Background: There is such a long history of nature mysticism. One of the dynamics at play is the idea that we can discover the extent to which God lives and breathes in the creation.
The Exercise
Find a calm place with lots of nature present.
Begin a slow, meandering walk. Be present and aware of your surroundings. Keeping an air of calm, do your best to discover something new in this place.
Be on the look out for a particular object that speaks to you. Perhaps it is a cloud, or a rock, or the way the shadows of a leave lands on the grass. It needn’t be big or beeutiful in any classic kind of sense. You might know this thing right away when you see it. You might walk past, consider it for a while, and return.
When you have chosen the thing you will adore, open yourself to it.
Study it with love. As if you had to memorize it. Describe it’s appearance.
Apply your other senses to it; listen to it, smell it and touch it, if possible.
To the extent that God is in anything, God is in everything. Experience this object as unfolding of God.
When you are done with your time of adoration, let this object go. Consider whether you have a new understanding of the nature of God. Ask yourself whether you could put this understanding into words.
If you wish, keep this object in your mind as an icon of God’s presence in the world.
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The goal of The Faith-ing Project is to enrich your spiritual life. Our hope is that this might be a gymnasium for the soul; a library for the spirit; and a toy store for the psyche.
There is this disconnect. We know that The Bible is important, but it sometimes can feel so distant from us. It does not need to be this way.
Four spiritual practices can help to bring these words to life. Prayer and journaling rooted in the scriptures can begin this process. The time honored practices of Lectio Divinia and Holy Imagining take it even deeper. When we put these to work we find that eternal truths come to life in a whole new way, deeply embedded in the workings of our own lived realities.
Words Made Flesh uses the four Gospels as a case study. The four practices are applied to the story of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection. As practices and events are explored in a chronological and systematic manner, we come to appreciate Christ’s life in a whole new way, even as we learn these new practices.
‘Words Made Flesh’ is now available. You can preview the introduction here. You can order it here.
If you’re interested in books more focused on spiritual practice without the exploration of deconstruction, take a look at the faith-ing project guides. Samples of some of the Faith-ing Project guides can be found here. If you would like to go straight to ordering the books at amazon, click here.
You can participate in spiritual practices twice a week. Join us every Wednesday evening and every Sunday morning (EST) in a free, zoom based time called “Together, Apart.” Our format is simple: a brief, optional icebreaker question, a guided spiritual practice, a wrap up time to share observations, challenges, and questions. You can sign up to recieve the link here.
On January 7, you can join the Faith-ing Project at a weekend long retreat. I’ll be joining with a group of powerful and gifted teachers, spiritual directors, and pastors at an event called Winter Solace: Epiphany. Find more information here.
I am eagerly awaiting the premiere of the ‘Be Still’ app. In the meantime, I was quite impressed by their how-to page.
Work has been temporarily suspended on the upcoming Faith-ing Project Guide on spiritual practices specific to the nine Enneagram types. Samples of spiritual practices assigned to each of the nine types can be foundhere.
If you do not find what you are looking for here, click this link. Many of our resources, including audio files, strategies for bringing the practices home, contemplations built around the work of famous authors, and contemporary traditions can be found there.
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