http://www.harvest-tv.com/video/VOD_GetShow.cfm?ShowID=276

Read more about this plan and Todd’s questions here

What is it? Can it be accomplished? How?

Spiritual practices seem so empty at times.

I have been led to a beginning question. One that is more perplexing than the first. If we are to gain any knowledge or experience of spiritual formation maybe we should contemplate this question first. Maybe it holds the key.

What is the soul?

There, I asked it aloud. Now it must be dealt with.

What if the soul is not something we have but it is more something we are? “It is the very life-pulse within us, that which makes us alive…As such it has two functions:

First of all, it is the principle of energy. Life is energy. There is only one body that does not have any energy or tension within it, a dead one. The soul is what gives life. Inside us it, lies the fire, the eros, the energy that drives us…

Ronald Rolheiser states in The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality, “But the soul does more than merely give energy. It is also the adhesive that holds us together, the principle of integration and individuation within us. The soul not only makes us alive, it also makes us one.”

What if spiritual formation was the nurturing of the fire that burns within us—the energy and tension that defines “alive?” What if it’s about finding a way for peace and tension to live in harmony?

What if spiritual formation is less about spiritual practices and more about nurturing that which keeps us from falling apart? What if it is about nurturing live giving relationships/communities?

What if spiritual formation was more about living with Christ than practicing Christ?

It seems that if this is true then spiritual formation would have a more organic order for our practice than a master plan mindset toward our practices. Our practices would have more descriptive patterns than prescriptive patterns.

Patterns are integral to our lives. They protect us, help us organize what we do from day to day, and even entertain us. Most of the time, we don’t even think about them. We simply absorb them.

When we see a man coming toward us in the distance, we observe the pattern of his walk and know instantly that he is a good friend and not someone intending to do us harm. When we wake up in the morning, our first thought may be: What day is it? Weekdays tend to follow one pattern; weekends another. We hear three or four notes of a melody and we begin to sing along.

Patterns, as organizational tools, can be prescriptive or descriptive. Master plans tend to follow prescriptive patterns. Prescriptive patterns are “prescribed”; they are specific, rigid, and regular. A physician dictates which medication you should use, how often you should take it, and for how long. A general aviation pilot knows to follow a basic airport traffic pattern when no air traffic control tower is present. The patient gets better; collisions are minimized. Sometimes prescriptive patterns are good and necessary.
But when we talk about spiritual formation, prescriptive patterns may not be helpful. Forcing behaviors to accomplish spiritual health may not be the “silver bullet” we are looking for.

Organic order is strengthened by descriptive patterns. Descriptive patterns have an expressive, evocative, and eloquent spirit. They describe reality. They don’t force it. We discover descriptive patterns through observation, as they emerge.

Maybe it would be more helpful to think of those elements that keep us alive and together and describe those as our journey of spiritual formation.

Lord, help me to be alive and soulful…

“Organic Community by Joe Myers is a must-read for anyone who works with people. Notice that I did not say church or ministry, because this is a book that is so good I would gladly hand it to friends outside the church. But, if you are a pastor or otherwise involved in ministry, you will find Organic Community indispensable in creating space for meaningful relationships in your congregation.”

You can read the rest of his review here

I’m driven. Ask anyone who knows me I have am italic bent to my life.

But, do I have a purpose? Does God have a purpose for me?

If He does He seems to be a little confused about it. I mean, why does he keep it so secret? Why is it so illusive that over 20 million bought a book to discover it?

If God has a purpose why does He make it so hard to find?

What if He doesn’t have a purpose but, possibilities? What if God’s plan is emerging and liquid not static and set? What if God’s plan is organic and not a Master Plan?

When I was a boy, I started showing an interest in art. My parents often found me with pencil and paper, drawing anything and everything I could bring to mind. The front of the refrigerator door filled quickly with pieces I had completed.

I remember one Christmas, in particular, I had started to show a growing competency in art, my family encouraged me by giving me supplies and instructional books. The more presents I opened, the more excited I became.

My expectations ran high when we arrived at Grandma’s house. In her own way, my grandmother was an artist. Grandma would give me presents selected with the wisdom and insight of a fellow artist!

The first gift came. Brushes. Then the second: a large, rectangular box. I couldn’t suppress my excitement. This would be the gift that would set me on the path of Artist. I unwrapped that present like a starving dog devouring a bowl of food, all the while composing in my mind the wonderful acceptance speech I would give to honor this gift and my hopeful future.

There it was: a paint-by-numbers kit. I was shocked into silence.

Grandma kept looking at me as only grandmothers can, eyes full of love, a voice full of tenderness: “Now you can paint beautiful paintings.”

Beautiful paintings! What did she think of the ones I had already done? Weren’t they beautiful? Weren’t they art? Her gift told me that in her mind I was no artist at all. I was just a little boy trying on a new hobby. Maybe if I could learn to follow somebody else’s plan, I could produce “beautiful paintings.”

It is not true that an artist is someone who manufactures art. An artist is someone who enables art to emerge from a canvas—someone who has the strengths, competencies, and patience to bring that miracle into being.

Art is not formulaic, like a paint-by-numbers kit. It has life. It is viewed and appreciated. It moves and inspires. It invites participation, intermingling its own story with those of its observers.

God invites our artistic participation in life. He does not have a master plan—paint-by-number experience waiting for you to discover. God invites you to paint your life and discover the masterpiece!

Why?

For several reasons but, let’s unpack just one that confuses me.

There are at least two times where Jesus has an opportunity to lead an anxious group forward and he runs.

First, Jesus is describing the competencies of a good shepherd and he says something like “If it were me, I would leave the 99 in the desert to find the one who has lost its way.” That doesn’t sound like a great leader. I’ve never heard any of the books describe a leader who would escape the responsibility of the group for one rebellious soul. That just doesn’t sound like “getting the right people on the bus” mentality.

In another place, Jesus is talking to a group who are in their hour of need. And, again He runs. “I must leave you. I can not stay. But, don’t worry someone else is coming.” I haven’t seen a leadership model like this in the literature I’m reading.

It seems to me that a leader is to lead by presence more than being present. To build a movement based on being present will surely die. To lead a movement on presence requires one to leave.

So, maybe the question is “Can you leave knowing whatever you are leading will continue to move forward?”

Leading with presence may require an organic use of power.

Master Plan tries to deliver power to individuals through position. A person is set into a position on an organizational chart and given control, authority, jurisdiction, permission-granting rights, and influence. He or she is trained in how to use these tools to achieve the master plan.

Organic Order asks, “Who is now the steward of power?” and “Who is now leading?” Positions have no place of permanent importance. There is a revolving understanding of power.

In a framework of revolving power, there is no dominant member. Like the dynamic game, “rock, paper, scissors,” no one element stands as permanent leader. Rock is covered by a single sheet of paper. Paper is cut down to size by scissors. Scissors are crushed under the rock. This revolving understanding of power gives flow to the game and makes it competitive. (And interesting!)

Feel free to lead with presence and a revolving understanding of power. Let go of your fleeting positional power. Not even God tries to control your life with positional power

God you left the kingdom in some messy hands, please let me be as wise.