One in a series of blogs
on spiritual practices.
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How is it with your spirit?  For the last couple decades we have seen a resurgence in a longing for spiritual practices that can bring meaning to our lives. It seems to parallel a disenchantment with institutional religion which either seems to be too organizational maintenance absorbed or too radically extremist. Folks, in their longing, are turning to online and communal resources to discover (or rediscover) ancient practices from a variety of faith traditions. At their worst this can be reduced to feel good escapism.  At its best this can take us deeply in to our relationship with God that brings us fully out to engagement with the God’s world. 

I am hoping we can help each other find the best. In the coming months I am hoping we can resource each other with spiritual practices which we have experienced and used that have deepened our ‘Doing Justice, Loving Kindness, and Humbly Walking with God.”  With a new web page and some ongoing blogs, we’ll gather the insights from our experience and from the experience of those beyond the walls of our tradition and those whose wisdom speaks out of the past. To that end, I’ll be sharing some that I have discovered (rediscovered) and I am encouraging you to share what has worked for you and for your community of faith.  My hope is that we can bring these into our churches and communities through worship, newsletter/emailings, online communications, and small group gatherings.

Here are a some resources that give us an overview and some specifics just to get us started.

• There is something called the “Tree of Spiritual Practice”.  (It is also known as the Tree of Contemplative  Practice – a name that doesn’t seem to fit with some of the more active practices.) It doesn’t describe or define practices, but it gives an insightful overview of possibilities for every type of person. You can find the image here and a second helpful version here (also at right).    
• Our national UCC website has some suggestions.
• Here is a website with a variety of spiritual practice descriptions in several categories.
• On the MACUCC website, we are maintaining a list of individuals who can provide spiritual direction and/or retreat leadership. You can find that list here.  
• To learn a little more about social justice activism as a spiritual practice, listen to this talk by Rev. Jim Antal.

If you have a ritual, or spiritual practice, or resource to deepen our spiritual lives, please add it to the comments on the Blog or web page or email it to me.  And in all of our crowdsourcing let's craft our wording to make it accessible to those within the church ‘walls’ and those beyond. 

Lenten Blessings,
Don



One in a series. Visit the Faith Awakenings Web page on this site for more.