A Quote

•"When our notion of God is confined to the nightmarish enraged Parent so many pretend to love, it is difficult to imagine God's love as other than barely tolerant pardon for ourselves and apparent favoritism towards others.  But when we meet the God and Father of Jesus Christ, God's love emerges as a kaleidoscope of wonderful, merry and different operations.  And your sin, while real, proves not to be the most important or interesting thing about you.  At least as important as being forgiven by God is having God explain you to yourself."  (Spiritual Direction and the Care of Souls, by Gary Moon & David Benner, p.88)

On Teaching Spiritual Formation

I am taking a class right now on the life and work of Henri Nouwen and I am also teaching a class on spiritual formation.  That is turning out to be an excellent combination, since Nouwen was a celebrated teacher of spirituality at both Yale and Harvard.  In my readings, I ran across this qoute, which serves as inspiration in my own work as a teacher.

"We are not asked to teach a discipline like mathematics, physics, history or languages, but we are called to make our own faith available to others as the source of learning.  To be a teacher means indeed to lay down your life for your friends, to become a 'martyr' in the original sense of witness. To be a teacher means to offer your own faith experience, your loneliness and intimacy, your doubts and hopes, your failures and successes to your students as a context in which they can struggle with their own quest for meaning.  To be a teacher means to have the same boldness as Paul, who said to the Corinthians: 'Take me as a model as I take Christ' (1 Cor. 11:1). To be a teacher means to say as those who want to learn what Jesus said to his disciples: 'Come and see' (John 1:39)" - Henri J.M. Nouwen (cited in Wounded Prophet by Michael Ford, 106-107)

A Paradigm (Revised)

This paradigm uses a Celtic Cross as a setting for understanding how some of the key elements of Christian spirituality relate. In the image one should first note that the background is “Grace” which is placed there intentionally as a constant reminder that all of the Christian life is lived in the air of grace. As we fumble our way towards a more holistic life we enjoy the repeated opportunities of Grace.

There is no real starting point in the illustration as we do not have the privilege of engaging in parts of the Christian life one at a time. We are thrown in, like children into a pool, to learn to swim as we go. So, without a starting point I will begin at the bottom with Sabbath.

In this particular version of the paradigm, Sabbath creates the roots that keep the individuals life “grounded.” Our time of Sabbath rest can inspire us in our work and propel us toward outward displays of the inward reality of our faith. As we live active lives we often come to places of Surrender (Emptying) where we must come to grips with the things that are hinder us in the race. Surrender leads us into depth of thought as we consider life without those things with which we have been attached. Thought (Contemplation) often cannot move us toward Action (work) without a stop for Sabbath (Filling). With all of this in mind, I realize that others may find themselves rooted in Action or Contemplation. In either case the entire cross could be rotated to allow the roots to grow from that particular arm.

All of this takes place around the four keys of Presence, Awareness, Suffering, and Silence. Sabbath rest helps us become present to God’s presence. In our action we become aware of places where both the World, and our own lives are not “right”. Surrender often takes the form of suffering. And thought is given room to grow through silence.

As we move toward the center we realize that all of this is held in tension between outward expressions of our faith (Hospitality) and the inward reality of our faith (Solitude). Arrows give us the idea of a spinning movement which naturally would cause each of the ends of the cross (Sabbath/filling, Action/work, Surrender/emptying, and Contemplation/thought) to have an outward pull (notice the arrows pointing outward). But our movement must be towards the center (the true self) and against the pulling of imbalance. Too much emphasis on any one side creates instability. The center is the only place where the tension is relieved through balance.

The center is the true self and living in that reality is a Divine gift. Living out of our true self is not something for which we work harder. Hard work may lead us closer in various ways, but ultimately living out of the true self is “life in the Spirit” which is a gift we receive from God not based on merit.

James Finley describes it this way, "Merton once told me to quit trying so hard in prayer. He said: 'How does an apple ripen? It just sits in the sun.' A small green apple cannot ripen in the night by tightening all its muscles, squinting its eyes and tightening its jaw in order to find itself the next morning miraculously large, red, ripe, and juicy beside it's small green counterparts. Like the birth of a baby or the opening of a rose, the birth of the true self takes place in God's time. We must wait for God, we must be awake; we must trust in his hidden action within us." (Merton's Palace of Nowhere, Finley).

Work and Prayer

"Merton once told me to quit trying so hard in prayer. He said: 'How does an apple ripen? It just sits in the sun.' A small green apple cannot ripen in the night by tightening all its muscles, squinting its eyes and tightening its jaw in order to find itself the next morning miraculously large, red, ripe, and juicy beside it's small green counterparts. Like the birth of a baby or the opening of a rose, the birth of the true self takes place in God's time. We must wait for God, we must be awake; we must trust in his hidden action within us."
- from Merton's Palace of Nowhere by James Finley.

A Paradigm

In this paradigm I have chosen to use a Celtic Cross as a setting for understanding how some of the key elements of Christian spirituality relate. In the image you will first note that the background is “Grace.” I intentionally set this visibly in the background as a constant reminder that all of the Christian life is lived in the air of grace, and as we fumble our way towards a more holistic life we enjoy the repeated opportunities of Grace.

There is no real starting point in the illustration as we do not have the privilege of engaging in parts of the Christian life one at a time. We are thrown in, like children into a pool, to learn to swim as we go. So, without a starting point I will begin at the bottom with Sabbath. Sabbath creates the roots that keep our Christian lives “grounded.” Our time of Sabbath rest may inspire us to Action. Action leads us to places of Surrender (Emptying) where we must come to grips with the things that are hinder us in the race. Surrender leads us to Contemplation which often cannot move us to Action without a stop for Sabbath (Filling). All of this takes place around the four keys of Presence, Awareness, Wonder, and Illumination.

As we move toward the center we realize that all of this is revolving around Community and Hospitality. Arrows give us the idea of a spinning movement which naturally would cause each of the ends of the cross (Sabbath, Action, Surrender, and Contemplation) to have an outward pull (notice the arrows pointing outward). But our movement must be towards the center (Community and Hospitality) and against the pulling of imbalance. Too much emphasis on any one side creates instability.

The center is the true self. And in the last few days I have chosen to rename the center “the Gift of the True Self”. I believe living out of our true self is not something that we work harder for. Hard work may lead us closer in various ways, but ultimately living out of the true self is life “in the Spirit” which is a gift we receive from God not based on merit.

Action & Contemplation - Part 2

I’ll try to illustrate my point further with an example. I lead groups of people on short-term mission trips. If I were leaving every Saturday for a mission trip and coming home every Friday, only to leave again the next morning, I would lead a very active life (don't worry, this is not my practice). Parker Palmer seems to be an action oriented guy, and good makes defense of the contemplation that can and should take place in action. I agree that something needs to be said to both move the heavy-footed contemplatives toward action and move the light-footed activists toward slowing down. If I kept the schedule above (even if I took a posture of contemplation-in-action) I would not have adequate space to develop, adjust, modify, and properly critique my own work. I would also quickly burn myself out. And the incompatibility comes in that phrase “adequate space.” Space yes, but not adequate space. Palmer seems to invite us to drag the boundary lines over a bit, and increase our percentages, but I don’t think we can entirely merge these two concepts. They are incompatible in that they can not maintain union. We can stir them together but they naturally separate without continuous conscious effort. I believe that is ok, and do not wish to move myself to some middle place where I am constantly doing both.

Palmer, in The Active Life, speaks of the tension between the two and that is what led me to think of the perpetual motion illustration. The balls move/rest/move/rest with a tension that is perpetual. I thought also of a gyroscope and how that as the rotor spins, the two gimbals (here we could call one “contemplation” and the other “action”) help maintain the stability of the rotor. In this illustration, the fact that they are separate “things” actually preserves both themselves and the rotor from into destruction.

The opposite of my above personal illustration is also true. If I stayed home all year and just thought about missions work I may come up with the best “model for missions” ever created but I would grow stagnant. Instead, (and this is what I feel Palmer is essentially suggesting) my action is balanced by my contemplation and my contemplation is done with action in mind. There is a force, or a gravity in my illustrations because that is what I feel in reality. I feel a pull to become active in the poverty and injustice that I see, and I feel a pull to reflect on all that I experience. Action and contemplation are oil and water, high tide and low tide, cats and dogs, but I love them both and need them both because of the unique aspects that they both bring to my life. Something mixed in the middle misses the full joy that comes with living the extremes.

A Devotional

What is the difference between Compassion, Care & Cure. Parker Palmer says, “Compassion means literally, the capacity to be with the suffering of another.” This means that compassion is often uncomfortable. It is rarely easy to enter into someone’s pain without doing something about it, but compassion doesn’t necessarily bring a cure to the ailment one faces. Compassion’s present (gift) is being present to the other. This is the one sense where, I suppose, it is realistic to view ourselves as “G*D’s gift” to someone.

To truly care for the other we must abandon our “Whatever” attitudes. Whatever is the care-free lifestyle, and we must be care-full. Doing so means to listen, be present, hear, and receive. Henri Nouwen says, “The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not-curing, not-healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is the friend who cares.”

A second comparison is that of Fixing & Relationship. Our task is not to fix people. We may desire to pour out blessings and fixings on those who are suffering and broken but pouring is an act that can be done only from above. The posture of “above” is an arm’s-length posture, and “there is no arm’s-length ‘solution’ for suffering. People who offer such only add to the pain… We cannot do good by standing back and pulling levers that drop bounty on people who need it. Right action can be only and immersion of ourselves in reality, an immersion that involves us in RELATIONSHIP, that takes us to our place in the organic nature of things.”

(Palmer, The Active Life, 84).

A third comparison is that of Do & Be. Being there, not as cure but as companion to the person who suffers on his or her slow journey, is one of the best things we can “do”. Compassion & companionship is more about being that doing. Such being requires us to risk. We risk not curing, we risk rejection, and we risk inadequacy. But Love takes risking.

The Scriptures…

Jesus models a life of compassion and care. Mark 6 serves as a good example.

Mark 6:32-44 (NLT)

They left by boat for a quieter spot. [33] But many people saw them leaving, and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and met them as they landed. [34] A vast crowd was there as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he taught them many things.

[35] Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said, "This is a desolate place, and it is getting late. [36] Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy themselves some food."

[37] But Jesus said, "You feed them."

"With what?" they asked. "It would take a small fortune to buy food for all this crowd!"

[38] "How much food do you have?" he asked. "Go and find out."

They came back and reported, "We have five loaves of bread and two fish." [39] Then Jesus told the crowd to sit down in groups on the green grass. [40] So they sat in groups of fifty or a hundred.

[41] Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and asked God's blessing on the food. Breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples to give to the people. [42] They all ate as much as they wanted, [43] and they picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish. [44] Five thousand men had eaten from those five loaves!

When Jesus had compassion on the crowds he offered them what he had; excellent teaching. Jesus was the “master teacher” and didn’t hesitate to give what he had when he saw people in need. The disciple’s saw the crowd too, but they saw the problem not the people, saying, “Send the crowds away so they can… buy themselves some food.” Here we see what Palmer calls, “The temptation to solve some problem on a level that does not solve it at all, and may even make things worse.” Can you imagine 5,000 people raiding the nearby farms and villages for bread and fish? I’m not sure Wal-Mart could handle that all at once.

Jesus response with the curious, “You feed them.”

“With what?" is the appropriate response. Here the disciple’s faith is being tested and it is in this same “With what?” attitude that we often respond to G*D’s calling in our own lives. How am I going to do this thing that G*D is asking me to do? “It would take a small fortune.” But in the story, Jesus simply responds with "How much food do you have?" He is less concerned with what it takes and more concerned with what is available. G*D is always more interested in availability than in ability. Making ourselves available to G*D is where we find ourselves risking. Opening our hands to God means releasing the death grip we have on all the stuff we are holding on to. But when we open our hands we find Jesus blessing our gift and G*D multiplying it.

Jesus’ solution to this need was not one of pulling levers, it was not an arms-length solution. It was a nitty-gritty, shoulder-to-shoulder, self-sacrificing, self-risking, solution that gave birth to a compassionate response… and a miracle of provision.

Reflections from a walk in the park

I took a run today to my favorite park. I bundled up (since it’s only 32 degrees out), tuned my iPod to some worship music and hit the sidewalk. As I ran, I just tried to worship along with the songs. When I got to the park, I paused my tunes, slowed to a walking pace, and entered into a time of silent prayer by simply repeating the prayer of 1 Samuel 3:10, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”

It’s often awkward shifting into silence. I am in such a habit of talking that it is sometimes hard to quiet my inner voice that just wants to keep asking God for stuff. It can be even harder to be silent with my eyes open but walking with my eyes closed didn’t seem like a very good option in a city park. So, as I walked down the path I just looked around and asked God to show me something.

It wasn’t long before I noticed a bird soaring above me. No, not like a dove descending from heaven, just a regular bird. As I looked more closely I noticed that it had what looked like a cracker in its mouth. Now, I highly doubt that it was a cracker, because where would a bird get a cracker? But that’s just what it looked like. Immediately I had some thoughts. I first thought of the bird’s life. It was simply being a bird. I thought of the bird’s day and how the bird may have been feeling (I know it may sound weird to think of what birds may be feeling but that is simply what I thought). I wondered if it was anxious or trusting. I wondered if it was worried about tomorrow. I noticed the cracker and I was reminded of Matthew 6:26 "Consider the birds of the air, they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"

I continued to watch the bird as I walked. It was barely even flapping its wings but it was flying and turning and floating in the air. The wind was doing all of the work. I thought about my own life, and how I often want to do the work but it is the work of the Spirit. I am simply along for the ride.

The bird landed out of site and I turned my attention to listening again. Soon I heard what sounded like a waterfall (except there is no waterfall… well, let me clarify that. This park actually has a large man made waterfall, but it is closed for the winter). I looked around because I figured what I was hearing was a car with a bad muffler or something, but the sound continued. Eventually I figured out that the noise was coming from the tall swamp grass blowing in the wind. I thought, there’s that wind again, this time giving grass a voice. It is funny that God can make grass sound like a waterfall. But the grass alone wouldn’t make any sound at all without the wind.

About that time I looked down and noticed something strange. The particular section of the park I was in is notorious for goose poo. But the geese were gone and the poo was mostly gone too. It was nice not to have to tiptoe as if I were in a mine field. Then I asked God the strangest question that I think I have ever asked God. I said, “What’s with the goose poo?”

Silence. I started to get cold. I had broken a sweat on my run over to the park and now that I had been walking for a while I was cooling down and really starting to get chilly from the brisk winter wind. I started jogging to warm back up again, and then it dawned on me. The wind held the bird aloft, gave the grass a voice, and moved the geese where God wanted them to go.

I finished the circle trail around this park and hit play on my iPod as I turned toward home. The song that played next was called “If You Say Go” and it goes like this,

If you say go, we will go

If you say wait, we will wait

If you say step out on the water and they say it can’t be done

We’ll fix our eyes on you and we will come

If you call us to the fire You will not withdraw Your hand

We’ll gaze into the flames and look for You

I thought about the geese who were moved south at the beckoning of God. I thought about the birds that had waited and were held by the wind and fed by the hand of God. I thought about the grass doing what can’t be done… speaking.

It was an interesting walk in the park. There are a lot of parallels with things that God is doing in me these days. I am still processing it all.

On ending world hunger...

"Jesus knows he can end the groaning bellies of the world's starving children, but he resists and says that he will trust in the church." - Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, from Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers, p.46

On helping others...

"I have lived my whole live with a desire to help others in their journey. But I have always realized that I had little else to offer than my own. The journey I am making myself. How can I announce joy, peace, forgiveness, and reconciliation unless they are a part of my own flesh and blood." – Henri J. M. Nouwen

More Quotes

The following two quotes are from the DVD documentary on Henry Nouwen entitled "Journey of the Heart". The final quote is by Dietrich Bonhoffer.

"What is most personal is most universal." - Henri Nouwen

"God has loved us before the creation of the earth and He has gifted us with these few short years on this planet tht we might have the chance to say, 'I love you too'." - Adapted from Henri Nouwen

"Conversion is claiming again and again and again the truth of myself. And what is the truth of myself? That I am God's beloved child long before my father and my mother and my teachers and my church got involved. And I will be God's beloved child long after I have died." - Henri Nouwen

"The first service we owe to others in fellowship is to listen to them. If we fail to listen, there are spiritual consequences. He who can no longer listen to his brother, will soon be no longer listening to God either." - Dietrich Bonhoffer

FWD: Um... Whose Line Is It Anyway?

I believe the church must be about teaching people to how to read. Would those who struggled to get the Scriptures into the hands of the lay people so that they might read for themselves the Word of God be disappointed with the way we have allowed the Bible to be read?

Creating new reading habits involves releasing the know-it-all attitude that comes with familiarity. Ellen Davis captures this idea when she warns of the danger of the “That’s just what I thought” mentality (16).

Creating new reading habits also involves embracing ambiguities. We could learn a lot in this regard from our Jewish siblings who routinely entertain possibilities of multiple meanings (24).

Creating new reading habits involves enabling “wise wonder”. It seems that the more we study Scripture, the more we uncover new and unexplored layers within the text. Our wise wonder must allow freedom for critical traditioning, or rethinking our formerly accepted theological positions (xix).

The primary obstacle we face in accomplishing this is the expectation of certainty. Do our jobs depend upon our sounding more certain than we are about what is true? (15)

The church must also be about the improvisation of the third act. In the canonization process the church graciously forwarded us the manuscripts of the first and second act. Many have gone to great lengths to place those scripts in our hands and they must be read (and read correctly) in order for us to faithfully improvise the third act. In our reading we gain intimate understanding of the Author of this divine drama. We also see tensions, ambiguities, and mystery, and therefore must anticipate those elements within our own portion of the story. As we realize that the story of the bible is about us we gain clarity (not certainty) we need for our improvisation.

Davis, Ellen F., and Richard B. Hays. The Art of Reading Scripture. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003. 

A parable

A rich land owner built a garden and entrusted it to the care of her three best gardeners. The gardeners had difficulty agreeing on how to landscape the garden and after much deliberation decided it would be best if the garden was divided into three separate sections so that each gardener could implement his own plan.

The first gardener laid out an elaborate maze and hired the best woodworkers available to build a complex series of sturdy garden lattices. When the project was finished the gardener had spent most of his resources and had little money or energy to plant vines to grow on the lattice structures. Some seeds were planted but whenever they began to weave up into the lattice the gardener would order them cut down as they seemed to appear more out of place than anything. At first several people came to walk through the garden and to see the maze but most were quickly unimpressed.
The second gardener observed the work of the first gardener and his subsequent failure to grow much of anything. Seeing this he decided to spend all his resources on a gardening crew that planted seeds, shrubs, flowers, and vines equally throughout his space. People quickly gravitated to his garden because of its sheer natural beauty in contrast with the neighboring wooden maze which had by now begun to show signs of weathering. Unfortunately the narrow paths that wound through this second garden were soon overtaken by the vines and plants and the garden became difficult for visitors to navigate eventually forcing people to clear their own paths. Under these conditions there was much disagreement about where the trail actually went and eventually confusion over whether or not there was a right or wrong trail.

The third gardener observed his colleagues and first sat down to develop a plan. He recognized the value of the structure provided by the lattice employed by the first gardener, as well as the idea of a maze which allowed individuals opportunity to discover new things within the garden and take different routes for increased enjoyment. However he noticed the fatal flaw of this gardener to actually “garden” anything. At the same time he recognized the natural beauty of plants utilized by the second gardener, yet his failure to provide adequate limitations resulting is a chaotic and conflict filled environment.

With a desire to make the land owner’s garden the best garden in the entire kingdom, he approached the other gardeners with a master plan. Unfortunately both of the other gardeners refused to cooperate with each other and during the meeting they continually called each other names and criticized each others use of resources. Frustrated, the third gardener left to implement his plan on his third of the garden. He employed the same lattice builders and the same nursery workers to build and plant in his garden. The end result was a beautiful mix of order and nature, a maze that allowed people to navigate the garden freely while hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, and seeing the masterpiece. Visitors would often speak of sensing a divine presence as they walked in the garden day after day.

Our historical/critical reading of the Word produces a lattice on which spiritual or formational understandings grow. Reading Scripture formationally does not require completely abandoning our normal techniques for gathering information and framing our understanding. Neither does it involve completely pruning back the beauty of the text as a living Word. Formational reading requires relinquishing our control over the text. We must not allow ourselves to frame it in too tightly, nor reduce it to our personal needs.

The Work of Submission & Service

“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephes. 5:21)

“Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself.” (Philip. 2:3)

Submission, like many of the spiritual disciplines is counter-cultural, and for those that wish to embrace a life of submission it will require the discipline of hard work. The temptation to give up hard work is always strongest where there is little or no motivation. It is for this reason that we must begin by discussing where that motivation for submission might be found.

Paul encourages us to allow Christ to serve as our singular motivation for submission (Eph. 5:21). It is the example of Christ then, that should guide us into a study of submission. If we could choose only one word to describe the life of Christ the word obedient may serve us well. Christ arrived here on earth, lived, and surrendered his life in humble obedience (Phil. 2:8). Foster labels this obedient lifestyle a “cross-life” and describes this lifestyle as “the life of freely accepted servanthood.”[i]

SUBMISSION

With a clear understanding of Jesus example, we can, in worship of Christ, begin the hard work of living the cross-life of obedient submission.

Three Works

There are three works in which we must engage with our lives if we are to follow Christ’s example of obedience.

The first work of submission is the work of receiving. At first this may sound backwards but we must take note that submission assumes that we have a position or a place from which to step down, yet there are many today, as in the time of Paul’s writing, living without cultural-respect. Paul’s instructions ascribe responsibility to those without status in his society.[ii] Jesus did the same by speaking with women, touching lepers, paying attention to beggars, and spending time children. Additionally there are many who are struggling through life without adequate God-ordained self-respect. Both the dilemma of cultural-respect and of self-respect are not without a multitude of causes today, but with those reasons aside our first task in submission is to receive the honor that is due us as God’s treasured creation. Until we receive from God a healthy and proper self-image we will be unable to fully engage in the discipline of submission.

The second work of submission is the work of releasing. Once we have fully grasped a healthy self-image we can begin the hard work of releasing the entitlement that comes along with our new found position and power.

That entitlement can be released through what Foster calls, the touchstone of self-denial.[iii] Self-denial finds its biblical roots in Mark 8:34 where Jesus says, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me.” Here we see that the “cross-life” is a life of releasing our selfish motivations and desires in worship of the selfless life that Jesus lived.

Three Enemies of Self-denial

The work of self-denial has three common enemies. Its first enemy is self-actualization. Our culture thrives on the concept that we can make something of ourselves, and in the process we must call on all of our power and position to produce our actualized-self. Instead of falling prey to this temptation and creating for ourselves a new and even more powerful identity, we are to find our identity in Christ. As we follow His example in the “cross-life” we can elude the enemy of self-actualization.

A second enemy of self –denial is self-contempt. Foster clarifies the difference by saying, “Self-contempt denies the goodness of the creation; self-denial affirms that it is indeed good.”[iv] Jesus himself, in a manner of speaking, lists self-love among the greatest commandments. So, clearly what is intended by self-denial is not self-hatred, self-abasement, or self-pity, but rather a healthy release of our less-than-divine ambitions.

A third enemy of self-denial is self-indulgence. Self-indulgence is the opposite of the disciplines of simplicity and hospitality. In fact, self-indulgence is the opposite of discipline in general. It is the unrestrained collection and consumption of all our selfish desires, and as such, stands as the greatest enemy to the second work in submission, the work of releasing entitlement.

The third work in submission is the work of embracing. Foster says, “The cross-life is the life of freely accepted servanthood.”[v] We must, as we submit ourselves to Christ’s example, embrace a life of servanthood to the suffering. Jesus embraced the hurting and was not deaf to the cries of the needy. Mark 5:21-43 records a perfect example of His unrelenting compassion in this regard. In this story, a man named Jairus whose daughter is sick approaches Jesus. On the way to serve Jairus (and his daughter), Jesus is approached by a woman who is in need of healing. The story that seems to start as a fast-paced race to heal the Jairus’ daughter goes into slow-motion when this needy woman enters the scene. Jesus slows to a standstill and engages the woman in dialogue. There is much we could learn from Jesus’ example here. Often we have a good work in mind and we approach it full-steam and head down. Jesus reveals another approach. He presents the submissive embrace of the suffering with eyes open and heart attentive to the other needs that may be present among the crowd. Oh, that we could learn this art.

If we are to embrace the servanthood of the suffering, we also must embrace Christ’s example of servanthood through suffering. We cannot forget that the image of Christ bearing the cross is only moments before He was hung on it. Paul reminds us of the submission demonstrated by Christ when, “in human form he [Jesus] obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal's death on a cross.” (Philip. 2:8). The “cross-life” leads to a “cross-death”. Embracing submission requires not only serving the suffering but also becoming “the suffering” for the sake of others.

Being Shaped by Freedom

When we engage in the work of receiving, releasing, and embracing submission we begin to be shaped by a freedom to conform more closely to the image of Christ. Adele Calhoun notes three specific ways in which this freedom shapes us. We are shaped in our choices, our relationships, and our vocations.[vi]

First, our choices are shaped to reflect God’s desires not our own. Submission is about choosing to follow God’s desires and design. When we sin we do not submit to the sin, we commit the sin. Commission means to carry into action deliberately. Submission means to yield to governance or authority.[vii] When we commit sin we take action when we are supposed to be yielding control. Yielding control in submission brings us freedom, taking control through commission puts us in bondage.

Second, the freedom of submission allows our relationships to be shaped to reflect God’s compassion. As we let go of our own selfish ambitions and allow ourselves to be cared for by God, we become free to slow our pace enough to care for the needs of others. Silence becomes our companion in submission as we give up the need to react to those who disagree with us. Without a need to find our identity in what others think of us, we are free to serve (or associate with) anyone, regardless of their cultural-respect. We are free from the need to have our own way in our dealings with others and we are even free to give up our rights in relationships. This freedom sets us up for the discipline of service

Third, our vocation is shaped to reflect God’s will. Submitting ourselves to Christ’s leadership in vocation places us in a posture where we are willing to respond to the nudges of the spirit. An attitude of submission opens us up to receive the immeasurable gifts of God available to us as we engage in His service.

SERVICE

The discipline of submission kisses the discipline of service in the moments where we are given the opportunity to give way to others in our work. In considering the discipline of service, we often think solely of the literal act of serving others in our physical work. Marjorie Thompson redefines the discipline of service as “hospitality” and views service through the lens of Christ’s words in Matthew 25:35-36 (NLT).[viii] “For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.'” In response to Jesus’ words the people reply, "Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?” Matthew 25:37-39 (NLT). This passage offers us a starting point for understanding the depth and width of the discipline of service or hospitality.

Six Works of Hospitable Service

The first work of hospitable service is seeing. Though the individuals in the story of Matthew 25 did not see, they would have had great advantage if they had been consciously seeing Christ in the “least”. Certainly those who were cursed into eternal fire would have benefited from an improved ability to see.[ix] Calhoun points out that seeing Christ in the least involves viewing their needs as being as real and important as our own, and she goes on to indict readers by saying, “…many of us look right through others and never see them, let alone care about what they need.”[x] This myopia could find its cure in the discipline of submission. Again Calhoun offers a powerful retort. “When we are preoccupied with our own concerns, much of the world is simply invisible to us. Service is rooted in seeing – in seeing others as God does.”[xi]

A second work of hospitable service is welcoming. The work of welcoming may seem obvious but it is often an area of struggle for ministries. In the 2002 article “The Secrets of Welcoming Youth Groups”, Group Magazine reported that 73% of students cited a welcoming atmosphere where they can be themselves as the most important factor in influencing their commitment to the group, and even went as far as saying, “If they don’t feel accepted and loved by their peers, they’re not coming back.”[xii] Creating church atmospheres where people are welcomed must remain a priority among our work of service. Often times it is the “service of the small things” that communicates the caring needed for individuals to feel welcomed into the community.[xiii]

The third work of hospitable service is feeling. Christ centered service is the service of bearing one another’s burdens. Paul encourages us in this regard, “Share each other's troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2 (NLT). This process of bearing each other’s burdens requires empathy embedded in love. Foster points out, “Love is most perfectly fulfilled when we bear the hurts and sufferings of each other, weeping with those who weep.”[xiv]

The fourth work of hospitable service is hearing. The work of hearing is offered to others in the gift of presence. First, our presence must be offered to God. Thompson says, “We offer hospitality to God when we make ourselves consciously present to the Divine Presence and listen for what the Spirit is communicating.”[xv] When we marinate in the Divine Presence with a listening heart we invite God to speak to us and fill us with His presence that we may offer the fruits or our submission in service to others. “When we have grown dull in listening to God, we would do well to listen to others in silence and see if we do not hear God through them.”[xvi]

The fifth work of hospitable service is sharing. Dallas Willard points out that “The Way of Jesus knows no submission outside the context of mutual submission of all to all.”[xvii] If submission and service are siblings, then we can see that clearly in the work of sharing. Marjorie Thompson clarifies this familial relationship when she makes the important connection between the servant and the served. “The relationship of host and guest is a mutual one; ‘the very root of the word ‘hospitality’… hospes means both host and guest.’”[xviii] Submission and service are both communal disciplines. The work of service requires our willingness to share “who we are as well as what we have” with those whom we serve and those who serve us.[xix] We must live with open doors and open hands, sharing all that we have with those whom God brings our way.

The sixth work of hospitable service is praying. “When we intercede for others in prayer, we welcome them into our inmost sanctuary of compassion. We participate in the spacious hospitality of God’s grace for each person.”[xx] Our work of service in prayer must include not only the obvious needs of those we hold dear but also those of our enemies, our pastors, and our communities.

The Result: Love Revealed

“The Christian discipline of service is the way the world discovers the love of God.”[xxi] When we humbly engage in these works of service and hospitality we participate in the “centripetal mission” or “evangelization by hospitality”.[xxii] Our works allow the greater community a glimpse of Christ in the world.

The Greatest Example: God’s Hospitality[xxiii]

God has, in His revelation, given us a comprehensive example of how the works of submission and service work in the world, from creation to the cross. In creation, God provided for us all that we would ever need. He anticipated Adam’s needs and filled them before Adam had the opportunity or necessity to make requests. God saw that it was not good for Adam to be alone (Gen. 2:18). Here we see emphasized the role of seeing in hospitality. Through procreation, we are given an opportunity to participate in what God began. I remember when my wife and I learned that she was pregnant with our first son. We emptied out our spare bedroom and got right to work removing and replacing carpet, painting, decorating, and filling the room with a ridiculous amount of toys and accessories to accommodate our new addition. In this way, we identified with the hospitality of God when he created the world.

A second way in which we see God demonstrating the example of hospitality is in the incarnation. Christ enters the scene bringing the very things we needed and could not provide for ourselves: forgiveness, reconciliation, and restoration. God invited us into this hospitality of the incarnation when he gave us His spirit. “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as he raised Christ from the dead, he will give life to your mortal body by this same Spirit living within you.” Romans 8:11 (NLT). With the spirit of God in us we carry on the hospitality of the incarnation to the rest of the world.

Finally, we see the hospitality of God given ultimate expression in the crucifixion. God paid the greatest price to purchase us from death. Paul writes, “God alone made it possible for you to be in Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made Christ to be wisdom itself. He is the one who made us acceptable to God. He made us pure and holy, and he gave himself to purchase our freedom.” 1 Cor. 1:30 (NLT). We gained freedom through His sacrifice and God invites us to participate in the hospitality of the crucifixion through self-denial. In self-denial we have the choice to release our rights and embrace humility for the sake of others. Ironically that sacrifice produces in us a great freedom.

Lord Jesus Christ,
As You will; what You will; when You will.
I yield my body, my mind, and my spirit for Your purposes.
As it would please you, bring me someone today whom I can serve.
Let it be so.[xxiv]

---

[i] Foster, Richard J. Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth. 1978. 25th 

Anniversary ed. New York: Harper Collins, 1998. 115-116.

[ii] Foster, 118.

[iii] Foster, 113.

[iv] Foster, 114.

[v] Foster, 116.

[vi] Calhoun, Adele Ahlberg. Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices That Transform Us. Downers Grove: Inter Varsity, 2005. 119.

[vii] www.m-w.com

[viii] Thompson, Marjorie J. Soul Feast: An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life. Louisville:

Westminster John Knox, 2005. 127

[ix] Matthew 25:41

[x] Calhoun, 145.

[xi] Calhoun, 145.

[xii] Miller, Steve. "The Secrets of Welcoming Youth Groups." Group Magazine Feb.-Mar. 2002: 61-65.

[xiii] Foster, 135.

[xiv] Foster, 139.

[xv] Thompson, 132.

[xvi] Foster, 139.

[xvii] Willard, Dallas. The Spirit of The Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives. New York: Harper Collins, 1988. 160.

[xviii] Thompson, 128.

[xix] Thompson, 128.

[xx] Thompson, 140.

[xxi] Calhoun, 145.

[xxii] Thompson, 127.

[xxiii] Thompson, 129-131.

[xxiv] Foster, 122.

Divine Dinner

Do you believe that God might care who you sit by at lunch? Do you believe that He may have a purpose behind who you sit next to on the bus? Do you suppose God is able to use you in profound ways simply through the situations of your mundane life?

I do.

I sat at the dinner table on Friday night with the teaching team and we were joined by two ministers from Spain. One was an American missionary here who has been here since 1984. The other was Maximo, a pastor here in Spain. We were enjoying a delicious meal together and then he started asking some tough questions. He asked us all if we were prepared for our children to become prodigals. We were all thrown off a little by this question. We weren’t expecting it. Some offered a few different responses and gradually we began to see why he asked the questions he did.

Maximo has a daughter and a son who have both walked away from God. His son walked away because at the age of 9 all of his hair began falling out. His son cried out to God but God did not respond with healing. As a result, he simply walked away from God saying, “If God won’t listen to me, I won’t listen to him.” My eyes filled with tears as I sat with this man who was clearly distraught about the spiritual condition of his children. We all decided to pray for him and his children right there at the dinner table.

This whole thing got me thinking… What is the story of the person sitting next to me? In any given situation I hardly ever really know. God has taken me around the world to show me how to listen, and to teach me how to care about the person sitting right next to me. So who is sitting next to you today? How does God want to use you to bring comfort, healing, or encouragement to their lives? Does God want to use your prayers to change their lives?

We will never know unless we listen and respond in the spirit of Christ.

The Selfless Way of Christ - Nouwen

In this book Nouwen explores the lure of upward mobility as seen in three temptations.

1. The temptation to be relevant (to make productivity the basis for our ministry)
2. The temptation to be spectacular
3. The temptation to be powerful

He highlights these same temptations in his book In The Name of Jesus but offers slightly different responses.

In The Name of Jesus responds with...

1. Contemplative Prayer
2. Confession & Forgiveness
3. Theological Reflection

The Selfless Way of Christ responds with...

1. The Discipline of the Church (As the incarnation)
2. The Discipline of the Book
3. The Discipline of the Heart (Prayer)

Here are a few quotes that challenged me along with a few of my responses...

"We can only call ourselves witnesses of Jesus when we have head him with our own ears, seen him with our own eyes, and touched him with our own hands." (p.14)

"The Spirit is the breath of Christ in us, the divine power of Christ active in us, the mysterious source of new vitality by which we are made aware that it is not we who live, but Christ who lives in us (cf. Galatians 2:20). Indeed, to live a spiritual life mans to become living Christs." (p.20)

Last week my friend Stu and I were talking about his idea of breath. As we live out the spirit filled life our breath becomes the breath of Christ and suddenly our words have power to strengthen, encourage, and challenge others with supernatural force. This isn't necessarily the result of study (though study isn't bad) or the result of cleverly devised sermons (though sermons are not bad). Instead, it is the result of the spirit of Christ. As we die to ourselves it is Christ who is resurrected, not our old selves. Ronald Rolheiser explores this idea in depth in chapter 7 of The Holy Longing.

"It is not enough to try to imitate Christ as much as possible; it is not enough to remind others of Jesus; it is not enough to be inspired by the words and actions of Jesus Christ. No, the spiritual life presents us with a far more radical demand: to be living Christs here and now, in time and history." (p.20)

This is incarnational Christianity.

"Jesus' call to discipleship is primal, all-encompassing, all-inclusive, demanding a total commitment. One cannot be a little bit for Christ, give him some attention, or make him one of many concerns." (p.21)

"We are quite willng to say that we should not forget the poor, that we should share our gifts with those less fortunate, and that we should give up some of our surplus for the many who have not made it. But are we ready to confess that those whom we should not forget, those who are less fortunate, those who did not make it, are in fact the blessed ones in the Reign of God, the ones who call us to downward mobility as Jesus did?" (p.35-36)

I found this rather convicting in light of my recent work in the area of giving.

"In a variety of ways we are made to believe that we are what we produce. This leads to a preoccupation with products, visible results, tangible goods, and progress." (p.50)

"We do not resist the temptation to be relevant by doing irrelevant things but by clinging to the Word of God who is the source of all relevancy." (p.53)

"'Truth' in our culture has become so largely determined by statistics that it is easy for us to truly believe that the number of people who listen, watch, or attend is a measure of the quality of that which is presented." (p.54)

"The more praise we receive, the more we desire." (p.57)

"The discipline of the Christian disciple is not to master anything, but rather to be mastered by the Spirit. True Christian discipline is the human effort to create the space in which the Spirit of Christ can transform us into his lineage." (p.70)

"Personal prayer is not rewarded by acclaim, does not translate into helpful projects, and only rarely leads to the inner experience of peace and joy." (p.83)

PROJECT: GIVEMORE – a journey toward discovering how to give myself away

Introduction: Some of my classmates and I defined spiritual formation as an intentional journey of being formed by God into the image of Jesus – with others and for others. Since developing that definition we have explored the discipline of contemplative prayer and theorized about what bridges need to be crossed over various chasms that separate contemplation and action in the formation journey. Five bridges create the framework for understanding this project.

Brief Overview: my project included two phases –

· Phase 1 was an experiment in giving.

· Phase 2 was a hands on / relational element at a downtown ministry house.

The story:

The Bridge of Awareness, Conviction, and Integrity

I have spent a lot of time the last few months thinking about the idea of giving. Sermons, readings, and experiences have sufficiently made me aware that I'm no good at it. I don't like to give away anything. When I get around generous people I always think to myself, "I wish I was more like that." God has been gentle but unrelenting in the conviction process.

I was at my usual midweek gathering with my friends and as we walked through the campus of Michigan University I started praying silently that God would give me an idea for this project. Only a moment later we started talking about our view of giving. We were struggling with the idea of buying "stuff" for ourselves when so many people around the world are without simple life necessities. We noted that when it comes to the second greatest commandment, we are pretty quick to love on ourselves but loving our neighbors to that same degree becomes a little more difficult.

Our discussion spawned this thought: What if every time you bought yourself something, you also bought an extra one and gave it away? At first it seemed simple enough. The concept would keep us from buying lots of unnecessary things and hold us accountable to care for those around us in need as much as we care for ourselves. In a small way it would bring a sense of equality to our relationships which Ronald Rolheiser, author of The Holy Longing, points out as a key area of Justice.

Surely the key to true compassion and justice is not found in throwing money at a situation. However, it seems that monetary giving can serve as a starting point, and that's what I felt like I needed this week – a starting point. I needed integrity. I needed to begin bringing my life in line with what I believe. I'll be quick to say that everything we have is Gods, but I'm usually the last one to put my money in the hat.

I decided to start small. I made a point to do two things.

· First, buy two and give one away.

· Second, pray for guidance.

It started with a gift card to a coffee shop.

Case #1: I went down to the local coffee house and grabbed my favorite beverage and a $5 gift card for someone else. I must have looked at everyone that came into that store while I sat there studying. Each time thinking, "God, is that the one who you want to bless?" I quickly realized that I would need to tune my ears closely to the voice of God in order to live this way. That card was burning a hole in my pocket all day. I ended up at the park that evening and I passed the card to the young man as he walked by. He was thoroughly confused as to why I would do something like that for him.

The Bridge of Ceaseless Prayer

I quickly became excited about how arming myself with a gift transformed my prayers and how I looked differently at everyone around me. Everyone became a potential target for blessing, and suddenly my relationship with God became essential to every interaction.

Case #2: I needed gas for the mini-van. I watched hesitantly as the numbers rolled by faster than I could count. I stopped at $25. The van wasn't full but I knew that I had to have enough money to buy someone else a $25 gas card. I drove down the highway actually praying that I would run across someone who was broke down or out of gas. (Usually I'm praying that someone else will stop and help those poor people on the side of the road, because God would understand that I am on my way to youth group). I was late but was so anxious for God to put someone in my path that needed assistance. That card remained in my pocket for 24 hours. I ended up passing this along to a young pastor I was chatting with who is planting a church in our town and needs to raise $45,000 this year. I handed it to him knowing it wouldn't make a dent in that number but hoping that it would encourage him that God's answer to his prayers could be provided, even in the strangest of ways.

Case #3: I needed to buy diapers for my daughter. I bought two packages. I came home wondering who in the world would need these extra diapers, but I was ready to meet a need. The next day I kept thinking about the diapers and started asking God to show me someone who could use these diapers. I finally just got in my car and started driving around looking for someone who needed diapers (I'm pretty sure I've never done that before). I drove to a place here in town that is a transitional house for teenage girls who have had babies. It looked empty. I drove around the block and then pulled in the parking lot. I sat in the car and just prayed that someone might be there that needed the diapers. I got out and walked up the steps and before I reached the top a woman greeted me at the door. I asked her if they needed size 4 diapers and she said, "yes." I introduced myself to her but didn't explain what I was up to. Her name was Tamarah. I'm on their mailing list now. I never would have been had I not been looking for someone who needed diapers. I made a new connection with the community. (A reasonably large step for an introvert.) But I knew there was more to all of this…

The Bridge of Community

Looking back I wish I had gotten to speak with each of these people more. I wish I knew more about where they were living and what they needed. The gifts didn't feel like justice, and maybe they weren't even compassion, but giving them was an opportunity for me to connect with the community and simply do my part in making things more fair. At this point I was reminded of the importance of community in spiritual formation, the "with others for others" part. So I determined to make that part of the experiment.

Case #4: I was hungry for more connections. I was beginning to see community as a key to this whole process. I wanted to meet some people that would give a name and a face to struggles in this town. I called my friend, Wendy, who runs a house downtown called Together We Can Make A Difference.

I got there just before lunch. There was a small group of people seated in the dining room around the table. Before I could do anything I was being served. Wendy shared a quick story about a cow being donated and needing a butcher to offer his "services". Then she prayed, and after prayer she said, "I'll turn my phone on now." (expecting that a butcher may call at any moment). We ate soup while Wendy read the daily scripture chapters (they are reading through the Bible in a year). Afterwards I sat and talked with the people. I tried not to be busy or act like I was going to come in there one afternoon and be the savior for the day. I just wanted to meet these people.

Carol was my favorite. She should have died twice. She told me the amazing stories behind each incident and how she saw God at work, rescuing and restoring her. Now she spends as much of her time as she can giving herself to others. Since August she has made 426 blankets to be given away. Did I mention she had a stroke and can't move her right arm? She owns an orchard and on a bad harvest year she recalled praying, "God, just give me enough to share." I was blown away.

Time doesn't permit me to speak of Ray, Steve, Dennis, Shaw, and the others whose names I can't recall.

The Bridge of Humility

Just being around Wendy can get you excited about what God is doing. There are so many answered prayers in that house. Foster says that the ecstatic gifts often help us see that God is present and active among peoples and situations we have written off as hopeless. (Streams of Living Water, Foster, p.127) I felt as though I understood that principle at a new level after my time at the house. I was humbled and hopeful.

I went from there down the street to see author and revolutionary Shane Claiborne speak. I was again humbled by his radical willingness to get involved in the lives of people in need. People kept asking things like how he got started and what a typical day looks like for him. His responses were simple and profound. Here are a few quotes I jotted down:

· "We can't be in love with the vision of changing the world, we must be in love with the people."

· "Everybody wants a revolution but nobody wants to do the dishes."

· "We cannot fully recover unless we also help the society that made us sick recover."

· I feel this last quote really sums up the essence of social justice.

The Bridge of Restoration

I know that giving things away does not address social justice on a grand scale, but here is how I see the connection. This experiment changed everything about my day. I was constantly consumed with thoughts of those around me and how what I had could be a blessing to them. Rolheiser states that when we pray we are not only petitioning God to act, but "we are also charging ourselves, as part of the Body of Christ, with some responsibility for answering the prayer." (The Holy Longing, p.83) We could see a need and then pray that God would meet that need OR we could prepare ourselves to meet a need and then ask God to open our eyes. That's what I experienced. I noticed myself praying all the time. And these prayers were not prayers that God would meet a need but that He would show me someone with a need that I was already prepared to meet. If I had noting in my pockets then I chose to offer myself – my eyes, ears, hands, and words. Ultimately the experiment changed me. And if I now treat people more justly then I suppose social justice has been accomplished, even if on the smallest scale.

Try the project yourself, and tell me what happens to you and through you!

"Teach us to pray."

Jesus’ own disciples said, “Teach us to pray.” I think that mindset is the starting point. There is a Zen principle called “the beginners mind” that I first read about in Richard Rohr’s book Everything Belongs. Thomas Merton summarizes the concept in a segment from Contemplative Prayer (quoted in Spiritual Classics) by saying “Those who think they ‘know’ from the beginning will never, in fact, come to know anything.” So, when attempting to begin contemplative prayer practices, anyone who feels frustrated and ignorant is in a good place. It’s the “Teach us to pray” place that the disciples were in, and it’s the humility of “beginners mind”.

I’ve lost what I once knew about prayer.

Merton also calls contemplative prayer “death – a kind of descent into our own nothingness, a recognition of helplessness, frustration, infidelity, confusion, ignorance.” How many times have we heard encouragement to pray tagged with that kind of incentive? The Cloud of Unknowing actually encourages us to imagine that we are going to die at the end of our prayer. That would definitely change our stance before God. (Read more about that here: “an unusual prayer tip”)

Somewhere I read something about even the most trained monks, after forty minutes of silent prayer, may only have a brief moment of actually achieving silence. And many never have any “experiences” of note. I was encouraged and discouraged by that all at the same time. But, if we are simply looking for an “experience” then I think we have it all wrong. This isn’t a game and there aren’t any shortcuts or easy buttons.

Nearly everything I’ve seen on contemplative prayer practices encourages some kind of spiritual direction and guidance as you begin. I have had some difficulty finding anyone who was willing to take on that role so I’ve opted for spiritual companions along the way. I’d still love to find a prayer director. My prayer life has been wrecked for a while now. So often I feel as though I don’t know what to say anymore. Maybe that’s a good thing. When I pray out loud in class or in meetings I frequently begin with a long pause and in that moment I wonder if I’d be better off not saying anything.

Jesus, teach me to pray.

5 Bridges from Contemplation to Action

Dag Hammarskjold wrote, "The road to holiness necessarily passes through the world of action."

I was asked...

What sorts of "bridges" could we build from contemplation to action? I mean, we are sitting on our comfortable couch contemplating (with coffee, of course). What can motivate us to action? What sorts of "strategies" might we use, what sorts of theological principles might we put in place to encourage this move?

I want to suggest five bridges that must be crossed on that road that leads us from contemplation toward action. They must all be crossed before action can be realized fully. Order is important.

Bridge #1: Integrity & Conviction

Contemplation forces us to come fact to face with ourselves. Time spent with God quickly reveals areas in our life where we are living with cognitive dissonance. Our values say one thing but our lives are not congruent with that message. The contemplative life leads us toward a life of integrity. I believe Dietrich Bonhoffer called this “becoming one man”. In my experience, that process is like coming out of a cave (so maybe you want to think of this as a covered bridge). Once we have begun living a life of integrity (in the light) we begin to develop deep convictions in line with the heart of God.

Bridge #2: Voicing

As our convictions deepen we begin to voice them. This is a two stage process. So we may want to envision a bridge here that has two levels. The first level is individual voicing. This is the kind of action we take around our friends. It is the “quiet testimony” of John Woolman as described by Richard Foster. (Streams of Living Water, p.140). The second level of is social voicing. This includes any public platform that can be used for creating awareness about injustices.

Bridge #3: Passionate Struggle

In our journey from compassion to action we must be aware of the struggle that will rage inside us. Foster describes Woolman’s struggle as “great distress”. We will face opposition and sometimes that opposition will come from within ourselves. We will want to give up and stop fighting because the issue is too big or we fear offending others and dishonoring God, or we feel alone. Ronald Rolheiser reminds us that "the struggle for justice and peace is not ultimately about winning or losing but about fidelity... Short-term political effectiveness is not as important as long-term fidelity to personal conscience, personal faith, and personal charity." (The Holy Longing, p.188). This is a narrow bridge across a deep chasm that can only be walked alone.

Bridge#4: Creative Mind

Passionate struggle leads to a creative mind. On this bridge we begin to get ideas and energy for our journey. We see things in new ways and see old obstacles as new stepping stones for achieving our goal. Imagine a sturdy bridge with a great view. This may be the most fun we have had on our journey so far.

Bridge #5: Modest Spirit

In this final stage we are forced onto a narrow bridge which will not accommodate our ego. We must leave it behind to press forward into our action.

It may be important to note the bridges to injustice as well. I see three.

Injustice Bridge #1: Abuse of Power

This takes many forms including physical, emotional, economical, political, and even ecclesiastical.

Injustice Bridge #2: Creativity

Yes the enemy uses creativity too.

Injustice Bridge #3: Threats

I think of this as negative voicing. We may be voicing our deep convictions but those dealing injustice will be more than ready to do their share of voicing as well. We must be aware.