Through ancient practices, I want my life to be spent so close to the flame of God that I can’t help but catch on fire. I want that fire to be a chain reaction—as I live my life in flames, I want to rub shoulders with others that they may be enveloped in this warmth too. I want to engage in the ancient practices of katharsis, fotosis, and theosis as I learn what it means to die to myself and be fully alive in the light of God.
One of the greatest and simplest ways that McLaren’s writing suggested to aid me in this was the idea of fixed-hour prayer. A full life of passion and joy awaits when we live within the will of God—opening our eyes to what He has for us in every moment. McLaren compared fixed-hour prayer with a married couple calling one another throughout the day to remind each other of their love and reconnect once again. We experience this distance from God, I believe, when we fail to stop and center ourselves on who He is, and who we are in Him. This is one practice that I would like to incorporate into my life of faith.
I also want to live my life in the spaces in between. I want to live in the center of the Venn diagram where everyone overlaps and comes to the middle to share their ideas and experiences. McLaren reminded me that God works beyond the structures of faith categories and denominations and uses those in the center who are willing to learn. Idealism and activism often shoots one off to the side in pursuit of something new and different than the other circles. I want to be an activist with one foot in the center circle, pulling the other learners with me in “my” direction as they simultaneously pull us in “their” direction in order to expand the circle into a fuller picture of our God.
Brian McLaren has done quite a bit of exploring in post modern thought, especially in the last ten years. He has posed some excellent questions, and pushed the boundaries of traditional ideals. Although I believe fresh exploration in the face of a changing culture is necessary, I think this book as a whole stresses the danger of creating a new orthodoxy, with new doctrinal statements and another 'in-out' mentality. It would be easy, as BM himself admits, for emerging thinkers to simply become fundamentalists with different views, so McLaren is taking a much needed step in re-discovering the beauty that is already carried within our traditions, and ultimately challenging readers to make faith a way of life.
I love the metaphor used to describe faith as a way: as a song (or a sport, or a dance) that we want to be a part of, and to (McLaren so poignantly states), “become the kind of person in whom these songs (are) alive, ready to be played by heart at any moment.” That is absolutely beautiful, but so often we stop there. We stop with a yearning to be a certain kind of person, we simply dream of who we could be. We forget, or rather I have forgotten, that it takes a journey to learn how to become the person I am made to be.
Since this book is an introduction to a whole series of books on spiritual practices, it doesn't delve too much into specifics, but I really appreciate the more important question addressed of why we should explore them in the first place. They are not the focus. They do not earn us keys to the door of incarnation, perfection, or holiness. The allegory of the violinist paints the picture beautifully. Although she practices and prepares for each of her shows the same, there are some concerts that simply are extra-ordinary. Beautiful. Magical. However, if she didn't practice at all, the magical performances would have no chance of happening. Practices are necessary, but not sufficient. The last few chapters echo the intent of practices. Katharsis, fotosis, and theosis act as an allegory, each a brilliant brush-stroke in the painting with no image. A depiction of what can be called the way, maybe spirituality. They describe the process which can't be descibed in words alone, the mysterious movement of uniting with the divine.
The imagery of becoming one with God, emptying myself to be truly awakened, bringing spirituality into every corner of my being, has been something I have desired for quite some time. This book, however, did not simply romanticize this spiritual walk, “This might sound wonderful, and it is, but it works itself out in the mess, drudgery, stress, triviality, trauma, perplexity, and hilarity of odd days and traffic jams...” I have been seeing how much my spirituality is based on what I expect of God. I want to be so close to him that he breathes through me, but I am not willing to endure less-than-desirable situations. I want to walk every moment of my life present and awake to the divine, but I don't want to go through dry spells to get there. I have been learning how to appreciate the journey, the one that God has chosen for me. To let go my ideas of spiritual growth and to eagerly walk his path, although it might not seem the way I had envisioned it. I long to live in the way, not to arrive at a destination.
Having read a couple books by Brian McLaren, I expect to prepare myself for him to completely blow some of my paradigms out of the water and help me see or do my spiritual journeying different. Although Finding Our Way Again didn’t necessarily take me to that point of “deep shift” that I was expecting, my expectations weren’t let down. Not to say I was let off the hook of being challenged, because this look into our Christian practices not only inspired me to take a look at my own walk and evaluate really if I am doing all I can to be spiritually healthy, but also posed many great challenges to the church as a whole as we engage the world. When he poses the thought, “When our churches are schools of practice, they make--and change--history. Otherwise, they simply write history and argue about it...[and] tend to repeat it,” I was definitely faced with the reality of how I once viewed our role as the church and the flip-flop of how we are now to practice truly BEing Church.
In looking through and examining spiritual practices I haven’t experienced or taken as seriously as I should, I was faced with the reality as McLaren puts it that “each of us can aspire to become an open source of embodied spiritual practices for the benefit of others.” This spiritual walk is not an act of selfishness or done out of self-preservation, but it is to become the best version of ourselves as we take this light into the world.
Brian Mclaren's book, "Finding Our Way Again" describes Christian faith, not as a legalistic list of do's and don'ts, but rather as a way of life that is found in the Character of Jesus Christ. He expands on this by discussing the practices, that when applied to our lives, change the very essence of who we are, to be people who live in the way of Christ. In the journey of becoming God's person, Mclaren refers to the ancient practices of Katharsis, Fotosis, and Theosis. Each of these terms leads to the next, we examine ourselves so that we can rid ourselves of the filth in our lives so that we can receive the light of God's truth.
The strength of Mclarens book is that he paints the Christian faith as a way of life. It is more than being indoctrinated or informed, but rather to be transformed and formed by living in the character of Christ. As the faith community generally asks, what would Jesus do, we must not merely do what Christ did, we are to live in the fullness of the character of Christ. This way should penetrate the very essence of who we are so that we are not merely living according to the "rules" but rather the way penetrates our character changing us from the inside out. Because we are to be God's person, before we can do God's work!
What makes this possible is practice. We learn the way so that we can model and teach the way to others: we are disciples, who will one day disciple. Our human nature is far from the character of God so we must practice the way of Christ through practices that begin in our lives, lead to the communal life, and ultimately lead to us being missional. We are not to serve ourselves, but grow as a person so we can ultimately take the way outside ourselves as we embody the way. I appreciate Mclearn’s explanations of ministers as physical trainers who do not merely get people to show up and workout, but rather journey with them to live healthy and productive lives outside the walls of the Church. As a Pastor in training, I find great truth in this in that I must embody the way so I can come along side others and journey with them as they too learn the way so that one day they can do the same.
I appreciate that Mclaren did not paint this way as instantaneous, but as a journey. We will never be perfect, however being perfect; being legalistic is not what the way of Christ is about. Rather its about ridding our selves of what keeps us from Christ so that we can receive God's truth and character in order that we can become infected with God. We can achieve one without the other. Its a journey, we will never fully arrive, but as we practice and live out the way we become the people of God so that we can become more alive and not merely focus on our life with God, but allow God to reach others through us. The faith community has watered down faith to being a personal matter but as the Scriptures describe we are to Love God and Love our neighbors. Through loving God, we are then led to love our neighbors!
I am sometimes guilty of judging a book by its cover…I didn’t expect this book to speak personally and directly to my heart. I thought it was a “theological” book, you know, the kind of book that gives you a subject to read about and then maybe argue or ponder it without having much follow up on for applying that “subject” to your life. Well, I was wrong and by reading “Finding Our Way Again” front to back, it has convicted me ever so graciously and has spoken to me in a way that pushes me to let go of “me” and “my box” and “my” way of doing things. Whether old or young I think this book encourages the reader to take responsibility in his/her own life, to grow up and wake up to this life of finding God, and in that, finding our way again into His kingdom here on earth.
Brian McLaren asks, “How much are we willing to let go of, to let change, in order for us to leave our comfortable status quo and find our way again?” This question forces me to look and live deeper into my daily “routines” and ask myself how I might re-think everything I do to live in a way that draws me more and more into this harmony He has called me into.
I am one step closer, I believe, to being more aware of myself and, the rituals I have made a habit of, or the things that I desire to be a part of. For example, I have experienced the benefits of memorization in the times that have left me without words for a prayer. However, I have not been consistent in this ancient practice of connecting with the Spirit, but with the little piece McLaren shared about his experience in scripture memorization, I have a tender pull at my heart to commit myself to this practice. I have not felt that this book was overwhelming for my “to-do” list but has propelled my spirit to question where I am with the things that naturally connect me to God.
In Chapter 19, “Faithing Our Practices,” I found there was great encouragement for me to receive. Freedom comes when you are able to release yourself from the expectations you label your identity with, and if the “ancient way is about joining God in the spending of everyday”, then there is something to be excited about, there is not punishment for failing but love for trying, and by trying and doing and taking action to live and be alive, there is hope that we will find ourselves living in His way.
From reading this book I have been uncomfortably enlightened with the fact that when we are able to become aware and awake a little bit at first, and a little more, and then a lot more, maybe then we will be able to take the next step in this God- life with a hope that there is an opportunity for us to live into His perfect plan for this world.
Chanelle Freese, Ministry Liaison The Community of Adsideo
