teach me how to see
hey
broken
one
hey
you
who
hurt
look
at me
let
your eyes
lock on to mine
and shed
the hidden secrets of
your troubled journey
your interrupted innocence
the muddied waters
of your broken memories
teach
me how to see
teach me how to see
because i am blinded
by my dollar bills
and the light
of my impending career
but i want to see
i want to see
who you are
who God created you to be
who He wants you
to become
so
take my trembling finger
and place it
gently
on that part of you that hurts
that lurks in darkness
that suffers in silence
because i want to
feel
your pain
but
i have ignored my own pain
for so long
i have forgotten how to feel
but my desire
shrouded in frustration
my desire is to see
and feel
that broken space
because i am confident
that my healer
the wonderful counselor
the pierced one
can come
and heal
as he's done
for me
so
would you give me your eyes?
lend me your heart?
i want to feel
i want to see
i want to
LIVE
and
i want to say
in my own stuttering way
that God knows
that God cares
that God sees
that God can
that God
will
------------------
by Andrew Jones, 1996
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Waiting
I had hoped to hear some good news earlier this week. I have come to realize how important this matter has become to me.
I'm blessed in so many ways, why is it that this ONE thing has seem to overshadow all the great things in my life?
Some of my myspace friends would say I'm being "emo"about this, because I feel as if I could write many, many sad poems while I continue to wait for this issue to be worked out.
I'm tired of the word - Issue.
So many of us have them and we become so wrapped up in them - it's impossible to see anything else but - the issue.
This situation isn't what I thought it would be, but it is. It is. It is.
I want to be wise, thoughtful and patient in this whole matter... but I'm not. I feel so tired of waiting.
As the dawn of a new year approaches, I desire for freedom - progress and movement.
This is my prayer. As I wait. As I trust. Open the doors that seem stuck - help me to become unstuck - help me to not be the issue anymore.
Saturday, December 23, 2006
The Journey
I have a vague recollection of people during the early 1980s wearing buttons emboldened with the words, "I FOUND IT!" Whether it was a conversation starter for evangelization or a promotional item for a pyramid scheme is still unclear. It would have served either purpose quite ably in the Reagan years. Today—not so much. The most significant development in my spirituality has been the recognition over time that life is a journey rather than a destination in which I have arrived.
At the end of a busy and stressful week, my wife's car broke down on her long commute home from work tonight. There was nothing more that she wanted to do than to continue to her destination without hindrance, but found herself waylaid by the roadside. All she could do was wait.
I feel similarly stuck in many aspects. Our family had every indication that we were going to receive some long-awaited good news on Monday, but it never materialized. A family member is going through a serious personal crisis that is not easily resolved. The flu that I thought I was over and done with earlier in the week came back stronger than ever today.
The Israelites were guided throughout their passage by God who appeared as a "Cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night" (Nehemiah 9:12 NIV). What I would give for that kind of moment by moment guidance right now. Yet it is the same God that beckons me forth on my journey—even if I'm not sure of the precise direction at the moment.
At the end of a busy and stressful week, my wife's car broke down on her long commute home from work tonight. There was nothing more that she wanted to do than to continue to her destination without hindrance, but found herself waylaid by the roadside. All she could do was wait.
I feel similarly stuck in many aspects. Our family had every indication that we were going to receive some long-awaited good news on Monday, but it never materialized. A family member is going through a serious personal crisis that is not easily resolved. The flu that I thought I was over and done with earlier in the week came back stronger than ever today.
The Israelites were guided throughout their passage by God who appeared as a "Cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night" (Nehemiah 9:12 NIV). What I would give for that kind of moment by moment guidance right now. Yet it is the same God that beckons me forth on my journey—even if I'm not sure of the precise direction at the moment.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
The Conqueror Worm
I love the Edgar Allan Poe cycle of films directed by Roger Corman and starring Vincent Price. After Corman departed after six or seven films, American International Pictures kept the series going with a series of different directors. Most genre fans -- myself included -- consider that a big mistake. Corman had a real vision and flair for the material that the other directors lacked.
The one notable exception is the 1968 film, The Conqueror Worm, directed by Michael Reeves. It's a gruesome and unrelenting tale of witchhunting in civil war England. Vincent Price plays Matthew Hopkins, the "Witchfinder General", in a cruel and humorless manner that is a million miles away from his usual campy screen portrayals. The fact that Hopkins is convinced that he is a humble servant doing "the Lord's work" makes him all the more menacing.
I watched it on panned-and-scanned VHS last night and was convinced that it ranks up with Night of the Living Dead and The Wicker Man as one of the few truly great horror films. Why isn't this gem on DVD?
Friday, December 15, 2006
Life is Good Part Two
I ended part one with the words, "I can't wait to find out how the next four weeks of class turn out!" The answer turned out to be, "Better than I could have ever imagined!"
The last month was a time of unprecedented spiritual growth in my life. I don't know how to explain it any better than that—for once my words fail me. All I can say is that my life is significantly different than it was when I began this course in spiritual direction. I will do my best to at least record my experiences, even if I can't fully articulate how it all occurred. But be prepared for some fumbling around!
I began to squawk as soon as I was born and have never really taken a break in the ensuing 38 years. Personally and professionally I spend much of my time "making noise": writing, making videos, recording radio shows, designing websites, and public speaking. God used this class as a tool to develop some necessary balance in my life. The recurring theme of the last four weeks can be summed up in one word: listen.
My prayer life has changed significantly. I approach God with a holy expectation. It's not some feeling that I've mustered up on my own. I just now have faith that there is two-way communication going on and it is the most natural thing in the world. I have seen a number of specific prayer requests answered during the last month. I don't mean to imply that I've unlocked some secret way of prayer that gets God to do my bidding, rather it is more like I am finally am "in tune" with God after all these years.
I was somewhat overwhelmed by my coursework during the first four weeks and I found that my journaling suffered. My interest in journaling grew during the final month of the course. I found myself approaching it more as something I enjoyed rather than as yet another item on my to-do list. Plus, I had more to write about!
Meeting with my spiritual director was helpful. Direction continues to help me clarify issues related to my rule of life and discerning a call to ministry. Feelings of vulnerability continue to be a concern to me and I will address this with my director. Really!
God is directing my attention towards the harsh realities of life. It is becoming apparent to me that much of the way we live in the 21st century is destructive and unsustainable. I haven't received some huge plan from God or anything about how I'm going to stop global warming or unjust economic systems, but at least opening up my eyes is a start.
I finished my last assignment for Spiritual Direction tonight. It was sad to complete this class that has been such a catalyst for spiritual growth. Of course, the disciplines practiced and lessons learned will continue to impact my life even though the course is over!
The last month was a time of unprecedented spiritual growth in my life. I don't know how to explain it any better than that—for once my words fail me. All I can say is that my life is significantly different than it was when I began this course in spiritual direction. I will do my best to at least record my experiences, even if I can't fully articulate how it all occurred. But be prepared for some fumbling around!
I began to squawk as soon as I was born and have never really taken a break in the ensuing 38 years. Personally and professionally I spend much of my time "making noise": writing, making videos, recording radio shows, designing websites, and public speaking. God used this class as a tool to develop some necessary balance in my life. The recurring theme of the last four weeks can be summed up in one word: listen.
My prayer life has changed significantly. I approach God with a holy expectation. It's not some feeling that I've mustered up on my own. I just now have faith that there is two-way communication going on and it is the most natural thing in the world. I have seen a number of specific prayer requests answered during the last month. I don't mean to imply that I've unlocked some secret way of prayer that gets God to do my bidding, rather it is more like I am finally am "in tune" with God after all these years.
I was somewhat overwhelmed by my coursework during the first four weeks and I found that my journaling suffered. My interest in journaling grew during the final month of the course. I found myself approaching it more as something I enjoyed rather than as yet another item on my to-do list. Plus, I had more to write about!
Meeting with my spiritual director was helpful. Direction continues to help me clarify issues related to my rule of life and discerning a call to ministry. Feelings of vulnerability continue to be a concern to me and I will address this with my director. Really!
God is directing my attention towards the harsh realities of life. It is becoming apparent to me that much of the way we live in the 21st century is destructive and unsustainable. I haven't received some huge plan from God or anything about how I'm going to stop global warming or unjust economic systems, but at least opening up my eyes is a start.
I finished my last assignment for Spiritual Direction tonight. It was sad to complete this class that has been such a catalyst for spiritual growth. Of course, the disciplines practiced and lessons learned will continue to impact my life even though the course is over!
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Confessions of an Introvert
My life is characterized by busyness, noise, and distraction.
FERGALICIOUS! I am jolted out of sleep by the sounds of what passes for pop music these days. It is still dark, but my home is quickly filled with activity: someone let out the dog, you can't wear that to school, other people need to use the shower too you know, if we're out of milk make toast, who's turn is it to shovel the walk, and we are leaving in 5 minutes and that's final!
Then the day gets busy.
I have e-mail, voice mail, meetings, the internet, a cell phone and a PDA to keep me on task at work. I use the phrase "on task" in the loosest sense of the words. I find that the lines of communication that keep me so well connected to the world of business and industry often tangle, twist, and constrain me. For every one item checked off my to-do list, three tasks are added.
Evenings find me taxiing my children to and from activities, doing household chores or church activities, and keeping up with my school assignments. Somewhere in between this I gulp down some food and sneak in some conversation with my wife and kids before collapsing into bed to restart the whole cycle in seven hours.
Fergalicious, indeed.
I read in my devotions that Jesus said, "…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10 NIV). I wade out into a stream of living water and am dragged away by the undertow of the urgent, routine, and predictable. I am drowning but am distracted by the frenetic flailing of my arms and legs.
The thought of this terrifies me. The Old Testament recounts how God had to send prophets to rouse his chosen people out of their complacency. The New Testament records how the Pharisees—maybe the most staunchly devout people ever—utterly missed God when he was right there staring them in the face: "'When evening comes, you say, "It will be fair weather, for the sky is red," and in the morning, "Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast." You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times' (Matthew 16: 2–3 NIV). God's word makes it abundantly clear that my religious pedigree is no guarantee against spiritual blindness.
Moon and Benner point out that "…many in the Christian world have recently awakened to the truth that wearing the label 'Christian' is not synonymous with experiencing the intimate, moment-by-moment relationship with God that souls were designed to enjoy" (13)… Yet, my blindness is not strictly a private matter. As my practice of lectio divina regularly reminds me, "I exist in a web of relationships—links to nature, people, God" (Sacred Space 9). My inaction and disengagement can costs the people of this world dearly, the people Christ came to redeem.
Right now as I write this it occurs to me that millions of individuals are in slavery right now throughout the world. A third of the world is at war. Humankind is rapidly heading for a massive ecological crisis and no one has a clue how to wean ourselves off of the lifestyle which is causing it. The Third World gets stuck with holding the tab for our low, low prices.
I am overwhelmed and do not know where to start.
The good news—great news—is that God knows and his plan is more wonderful than I could ever imagine! "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9 NIV). The first step in becoming engaged in this plan is to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying. Spiritual Direction is helping me in this endeavor.
William A. Barry and William J. Connolly penned the most common definition of spiritual direction: "We define Christian spiritual direction as the help given by one Christian to another which enables that person to pay attention to God's personal communication to him or her, to respond to this personally communicating God, to grow in intimacy with this God, and to live out the consequences of this relationship" (Moon 15).
For all the esoteric baggage that its name carries, spiritual direction is really a rather simple proposition. Tony Jones explains, "The belief implicit in spiritual direction is that God's Spirit is alive and active in the world, constantly moving in the believer's life. The second premise is that believers who are experienced in life and faith and who are committed to spiritual disciplines themselves may be able to help others to notice the movements of the spirit" (123).
While never referred to as "spiritual direction" in the Bible, it is nevertheless evident in the relationships of Eli and Samuel, Jesus and the disciples, and Paul and Timothy, just to name a few examples. Christian history abounds with influence through the Desert Fathers and Mothers, John Wesley, and even in the prolific correspondence of C.S. Lewis.
Protestants are the individualists of the church and I am no exception. When I first heard of spiritual direction I had a hard time comprehending what it could accomplish that my own personal prayer time could not. The answer is perspective. As Reginald Johnson writes in Your Personality and the Spiritual Life, "We really do need each other in the body of Christ. Our experience of the Lord is always partial and it is inevitably impoverished when we keep ourselves from the contributions which others could bring to us…In this way our understanding and experience of God can be expanded" (165). Jeremiah 17: 9 puts it this way: "The heart is deceitful above all things" (NIV)…
A spiritual director can be a ministry professional or a lay person. They may or may not be formally educated and trained in soul care. God can use people from many different walks of life to accomplish his purposes: "Although a spiritual director may have many natural gifts, trusting in their competency or expertise is not our main objective. Instead, we seek to trust God in them, and in the Holy Spirit through them. The most helpful qualities they have to offer are a heart surrendered to God and a willingness to listen to God with us" (Bakke 73-4).
I believe that I have found a spiritual director with these qualities, yet I find that I often struggle with really opening up in the sessions. Growing up, my family never really shared their feelings. My church valued answers and shunned questions. While logically I don't fear judgment from my spiritual director, I am overcome with an irrational fear of being rejected. I have much growing to do in this area.
M. Robert Mulholland suggests a relation between openness with other people and God:
"When we are in control of our relationship with God, when we try to maintain a privatized spirituality, we have to maintain a defensive posture towards others. We have to protect ourselves against them because we sense, unconsciously if not consciously, that there is a fatal flaw somewhere in our privatized spirituality—and anyone might disclose it. I have to keep you at arm's length lest you reveal the weakness, the flaw, in my privatized spirituality. …if I can release that obsessive self-control of my relationship with God to God, then I no longer have to fear you. I can welcome your insights into my incompleteness, because you can be a means of God's grace to awaken me to the blind spots in my life and my relationship with God. I can receive the gifts of your temperament preference and openly share mine with you. I can disclose to you the growing edges of my spiritual pilgrimage, the tender places of my brokenness and the hard places of my bondage, and receive God's healing, liberating grace through you. You can become a means of transforming grace, and I can welcome you. I can also commit myself to you in your brokenness and bondage and allow God to work through me in God's way, not my manipulative one" (Mulholland 154-5).
It may be a painful process by which to submit, but I am committed to working through this issue of vulnerability. The results of spiritual direction are far too vital for me to forgo: "Discernment of spirits is necessary for the sake of the People of God, so that they may recognize and participate in the act/work of God in their midst as this relates to the unfolding of His great plan of salvation; in effect, it is God's gift of 'spiritual sight' which helps identify the critical path of our pilgrimage to God" (Stravinskas 312).
There is no denying that this world needs Christ. There are places where he wants me to be his hands and feet. I only need listen and spiritual direction is vital to this goal. W. Paul Jones writes in The Art of Spiritual Direction, "Without lifelong support and disciplined accountability within the context of Christian vision, Christianity does little more than justify, make palatable, and provide coping skills for a life that is intrinsically secular and often un-Christian" (29) May we all experience a deep, vital relationship with God. This planet is depending on it.
WORKS CITED
Bakke, Jeannette A. Holy Invitations. Grand Rapids MI: Baker, 2000.
Johnson, Reginald D. Your Personality and the Spiritual Life. Gainesville FL: Center for Applications of Psychological Type, 1999.
Jones, Tony. Soul Shaper. Grand Rapids MI: Zondervan, 2003.
Jones, W. Paul. The Art of Spiritual Direction. Nashville TN: Upper Room, 2002.
Life Application Bible: New International Bible. Wheaton IL: Tyndale House, 1991.
Moon, Gary W. and David G. Benner (eds). Spiritual Direction and the Care of Souls. Downers Grove IL: InterVaristy, 2004.
Mulholland, M. Robert. Invitation to a Journey. Downers Grove IL: InterVaristy, 1993.
Sacred Space. Notre Dame IN: Ave Maria, 2006.
Stravinskas, Peter M.J. (ed). Our Sunday Visitor's Catholic Encyclopedia. Huntington IN: Our Sunday Visitor, 1991.
FERGALICIOUS! I am jolted out of sleep by the sounds of what passes for pop music these days. It is still dark, but my home is quickly filled with activity: someone let out the dog, you can't wear that to school, other people need to use the shower too you know, if we're out of milk make toast, who's turn is it to shovel the walk, and we are leaving in 5 minutes and that's final!
Then the day gets busy.
I have e-mail, voice mail, meetings, the internet, a cell phone and a PDA to keep me on task at work. I use the phrase "on task" in the loosest sense of the words. I find that the lines of communication that keep me so well connected to the world of business and industry often tangle, twist, and constrain me. For every one item checked off my to-do list, three tasks are added.
Evenings find me taxiing my children to and from activities, doing household chores or church activities, and keeping up with my school assignments. Somewhere in between this I gulp down some food and sneak in some conversation with my wife and kids before collapsing into bed to restart the whole cycle in seven hours.
Fergalicious, indeed.
I read in my devotions that Jesus said, "…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10 NIV). I wade out into a stream of living water and am dragged away by the undertow of the urgent, routine, and predictable. I am drowning but am distracted by the frenetic flailing of my arms and legs.
The thought of this terrifies me. The Old Testament recounts how God had to send prophets to rouse his chosen people out of their complacency. The New Testament records how the Pharisees—maybe the most staunchly devout people ever—utterly missed God when he was right there staring them in the face: "'When evening comes, you say, "It will be fair weather, for the sky is red," and in the morning, "Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast." You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times' (Matthew 16: 2–3 NIV). God's word makes it abundantly clear that my religious pedigree is no guarantee against spiritual blindness.
Moon and Benner point out that "…many in the Christian world have recently awakened to the truth that wearing the label 'Christian' is not synonymous with experiencing the intimate, moment-by-moment relationship with God that souls were designed to enjoy" (13)… Yet, my blindness is not strictly a private matter. As my practice of lectio divina regularly reminds me, "I exist in a web of relationships—links to nature, people, God" (Sacred Space 9). My inaction and disengagement can costs the people of this world dearly, the people Christ came to redeem.
Right now as I write this it occurs to me that millions of individuals are in slavery right now throughout the world. A third of the world is at war. Humankind is rapidly heading for a massive ecological crisis and no one has a clue how to wean ourselves off of the lifestyle which is causing it. The Third World gets stuck with holding the tab for our low, low prices.
I am overwhelmed and do not know where to start.
The good news—great news—is that God knows and his plan is more wonderful than I could ever imagine! "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9 NIV). The first step in becoming engaged in this plan is to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying. Spiritual Direction is helping me in this endeavor.
William A. Barry and William J. Connolly penned the most common definition of spiritual direction: "We define Christian spiritual direction as the help given by one Christian to another which enables that person to pay attention to God's personal communication to him or her, to respond to this personally communicating God, to grow in intimacy with this God, and to live out the consequences of this relationship" (Moon 15).
For all the esoteric baggage that its name carries, spiritual direction is really a rather simple proposition. Tony Jones explains, "The belief implicit in spiritual direction is that God's Spirit is alive and active in the world, constantly moving in the believer's life. The second premise is that believers who are experienced in life and faith and who are committed to spiritual disciplines themselves may be able to help others to notice the movements of the spirit" (123).
While never referred to as "spiritual direction" in the Bible, it is nevertheless evident in the relationships of Eli and Samuel, Jesus and the disciples, and Paul and Timothy, just to name a few examples. Christian history abounds with influence through the Desert Fathers and Mothers, John Wesley, and even in the prolific correspondence of C.S. Lewis.
Protestants are the individualists of the church and I am no exception. When I first heard of spiritual direction I had a hard time comprehending what it could accomplish that my own personal prayer time could not. The answer is perspective. As Reginald Johnson writes in Your Personality and the Spiritual Life, "We really do need each other in the body of Christ. Our experience of the Lord is always partial and it is inevitably impoverished when we keep ourselves from the contributions which others could bring to us…In this way our understanding and experience of God can be expanded" (165). Jeremiah 17: 9 puts it this way: "The heart is deceitful above all things" (NIV)…
A spiritual director can be a ministry professional or a lay person. They may or may not be formally educated and trained in soul care. God can use people from many different walks of life to accomplish his purposes: "Although a spiritual director may have many natural gifts, trusting in their competency or expertise is not our main objective. Instead, we seek to trust God in them, and in the Holy Spirit through them. The most helpful qualities they have to offer are a heart surrendered to God and a willingness to listen to God with us" (Bakke 73-4).
I believe that I have found a spiritual director with these qualities, yet I find that I often struggle with really opening up in the sessions. Growing up, my family never really shared their feelings. My church valued answers and shunned questions. While logically I don't fear judgment from my spiritual director, I am overcome with an irrational fear of being rejected. I have much growing to do in this area.
M. Robert Mulholland suggests a relation between openness with other people and God:
"When we are in control of our relationship with God, when we try to maintain a privatized spirituality, we have to maintain a defensive posture towards others. We have to protect ourselves against them because we sense, unconsciously if not consciously, that there is a fatal flaw somewhere in our privatized spirituality—and anyone might disclose it. I have to keep you at arm's length lest you reveal the weakness, the flaw, in my privatized spirituality. …if I can release that obsessive self-control of my relationship with God to God, then I no longer have to fear you. I can welcome your insights into my incompleteness, because you can be a means of God's grace to awaken me to the blind spots in my life and my relationship with God. I can receive the gifts of your temperament preference and openly share mine with you. I can disclose to you the growing edges of my spiritual pilgrimage, the tender places of my brokenness and the hard places of my bondage, and receive God's healing, liberating grace through you. You can become a means of transforming grace, and I can welcome you. I can also commit myself to you in your brokenness and bondage and allow God to work through me in God's way, not my manipulative one" (Mulholland 154-5).
It may be a painful process by which to submit, but I am committed to working through this issue of vulnerability. The results of spiritual direction are far too vital for me to forgo: "Discernment of spirits is necessary for the sake of the People of God, so that they may recognize and participate in the act/work of God in their midst as this relates to the unfolding of His great plan of salvation; in effect, it is God's gift of 'spiritual sight' which helps identify the critical path of our pilgrimage to God" (Stravinskas 312).
There is no denying that this world needs Christ. There are places where he wants me to be his hands and feet. I only need listen and spiritual direction is vital to this goal. W. Paul Jones writes in The Art of Spiritual Direction, "Without lifelong support and disciplined accountability within the context of Christian vision, Christianity does little more than justify, make palatable, and provide coping skills for a life that is intrinsically secular and often un-Christian" (29) May we all experience a deep, vital relationship with God. This planet is depending on it.
WORKS CITED
Bakke, Jeannette A. Holy Invitations. Grand Rapids MI: Baker, 2000.
Johnson, Reginald D. Your Personality and the Spiritual Life. Gainesville FL: Center for Applications of Psychological Type, 1999.
Jones, Tony. Soul Shaper. Grand Rapids MI: Zondervan, 2003.
Jones, W. Paul. The Art of Spiritual Direction. Nashville TN: Upper Room, 2002.
Life Application Bible: New International Bible. Wheaton IL: Tyndale House, 1991.
Moon, Gary W. and David G. Benner (eds). Spiritual Direction and the Care of Souls. Downers Grove IL: InterVaristy, 2004.
Mulholland, M. Robert. Invitation to a Journey. Downers Grove IL: InterVaristy, 1993.
Sacred Space. Notre Dame IN: Ave Maria, 2006.
Stravinskas, Peter M.J. (ed). Our Sunday Visitor's Catholic Encyclopedia. Huntington IN: Our Sunday Visitor, 1991.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Does psychology help or hinder spiritual formation?
Being informed about human psychology is almost a requirement of contemporary soul care. It informs us of the workings of the human psyche and the mind’s relationship to the body. Understanding the techniques of counseling can assist us in our dealings with people and our ability to provide a compassionate response to people in crisis. (I’m going to use the terms psychology and counseling like they’re interchangeable during this post even though they aren’t.)
Psychology can be helpful in making a person self-aware. For instance, people can learn about stimuli that trigger certain behaviors in themselves. It can help them understand the stages of life and characteristics of a crisis. Behavioral counseling in particular can be very helpful in changing behavior. These are just a few of the beneficial aspects of counseling and each of them can have “Christian” applications.
Psychology can be misused, too. A person can say “That’s just the way I am” as a way of avoiding responsibility for their behavior. (Actually, come to think of it that’s more of a misunderstanding of psychology.) We can all be “victims” forgetting that we’ve all done our share of victimizing.
It’s critical to keep in mind that we don’t rely on counseling techniques any more than our business expertise in working with sinners. We rely on God and our work is Spirit inspired and Spirit empowered.
Psychology can be helpful in making a person self-aware. For instance, people can learn about stimuli that trigger certain behaviors in themselves. It can help them understand the stages of life and characteristics of a crisis. Behavioral counseling in particular can be very helpful in changing behavior. These are just a few of the beneficial aspects of counseling and each of them can have “Christian” applications.
Psychology can be misused, too. A person can say “That’s just the way I am” as a way of avoiding responsibility for their behavior. (Actually, come to think of it that’s more of a misunderstanding of psychology.) We can all be “victims” forgetting that we’ve all done our share of victimizing.
It’s critical to keep in mind that we don’t rely on counseling techniques any more than our business expertise in working with sinners. We rely on God and our work is Spirit inspired and Spirit empowered.
Full Circle
The Bible doesn’t exactly say how long our parents dwelled together in the garden before the fall, but my feeling is something along the lines of five minutes. A break in fellowship with God quickly became a break in fellowship with each other as minimization, denial, and blame befell the day. I don’t think the behavior of humankind has changed that much in the subsequent years.
Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer imparts much spiritual wisdom about how we relate to God, each other, and ourselves. It is an uncomfortable book to read because the theologian so precisely calls out our sins. But it ultimately serves a redemptive purpose for the brave souls who are willing to submit to the examination. A reader will no longer be satisfied with a pale imitation of community life.
Bonhoeffer early on defines the objective of Christian community, which is to “…meet one another as bringers of the message of salvation” (23). The final chapter, Confession and Communion, appropriately concludes with a vivid description of that purpose actualized: “As the members of the congregation are united in body and blood at the table of the Lord so will they be together in eternity” (122).
There are no shortcuts to realizing that unity. We must look at the Christian community as “not an ideal but a divine reality” (26). Our lives must be bathed in scripture, prayer, and ministry to each other. After all, if those conditions are not met, a safe environment for confession and communion will never exist.
Work Cited
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich and John W. Doberstein (trans). Life Together. SanFrancisco CA: HarperSanFrancisco, 1954.
Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer imparts much spiritual wisdom about how we relate to God, each other, and ourselves. It is an uncomfortable book to read because the theologian so precisely calls out our sins. But it ultimately serves a redemptive purpose for the brave souls who are willing to submit to the examination. A reader will no longer be satisfied with a pale imitation of community life.
Bonhoeffer early on defines the objective of Christian community, which is to “…meet one another as bringers of the message of salvation” (23). The final chapter, Confession and Communion, appropriately concludes with a vivid description of that purpose actualized: “As the members of the congregation are united in body and blood at the table of the Lord so will they be together in eternity” (122).
There are no shortcuts to realizing that unity. We must look at the Christian community as “not an ideal but a divine reality” (26). Our lives must be bathed in scripture, prayer, and ministry to each other. After all, if those conditions are not met, a safe environment for confession and communion will never exist.
Work Cited
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich and John W. Doberstein (trans). Life Together. SanFrancisco CA: HarperSanFrancisco, 1954.
Friday, December 01, 2006
Spiritual Formation is good for the church
I attribute the current interest in spiritual direction to a hunger for God that isn't being satisfied in our parishes. Actually, I would widen the scope of interest beyond spiritual direction to include other spiritual formation activities and even things like praying the liturgy.
I shudder to think where I would be in my relationship with the Lord if I would have left my spiritual nurture up to my church. There are no corporate disciplines, no meaningful expectations or boundaries, Sunday School functions as a support group, and I get to listen to downloaded prep for a sermon every week. Perhaps if there were more growth opportunities available in my local congregation, God wouldn't have fostered in me an interest in spiritual formation. Who can say?
I've written much about my leanings towards isolation and how I initially carried that preference into my practice of spiritual formation. The good news is that the practice of the disciplines has steered me back into the corporate life with a greater love, devotion, and understanding. I bring back those experiences and way of doing things into the life of the body.
I shudder to think where I would be in my relationship with the Lord if I would have left my spiritual nurture up to my church. There are no corporate disciplines, no meaningful expectations or boundaries, Sunday School functions as a support group, and I get to listen to downloaded prep for a sermon every week. Perhaps if there were more growth opportunities available in my local congregation, God wouldn't have fostered in me an interest in spiritual formation. Who can say?
I've written much about my leanings towards isolation and how I initially carried that preference into my practice of spiritual formation. The good news is that the practice of the disciplines has steered me back into the corporate life with a greater love, devotion, and understanding. I bring back those experiences and way of doing things into the life of the body.
Candle Lighting Ceremony Remembers Children
I thought this might be of interest to those in Jamestown, NY or Warren, PA.
Friend to Friend Support Group invites you to join with tens of thousands of families around the globe for the tenth annual Worldwide Candle Lighting Ceremony to remember all children who have died. The event is free and will be held at First Lutheran Church of Warren, corner of Third Ave. and East Street on Sunday, December 10 at 6:30 pm.
“This is truly a worldwide event that allows bereaved families everywhere the opportunity to unite following their combined loss and to show the world that while a child may have died, that child was important and will never be forgotten,” says Carna Chamberlin, LSW, who facilitates the support group on behalf of Family Services of Warren County. “Whether someone has suffered the personal loss of a child, brother or sister, or grandchild, or simply wants to show compassion to those who have, we encourage all to join with us in remembering those children who are no longer here.”
The names of loved ones will be read during the ceremony. Participants can bring a picture or memento of their loved one to display. A time of sharing and refreshments will be held after the candle lighting.
Family Services of Warren County provides comprehensive and professional counseling, drug and alcohol services, and youth programs. It is a United Fund Member Agency. For more information about this special event or any of its other services, please call (814) 723-1330.
Friend to Friend Support Group invites you to join with tens of thousands of families around the globe for the tenth annual Worldwide Candle Lighting Ceremony to remember all children who have died. The event is free and will be held at First Lutheran Church of Warren, corner of Third Ave. and East Street on Sunday, December 10 at 6:30 pm.
“This is truly a worldwide event that allows bereaved families everywhere the opportunity to unite following their combined loss and to show the world that while a child may have died, that child was important and will never be forgotten,” says Carna Chamberlin, LSW, who facilitates the support group on behalf of Family Services of Warren County. “Whether someone has suffered the personal loss of a child, brother or sister, or grandchild, or simply wants to show compassion to those who have, we encourage all to join with us in remembering those children who are no longer here.”
The names of loved ones will be read during the ceremony. Participants can bring a picture or memento of their loved one to display. A time of sharing and refreshments will be held after the candle lighting.
Family Services of Warren County provides comprehensive and professional counseling, drug and alcohol services, and youth programs. It is a United Fund Member Agency. For more information about this special event or any of its other services, please call (814) 723-1330.
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