Recent entries:
May 11, 2011
The problem of distraction in the spiritual life has always been a
challenge. The gospel account of Jesus in the home of Martha and Mary
has often been a reminder to Christians of the call to let go of the
worry and distraction we see exemplified in Martha and to choose the
“better part” of attention on God that we find in her younger sister
Mary. In the early desert tradition of Christian spirituality, the
ancient monastics spoke of the need for Sabbath, solitude, silence,
stillness and unceasing prayer in an effort to create enough space
amidst inner distraction and dissipation to hear God’s call to
relationship. Lest we think this was an impossibly remote ideal for
young persons, the later medieval ideal of the school and university was
based on the experience of “schola” (Latin for “leisure”) in order for
deeper order reflection and contemplation to take place.
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May 09, 2011
One day, I stepped off the plane in Minneapolis airport to catch another
flight and found myself sitting in a departure lounge waiting for the
next boarding call. A gentleman near me suddenly started talking to
someone I couldn’t see. He was holding a conversation with no one. I
looked but he wasn’t even holding one of those new, nifty palm-sized
mobile phones. Who was he talking to then? I looked around embarrassed
and thought that the poor man must be delirious after a red-eye flight
from San Francisco and just needed to lie down somewhere and collect
himself. The conversation continued. I began to stare and finally
noticed a strange blue light flashing on what appeared to be a hearing
aid in his ear but the device had a long cord I’d never seen before. I
had just been introduced to Bluetooth technology.
At that moment, I began to feel a strange shock and dread coming over
me. There was something weird going on...
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October 19, 2010
I have heard this before. In my final practice module session at this week’s FTE Calling Congregations Conference,
I am listening to my colleagues reflecting on their experience of their
time together. On my left, I hear a seasoned chaplain speak of his
desire to go deeper and the influence that Buddhism is now having on his
vision of Christian formation. On my right, a scholar and activist in
the area of spiritual formation is speaking of her inner discovery of
the transforming power of suffering to birth compassion and awareness in
the emerging church. Across from me is a divinity student and FTE
fellow from the Midwest who describes herself as a “Merton junky” and is
trying to connect what she’s heard this week to her life of
contemplation. Almost every person in the circle, including our group
leader, is
wondering how the Calling Congregations process fits into and flows from
the spiritual tradition of the church. There’s restlessness and an
outspoken yearning in the room to go deeper. I feel it myself as I
listen, yet again, to the hearts of church leaders, young and older, who
are seeking to ground the conversation more fully in Christian
spirituality.
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September 21, 2010
Emerging Adults and the Need for Accompaniment
Those of us who follow and support the spiritual lives of young persons
know not only what a challenging stage of life this is but also how
difficult it can be to understand. Great developmental theorists such as
Erik Erikson, James Fowler and Robert Kegan have opened up foundational
insights into the spiritual lives of young adults and have helped us in
our efforts to reach and minister to them in their places of need. And
yet, we are faced with new complexities in ministry to young adults as
our cultural landscape evolves. The advent of the Millennials and
“digital natives” in our midst and the lengthening timetable to reach
adulthood suggests that the old assumptions about what it takes to grow
up humanly and spiritually in our society need to be re-examined.
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