Spirituality – Page 19 – Episcopal Cafe

I am religious, but not spiritual

September 8, 2008 7 Comments

The statement “I’m spiritual but not religious” has a way of raising a wall between a regular, church-going sort of person and a friend who has no intention of becoming a regular, church-going sort of person. It says, “Back off. I know all about you ‘religious’ folks. You want to tell me I’m going to hell or imply there’s something wrong with me. Well, I have my own way of connecting with God. So shut up.”

Beyond words

July 18, 2008 1 Comment

Originally orthodoxy meant the lived experience of being on the right track (orthos) in giving glory (that’s what doxa means) to God, in worshipping and adoring God, in community. And what these pioneers of Christian orthodoxy insisted on was the utter impossibility of capturing God in words and images, or grasping God in even the most sublime spiritual experience.

Honoring Evelyn Underhill

June 30, 2008 1 Comment

I return often to Underhill’s writing, fascinated by this intensely prayerful woman, who wrote articles, books, and letters of direction and led retreats at a time when there was no real category to describe her vocation. The voice that comes through her work reveals a personality that was consecrated, alive, ardent, joyful and very insistent, a strong personality, absorbed in the love of Christ, yet with a homey, conversational style that is engaging

The spirituality of sweet tea

June 21, 2008 No Comments

It is necessary to reclaim the “spirituality of sweet tea” in our world: the long talks, the hugs, the common meals and warm conversations. Yes, the world has changed, and the Church inevitably has to adapt to a fast-paced society. However, the essence of Christian community life cannot change. Some regard it as the strongest aspect as the early Christians’ most impressible aspect and wherever it still persists, the Church is strong and active.

Reclaiming the Sabbath

May 24, 2008 2 Comments

One of the greatest challenges to us as church is to go against the culture’s use of time as a commodity, its business model of program evaluation, and its focus on production and consumption. God loves us. God saves us and makes us whole. God rests on the seventh day. If we decide to embody this as church, what will the shape of our time look like? How will we operate differently from the culture around us?

The spiritual life of Grades 3 thru 6

May 21, 2008 1 Comment

Recently two researchers at the University of British Columbia concluded that 6.5 to 16.5 percent of children’s happiness can be accounted for by their spirituality. They asked 315 children to describe their daily spiritual experiences by rating statements such as “I feel a higher power’s presence,” and answering questions including “How often do you pray or meditate privately outside of church or other places of worship?”

Mother in Heaven

April 30, 2008 No Comments

As I contemplated in awe the beauty of the little girl’s innocence, a horrifying thought suddenly came to my mind: “where are her parents?” I was not the only one to wonder where they were; within seconds the little child also realized that she was alone in the midst of strangers. Immediately the smile was erased from her face, and I she began to yell “Mommy, Mommy!”

Amen. I’m in!

April 4, 2008 2 Comments

A young boy in our congregation developed the habit of giving his mother a ‘high five’ after prayer. She asked him why he was doing it, and he replied, “Don’t we all say ‘I’m in!’ when we’ve finished a prayer?” And of course she marveled at this striking and completely accurate ‘hearing’ of the word Amen and its implications.

Salvation and spin class

March 28, 2008 No Comments

On Maundy Thursday we had a service in the evening. So I decided to try the Thursday morning spin class instead. Little did I know, the Thursday morning class is “Devotion in Motion,” an hour-long spin class during which the instructor plays praise and worship music and talks about God, using the idea of a bike ride as a metaphor for the spiritual life.

Good Friday fast or feast

March 21, 2008 No Comments

Poverty and privilege have at least one thing in common — they are both about choice, or lack of the same. This first struck me most powerfully during my first trip to Ghana several years ago. I only had to be there a few days when I realized that my most valuable possession wasn’t my laptop or my camera … but my American passport. With it I had the choice whether to stay or to go. Whether to make a life there or leave and make a life elsewhere.

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Tag: Spirituality