Spiritual Formation

Worship is . . . about Remembering

2007-03-11T21:41:00.000-07:00

Looking at Deut chapter 5, Moses gives the 10 commandments to the people

5:12-15
The command here for the Sabbath is to "remember" that He is the one who brought them up out of Egypt.

Looking at Luke chapter 22, Jesus instructs his disciples

22:19
Jesus says to "do in remembrance"

I'm amazed at the significance given to the activity of "Remembering"

Don Sailers in his book, Worship and Spirituality: Spirituality and the Christian Life

In worship, prayer, and the life of discipleship and godliness, remembering with the Scriptures over time and in all circumstances is precisely to turn in a new direction. We live, feel, intend, and understand the world differently because a shared biblical memory elicits emotions oriented toward the mystery of God. Entering the patterns of redemptive memory with the people of God is to risk conversion.

What is your response to what he calls "redemptive memory"?

Worship is . . . Transformational

2007-02-23T22:08:00.000-08:00

In my last post I talked about the key component of Spiritual Formation being Accountable Relationships.

In his book, Liturgical Spirituality, Philip Pfatteicher identifies

5 Characteristics of Spirituality:

always a Response to what God has done
is essentially God Dwelling within us
is Cultivated within the church, the community of believers . . . intensely personal, but not individual” and is social.
marked by Growth and Development as the normal state of a healthy life in Christ
the goal is nothing less than the Total Transformation of the human person

Do you think worship should be Transformational? And, why?

The Bible talks alot about obedience. Note John 15.

What does obedience have to do with worship? And,

What does worship have to do with transformation?

Worship is . . .

2007-02-15T19:34:00.000-08:00

Over the next few weeks I'll be posting to this Blog. I will present a short amount of material and then respond by asking questions and/or give some of my own thoughts on it. To start, I'm just going to ask some questions . . .

In his book, The Divine Embrace: Recovering the Passionate Spiritual Life, Robert Webber describes a key componet of the process of Spiritual Formation as . . .

‘a process that takes place within accountable relationships over a period of time for the purpose of bringing believers to spiritual maturity in Christ.’ . . . It is a ‘process . . . over a period of time’ within ‘accountable relationships . . . for the purpose of . . . spiritual maturity in Christ.’

There is something about this statement that makes me want to say, 'Amen' and 'wait a minute' all at the same time. While I certainly agree that within community spiritual maturity happens,

What about one's individual relationship with Christ and 'Quite Time'?
Does that not count for in the process of being formed spiritually?
Then again, how much 'acountability' can actually happen in accountable relationships that lead to spiritual formation/maturity?

In today's society where we see relationships being torn apart (marriages, friendships) particularly in the church, how can we expect to experience 'accountable relationships' when the track record is so discouraging?

Spiritual Formation through Worship Leading

2006-07-03T18:28:00.000-07:00

I’ll be continuing this blog studying Spiritual Formation through Worship Leading. This will be a place where comments, questions and discoveries can be posted on Christian Spirituality. Each posting will deal with issues related to our Spiritual Formation as Christians specific to the topic of Leading Worship.

I’ll be using this blog as a tool for my Master’s Thesis.

My Thesis will focus on Accountability through Mentoring primarily using various internet tools. I will also be developing my blog on Worship Issues as part of my study and as an opportunity for you and others to share insights on broader worship issues.

Feel free to agree/disagree, comment, savour and join me on this journey of Spiritual Formation.

Emotion, Intellect and Connection

2006-03-07T19:05:00.000-08:00

This past week a fellow Storyteller from my church's Storyteller's club asked me . . .

Something like this:

"What emotion do you work with
or try to express when you tell a story?"

This was just an initial question to get some discussion going but, I've been thinking more about it and thought I'd put some of them down as they come to me.

I need to give this some more thought and would appreciate your thoughts on this one.

Here's what I'm thinking so far . . .

I suppose there are many emotions that I work with but, I think it is more than emotion. It has to do with the intellect as well. Somehow the two come together to make the story connect with the person in the audience. This doesn't happen automatically. It takes work. I have to know my audience, perhaps (in Biblical Storytelling) know the audience the story was originally told for. I need to figure out what things I need to do that will engage their thinking and emotions. I am not there to manupulate their thinking but to lead them into the story. This has to do with leading and facilitating people . . . hopefully more on this later.

I can't explain this in just the few words that a posting like this offers but, from my previous postings on Internalizing, Reflecting on the Beatitudes, and On Remembering I'd like to make a connection between learning and leading.

Remembering in Worship

2006-02-27T20:36:00.000-08:00

In my last post I mentioned a bit about remembering in worship.

As I've been contemplating Psalm 139 I've been thinking . . . as I recall what God has done in my life and His power in creation and creating me . . . how important it is to be reminded.

I tend to forget things that are not right in front of me so I have to build reminders into my daily schedule to be sure to accomplish the work that I am intended to do.

. . . task lists are important !

I remember better when someone else describes for me how they experienced the same event that I was part of.

. . . others are important to expand my appreciation for God's work in my life !

Discussion on past experiences often help me reconsider the consequences of personal actions or involvement.

. . . community discussion is vital for evaluation !

I find family insights helpful in remember acurately. Things like . . . "O, remember when . . . it wasn't quite like that . . . it was like this" - they bring clarity to how I remember it.

. . . family keep us honest, help clarify how we see and how to express our memories better !

God knows me far more and better than anyone. I can trust him because he made me.

. . . God will help us remember what he has done for us !

Journaling is a great way to remember details. For a non-detail writer like me . . . journaling still jogs my mind about what I was thinking at the time I wrote it.

. . . there is something about the written word that captures thought and memory !

This is just a start to recording some thoughts on Remembering as I look at Psalm 139.

I've been fascinated by "memory" and remembering in worship. It's a big part of it.

On Remembering - Psalm 139

2006-02-17T15:17:00.000-08:00

Over the past week I’ve been reminded several times of the importance of Remembering. To remember is to recall to memory, to reflect on past experience, consider once again – at least that’s my understanding of it. I’m sure it is much more than that. Click here to see the meaning of Remember according to dictionary.com

I’m amazed at how we so quickly forget things. Throughout the Bible are numerous occasions where people were to remember what God had done and who he is. Take for example Nehemiah’s prayer 1:8 and again in 4:14. I keep coming back to these statements to remember for they are essential to our faith. How important it is for us to remember – remembering is part of our worship and important to our spiritual growth.

I like how Robert Webber puts it

“Worship is the context in which our relationship with God is continually re-established, maintained, repaired, and transformed. Anamnesis (memory).”

For the full article, click here

This is just an introduction to and the reason for choosing Psalm 139 as my next

“story to internalize.”

It brings to mind God’s power/involvement in my life and the life around me.

My Version of the Beatitudes

2006-02-03T17:11:00.000-08:00

In my last two posts I talked about Internalizing and what that mean and made an attempt to begin reflecting on what that involves and means for me . . . to internalize the story of the Beatitudes.

I've thought a lot about one of the comments on my earlier posting about telling the story in a different setting, re-write the story in my own words and tell it to a different audience. So, here's my re-writing of the Beatitudes:

You will only be happy in life if you are open toward others,
for then you will find what really matters.

You will know joy even when you grieve.

You will be truly happy if you are humble and patient,
for then you will receive your legacy.

You will find fulfillment if you continue to persue what is right.

You will be content if you show compassion.

You will understand what it is to be happy if you think and focus on what is good,
for you will be with God.

You will be glad when you make peace with others,
for they will see you as God's offspring.

You will enjoy life even when you are oppressed,
for then you will find what really matters.

You will receive more than you can imagine if others bother you because you know Jesus,
for they bothered others as well.

I'm not sure how to go about the rest of it as this whole passage really is more of an exhortation than a narrative per se. I'll have to give this more thought and see what some others have to say. I think I may just focus more on the context of my telling the story instead of re-writing it. It's a start anyway!

Cheers! Let me know what you think.

Reflections on the Beatitudes

2006-01-31T18:55:00.000-08:00

This post is my reflection on the last story that I have been Internalizing - Making it My Own Story. I have told this story (or parts of it) in two different settings - one at a committee meeting where I used this story as a devotional/inspiration to begin our meeting and the other during our last worship service as the text for which our Senior Pastor launched his sermon series on the Streams of Christian Spirituality.

I have based my thoughts on a couple of questions that I have ask my fellow Kortright Storytellers to reflect on for their own stories as well.

Q: In the Beatutitudes what is it that I have found myself spending the most time on?

Q: What part of the story is most meaning for me and how does that change my attitude toward others and the world around me?

I've found myself spending most of my time on trying to understand the connection between the blessed are those who part and the for they will be part.

What has struck me the most is the more I think on these connections, the more I think of how merciful I am (vs. 7) - the merciful will be shown mercy, how much I hunger and thirst for righteousness (vs. 6), or how much of a peacemaker (vs. 9) I am in the world I live in. Do I really hunger and thirst for righteousness, seek to show mercy, or strive to be a peacemaker in my world. Thing is . . . I feel as though I'm really nowhere near where I'd like be. I struggle with "hungering and thirsting for righteousness" - I mean really! do I really want to be filled . . . with righteousness? My automatic answer is yes! I do! But, what does that mean for me, here and now? What does that require of me?

The most meaningful part of this story for me is the part that starts with You are the salt of the earth . . . I think the reason this is so meaningful for me is that it provides for me an image that I can grasp to apply to my life - I can be salt and a light to others around me. I can see how what I do helps others, how for example when others say, "you once said _____, and that helped me." I often don't remember my saying exactly those things to people but I suppose I did and that has made a difference.

This makes me think . . . what comes out of my mouth/my actions have a real impact on others. My attitude is critical to all this considering that non-verbal communication makes up for a majority of our actual communication with others (I think the statistic is 90%).

So, what are your thoughts? I invite you to comment with more insight, more questions, agreement, disagreement, whatever!

Internalizing

2006-01-30T14:00:00.000-08:00

Over the past few weeks our Church Storytellers group (of which I am a part) has been talking about Internalizing the stories that we tell as part of the process of our learning the stories and being able to tell them well. Internalizing is the point of entry for this discussion so, feel free to comment on my reflection and dare to be brutally honest!

We focus primarily on stories and texts from the Bible and try to use them whenever we might have opportunites. We have tried to make opportunities for the Storytellers to "tell their stories" during our worship services and informal gatherings. To this point in time most of our "telling stories" has been learning and telling them as we feel comfortable being able to re-tell the story.

But, in studying the word Internalize I have found that I need to do more than just be able to re-tell a story. Here are my megar reflections on making a story my own - which is what I believe Storytelling is all about.

Definitions of Internalize:
1. To make internal, personal, or subjective
2. To take in and make an integral part of one's attitudes or beliefs

I don't consider myself that great a storyteller in general because I have somehow thought along the way that my stories are not worth telling to others. I am learning more and more that my stories are worth telling because they speak of God's working in my life and that is so much a part of what history is all about.

So, the question I have is this,
Q: if I am to make a particular story part of my attitude or belief what things in the story that I am about to internalize or about myself do I need to wrestle with in order for it to become my story?

Q: 3 basic thoughts I've come up with:

What is the truth of the story that sticks out to me the most, and why?
How would I tell the story in 3 different situations/settings?
If I were to ask the most critical person I know to help me internalize this story, what would they say and why?

Over the next several months I hope to unpack this for my own stories, the ones I'm interanlizing and making my story. Please join me on this adventure.

My next posting will be an attempt to look at one of the stories I am working in light of these questions and thoughts and wrestle a bit more on how it can be more my story. I look forward to your comments.

Welcome

2006-01-30T13:44:00.000-08:00

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you all for visiting my blog on Spiritual Formation.

All the information and interaction on this blog will be used in reflecting on my own spiritual formation which will in turn affect others. I am taking a Master's Course with regards to spiritual formation and will be using my reflections and the interaction posted on this blog as part of my course work.

For the most part this blog is my reflection journal on
Worship and Spiritual Formation.
I would appreciate you coming to visit frequently. Thanks.