The Hsu’s Views

I’ve been working through “The Great Omission” by Willard for this course I’m in. It is a collection of writings and sermons/talks on discipleship. Great stuff. Willard writes:

“Spiritual formation in Christ is accomplished, and the Great Commission fulfilled, as the regenerate soul makes its highest intent to live in the commandments of Christ and accordingly makes realistic plans to realize this intent by an adequate course of spiritual disciplines.” P. 76

Then comes a great comment that is useful in helping heal so much of the division that exists in the church today.

Christian spiritual formation understood in this way is automatically ecumenical and inclusive in the sense that those thus formed, those who live in obedience to Christ, are thereby united and stand out as the same in their obedience. The substance of obedience is the only thing that can overcome the divisions imposed by encrusted difference in doctrine, ritual, and heritage. The lamp that is aglow in the obedient life will shine. The city set on the hill cannot be hid. Obedience to Christ from the heart and by the Spirit is such a radical reality that can never be achieved by direct efforts at union. It is not achieved by effort, but by who we are: “I am a companion of all who fear you” (Psalm 119:63).

Some years ago, ecumenism attempted to center on the confession (italics mine) of Christ as Lord. Little came of it because, in the manner to which we have been accustomed by history, the attitudes and actions of real life were left untouched by such a profession. But actual obedience (italics mine) to Christ as Lord would transform ordinary life entirely and bring those disciples who are walking with Christ together wherever their lives touch. Christians who are together in the natural contexts of life would immediately identify with one another because of the radically different kind of life, the eternal kind of life, manifestly flowing in them. Their mere non-cooperation with the evil around them would draw them together as magnet and iron. Any other differences would have no significance within the unity of obedience to the Christ who is present in his people.

Two reflections from these thoughts, maybe three. First, merely confessing Christ as Lord is not enough to transform our lives and give us the peace that accompanies the spiritual life that Jesus offers us within his Kingdom rule. We must choose to obey Christ, in all he teaches us. This choice should be reflected in our pursuit of spiritual formation.

Second, within the framework of the centered/bounded set conversation, I’ve seen the importance of developing or finding people who want to gather together because of (1) their love for Jesus, and because (2) they were informed with a Kingdom theology. I would now add a third critical element, Obedience to Christ. Intending to obey Christ will lead to a “radically different kind of life” characterized by “non-cooperation with the evil around them.”

Third, I may be self-deceived, but this is what I see in the lives of those U40-ites who choose to walk and minister together in the city. We have so many different callings and foci of ministry, yet we are not drawn together because of a particular denominational affiliation, a particular ecclesiology, or worldview. We love Jesus. We want to participate in His Kingdom. We want to obey him.

Hey friends,

Save the date, Aug 23rd. Our next U40 meeting will explore the centrality of spiritual formation to the reimagined church. In the last year, there have been a good number of conversations in our circles regarding shared shared spiritual practices, a rule, and other elements that have often been captured with the term “neo-monastic.”

I too have been on a bit of this journey, initially reluctantly, but now with conviction that we should try to connect the dots and, like most topics we cover, figure out what the Lord is doing and get on board.

At our next meeting, we will connect, share a bit about what God is doing in our lives and ministry. I was planning on sharing a bit about my learning from journey in recent months. Mostly thoughts from Dallas Willard’s “Renovation of the Heart,” and a current course on Celtic Spirituality.

I also wanted you to hear from my friend Father Gary Crandall. His church has been neo-monastic for 25+ years. Their fellowship emerged from the Catholic charismatic movement. Their journey led them to begin a series of churches in the U.S. that have a charismatic protestant theology, yet the church also has a monastic element in the Franciscan tradition. We’ll have a chance to interview some members of the community as well.

I thought it would be interesting to learn and compare ancient (Celtic), old neo (with Father Gary), and new neo (some of us?).

More info to follow, but essential details are below.

I’ll also mention that we have been graciously invited to stay after for some lunch to fellowship some more, ask questions, etc. If you are interested, bring $5 and RSVP with me so we can get it figured out.

Essential bits:
Date: Aug 23, 2008
Time: 9am - Noon, optional lunch with community following.
Location: Resurrection Community Church
http://www.resurrectioncommunitychurch.org/
12730 Elm Park Lane
Poway, CA 92064

Geoff

I’ve been working on an independent study class on Celtic Spirituality and Movements. I’m interested in studying spiritual formation, both the ancient monastic traditions as well as today’s neo-monastic thought. It interests me because I believe this is the piece that much of the church in the West (or at least N. America) has systematically forgotten in large measure. There have always been the exception; people who cultivated a deep and abiding faith manifested in a transformed life… but this has been so far from my own life and ministry.

My understanding of discipleship was primarily dependent on a set of materials that I needed to learn or that I needed to get people through. Discipleship was largely the conveyance of information, with the belief that that information would change a persons thinking and behavior. Today, thanks to a Monday morning study with a group of men, together working through Dallas Willard’s “Renovation of the Heart,” I think differently about discipleship.

Today, it is about the transformation of the inner self. “Spiritual formation of the Christian basically refers to the Spirit-driven process of forming the inner world of the human self in such a way that it becomes like the inner being of Christ himself.” (P. 22 - Renovation)

Prayer, as a spiritual discipline (or “spiritual practice” as preferred in today’s language) was a central element in Celtic spirituality. Specifically contemplative prayer… often in solitude. I like what Ray Simpson says in his description of contemplative prayer in his book, “Exploring Celtic Spirituality.”

“…contemplative prayer is the opposite of controlling prayer. It is fatally easy to project the unrecognized needs of one’s own ego into prayer requests. Prayer meetings or private prayer times then become dominated by human self-will dressed in religious clothing. Control is the last thing a Christian clings to in her or his journey into obedience. Contemplative prayer is natural, unprogrammed; it is perpetual openness to God, so that in the openness his concerns can flow in and out of our minds as he wills.” (p. 74 - Exploring)

The contrast between “self-will dressed in religious clothing” and “a perpetual openness to God” (and his will) is what struck me about contemplative versus intercessory prayer. I’m more used to intercessory prayer. And what causes me to sit up and think is that my “request for things” might reflect merely my “self-will.” How would that spiritually form me? It seems to me that a diet heavy in intercessory prayer alone will shape how I see God… alas, even use God.

I like the idea Simpson introduces about contemplative prayer being about a perpetual openness to God’s will. This is consistent with Willard on his chapter of transforming the will. He asks, What does a will or heart look like that has been transformed into Christlikeness? How is it to be characterized?

Single-minded and joyous devotion to God and his will, to what God wants for us — and to service to him and to others because of him — is what the will transformed into Christlikeness looks like. (P. 143, Renovation)

Contemplative prayer + joyous devotion to God and his will = transformation of the inner life.

I’ve been paying more attention to spiritual formation recently through a book that our ministry is reading together called, “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality,” by Peter Scazzero. He talks about the importance of growing emotionally. He writes that “Emotional health and spiritual maturity are inseparable. It is not possible to be spiritually mature while remaining emotionally immature.

The second half of the book describes some of ancient spiritual practices that can be employed to help one develop an emotionally healthy spirituality. One of these includes the Daily Office. The “office” is a liturgical aid that contains bible readings and prayers that are intended to be used by a community to keep people focused on the Lord together. It provides a rhythm or an order to ones life that centers it on Christ.

I’ve been using “The Missio Dei Breviary” for a bit now, and will be switching to a printed version of the Northumbria Community’s daily office.

The prayer for this morning’s reflection was/is called The Methodist Covenant Prayer. I enjoyed it’s message and included it below for your benefit.

THE METHODIST COVENANT PRAYER
I am no longer my own, but Thine.
Put me to what Thou wilt,
rank me with whom Thou wilt;
put me to doing, put me to suffering;
let me be employed for Thee
or laid aside for Thee;
let me be exalted for Thee,
or brought low for Thee;
let me be full, let me be empty;
let me have all things,
let me have nothing;
I freely and heartily yield all things
to Thy pleasure and disposal.

And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Thou art mine, and I am Thine.
So be it.
And the covenant
which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.

I ran across a great quote in a BGU dissertation by John Lamb. He was making a point about how successful Campus Crusade for Christ has been in ministry over the years, but that achievement is not necessarily an asset as the ministry attempts to address the changes in today’s world. The more successful you are, the more likely you will be driven by that success to do more of the same.

He quotes Dallas Willard from “The Divine Conspiracy”:

Intense devotion to God by the individual or group brings substantial outward success. Outward success brings a sense of accomplishment and a sense of responsibility for what has been achieved — and for further achievement. For onlookers the outward success is the whole thing. The sense of accomplishment and responsibility reorients vision away from God to what we are doing and are to do — usually to the applause and support of sympathetic people. The mission increasingly becomes the vision. It becomes what we are focused upon. The mission and ministry is what we spend our thoughts, feelings, and strength upon. Goals occupy the place of the vision of God in the inward life, and we find ourselves caught up in a vision-less pursuit of various goals. Grinding it out.

Success can cause a ministry to lose focus on what God’s calls it to. Next thing you know we are driven by what we have accomplished and that becomes the important thing. Whether you are a large missions agency or a successful mega-church… success can make it difficult to diagnose our myopia.

Dallas Willard, The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus’ Essential Teachings on Discipleship (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 2006), 95.

Here is a good article by Tom Sine that lists four approaches that people are taking as they work to reimagine or redefine a Christianity that makes more sense to the world today. The four streams are emerging, missional, mosaic, and monastic. You can read his definitions which are just sketches, and are a bit too distinct, but the categories can be useful. I especially liked the links to churches or movements that represent each of these streams.

As I read the article, I could identify San Diego locals that might be a good representation of the different streams. The reality is, at least with my friends in town, we can fit in several of these streams at the same time. So, I don’t want to put anyone in a box, but if you want to connect with someone in town that would be knowledgeable in a stream this list might be useful.

• Emergent: Sarah Ferry (I just reconnected with) and Erin Martinson (who I’ve not met yet) lead the SoCal Emergent Village Cohort for San Diego. Perhaps churches like MissionGathering would be a good representative.
• Missional: I think I would put myself in this camp, along with friends over at Harbor Presbyterian Church. Jason Evans with the Ecclesia Collective fits here as does Steve Denney of CityWalk Church.
• Mosaic: Yucan Chiu of Ethnos is doing a great multi-ethnic work. Roberto Shim of Harbor Presbyterian Church is beginning a new church plant. My friend Luke Chen of Lord’s Grace has been burdened for multi-ethnic work for some time.
• Monastic: Rob Yackley with Nieucommunities in Golden Hill has tendencies in this direction. For many in the U40 group, there is interest in this stream because of the streams priority on spiritual formation/development as a community on mission.

As I reflect on the creation of this list, I realize how unsatisfying it is to try an attach a label to someone’s ministry or church. Comments or additions?

I’ve been enjoying this book by the folks over at Missio Dei in Minneapolis. They describe themselves in the introduction as an “Anabaptist community, inspired by the Franciscan tradition, [and] a part of the new monastic movement…”

The Breviary is a liturgical book that captures some of their deepest held convictions. It is basically morning and evening devotions that help their community anchor their orientation toward Christ, a missional commitment to place and a focus on social justice. While designed for use with a community that does this together each morning and evening, I find it useful in my personal devotions, knowing I’m doing it with others.

You can thumb through the entire book, which has been posted online. (Click on the image.) You can also get an RSS feed, or read the daily entry online. Finally, to support their work, you can purchase your own copy from Amazon.

I’ve blogged elsewhere that I like the word Missional, but I’m concerned that it is used in such a broad way that it loses it meaning. Mostly I’m concerned with how “missional” serves as a sort of synonym for “outreach” or “missions.” When used this way, it simply describes the same sorts of activities we have always been doing in our community, and “missional” gets robbed of its power.

(for a quick explanation on Missional and Attractional, head over to an article at Allelon. The second point is a good quick explanation.)

What so much of the church needs today is not just an outward orientation. If we see the number of churches in our country become more outward focused, serving its community in the name of Christ, then that would be awesome. But if this outward activity merely gathers people back to the sending local church, then being missional in this sense is merely “attractional” and it is still the same posture and the same attending problems that churches should be trying to rethink.

I think it is important that we pair the notion of missional with the idea of the incarnation so that we are talking about a missional-incarnational approach to being the church. Why so important?

One of the most profound lessons we learn from the incarnation is that a person or a people is the proper medium for the gospel. The gospel is not just a message or a word, it is an incarnated one. God could have sent the gospel as a document, or written on tablets as the first Law was given, but he didn’t. God did send his Word, but it was incarnated in the person of Jesus.

This has huge implications… (more…)

Good news: the fuel injectors came back and I got everything re-installed, and the van started on the first try!

Bad news: It didn’t fix the problem.

Good news: I know exactly the problem now.

Bad news: Don’t know if I should replace the engine, perform additional testing, or what.

Bad news: Easter Sunday, while the van was in pieces, the brakes went out on our ‘92 Honda

Good news: Replaced the master cylinder successfully.

Bad news: The starter began acting up in the Honda. I had already replaced the starter in the van last month.

Good news: Replaced that last night.

Bad news: Though new, it might be bad. It makes an ugly sound.

Bad news: While under the hood discovered a bad seal on the valve covers which leaves my spark plugs sitting in a pool of oil.

Sigh…

UPDATE:  Everything is up and running and now I’m known at my local auto parts store.

I was reminded of this performance by Andrea Bocelli and Heather Headley singing “The Prayer.” View and listen to the performance produced for PBS. Further details after the jump.

The lyrics:

THE PRAYER
(Carol Bayer Sager and David Foster)

I pray you’ll be our eyes, and watch us where we go
And help us to be wise in times when we don’t know
Let this be our prayer, when we lose our way
Lead us to the place, guide us with your grace
To a place where we’ll be safe

I pray we’ll find your light, and hold it in our hearts
When stars go out each night,
remind us where you are
Let this be our prayer, when shadows fill our day
Help us find a place, guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we’ll be safe

A world where pain and sorrow will be ended
And every heart that’s broken will he mended
And we’ll remember we are all God’s children
Reaching out to touch you
Reaching to the sky

We ask that life be kind, and watch us from above
we hope each soul will find another soul to love
Let this be our prayer, just like every child

Who needs to find a place, guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we’ll be safe
Needs to find a place, guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we’ll be safe

©1998 Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI)
All rights reserved.