watershed: a community church

During our gathering last Sunday, we discussed the pursuit of being present in the moment...being fully aware of what we're doing and where we are.  Unlike those times when you've suddenly driven 6 miles and don't know how you did it...mindless driving.  We're seeking to be mindful...present to the fact that God is with us in each moment.  We talked about not just finding God in the "big" or hard moments, but especially in the everyday moments, like at 3:20 today.

How have you experienced God in the everyday moments this week?

Here are some notes from our discussion about Sabbath on June 8.  Thanks, Jeff W. !

Sabbath Notes (PDF)

The funny thing is, I can't say for sure why thes practices work. I know they work because they have for me, but I'm still confounded by their effectiveness. Maybe it's because the ancient spiritual disciplines cause us to slow down and shut up, something at which most of us are not very good. Maybe it's that there's something mystical and mysterious about these ancient rites...like we're finding a special way to tap into the treasury of the spirit.

But, I think they work because of Jesus. I'm afraid you're not going to get much more explanation than that from me. I think that something about Jesus - who he was and who he is - inspiried the pople who developed these practices long ago. He led them on this quest. They believed in his promise: God wants to meet with us.

Again, I think it's because of Jesus. In the end, there is something so compelling about the person of Jesus and the way of life he offeres that it causes people to commit everything to the pursuit of him and his way. It is the way to live in the sacredness of God.

Henri Nouwen said,

In the spiritual life, the word "discipline" means "the effort to create some space in which God can act." Discipline means to prevent everything in your life from being filled up. Discipline means that somewhere you're not occupied, and certainly not preoccupied. In the spiritual life, discipline means to create that space in which something can happen that you hadn't planned or counted on.

Do you ever wish you could connect with God in a different way? Perhaps find more meaning and significance in your spiritual life? Move beyond empty ritual or mere obligation to a place of sacred joy?

If so, you're not alone. Many of us wrestle with how to connect with God in signficant and meaningful ways. We wonder if there isn't more that we could experience in our life as we follow Jesus. There is a long tradition of searching among the followers of Jesus - it's a quest, really, for ways to connect with God - and it has been undertaken by some of the most intelligent and deeply spiritual people ever to walk this planet. The quest is to know Jesus better, to follow him more closely, to become - in some mysterious way - wrapped into his presence.

This summer, we're exploring historic spiritual practices; learning from those who've gone before us about how they connected with God and how we might discover new ways to understand following Jesus and living life with God, as well.