Stages of Faith

Naked Pastor has a great post on the concept of “Faith Stages.”

James Fowler wrote the book on this subject many years ago. I recommend it. Stages of Faith by James Fowler.

Filed under: Apprentice, pilgrimage

James Bryan Smith on the Good and Beautiful God

This Saturday night my church, The Wheatland Mission, will be hosting James Bryan (Jim) Smith as he shares about his latest book The Good and Beautiful God. You won’t want to miss this special time as Jim shares about coming to know, love and follow the God that Jesus knows.

Filed under: Apprentice, Good and Beautiful, books

Good and Beautiful #4

Our most recent chapter in The Good and Beautiful God by Jim Smith includes the soul training exercise of “margin”. This is the process of building open space into our life. This allows more time for relaxation, sabbath, prayer and allows us to be more available to one another and to needs around us. So, the question is:

Have you been able to cram some margin into your life this week?

Filed under: Apprentice, Good and Beautiful, from the sublime to the profane

Good and Beautiful #2

In chapter 3 Jim Smith reminds us that God can be trusted. Some of us simply need to be reminded of this and others of us need to hear it for the first time. Unfortunately, many of us read a portion of the Bible (free from the overall story or its specific context) combine it with some bad experiences in our lives and craft a theology around that story and those bad experiences. When we do this we don’t come away with a healthy, life giving or true theology. Instead we create superstitions that leave us pulling God’s strings instead of asking of him. We want to pull the strings and move the levers just right so that the god we have created (the one that isn’t loving, good or reliable) will act in a way beneficial to us.

To use Smith’s words, “the God Jesus knows” isn’t like that. He isn’t manipulated by superstitious behavior but he is moved by love. God doesn’t change. Instead of reducing this truth into an esoteric, technical theological point let’s reclaim this as an affirmation of God’s character toward us.

“I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed.” – Malachi 3:6

This verse says that God is reliable. This verse reminds us that God doesn’t lose control or go crazy with a drive toward punishment. Instead, his “unchangingness” is a sign of his love. The love that parents have for children…multiplied by a factor of infinity.

This week’s “soul training” exercise is to count your blessings. Write down all the things that you can think of that you consider to be blessings from God and thank God for those specific things. Of course we will all put our loved ones, spouses and children, at the top of the list as we should. But let’s not forget the little blessings that are easily overlooked like the foods you enjoy, that new mower that you can’t wait to use, your flatscreen TV, et.

If you feel God has blessed you with it don’t dare leave it out. Feel free to share some of your blessings below. (1554? Starbucks? Wilco?) Nothing blessing is too small. No blessing is small at all.

Filed under: Apprentice, Good and Beautiful

Good and Beautiful #1

James Bryan Smith, in The Good and Beautiful God, encourages the reader to engage in suggested “soul training” exercises each week. For our first session we discussed the importance of rest and some of us even experimented with getting more sleep. I can’t remember anyone saying that they had had too much or even enough sleep.

For this second session there are two “soul trains” we can try. The first is silence. Simply sitting still, comfortably enjoying and participating in quiet. No words, no distractions simply taking time to sit still and be quiet. The second is “awareness of creation”. With the lights of the city, the continual hum of interstates and busy streets and the general noise of life it is often difficult to be aware, deeply conscious, of the beauty and intricacy of creation. Whether that is watching birds on your porch, listening to frogs in the evening or trying to see a star or two in the night sky.

All three of these exercises require intention. They rarely happen on their own. Each of these exercises are more about being than doing. Rather than making them happen we create the environments where rest happens,  silence occurs and enjoying creation can take place.

As you attempt these feel free to share here what your experience is like. Do you find it difficult? Do you wonder what’s so nice about silence, creation or sleep?

Share as much or as little as you would like about these exercises.

Filed under: Apprentice, Good and Beautiful