The Spiral of Questions: Exit Ramps to Discovery & Learning...

I have 3 children. The oldest is five and he typically hits his quota of 300+ questions a day, most of which are very similar to the “school” question. Almost daily, I find myself struggling to find an adequate answer to his questions… The “patent” answers seem so empty as the words are formed and ready to come out of my mouth…

…and yet, the more he asks (the more the patience wanes), and everything within me wants to give the ‘patent - dead-end’ answer that will give me some reprieve…. (horrible I know!)

The operative word there was “wants”…. There are those moments where I restrain that urge and dive into the spiral of questions with him, trying to discover something new…. Trying to inspire hunger for learning…. and the awe of discovery…. and the open-endedness of life - so that “we” keep searching together….

The last thing I want is to cripple any of these things with my selfish-had-enough-of-the-questions-here’s-my- lousy-dead-end-answer!

As Picasso said,

“Every child is an artist.
The problem is how to remain an artist
once he grows up.”

Hopefully as those who instruct, model and parent we will be given enough grace to cultivate the “artist” within our children, and rediscover it ourselves.

What is Christian Spirituality - Part 2 - A Living Jesus

In order for one to embody Christian Spirituality, they must first have faith, trust and confidence that the reality in which they speak of is actually a reality that can be accessed and experienced as ultimate reality. The accessibility to such a with-God[1] life was made available to us in the Incarnation, Person, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Thus, the appropriation of such entrance into a spirituality that propagates a qualitatively new living reality hinges on the deep conviction that Jesus actually rose from the dead[2] and an accurate understanding of the essence of such aforementioned resurrection.

The resurrection of Jesus wasn’t one that merely fostered a “perpetuation of the same life that was led before the moment of death,”[3] it was a life that possessed a qualitative distinction. Jesus, among other things, would never die a mortal death, rather ascend to heaven and remain eternal King forever. Christian Spirituality is just that – spirituality. It is something other than natural, though the essences of Christian Spirituality permeates one’s whole natural being. Paul declared that we are a “new creation.”[4] Essentially a new race emerged on the scene of human history. A race of people, defined by characteristics ambiguous and nonexistent since that dark moment of spiritual death that would infect the whole of humanity through the first Adam’s choice of self-sufficient disobedience.[5] Through the work of Christ and the indwelling of the Spirit, humanity was granted the grace to once again be people identified as people of the Spirit.

Such a reality is only available by faith in the Life of Christ, His Death and Resurrection. Luke Timothy Johnson, in his book Living Jesus: Learning the Heart of the Gospel, expends a great deal of ink working through the various implications of Jesus’ resurrection. Many would wonder why Johnson would labor to the extent that he does in defining the various parameters of Jesus’ resurrection and the necessity of our adhere to that as an actual reality. Yet, it seems his labor isn’t entirely in vain, since according to pollster George Barna, sixty-three percent of “Christians” do not believe Jesus is the Son of God. Moreover, an astounding fifty-one percent of “Christians” do not believe Jesus rose from the dead.

True Christian Spirituality is “joining with God”[6] in the ever day ordinariness of life, while living in the actuality of the Spirit’s Presence indwelling, guiding, filling and empowering[7]. An appropriate understanding of Christian Spirituality emerges out of an understanding that it can not be transcended and actualized in and of our own selves and endeavors of personal striving; rather it is a gift to be appropriated through faith in Christ and the ongoing dependence upon and presence of the Holy Spirit.

The question(s) then arise: Is my life a visual demonstration of one indwelt, empowered and in-lived by the Spirit of God, incarnating the very essence of who He is, or has it been reduced to a series of doctrinal creed of mental consent void of any ongoing and authentic interchange with the everyday ordinariness of my life...?



[1] With-God is a phrase frequently to describe an authentic, organic, intentional and relational interaction with God through Jesus. This phrase is frequently utilized in the writings of Dallas Willard and Richard Foster.
[2] Luke Timothy Johnson, Living Jesus, 4. “Do we think he is dead or alive?”
[3] Ibid., Living Jesus, 13.
[4] 2 Corinthians 5:17.
[5] Genesis 2:17 and Ephesians chapter 2.
[6] Ibid., Living Jesus, 19.
[7] Ibid., Living Jesus, 38-44.

What is Christian Spirituality - Part 1 - Unearthing the Story

All of life is shaped by some story. “The way we understand human life,” wrote the Lesslie Newbigin, “depends on what conception we have of the human story. What is the real story of which my life story is a part?”[1] This question is principal to what it means to be human. Deep inside of each of us is a deep longing to know, “what am I to do?”. As fundamental as this may be, the answer isn’t found inside of one’s personhood, existentialism or exercised efforts in self-actualization. Rather, it is embedded in the very fabric of the overarching story and meta-narrative in which one finds their existence. Alasdaire MacIntyre states that I “can only answer the question of ‘What am I to do?’ if I can answer the prior question ‘Of which story do I find myself a part.’”[2] Robert Webber, in his book The Divine Embrace, recognizes the formative influences of the overarching story in which one lives. This is remarkably true as it relates to the sphere of one’s spirituality. “Each spirituality,” writes Webber, “is grounded in a particular story.”[3]

To understand a given spirituality, one must unearth the embedded story in which it is situated. This greater awareness is found not only in the central characters and shapers of the plot, but the culture(s), time(s) and place(s) that have been instrumental in its origin, including the historical unfolding thereafter. The conception of Christian Spirituality is lodged in the story of Scripture. This story, His-Story, continues to unfold throughout the ages, but our initial and predominate understanding of what Christian Spirituality emerges from our understanding of the meta-narrative of God’s “romance with the world – God’s unquenchable and gratuitous love for humankind.”[4] For essentially, “biblical spirituality is simply living that story.”[5]

"Spirituality is theology on two feet."
Philip Sheldrake

The question then becomes, who is our comprehensive understanding of the Story of Scripture, His-Story that has unfolded through the ages since the conception of the Church, and exactly what story do we find ourselves a part of…?



[1] Leslie Newbigin, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society, Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans
Publishing Company, 1989, 15.
[2] Craig G. Bartholomew, Out of Egypt: Biblical Theology and Biblical Interpretation,
Zondervan, 2004, 145.
[3] Robert Webber, The Divine Embrace: Recovering the Passionate Spiritual Life, Grand
Rapids: Baker Books, 2006, 110.
[4] Stevens & Green, Living the Story, ix.
[5] Ibid, Living the Story, ix.

Dallas Willard and a Life Well Lived

Men and Women who have consistently demonstrated an on-going personal process toward Christ-likeness is always a life worth observing. This is especially true when these individuals have done so over the long-haul of their life.

Dallas Willard is one of these individuals who has committed his life the the on-going process of spiritual formation.

I've had the opportunity to sit before Dallas Willard all this week as he's taught on various key components of spiritual formation. What's been equally as meaningful has been being able to converse with him over several of our lunches here at the Retreat Center.

The Coyotes

These coyotes were spotted right outside the Retreat Center yesterday...

Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center - Sierra Madre, CA

Celtic Worship

It's amazing to see how different cultures, races and peoples throughout history have expressed their love and worship for God. It's fascinating indeed.

This week I'm in Sierre Madre, California at a Passionist Retreat Center and Monastery. I am joined by approximately 70 other like-minded friends who are dedicated to learning, growing and experiencing personal transformation into the image of Christ. We are all a part of a Masters Program at Spring Arbor University in Spiritual Formation and Leadership.

The make up of cohorts is an amazing diversity of age, experiences and church backgrounds, all with a phenomenal perspective that we all have much to learn from our various backgrounds and experiences.

Our primary lecture is well-known author and philosophy professor at Univ. Southern California Dallas Willard.

Our worship for the retreat/class week will be varied as well, but the main stream of genre for the week is Celtic. It's been interesting to note the themes that are prevalent in many of these Celtic hymns, songs and prayers. I'm looking forward to how this will broaden my understanding of Christian Spirituality.