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Editorial:
Nurturing spirituality From
the[acting] director: New Shoes Wholeness,
Holiness & Wholegrain Spirituality Comment:
Racehorses and Turtles A
Spirituality of Communion: The Benedictine Monks, Rostrevor Interview
with John Dickinson & Paul Symonds: The Shape of Spirituality Prayer
24-7 In
quest of living theology: A conversation piece on theological education
and Christian formation A
Spirituality of Welcome Bible
Study: Christian Spirituality Review:
How (Not) to Speak of God Review:
Spirituality and Transformation Difficult
Conversations |
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In this second “Difficult Conversation” Ruth Patterson encourages us to explore together what it means that the kingdom of heaven is within us, to discover the secret of “being”, being open to ourselves, God and others in a way that we may not have been before. THE “DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS” PROGRAMME encourages people to have conversations about things that are difficult to address. (A full outline of the Conversation Process and additional resources are available online at www.contemporarychristianity.org/resources/programmeresources.htm) WELCOME
AND ORIENTATION AGREEMENTS
AND HOPES FIRST REFLECTION
AND QUESTION Invite the group to reflect on the above quotation, then discuss their thoughts with one other person. Alternatively, use the following questions to structure this introduction to the conversation. • How
would you explain spirituality to someone who doesn’t believe? Ask one or two pairs to share the essence of their conversation with the whole group. (Keep this short, you are looking for comments not feedback from each pair. Other quotations are available from the website.) FACILITATED
CONVERSATION When we talk about spirituality, we are really talking about “being”. We can talk about the necessity of “being”, especially in these days when we are all so busy, but in reality we’re much happier doing, even though we complain about it. Doing enables us to hide from our real selves. It is especially effective and subtle if we are doing so many worthwhile and good things, particularly if we are doing them for God! We don’t have time to take space and reflect and it’s easier if we can justify that. Most of our lives are dominated by doing and achievement. It’s measurable. We can add up how we’re doing and then strive to do even more. “Being” is so different. It doesn’t need measurement or justification. When we’re in our teens, twenties or thirties, maybe we don’t need to think so much about being. Life and the demands of life take over totally. There may be some hint of questioning when we reach the age of forty and the blow is softened by the cliché that this is the time when life begins. Perhaps it’s true. Perhaps we are just allowing the faint whisper of the question that will become relentlessly louder and more insistent to be heard, “Who are you? Where are you?” The difficulty is that, by this stage, our life-style can have become so firmly fixed that it’s hard to make changes or to listen to another voice. If we have based our lives to date on what use we are to others and have devoted little attention to our real self, then what we have cultivated, by and large, is a false self that is out of touch with some of the realities that have made us who we are. There is a great divide inside us and we haven’t wanted to bridge the gap, for fear of what we may find. The tragedy is that, if we live long enough to be less physically or mentally active to be able to excel in the doing bit and the being useful bit, then we end up in the same trap or prison that started us on this journey in the first place – feeling useless or worthless or not acceptable. But whereas before we could anaesthetise this deep unhappiness through doing, we are no longer able to do so and our solitary confinement in the same prison cell is more unbearable than before. If we have begun, however tentatively and at however late a stage, to discover that the kingdom of heaven is within us, to discover the secret of “being”, being open to ourselves, to God and to others, to live the reflective life, then the haunting spectres of uselessness and worthlessness recede, start to lose their frightening, overpowering and menacing nature. We discover that we are starting to tap into a freedom that assures us that whether we ever do another useful thing in our lives or not doesn’t alter one jot or tittle our worth, our beauty, our uniqueness, our specialness. It is who we are, created in the image of God, beloved by Jesus, that makes us special. Out of that sense, that knowledge, we may be motivated to do many wonderful and creative things through, with, in and for God, but the secret is in “being”. Out of that being comes an integrity that nothing can rob us of. CONVERSATION QUESTIONS Encourage people
to form groups of no more than six. Use all or select relevant questions
from those below (more are available online):
Ask some people to share the essence of their conversation with the whole group. (Discourage verbatim accounts.) PARTING
WORDS You may wish to use the prayer which is online to close. If you use this resource, we would value your feedback on how it went. Call us or email lynda.gould@contemporarychristianity.org REV DR RUTH PATTERSON is a Presbyterian minister and Director of Restoration Ministries. |
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