and the snow melt and the water makes its way down the hills into the valleys, ravines and ultimately back into Lake Michigan I think how the world God created can teach us lessons. Water is Life. Fresh Water flows through streams, rivers and lakes keeping a balance life and renewal of life. However when water has no outlet and the ground cannot absorb any more the water that is left is either filled with pollutants that it has collected along the journey or it becomes over taken by microbial life. Such Pools are soon depleted of oxygen and become stagnant. We sometimes like pools of water. We like them in big cement containers treated with all sorts of chemicals so that noting can possibly grow in them. I think my kids would often rather swim in a pool rather than a lake, which is a shame living so close to a natural wonder such as Lake Michigan.

In our spiritual life we can also experience stagnation. Good faithful people can feel the toxicity building in their spirit all the while wondering why since, it seems, they are doing everything right. I would propose this as a cause: The blessings of God may be flowing in but if they are not flowing out they are becoming stagnant. Starting with the question “What do the blessings of God do for me?” is the wrong place to start. We are not the end of the road for God's work. When we came to faith in Jesus Christ, the work of redeeming the world did not come to screeching halt. We have been saved by the grace of God through His Son Jesus. Thank you God! However, we have been saved for a purpose. It's not to rest, though we do find rest in God's Spirit; it's not to be glorified, though we do share in Christ's glory. It is to partner with God in the ongoing process of the creation of the world. The blessings that are poured out on us must not rest in us but rather flow through us. The “right” question for our spiritual journey (one of many such questions) is, “How can the blessings of God flow through me in this moment/situation/season/life?”

Think about it. Every spiritual master you can think of has been a servant of the people; a person that gives far more than has ever been received. To you linear thinking, mathematicians out there that are screaming that that is impossible. I say, yeah its impossible without God. But praise God from whom all blessing flow. Praise Him all creatures, here below. Praise him above you heavenly beings. Because this is the life that we have been saved to live. It is not for a few spiritual masters for us to point to and say, “well at least they are doing on our behalf.” No! It is God's will that we all be the conduits of his love, mercy and grace.

See you Sunday.   

God's Orchard

Look inside.  Look deep into your spirit.  What do you find?  Is it love, resentment, selflessness or self-preoccupation?  What we find may be all these things or none of them.  Perhaps you don't know what moves and motivates you.  It is only when we let our spirit be quickened by the Spirit of God that we can begin to make it better.  In the Bible, the Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the Galatians.  In it he wrote:

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

If these Fruits are not evident in our lives then the work of the Holy Spirit has not taken root.  This is a clear indicator if our spiritual health.  Remember, it's not the mask that you present to the world that you will be judged by, it is what you do in secret. Your prayer life, your spiritual discipline is not meant for anyone but you.  These practices are to draw you nearer to God and, in the process, nearer to your neighbor. 
Spiritual disciplines are ultimately about your relationship with God.  If, however, you unaware of God's presence or don't believe in God at all, the spiritual disciplines will be less likely to produce fruit.  I say less likely because a belief in God is not required.  It is not required because God's existence is not contingent on your or any ones belief.  Even an unbeliever can pray (though I wonder to whom they would make their address).  God can and certainly has made Himself known to those who previously denied God's existence.
It is a good first practice, when trying to cultivate spiritual discipline, to regularly acknowledge the presence of God.  

Psalm 46 verse 10 says, "Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” 

Rest for a moment in God's Holy presence.  Clear your mind of everything but this abiding presence.  If you are able to do this only for a moment, this practice will change your outlook.
Set a timer of some sort to ring every hour.  When it rings, stop whatever you are doing and bring your awareness to the very real presence of God.  It is interesting how far our minds can wander away from God.  
With regular practice we can train our mind for a higher purpose.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and perceived and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you (Philippians 4:8-11)