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From the Pastor Reverend Howard A. Bryant, Interim Minister |
Graham Standish, a Presbyterian pastor and author of several books about the church, and its leadership, is one of my favorite authors. In a recent release of another of his inspiring books, he focuses on the absence of spiritual awareness and development in modern day churches. In his book entitled "A Congregation of Mystics: Re-Igniting Our Passion for Encountering and Experiencing God", he cites something he felt while growing up in church at age 15 which drove him to leave the church. He stated that people like him thirsted for spiritual water, an oasis in the midst of life's desert. He states that their thirst was expressed in their questions that the church didn't seem to hear, let alone address; namely, "Where is God in the midst of suffering? How can they experience God personally? How do we hear God? Like so many in his generation they wandered away from the church and sought God elsewhere. However, he returned to the church when he found out that the new age philosophies and spiritual movements of the day offered only mirages. Dr. Graham tells of entering seminary in the early 80's hoping to find spiritual water, but everything he studied seemed so dry and lifeless. After seminary he finally discovered the spiritual water he had been seeking when he discovered, in a religious book store, writings of Christian mystics. The writings of these mystics helped him digest the dry, creedal and systematic theology of the mainline church. I am sure by this time some are asking the question "What is a mystic?" Most define mystics according to their ascetic lifestyles, prayer practices, or mystical experiences and visions. Mr. Standish states, "They are a by-product of what mystics seek in their lives, which is to live according to Luke 10:27 by seeking to love God with everything they have and to love others as themselves. Their pursuit of a loving relationship with God defines them." They devote their lives to the quest for God and God's love, and this quest leads them to uniquely live, pray , and experience God. If what Dr Standish has lifted up about mystics and mysticism hold to be true, then I am a mystic. My daily striving and my leadership efforts are to seek to love God with heart, soul, mind and body, and to please God by loving my fellow beings as I would love myself. The Church, empowered by the Holy Spirit, must continually seek to embrace and be embraced, to lead and be led by the Holy Spirit of God. Without the presence of the Holy Spirit, we are like the "dry bones" in the valley as portrayed in Isaiah 37. The Session and I are in process of planning a retreat for church leaders where the focus will be on "Spiritual Awareness, and Transformation." The vitality and strength of the congregation and its ability to carry out its Mission is dependent upon the presence of God's Spirit. Tentative date for the retreat is Sunday, June 22, at Suburban Golf Club. More information on the retreat will be forthcoming in the weeks ahead. |
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