 Spirituality
is the way in which we live out our response to God
Augustine
from, confession, "God created us for relationship with him and our
hearts are restless until we find our rest in God.
Faith
is a verb, action, the dynamic that drives or gives life to the relationship
between us and God
Understanding
other stages: one of the major reasons for writing this book is to help people
become aware of the journey of others and to appreciate those journeys
Crisis:
a time for moving. When we are most vulnerable, we have the best chance to learn
and move along the way. In the midst of pain there is promise. God
does not make us to move. God's grace allow us to move.
Stage 1: The Recognition of God
Thesis
: Faith is the discovery or recognition of God Characteristic
of stage 1 : a sense of awe, a sense of need, a natural awareness,
greater meaning in life, a sense of innocence. Caged
at stage1 : Worthlessness, Spiritual bankruptcy, Martyrdom, Ignorance At
stage 1, God is often taken as the great, heavenly magician. we might be doing
nothing to help ourselves in a problem situation and then complain that God was
not there for us
Stage2:
The life of Discipleship Thesis
: Faith is learning about God this
stage is best characterized as a time of learning and belonging. At this stage
we are learner, not the teachers. This is a taking stage, a filling stage We
feel most safe, content and comfortable with "we" and less comfortable
with "them". The group gives us our sense of identity and security. Characteristics
of stage 2 : Meaning from belonging, Answers found in a leader, cause
or belief system, sense of rightness, Security in our faith At
this stage our belief system was clearly formulated. Belonging meant believing
and expressing what we believed in a certain way with certain words and phrases. Caged
at stage 2 : Rigid in righteousness, overly protective group, group
arrogance, the switchers, the searchers. At
stage 2 we think we are strong and right and others are wrong and weak. We seek
more responsibility. we become more confident and are willing to take more
risks.
Stage3: The
Productive Life Thesis
: Faith is working for God Stage
3 is best described as the "doing" stage. In helping or leading we
also are fed, so it operates on goals and achievements, building and creating. Characteristics
of stage 3 : Uniqueness in the community, Responsibility, a spiritual
goal reached Caged
at stage 3 : overly zealous, weary in well doing, self-centered, life as
performance. No
one can be around us without hearing our story and our trying to convert them,
weather to charismatic experience, a peace or justice issue, a born again faith
or the latest spiritual seminar. At
this stage we believe so strongly that others need what we have that we cannot
rest until we are satisfied that they want it too. We
try to do it all, by ourselves, even though it is God's work. The harder we
work, the more success we have, the stronger our faith must be. We
put our desires in the place of God and call it God's will. and if challenged we
will deny it, frequently using Scripture or other evidence to prove us right. The
applause from people becomes addictive. we strive so hard to be loved for what
we have done rather than for who we are. we are ultimately very very lonely
people.
Stage4: The
Journey Inward Thesis
: Faith is rediscovering God Characteristics
of stage 4 : life or faith crisis, loss of certainties in life and faith, search
for direction not answers, pursuit of personal integration in relationship to
God. Caged
at stage 4 : always questioning, consumed by self-assessment, Immobilized, being
so frightened or disillusioned by life's events The
Wall represents the place where another layer of transformation occurs and a
renewed life of faith begins for those who feel called and have the courage o
move into it. When
we experience the wall, our self-centeredness is changed to God-centeredness by
coming under God's control. Going through the wall requires a major softening, a
loss of intellectual arrogance and an acceptance of ambiguity. Acceptance
phase : acceptance means looking at ourselves in a detached way and
celebrating the full range of our humanness. Lonely lover, the over achiever,
the attention-seeker, the beauty queen or the perfectionist, if
we do not embrace these parts, they will dominate us. By denying them,
they become gods to us and control us. A rising feeling of arrogance
in a situation is frequently a symptom of insecurity.
Stage5:
The Journey Outward Thesis
: Faith is surrendering to God In
stage 5 we surrender to that life purpose which we have yet to know or
understand. At stage 5 we at times may be very vulnerable and unclear about our
lives and direction, but there is an inner peace and calmness about us that is
mystifying Characteristics
of stage 5 : a renewed sense of God's acceptance, Horizontal life,
concerns for others, sense of calling, vocation, or ministry We
realize life is not living to our "fullest potential" but involving
far beyond what we thought our potential was. Wholeness
looks a lot like weakness at this stage. Wholeness does not make us stronger. it
allows God to work through our weakness. At
this stage we will sacrifice for others by going out of our way to help people,
heal and listen to people. we feel that we are part of large humanity whom God
loves and wants us to serve. But we don't feel we are sacrificing ourselves or suffering
in a way it would have earlier. We
do not burn out at this stage. we know ourselves well enough to avoid, or if
necessary to tolerate, emotionally draining situations or jobs settings.
Confidence in God's grace
Stage6:
The Life of Love
Thesis
: Faith is reflecting God
At this
stage obedience comes very naturally without feeling that it means surrender or
sacrifice. we give all we have without any sense that giving is in any way a
sacrifice
Characteristics
of stage 6 : Christ-like living in total obedience to God,
compassionate living for others, detachment from things and stress
We are
like vessels into which God pours his Spirit, constantly overflowing, God's
overflowing love.
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