Imagining Spiritual Formation as a 'Caspian-esque' Journey

The faint whisper of a fanciful world danced through his mind for as long as he could remember.  This whisper, though fanciful and nearly impossible to imagine, captured his heart and shaped his desires in the deepest recesses of his soul.  He had heard them initially from his nurse.  After the dismissal of his nurse came Dr. Cornelius.  More savvy than the nurse, Dr. Cornelius found ways to keep the whisper alive and the dream stoked within.

This whisper illuminated a world of peace and perfect harmony.  It was a world where the animals spoke, the trees danced and the gallant fought for the good of all.  It was a world which captured the Prince's heart and stoked his deepest longing.  It was a world in which the Prince was forbidden to believe.  It was, in fact, a world in which all were forbidden to believe.

This forbidden world, kept alive through whisper and hope, was said to have been created by the misfits and rebels. As such it was said to have been a world which never truly existed and could certainly never be achieved.  It was a world that existed, if ever at all, long, long before the reign of Miraz the King and the mighty Telmarines.

Of course, you recognize the story as Prince Caspian, from C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia.  It is difficult, one might imagine, to live with the faint whisper of a world in which your heart finds hope yet is forbidden to believe.  Truth be told, however, we all live with this whisper of a world in which we long to hope but are reluctant to believe.  It is a whisper which illuminates a world of peace, a world of hope.  It is a whisper which reminds us that this is not all there is.  Indeed, there is more; there is better.  There is greater yet to be seen and experienced.  It is a world in which our hope resides; our joys one day fulfilled.  We often think of this world as one that cannot be achieved, at least not on 'this side' of our earthly existence.

IN ALL AND THROUGH ALL

Yet the ancient record reminds us that this whisper of a world is in existence even now.  It is a world that can be experienced in real time.  One in which we are able to participate as we live and as we go our way.  Our ability to participate in this whisper of a world is uniquely related to our ability to see He who authors the whisper - to see He who is in all thing and through all things.  This world is described in Colossians 1.  It is a world which drips with the presence of Christ, the King.  It is a world into which we are invited to participate with God in his work: "Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.  He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through Him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth.  He made the things we can see and the things we can't see - such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.  Everything was created through and for Him.  He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together."

In this text we face an amazingly wonderful alternative reality, which by in large remains unseen: Christ's presence is in all things and through all things!  Every component of  life - all  the activities of which life  is comprised are opportunities to see, experience and participate with Christ and his work!  The problem for us, as it was for Caspian, is that we are 'seeing with Telmarine eyes.'  Such sight prevents us from seeing this world rightly because it is sight which has been formed, and is now guarded, by a counterfeit king (Miraz) ruling a counterfeit kingdom (Miraz's rule).   Therefore, experiencing this whisper of a world (seeing this alternative reality rightly), may require an escape to the wood where our current world might be expanded and our vision enlarged.

INTO THE WOOD WE GO

In Lewis' tale, this whisper of a world became an alternative reality when and only when Caspian was forced to escape to the wood.  If you remember the story, you know that Caspian's life was placed in immediate danger upon the birth of a child.  The child of Miraz the King.  The only hope for Caspian was escape.  Escape meant a journey into the fabled haunted forest.  It meant a journey into the unknown and a willingness to move forward into a realm in which he had no control and had always been taught to fear.  Yet in this wood  he would encounter the alternative reality of which he had always dreamt.   

In the wood he found that animals did speak and trees did dance.  In the wood he found the hope of a world once dashed and the joy of a presence now named.  In the wood, and only in the wood, he was awakened to his true identity and the life for which he was destined.  In order for Caspian to fully experience and see things rightly - through Narnian rather than Telmarine eyes - he was required to both venture into the wood and embrace the truth that the wood revealed.   One or the other would never be enough, the journey would require all!

If Spiritual formation is a life long journey with God for the sake of others, then it might require a venture into the wood and the embrace of the truth revealed.  For in the wood we are opened up to a larger world, the one created by God for our existence.  In the wood we find our true identity.  In the wood we are guided to His greater purpose as we discover God in all things from the mundane to the magnificent!

Journeys demand decisions.  Caspian slowed at the entrance of the wood.  A decision to make.  Either he would venture forward into the world of the unknown which lay out of his control, or he would return to the world he had known and in which he had a sense of self (false self though it may be).  He no doubt wondered what he might find and what it would require.  Yet he focused on the issue central to the core of his dilemma: 'would he enter the wood or turn back?'  The  answer to this question would determine the journey he would take.  Indeed, the answer to this question will determine our own . . . 

the shape of desire,

Biz

Spiritual Formation as Core Reality, Pt. 2: Map or Compass?

BIZ’S SPIRITUAL FORMATION AS CORE REALITY  

CORE REALITY # 1

Spiritual formation is more of a journey than a destination.  As such spiritual formation is incremental in nature and restorative over time (in contrast with the current get fixed quick strategy of most contemporary programs, both in the church and our culture at large).  This is the '2nd' in a series, you  can find the initial article on the navigation bar to the right.

This post will lean heavily upon the definition of two important terms: Journey and Destination

A Journey

The term journey encompass all the people, places and things we encounter as we go our way in this world; the joys, celebrations, sorrows and pain (particularly the pain).  Seeing spiritual formation as a journey is to reclaim the richly biblical 'as you go' metaphor that has been all but lost.  This 'as you go' metaphor provides a powerful word picture, often utilized by Christ himself.  For example, when he issues the Great Commission he tells his disciples, 'as you are going' (rather than the more common: ‘go’) you are to make disciples.  The difference, though subtle, is canyon.  'As you go' implies a journey.  'Go' implies a destination. 

Therefore, viewing life as journey (particularly as it relates to spiritual formation) captures the image of a life lived within the flow of God's Spirit.  Such life is ever-ready to celebrate His presence and quick to learn from those moments when His presence is not so readily celebrated.

A Destination

A destination is more akin to a fixed point toward which we strive by way of strategies, methods and controls.  As such we spend a considerable amount of time identifying which of the tools at our disposal will move us toward our destination most quickly, efficiently and most of all PAIN FREE.  A destination implies a road we choose and an environment we select.  It implies controls and command which reduce our risk and, thereby our dependence upon One greater than ourselves.

AM I MORE COMFORTABLE WITH A MAP OR A COMPASS?

Those of us who view Spiritual Formation as a destination probably ask for a map for navigational purposes.  A map serves to provide necessary course corrections and mark out potential pitfalls and boundaries along the way.  A map serves to provide several 'options' that will help us plot out the safest and most expedient route to our destination.  A map, in short, answers all the question

Those of us who view Spiritual Formation as a journey would be more comfortable with a compass than a map.  While direction is desired, our way must be left open for guidance, interpretation and experiences of all sorts - the good, the bad and the ugly.  A compass provides a 'magnetic north' that is sure enough to guide us along in this as we go life, but fluid enough to absorb experiences that provide growth that might otherwise be avoided.  A compass, in short, allows space for the journey to be discovered and questions to remain unanswered.

Spiritual Formation as destination experiences life in terms of accomplishments and controls, we find ourselves asking: “where do I need to go and how will I get there.”

Spiritual Formation as journey yearns for more than mere accomplishment and control, asking the deeper question in terms of hope and surrender: “where I am I and what am I to learn in this God breathed (as I go) moment?"

When the destination becomes a Journey

The biblical writers capture this sense of 'journey more than destination' early and often.  Consider for example the life of Joseph.  He originally set out on a 'destination' to find his brothers.  God, however, launched him on a journey of dependence upon Him.  The journey ended well, but the process was grueling. Would you and I volunteer for such a journey?  Of course not!  On the contrary, we rarely volunteer to serve in the local food pantry, civic organization or religious community (particularly if such volunteerism causes a conflict in our vastly important schedules).  

Neither was Joseph a volunteer.  He was recruited by God for a task he would only accomplish through dependence upon and trust in Him!  This journey took him into slavery, false accusations, imprisonment (no doubt beating).  This journey consumed nearly 17 years of his life.  This is what a journey with the Lord might require.  There are many others - Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Daniel, Ester, Elijah, Jeremiah, Paul, Timothy, etc. - all on a journey often not of their own choosing.

The question becomes, 'Are we open to the journey?'  Forgive me.  I assume too much. 

The question more rightly becomes; ‘why do I often settle for a mere destination, when God invites me upon a body, mind and life altering journey?’ 

More practically stated: what will it take for me to cease my mind numbing and highly ineffective resistance to God’s presence in my life?  Or, What is it about ME that refuses to release control?

I suspect much of what passes for ‘American/Western’ Christianity exists and replicates herself through a 'destination' mindset as described above.  Even so, we intuitively recognize this as failure.  We see its failure in our own inability to live a sustainable and faithful Christian walk in a decidedly neoChristian world.  Yet, we look not to ourselves and shoulder the blame.  No, we simply pull out our maps and chart a new course.  After all, destinations are safe.

At this stage in my own life, I am interested in those who intuitively get that we - the modern church - are charting courses to nowhere (word picture: hamster on the hamster wheel) and are hungry for a deeper, more meaningful journey toward God for the sake of others.

I think, for my next article, I will explore some of the biblical ‘destinational journies’ I cited above.  Perhaps we might find some wisdom in the ancient text that will guide us toward embracing the journey that is an adventurous ‘walk with God.’

The shape of desire!

Biz

Spiritual Formation: Clarifying Core Reality

Formation or growth and development (particularly spiritual) has been on my mind for several years now.  In fact, the desire for a 'deeper community' centered on Spiritual Formation for the sake of others, is the driving force behind the calling God placed on Melissa and me to return to Vero Beach and launch Pillar.  In previous writings I have referred to this desire with the following statement:

 'Christ is not a proposition to prove, a program to purchase or a system to manage.  Rather He is a person to discover; a relationship to explore.' 

This desire that has burned in my heart these past few years has served to remind me that growth in Christ is a journey; a 'deeper journey for the sake of others.'  This deeper journey for the sake of others is always moving us toward an eternal kingdom in the context of a 'spiritual family' (i.e. the Church).  

If you have followed my blogging, then you know that my posts have been inconsistent at best.  Yet I am going to attempt to string together a series of posts considering Spiritual Formation for the Sake of Others over these next few weeks.  Each of the following posts will begin with a core reality I am learning or have learned in regard to Spiritual Formation.  My hope is that these posts will help clarify my own thinking on the subject as well as challenge and encourage you in your own walk with Christ.

Ultimately, my hope is that these imperfect, incomplete and always in development thoughts will be utilized to strengthen the Church to become a faithful presence in midst of the world in which we live.  The following 6 core realities are a reflection of my own personal journey to date.  There are no doubt others you might be inclined to include.  I am sure there will be others that I would add to and some I might subtract from this list.  

SPIRITUAL FORMATION FOR THE SAKE OF OTHERS: CLARIFYING CORE REALITY

1. Spiritual formation is a journey, not a destination.  As such spiritual formation is incremental in nature and restorative over time (in contrast with the current get fixed quick strategy of every church based program).
2. Spiritual formation is God's work.  However being spiritually formed requires an 'openness to change' in my life as will as submission to an authority greater than myself.  In other words, I will have to let go of control if I am to travel this journey!
3. The context of Spiritual formation is the world in which we live (not the small group to which we run in order to hide from and complain about the world). As such formation and development is messy, ugly and inconvenient.
4. Spiritual formation is always for the 'sake of others' (perhaps this is a 'given' within the context of this blog series.  However, the phrase as I am using it, is one I have learned from Robert Mulholland in his excellent work, Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation..
5. Spiritual formation, though personal, is never private (in contrast with the pervasive and fatally flawed American Christian Mantra: "It's just Jesus and me").
6. Spiritual formation will require the development of new habits around which my life will orient itself so that my desires might be directed toward Christ and His Kingdom, our ultimate destination.

When I look at the early church and take note of Christ's disciples and His followers -  as well as those who would follow His followers into the Church era - I see clearly that their life was a highly committed, costly and joyous 'journey deeper into Christ for the sake of others.'  They lived their life as a continuous rhythm of growth, development and sharing their growth and development with others. 

If you plan on reading this and the following blogs in this series, consider the following question: 

"Can you point to a time/season in your life when your church took YOUR spiritual formation seriously and provided a seamless and comprehensive pathway whereby you might grow toward Christ for the sake of others?

Christ's disciples would have been hard pressed to find moments when they weren't intentionally being challenged to a deeper walk and maturing growth. Growth was indeed the journey of their life - their core reality.  For we moderns (especially in the church) growth has become at best a 'stop' along the way . . . or at worst a vastly segmented and disintegrated approach that has left us more confused than ever in a world that has become increasingly more complex!

Up Next: Spiritual formation: a journey, not a destination!

the shape of desire!

Biz

Preparing for Game Day!

Football is back.  Finally, the long drought that is summer baseball has ended with the bang of opening weekend (of course, I love October baseball).  The NFL debut last weekend offered even the most casual observer and unlikely fan a wonderful weekend of great stories both on and off the field.  For those who didn’t keep up, allow me a moment to highlight some of the stories I most enjoyed or found intriguing:

1.      An unprecedented number of rookie quarterbacks debuting as their team leaders.

2.      New York Giants failing in their first opportunity to defend their championship ring – at HOME, no doubt.  Only made worse by the fact that they were beaten by the Cowboys.

3.      Tebow in New York.  I hate the Jets.  As much as I want to see Tebow do well, let it be known that I will never desire that he lead the Jets to a victory on the field.

4.      The Eagles nearly failing in their opener against the lowly Browns.

5.      RG3?         RG3.        RG3 . . .          RG3!             RG3!!      Go skins.

6.      The Miami Dolphins proving yet again they have not found the formula for success.  I do, by the way, hope they find it!  I would love, love, love to see them win!

7.      Da Bears!

8.      The 49ners SPANKING the Packers at Lambeau – AWESOME!

9.      Peyton’s comeback and ‘no huddle’ perfection.

While my list is not complete, it represents those moments that caught my attention over the weekend.  Perhaps you might even add some that I overlooked (feel free to comment below).  Of all of these stories my favorite is Peyton.  Not, however, for reasons you might suspect.  While the comeback is amazing, let’s be honest.  Did anyone who has ever followed this guy’s career believe he would come out and ‘lay an egg?’  No, what I loved the most was the way he took over the game and deftly led the ‘no huddle’ offense.  I love the no huddle.  When executed there is an aesthetic quality to it.  It contains beauty in and of itself – a true master piece to behold.  I also love the no huddle because it relates so well to life.  As I watch it, I think to myself: ‘this is how we live our lives.’  Life, as the popular insurance commercial reminds us, ‘comes at you fast.’  I watched the ‘no huddle’ in action and wondered how I might lead my own ‘no huddle’ in life as well as Peyton does on the field?  

Simple: Habits 

In order to flourish in the no huddle of life, I must develop the habits that will move me down the ‘field of life’ on its pace and in its setting.  In my estimation the no huddle offense is effective when a team masters it ‘before’ it is needed.  By this I mean, of course, in practice!  In other words you do not just show up on Game day and execute the no huddle.  If that is your team’s pattern of behavior they will find themselves pushed around, beaten back and ultimately losing valuable ground.  The same is true in life.  Living well and flourishing takes practice.

So, what are the practices that will help me gain valuable ground in my ‘no huddle’ life?  More particularly, as a Christ follower, what practices should I participate in on a regular basis so that I might be formed in such a way that I can simply ‘perform’ on game day?

Simple: Corporate worship.  Or, better yet: Liturgy

Some read this word and gasp.  They think of the stale and stodgy rituals from which we have successfully wrested ourselves free in the modern evangelical church.  Therefore, let me give you a simple definition taken from James K.A. Smith in his book, Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview and Cultural Formation.  Smith writes, “Liturgy is a ‘hearts and minds’ strategy, a pedagogy that trains us as disciples precisely by putting our bodies through a regimen of repeated practices that get a hold of the heart and ‘aim’ our love toward the Kingdom of God.”  More simply, in my own words: liturgy is a participatory and repeated practice with the power to form desire shaping habits!  As such, liturgy, in its truest sense, is designed to shape me for my public and often no huddle life in such a way that I fully represent Christ in this world and live for the good of the community, to the glory of God.

Mike Metzger, in his blog Doggie Head Tilt (http://www.doggieheadtilt.com/no-huddle-offense/), captures the heart of ‘liturgy’ as a practice for the common (public) good:

No huddles and precise practices are reminiscent of the ancient church. It knew the name of the game—loving God and neighbor. Love requires learning to die to self and seek the flourishing of others, or shalom. This required precise liturgical practices in the assembly, the ekklesia. Liturgy is training “the body and soul in suitable posture and movement,” Peter Leithart writes. Corporate standing, kneeling, singing, confessing, and reading counter our individualistic leanings. Liturgy “depicts the world as it ought to be, the real world as it is believed to be… and what we believe and hope it will one day be.

Perhaps a further correlation to the no huddle offense might be helpful.  The no huddle is effective because of the liturgy employed by the player’s day in and day out.  The no huddle liturgy is the repeated and participatory regimen the team practices day in and day out.  As they ‘liturgy’ together they develop habits which shape their desire toward a victory on Game Day.

If liturgy is a repeated and participatory practice, then every person experiences liturgy on a daily basis, ever institution utilizes liturgy for their purposes in order to shape our desires toward them and every church practices liturgy when they gather on Sunday morning.  The final statement in regard to the church gathering is important to understand.  The question to ask is not, ‘does my church practice liturgy?’ Rather, ‘what liturgy does my church practice?’ The most charismatic or Pentecostal churches practice a fixed liturgy that the congregant has become habituated to over time, thus making it almost unrecognizable.  For instance, if you doubt this, take note of your worship experience at your next visit to your local house of worship.  In all likelihood you will note how similar it was to previous experiences, rather than how vastly different or spontaneous it was.

I have been in the church for most of my life.  I cannot tell you how many times I have heard the phrase, 'Now is the time to invite Jesus into your heart.'  In fact, if I were to identify a liturgy (defined as an experience which is repeated and participatory) from my life in church, this would be it - the ever present and always repeated (endlessly at times) 'invitation.'  Based upon my own experience (or practice) of this liturgy, I could have sung every verse of the song 'Just As I Am' in my sleep by the age of nine.

In light of this reality, the question becomes, ‘Is the liturgy in my church thick or thin?’  In other words does the liturgy you experience in your church prepare you for your no huddle life or leave you guessing, confused, bewildered and concerned when it becomes time to ‘move the ball down the field?’  There is a formative and desire shaping power in the practice of liturgy.  Rather than asking how a service or liturgy makes us ‘feel,’ perhaps we would be better served if we asked, ‘has my participation in Christian liturgy (church) shaped my desires toward God or shaped my desires toward me?’  If you have trouble answering that question, fear not.  You will know soon enough.  After all, Game day is coming!

The shape of desire!

Biz

A Labor Day Litany

For those who experience worship resident in our work.  I found this corporate Litany/Prayer that we will use at Pillar this week.  I hope it provides a thoughtful and thankful moment for you as we celebrate 'Labor Day' on Monday!  In the Corporate worship setting the letters found in 'bold' would be prayed by the congregation!  May God the Father, Son and Spirit bless your life with meaningful work!

Litany of Labor
Almighty God, when you formed us lovingly out of the dust of the earth, you breathed into us the breath of life and gave us work and purpose for living.

You placed Adam in the garden of Eden to till and keep it.

Through our work, you made us co-creators with you, shaping the world in which we live.

For providing varieties of work and for blessing us by our labor:

We give you thanks, O Lord.

For those who plow the field and those who make the plow;

for farmers and farm workers, for steelworkers and machinists;

for those who work with their hands and those who move the earth:  

We give you thanks, O Lord.

For those who tend the sick and those who seek new cures;

for doctors and nurses, for scientists and technicians;

for those who keep notes and those who transcribe:

We give you thanks, O Lord.

For those who think and those who create;

for inventors and explorers, for artists and musicians;

for those who write books and those who entertain:

We give you thanks, O Lord.

For those who work in offices and those who work in warehouses;

for secretaries and receptionists, for stockers and bookkeepers;

for those who market products and for those who move them:

We give you thanks, O Lord.

For those who inspire our minds and those who motivate us;

for teachers and preachers, for public servants and religious servants; those who help the poor and those who work with our children:  

We give you thanks, O Lord.

For those whose labor is tidiness and cleanliness;

for janitors and sanitary workers, for dry cleaners and maids;

for those who produce cleaning products and those who use them:

We give you thanks, O Lord.

For those who sail the waves and those who fly the skies;

for captains and attendants, for astronauts and deep sea divers;

for those who chart and those who navigate:  

We give you thanks, O Lord.

You bless us all with skills and gifts for labor.

You provide us opportunities to use them, for the benefit of others as well as ourselves.

Guard and protect those who labor in the world.

Bless the work of our hands, O Lord.

Look kindly upon the unemployed and the disabled.

Give health to the sick, hope to the bereaved.

Keep us from laboring only for greed.

Make us loving and responsible in all that we do.

Creator Lord, you are the source of all wisdom and purpose,

you are the blessing of those who labor.

Be with us in our labor to guide and govern our world.

Give all men and women work that enhances human dignity

and bonds us to one another. Give us pride in our work,

a fair return for our labor, and joy in knowing that our work finds its source in you; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

—written by The Rev. Thomas L. Weitzel,