glorycloud's Diaryland Diary
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Spiritual Formation
It is 7:23 AM Friday morning in the flow of life. I am living my life and it is swiftly flying by. I am down in the lower level (basement) not purgatory. I am came down here to turn on my lap top computer and to check everything. I hate to see this house burn down. This home is the only real home I have known in my entire life. I never had a home growing up. Carol grew up here in Holland in one place. Holland is Carol's home town.
I woke up this morning thinking about the time I took classes in Spiritual Formation. You noticed that on my calling card I had made many years ago (25 years ago?) I had put that I was a Spiritual Director. At that time I really did not know much about what a Spiritual Director was. I did not know much about the history of spiritual formation (mainly in the Roman Catholic spiritual tradition). Right now I would not call myself a Spiritual Director but a Christian (I am not sure if it is correct to even consider myself a Teaching Elder since I have no office in a visible church-not been set aside by a body of believers to be their Teaching Elder-I am just a lone wolf).
Many years I took classes on Spiritual Formation with the Dominican Center at Marywood, Grand Rapids. The Dominican Center offered classes in Spiritual Formation here in Holland many years ago and I attend the first year, but did not continue with the program. The reason I did not seek further training as a Spiritual Director was because after taking the first class I realize I did not feel comfort going deeper into the Spiritual Formation program. It all came to the fact that I love the Bible. The people that I met in my Spiritual Formation class did not know the Bible, but they knew the history of Christian Spirituality. What I am seeking to explain is that I see the Bible as the main instrument that God uses to direct us in our spiritual lives. I do see an elder or Pastor helping a Christian seek to discern God's will for their lives by searching the Scriptures. I just did not see among the people who were leading the classes on Spiritual Formation concerned with what the Bible taught about the Christian life. It was all mystical feelings it seem to me being emphasized and not the Word of God. It was almost like some form of Quakerism "inner light" idea being stressed and not the light of God's Word (Second Peter 1:15-21).
I also realized many years ago Christians basically have been taught by American evangelism that there is no need for one to have a Spiritual Director or even a need to be guided in their spiritual lives. Most Christians never get individualistic spiritual help from a Pastor or Elder in their churches. Christians basically march off to the heavenly Zion only with an elementary knowledge of the Bible. Most Christians do not seek to live a life of contemplative prayer. Most Christians do not know the history of Christian formation. Most Christians in the world never heard of St. John of the Cross or Pseudo-Macarius.
I realized while taking that class on Spiritual Formation I could not forsake the Bible, so I left the program.
I still read books on the Christian life. If you read my blog you know that I am always reading books on the spiritual life. I am always reading books on prayer etc. . .
Well I had these thoughts on my mind this morning so I thought I would write them down. More could be written, but in time everything gets written down.
7:57 a.m. - 2010-10-29
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