"Suddenly, the angel of the Lord appeared to him as a blazing fire in a bush. Moses was amazed because the bush was engulfed in flames, but it didn't burn up." Exodus 3:2 (NLT)
We continue to explore the different paths of spiritual experience in the "Paths to Wholeness" resource, based on the book, Discover Your Spiritual Type by Corinne Ware.
This week we are exploring worship & prayer through Air and Fire! Both are used throughout the Bible to represent God's presence. The burning bush is one of my favorites and most vivid! And it calls Moses to extreme action for the Kingdom of God (one of the markers for the Fire path).
Reading is one of my favorite things to do. Whether it be for knowledge or entertainment, I am most content to sit & read. When I took my daughter for a visit to her future college, she went to dinner with her future teammates and they urged me to come along. They couldn't understand why the prospect of eating alone in my hotel room and reading a book was appealing to me. I've known this about myself from a very young age, but I never put it together with my spirituality.
This is the insight that our study is giving us. And it's importance goes beyond just knowing and understanding how we, as individuals, prefer to worship. It can be helpful by showing us, individually and corporately, what we need to continue to grow in our faith; how to step out of our comfort zone; and how to seek out and appreciate the gifts of others.
Ms. Ware and her predecessor, Urban T. Holmes, contend that we all have tendencies towards one or two paths, but that it is important to maintain a balance among the 4 quadrants (paths). "The circle emphasizes Holmes's belief that each of four types of authentic religious experience is needed as part of a healthy whole. The circle itself represents the value placed on unity and on the interdependence of each part." (Discover Your Spiritual Type, pg. 9).
In other words, I need to do more than keep my nose in a book! To maintain a balanced life, spiritually and otherwise, I should look to the other paths of Water & Fire to provided the proper tension to my Earth & Air paths. When I look around at my immediate family and friends, I recognize that often they provide the balance and pull or push that I need to draw me off of my comfy sofa, out of the pages of an interesting book and into the world of action and expression.
I hope, as we study these different paths, that we can open ourselves to new experiences. Even if we don't incorporate new practices into our personal worship and prayer time, it's still a valuable tool to use on our journey in becoming the person God created us to be. He created us to be part of a whole, part of a community. None of us can be complete without each other, by design.
Here's a quick overview of what we will do on Friday when we meet:
First we will look at the Fire Path and talk about volunteerism. Please read page 20 so that you are familiar with this path's characteristics. We will not discuss "the situations" on page 21. We may briefly discuss how we, individually and as a church, contribute to The Kingdom of God through our volunteer efforts.
The bulk of our time will be exploring Air through contemplative meditation. Please read pages 17,18, and 19 so you are familiar with what we will be doing. This will make the transition into the meditation smoother and give us more time for the meditation and discussion or quiet time. If you would like to bring a pillow to sit on for the meditation, please do so. We will be sitting silently for 10 minutes.
WINNER!!! Congratulations, Paula! You are the winner of the journal and pen giveaway! I will bring it to our meeting on Friday.
Please share your experiences so far in exploring the different paths of spirituality. Were you surprised by your dominate path? Do you need to be more balanced? How do you plan on drawing from the other paths?
Your Partner in Ministry,
Shelly
Warrior
"Kind words are like honey - sweet to the soul and healthy for the body." Proverbs 16:24
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