Jim basically brings up the type of discussion that I wanted to have. Did you read Dissident Discipleship?

I think it is good that my friend saw something in our former student. I think it is important that we have places and times for that but I have come to understand it is a beginning not an end.

As so many say today it is not either/or but both/and. That is a real buzz phrase but I am starting to see more and more that I have areas of either/or that should be both/and.

In the end we must start with our internal spirituality. We must begin by understanding that we have a spirit core. Why do so many seek so many different ways for understanding? The problem is not that this is legitimate but that it is incomplete. To only realize your own spirituality is to be all about self. To stop there doesn’t complete the story and the end keeps people from God. Unfortunately many religions today, even those carrying a Christian name, really only get to this part of spirituality. Self is the focus.

The second part of spirituality discussed in the book is that which exists between God and man. It is a deeper spirituality because it pushes us beyond ourselves to understand that we are not alone. Our spirit is not the only spirit. We also have the opportunity to commune with God. Part of this takes place when the Spirit lives within us and I believe it also takes place when we commune with God through nature and worship. There is something powerful and moving about experiencing God spiritually. It is important but still incomplete.

Now, in the book the writer, David Augsburger, points out that most believers’ spirituality ends here. We encounter God and realize He is beyond us and apart from us. We see where this leaves us and our spirituality as incomplete and it leads us to seek God more. But is that the ending point? I think Augsburger’s point was for many this is the case today.

In the end Augsburger talks about the final part of spirituality. This is when our spirit interacts with others. His point is that we need all three. We need to be self aware, understanding that we are made in God’s image. We are unique creations. We also need to understand that we relate to God. We need God to save us and redeem us. We need to acknowledge His power and authority, we need to seek His face. Finally, we need to relate this to others. We need to serve others, love the unlovable, and in this way we truly have full spirituality.

I think at times because I have seen so many lacking this third part I have tended to reject the others. The others are important but they are incomplete. If you look at the life of Jesus you will see someone whose spirituality is composed of all three.

In Luke 2 Jesus is at the Temple and his parents can’t find him. Jesus tells them that they should have understood His need to be in His Father’s house. He is self aware. This comes out throughout his ministry. Later there are times when Jesus goes away to a quiet place to pray. He has His time with God. Finally we see in his ministry that he is constantly connecting with others. Jesus is engaging in this third leg of spirituality and in fact he tells us that the other two are so that he can perform this third one. That I believe is true spirituality. Not that the others don’t matter but that the others build for this, service to the neighbor, the widow and orphan, the enemy.

The problem that we have today is that the first two always allow us to do the third. What happens when believers don’t understand this? I think you only have to look at the American church to know.

Thanks for allowing me to talk this out, and thanks for the comment. I needed this.