Living Deeply

Once or Twice-Born?(Elizabeth Lesser)

The philosopher William James wrote that there are two kinds of people in this world—the Once-Born and the Twice-Born. Once-Born people do not stray from the familiar territory of who they think they are and what they think is expected of them. If fate pushes them to the edge of Dante’s famous dark woods—where the straight way is lost—they turn back. They don’t want to learn something new from life’s darker lessons. They stay with what seems safe, and what is acceptable to their family and society. They stick to what they already know but don’t necessarily want. Once-Born people may go through life and never even know what lies beyond the woods—or that there are woods at all. Perhaps a Once-Born person awakens one morning and feels the beckoning finger of fate loosening disturbing questions: “Is this all there is to life? Will I always feel the same? Do I not have some purpose to fulfill, some greater kindness to give, some inner freedom to taste?” And then he gets out of bed and dresses for work, and he doesn’t attend to the soul’s questions. The next morning, and all the next mornings, he lives as if the soul was a figment of a flighty imagination. This inattention makes him confused, or numb, or sad, or angry. A Twice-Born person pays attention when the soul pokes its head through the clouds of a half-lived life. Whether through choice or calamity, the Twice-Born person goes into the woods, loses the straight way, makes mistakes, suffers loss, and confronts that which needs to change within himself in order to live a more genuine and radiant life.

One Necessary Thing (Henri J. M. Nouwen)

Jesus does not respond to our worry-filled way of living by saying that we should not be so busy with worldly affairs. He does not try to pull us away from the many events, activities, and people that make up our lives. He does not tell us that what we do is unimportant, valueless, or useless. Nor does he suggest that we should withdraw from our involvements and live quiet, restful lives removed from the struggles of the world. Jesus’ response to our worry-filled lives is quite different. He asks us to shift the point of gravity, to relocate the center of our attention, to change our priorities. Jesus wants us to move from the “many things” to the “one necessary thing.”

Embracing Brokenness (Alan Nelson)

Brokenness is like manure in our lives. At first it seems anything but appealing, but it fertilizes our souls so that they will bear fruit for serving the Lord. In the context of fruitfulness, Galatians 5:24 says, “And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” The Scriptures are teeming with similar verses, mandating the death of the old self land the deeds of the flesh. Fruist of the Spirit grows out of soil fertilized by the decaying old nature. The very source of our frustration with a self-centered lifestyle actually becomes the humus for spiritual growth.

A Spirituality of Imperfection (Ernest Kurtz & Katherine Ketcham)

A spirituality of imperfection suggests that spirituality’s first step involves facing self squarely, seeing one’s self as one is: mixed-up, paradoxical, incomplete, and imperfect. Flawedness is the first fact about human beings. And paradoxically, in that imperfect foundation we find no despair but joy. For it is only within the reality of our imperfection that we can find the peace and serenity we crave.

Reflections on 30 Years of Spirituality (Bill Hybels)

Q.Is today's most pressing spiritual need the same as it was 30 years ago?

A.No. Thirty years ago, we argued about what was true. Was there physical evidence for the resurrection of Christ? Or whether or not there was reason to believe the Bible is a valid truth source --there was arguing about what is true. These days people seem to be asking, what's real? What's powerful in my life? What will work? Because the alternatives to religion are getting exposed for what they really are, which is certainly less than the real thing.

There's an escalating hunger for that which is real and powerful and transforming.

Q.So the search has shifted from the head to the heart?

A.Absolutely. I am so convinced of the biblical truth of Christianity, and convinced of its power, that when people feel its power, they will eventually be convinced of its truth. So, I really don't spend any sleepless nights wondering if someone powerfully touched by Jesus Christ is going to wind up with their head on straight about the absolute truths associated with it. I believe they will.

Twenty-five years ago or so -- in that era, when Easter came around . . . people came [to church] and said, "Do you expect me to believe that a 33-year-old carpenter who was killed came back to life? Persuade me. Convince me. Show me your evidence." And if I delivered on that, hundreds of people were affected enough to continue to investigate Christianity.

Now people come on Easter Sunday and they're hoping against hope that something will touch them deeply, and they're wide open to whatever it is. They're just hoping this [world] is not all there is. Because if this is all there is, then that just leads to despair.

From Chicago-Sun, (Originally Published, October 23, 2005)

Go Plainly and Simply to Him (Brother Lawrence)

I turn over my little omelet in the frying pan for the love of God. When it is done, if I have nothing else to do, I bow down to the ground and adore God from who has come the grace to make it. Then I straighten up, more contented than a king. When there is nothing more that I can do, it is enough to pick up a straw from the floor for the love of God.

People look for methods for learning to love God. They desire to arrive by I don’t know how many different practices. They take great pains to remain in the presence of God by a quantity of means. Is it not much sorter and more direct to do everything for the love of God, to use all the tasks of one’s situation, to give testimony of it, and to maintain His presence within us by this communication of the heart with Him? He has no fancy ways for this. One has only to go plainly and simply to Him

Faith Alive (Abraham Maslow)

Most people lose or forget the subjectively religious experience and redefine religion as a set of habits, behaviors, dogmas, forms, which at the extreme becomes entirely legalistic and bureaucratic, conventional, empty, and in the truest meaning of the word, anti-religious.

How People Grow

One of the best books I have read on spiritual growth and theology. Shining focused light on the great doctrines and themes of Christianity, How People Grow takes you to the heart and the power of faith. It shows why all personal growth is spiritual growth—and best of all, it helps you understand the Bible in a way that will help you head with confidence down the road of growth in Christ.