if you can’t feel God in nature and don’t have a deep spiritual respect for all living things then:
a) you’ll think my spirituality is silly and childish b) i’ll think yours is arrogant and offensive.
3 comments:
Anonymous
said...
It's pretty true that we can be like that sometimes! I read something by John Ortberg quite some time ago on an interesting concept about Spiritual Pathways from his book An Ordinary Day with Jesus. Some pretty interesting stuff. Not sure if it's entirely accurate, but from my experience it's largely true. Here's a test to help you recognise what Spiritual Pathway you potentially lean toward. And here's some info I found about the concept on the internet... (Warning: the person kinda had their knickers in a knot about something when they wrote this =])
"1. Intellectual Pathway: When you to church, you often find yourself marking time during the musical worship until the sermon starts…If you are like [the Apostle] Paul, the road to your heart usually runs through your head. You hear God best when you learn. CAUTION: "…Becoming all head and no heart…"Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up."
2. Relational Pathway: …They are involved with people…People on this pathway need to lead a relationally rich life. They need to be part of friendships and small groups that are growing in depth and vulnerability…tend to hear God speak to them more in a conversation than from a book. CAUTION: 1) Superficiality by stretching yourself too thin relationally. 2) Become dependent on others so that you live as a spiritual chameleon.
3. Serving Pathway: Jesus' comment that "whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me" is a truth they experience viscerally. You often find yourself making observations that help you grow, or speaking to God in ways that feel most natural while you are engaged in acts of service. CAUTION: Temptation to think God is present only whey you are serving. They will have to learn to receive love as well as to offer it.
4. Worship Pathway: Something deep inside them feels released when praise and adoration are given a voice. Some of the most formative moments occur during times of worship. If this is you, when you worship at church you hope it will go for hours. CAUTION: Don't judge people who are not as outwardly expressive as you…I may need to spend some time worshipping God without music so that my worship is based on who God is and not a matter of getting swept up in certain sounds.
5. Activist Pathway: You have a passion to act. When you are in a group that hears a story about injustice, other people in the group shake their heads in sadness. You are vibrating for action: "Somebody's gotta do something! I'm in. Who's with me?" CAUTION: …To begin run[ning] over other people or exploit them because you get so focused on what you want to accomplish…Activists sometimes have a hard time discerning God's true call for their own strong impulses to action….by spending some time in solitude and reflection…you allow God to speak to you about what is truly motivating your action.
6. Contemplative Pathway: If you have a contemplative pathway, you love large blocks of uninterrupted time alone…Reflection comes naturally to you. You often feel like an observer in life. CAUTION: You may need to stretch in the area of relationships…Involvement in significant relation ships and regular acts of service will help keep you tethered to the external world.
7. Creation Pathway: Creation types find that they have a passionate ability to connect with God when they are experiencing the world He made…there is something deeply life-giving and God-breathed about nature. CAUTION: People on the creation pathway may need to guard against using it as an escape. People are part of creation too-but you may find that when they disappoint you, you are tempted to run away to the woods.
Now, what is the benefit of knowing and understanding these pathways? As God has uniquely made us, each one of us should recognize in what context we best experience God's closeness and trust that during those times we will hear God's voice, sense His presence and be more ready to obey Him, hence growing in His perfect will for our lives. May this fall season be a time of spiritual growth as we strive to become more fully devoted followers of Jesus."
3 comments:
It's pretty true that we can be like that sometimes! I read something by John Ortberg quite some time ago on an interesting concept about Spiritual Pathways from his book An Ordinary Day with Jesus. Some pretty interesting stuff. Not sure if it's entirely accurate, but from my experience it's largely true. Here's a test to help you recognise what Spiritual Pathway you potentially lean toward. And here's some info I found about the concept on the internet... (Warning: the person kinda had their knickers in a knot about something when they wrote this =])
"1. Intellectual Pathway: When you to church, you often find yourself marking time during the musical worship until the sermon starts…If you are like [the Apostle] Paul, the road to your heart usually runs through your head. You hear God best when you learn. CAUTION: "…Becoming all head and no heart…"Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up."
2. Relational Pathway: …They are involved with people…People on this pathway need to lead a relationally rich life. They need to be part of friendships and small groups that are growing in depth and vulnerability…tend to hear God speak to them more in a conversation than from a book. CAUTION: 1) Superficiality by stretching yourself too thin relationally. 2) Become dependent on others so that you live as a spiritual chameleon.
3. Serving Pathway: Jesus' comment that "whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me" is a truth they experience viscerally. You often find yourself making observations that help you grow, or speaking to God in ways that feel most natural while you are engaged in acts of service. CAUTION: Temptation to think God is present only whey you are serving. They will have to learn to receive love as well as to offer it.
4. Worship Pathway: Something deep inside them feels released when praise and adoration are given a voice. Some of the most formative moments occur during times of worship. If this is you, when you worship at church you hope it will go for hours. CAUTION: Don't judge people who are not as outwardly expressive as you…I may need to spend some time worshipping God without music so that my worship is based on who God is and not a matter of getting swept up in certain sounds.
5. Activist Pathway: You have a passion to act. When you are in a group that hears a story about injustice, other people in the group shake their heads in sadness. You are vibrating for action: "Somebody's gotta do something! I'm in. Who's with me?" CAUTION: …To begin run[ning] over other people or exploit them because you get so focused on what you want to accomplish…Activists sometimes have a hard time discerning God's true call for their own strong impulses to action….by spending some time in solitude and reflection…you allow God to speak to you about what is truly motivating your action.
6. Contemplative Pathway: If you have a contemplative pathway, you love large blocks of uninterrupted time alone…Reflection comes naturally to you. You often feel like an observer in life. CAUTION: You may need to stretch in the area of relationships…Involvement in significant relation ships and regular acts of service will help keep you tethered to the external world.
7. Creation Pathway: Creation types find that they have a passionate ability to connect with God when they are experiencing the world He made…there is something deeply life-giving and God-breathed about nature. CAUTION: People on the creation pathway may need to guard against using it as an escape. People are part of creation too-but you may find that when they disappoint you, you are tempted to run away to the woods.
Now, what is the benefit of knowing and understanding these pathways? As God has uniquely made us, each one of us should recognize in what context we best experience God's closeness and trust that during those times we will hear God's voice, sense His presence and be more ready to obey Him, hence growing in His perfect will for our lives. May this fall season be a time of spiritual growth as we strive to become more fully devoted followers of Jesus."
my scores:
creation 20
relational 16
activist 11
contemplative 10
worship 9
serving 9
intellectual 5
interestingly i try and do my bottom 3 at church and my top 3 outside of church. maybe that's why i feel like a square peg in a round hole sometimes??
thanks josh - very helpful little framework for thought.
yeah, i was tempted to change the word 'worship' to 'singing' coz that seems to be what john ortberg is actually refering to.
the pathways seem to be a guide to meaningful spiritual disciplines.
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