Weavings Online

Hoping the end is the beginning

I was really taken by Cindy's story of the marathon runner and the Glory Moments.  I found it very reassuring because it helps us understand the journey as process.  I think we fail to celebrate the steps along the way as we wait for the finish line.  I love hiking - especially mountains.  It hurts going up but the down trip is so much easier.  Unless you're hiking the Grand Canyon.  It's easy down, but it hurts coming out of the canyon.  It truly is step by step.  That song, "Sometimes by Steps" with the words "Oh God you are my God" and "step by step He leads me" rang in my ears as I climbed out of that big hole.  Each step was a glory moment - I just didn't know the term for it.  What are your thoughts on this and on the experience as a whole?

With the exception of Kasey in Orlando, can you all get away for lunch next week to have a face to face evaluation?  What days are good?

I have loved this experience.  Thank you for being in it.

Wrapping up week 3

1.  Obviously intimacy with God is the issue we all have to deal with.  By personality, some of us can get closer to people than others of us can.  Does that same thing apply to our relationship to God?  Henry Blackabay's Experiencing God created a lot of discussion about the idea of intimacy with God.  Is that a problem for you or do barriers exist?  Related to the reading on St. Benedict:  He is one of many examples of people who have crossed over into a genuine intimacy with God.  Brother Lawrence, that Denison referred to is another.  These are people you might want to check out in your reading.
2.  Putting our trust in things other than God is the mark of a truly materialistic society, which, of course, ours is.  Any discussion points for you on question 4, page 77? 

Keep up the good work!!

Discussing Experience 2

I can't believe it's Thursday again and time to work on our discussion questions.

1.  Have you tried talking to a live person about anything you're learning?  If so, what has been their response and what difference did that discussion make for you?

2.  Any thoughts about your growth edge (pp52-53)

3.  Any sense of God stirring in you through this second experience? (p55)

Moving into Experience 2

Have you been glued to the TV all day?  Mindy opens this section with the statement, "In the western world we are immersed in a culture that is obsessed with the idea that we can become something better than we are."  Today's inauguration is certainly proof that for some, the goal of the obsession is true.  For most of us, the rest of the paragraph is reality.  I confess to owning Pilates tapes and multivitamins.  I've tried numerous diets with roller coaster results.  Indeed, true transformation is a slow process.  Last Sunday's lesson on the Beatitudes was right to the point.  Being poor in spirit is recognizing that we need God.  He must have control.  Two questions help us evaluate where we are on this one: 1. When last did you admit to God you don't know how to live your life, and put him at the controls?  2.  What's the last important decision you gave to God first?  I wish I could say He makes all my decisions...

Discussion Questions from Chapter 1

For general discussion:  how do you feel you did on the Soul Health Assessment?  Does it scare you to think about your own responsibility for your soul's health?  Any vibes from God this week that are shareable? 

Responding to the first two online articles

Would you have defined "spiritual formation" in ways close to the article?  Obviously Baptists have been much more involved with structure (religion/theology) over the years than with the more spiritual aspects of faith.  I find myself something forgetting the long tradition of spirituality that exists (he refers to the mystics).  As I've gotten older and forced myself into relationship with non-Baptists, I've discovered some very helpful spiritual guidance.  The author's reference to "falling in love with God" becomes a key idea.  What do you think falling in love with God would look like?  Does that concept grab you or does it cause you to step back?  Additionally, my generation would say religion is a personal thing, not to be discussed much with anyone else.  Does involving other people on your spiritual journey excite you or make you uncomfortable?

Growing in our concept of the Soul

This is a repeat of the comment I added today.  It is still serving as kind of a test for the blog notification. My question for us to think about today is: When you have read Psalm 23 in the past, did the words "he restoreth my soul" have any special meaning? Do they now after reading the first essay?

Welcome to Discovering Soul Care

You will find new discussion questions posted each week to respond to.  The value of the blog is to create online small group discussion.  Feel free to comment on each others responses as well as the initial question.