Note: You can watch this teaching on CrossWalk’s YouTube channel.
“I’m spiritual, not religious.” Have you ever heard someone utter this phrase or something similar? They love spirituality. Religion? Not so much. I think there were surely times when Jesus witnessed the abuse of religious leaders that he may have uttered, or grumbled, how frustrated he was with religion.
I’ve heard it said that we are not human beings trying to have a spiritual experience as much as we are spiritual beings having a human experience. I think Jesus was deeply aware of our spiritual nature and our human nature, and that they are meant to exist in tandem, that both are called by shalom toward shalom, invited to practice shalom.
Liminal Space. Kirsten Oates was on a plane to Manilla to support her sister who had just given birth to a very premature little girl who was now fighting for her life. Halfway through the 15-hour flight, one of the plane’s engines began to fail. The plane shook violently. Glassware in the galley was crashing down. People had to hold onto their arm rests to keep from flying out of their seats even though they had their seatbelts fastened. Kirsten could sense that her body was heading toward passing out – hearing loss, vision beginning to fade. She employed a meditation technique to calm herself down because, she noted, she didn’t want to die unconscious. While the plane continued to thrash about, she maintained her technique and was transported to an experience of “Liminal Space” where the Spirit of God brushes against physical existence. In that space she found deep peace and a sense that no matter what, should she live or die, either path would be okay.
The Why of spiritual practice: tying into the Source of everything. There is a universal desire, I think, for an inner peace, or, as the Apostle Paul stated in his letter to the Philippians, a peace that passes understanding. The kind of peace that Paul refers to – and Jesus modeled – is nor some form of escapism for the purpose of simply escaping reality. While I am certain we human beings have myriad forms of escaping – various substances you drink or smoke or shoot, rigorous exercise, sex, porn, Netflix, maybe some combination of all the above – I am confident that Jesus practices something different that actually resulted in the opposite of escapism. Jesus was remembered as being devoted to practices that fostered a deep, abiding relationship with God that actually thrust him more deeply into life – not retreat from reality.
In one remembered discourse, Jesus spoke of the importance of staying connected to God:
"Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can't bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can't bear fruit unless you are joined with me.
"I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. – Jesus, John 15:4-5 (The Message)
This is not shallow escapism for a moment – Jesus is saying that staying connected to God serves to produce a mature, whole, abundant life! Who wouldn’t want that?
Spiritual practices that foster this ability to live in such liminal space allow us to be more readily present to the Presence of God. When we choose to live in the footsteps of Jesus, which is a way of life that stays connected to the Spirit of God, we are much more likely to be in the flow of God, to be in touch with God, to be able to see and hear and respond to God. The more accustomed we become to the way of the world around us that does not often foster such an orientation, the harder it is to be in the flow. When we order our lives in ways that foster our relationship with the Divine, however, things come online. We no longer wonder if God exists like a fish pondering the existence of water, because we wake up and realize that we are swimming and living in the presence of God – we are immersed in it – we are in it and it is in us. This is a key part of what Jesus meant when he referred to the idea of being born again – so much more than simply signing off on a theological construct!
One day CrossWalker Pam Reuter was driving around running errands when a song came over the radio. She had never heard it before. Something about it struck her so much that when she was able, she contacted the radio station to help her figure out the name of the song. After digging around awhile, the radio station identified the song: “You Know Me Better” by the band Stars Go Dim. She couldn’t figure out why the song struck her so. It just did. Months later she got a call with some very bad news – a house she owned and was renting out was on fire! She rushed to the scene as the firefighters were doing their best to put it out before the house was completely destroyed. Luckily, nobody was hurt, but it was devastating news. She was naturally exasperated. When it finally time to leave the scene, she slumped into her car and turned on the ignition. Immediately, the song, “You Know Me Better” began to play. She wept. For her in that moment it came as a loving, comforting message from God: I am with you. I am confident that when we are not tuned in to God such things can be totally lost on us. When we shape our lives more and more in ways that foster our relationship with God, the more likely we are to recognize the “water” we are swimming in, and Who we are swimming with!
Pam listens to music that supports her faith. A lot of people are transported by music. What we listen to helps shift our attention off of lesser things and can ground us. Sometimes the lyrics of songs can present a new distraction, but sometimes they foster greater attention on our relationship with God. I love Jeremy Riddle’s “Full Attention” – it helps focus my attention on my relationship with God. The songs don’t have to be Christian or religious, either. There are some secular songs that speak very deeply into the Way of the Spirit, and some instrumental songs can be effective because they don’t have lyrics that could distract us.
Jesus was fond of being outside, and no wonder: the creation itself reflects the nature of the Creator! There is much to gain from simply observing just about any aspect of creation, from the smallest flower or bug or animal to the grandest displays our eyes can hold. Jesus directed the attention to the flowers in the field and the birds in the air – both held by God beautifully, both teaching us something about life and living in creation, held by the Creator. CrossWalker Karie Nuccio is a nature junkie. She made a spot for herself where she lives to immerse herself in creation, and it works. A huge fan of Yosemite, she always pays a visit to where John Muir built his cabin, with a full view of Yosemite Falls. John Muir, a deeply spiritual man, didn’t hike, he sauntered. The conservationist who left his footprints throughout the Sierra and Alaskan frontier knew not to rush, but to appreciate what we before him every step of the way. Take note. Muir once wrote:
“Walk away quietly in any direction and taste the freedom of the mountaineer. Camp out among the grasses and gentians of glacial meadows, in craggy garden nooks full of nature’s darlings. Climb the mountains and get their good tidings, Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. As age comes on, one source of enjoyment after another is closed, but nature’s sources never fail. Like a generous host, she offers here brimming cups in endless variety, served in a grand hall, the sky its ceiling, the mountains its walls, decorated with glorious paintings and enlivened with bands of music ever playing. The petty discomforts that beset the awkward guest, the unskilled camper, are quickly forgotten, while all that is precious remains. Fears vanish as soon as one is fairly free in the wilderness.”
Serving others is also a pathway to getting outside of yourself, connecting you with others and God. CrossWalker Keith Ridenhour came across some stats that says people who help others are happier people. That makes sense! Keith uses his gift of music by giving weekly concerts at nearby nursing care facilities. When there, he makes it his aim to spread joy in his interaction. He’s added phone calling to his repertoire, realizing that when he calls someone to check in, both leave the experience feeling better.
I love learning stuff. There have been many times that I have experienced God speaking into my life, open new doors, giving me new insights, through books, seminars, and various other education-oriented experiences. If that’s you, you know what I mean.
As good as all of the above is, I would be remiss if I did not note what is probably a required practice for those who want to more deeply engage liminal space where we readily experience the Presence of God. I was first introduced to contemplation when I was a young adult – late teens as I recall. I read Richard Foster’s classic, Celebration of Discipline, which provided me with an overview of mostly contemplative practices. It changed my life, and still does. I have discovered that quiet contemplation takes me to places of intimacy with God deeper and fast than anything else. In our noisy culture, it takes discipline to learn and practice, but it is not accidental that every religious tradition promotes it, and every spiritual great became so largely due to it. Practices that include solitude, stillness, and silence are imperative, and understanding what we need in our contemplation is helped as we appreciate our personality type.
I am an Enneagram junkie. As a Type 3, I try to excel at it! Different types benefit from pursuing some specific nuances of contemplation. Those in the feeling center, like myself, really need solitude – being alone – because so much of who we are is tied to responding to what we sense about those around us. Personality types in the thinking center need to embrace silence, giving their minds a rest on all it continually processes. Personality types in the body center will find particular power in stillness, unbusying themselves from where their attention has taken them. For more insight on the Enneagram in general as well as how to incorporate contemplation into your life given your type, I highly recommend The Sacred Enneagram: Finding Your Unique Path to Spiritual Growth by Christopher Heuertz and Mindful Silence: The Heart of Christian Contemplation by Phileena Heuertz.
When we enter into contemplation, you can be sure that you will face the basic temptations Jesus faced when he went into the wilderness. Distractions of the body, control, ego, and power will reveal themselves. Their presence doesn’t mean you are failing, it means your being human. Continue to breath, to center, to focus on becoming united with the Spirit of God. Thomas Keating, a contemporary champion of all things meditation, suggests a meditation focused around the phrase, “I love you.” As you inhale, repeat the phrase as if you are hearing God say this to you. On the exhale, repeat the phrase as if you are saying it to God. Spending time with the phrase can have remarkable calming, healing, centering, empowering, renewing effect on our lives. Don’t take my word for it – try it out!
I regularly use the Lord’s Prayer as a model for meditation. Going through each section shapes me, ground me. I come out of the meditative approach to the Lord’s Prayer feeling back on track with God, no longer feeling whatever distance I may have felt previously. Try it out! Instead of rushing through it, spend time on each movement:
Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory forever! Amen.
Jesus said that by remaining connected to the vine we will bear much fruit. It’s not why we’re staying connected – it is, rather, a biproduct of being united with God. CrossWalker Linda Murphy has learned the discipline of meditation and has experienced the grounding it brings. From such experience, she has also born fruit in the form of her poetry:
Come Away
When all I see is suffering,
The bleeding and the war cries;
When all I hear is trumpeting hate speech,
Poisonous to my soul;
When all I feel is a pain-racked body,
Bleeding my brain of cognition;
I turn to an inner voice that says:
“Come away with me,
Into my heart
Into the safety of my realm;
Come away from your tear-stained windowpane,
Into the sunlit fields of childhood;
Come away and let me hold you,
Till your body dissolves into Oneness,
Where the truth of who you are
Does not struggle;
Where fear releases on
The rhythms of your breath;
Where, beneath everything,
Is this forgotten foundation of joy.”
– Linda Kay Murphy, 2020
Amen.