Intimacy With Christ (the Missional Christ That Is!)

« The Ignatian Way by Charles Healey, S.J. | Main | The spirit that stirred within him . . . (A thought on vocation) »

12/05/2011

Devotional times - are they an escape from responsible engagement with the world (ministry, mission, vocation) or are they the essential foundation of authentic world engagements?

Here are two posts I did on my main blogsite - Leadership ConneXtions International. You don't need to read them if you haven't, but the titles set the stage for this post.

How Much Time Do You Need to Pursue God?

and the follow up . . .

Jeremiah, Paul and Martin Luther on Pursuing God.

A very good friend, who I deeply respect asked me some pointed questions that were hinting that maybe I was moving down a pietistic, divorced from real life, interior spirituality that is personally satisfying but not very meaningful to one's worldview engagement of everything that matters.

In those posts I made the case that we need to spend lots of lingering time in prayer, reflection, journaling, lectio divina and other contemplative disciplines as the pathway to connect with the Presence, Work and Word of God.

I don't back off from that for one moment or in the slightest degree!

One of my core concerns is that most leaders I work with do not have nearly enough spiritual intimacy with Christ that empowers their work, that sustains their work and that ultimately consecrates their work as loving labor for the Lord.

A second core concern is that many evangelicals do not even know how to pursue intimacy with Christ. That has not been a hallmark quality of our activist, theologically minded, bibliocentric tradition.

Another core concern is that for most Christian leaders- their ministry, or specific avenues or areas of ministry, or particular strategies and methodologies for doing ministry become their end, their goal, their purpose. Without knowing it (until it is much too late), these become the modern idols and counterfeit gods of our Christian era.

Tim Keller was wise to alert us (as he so profoundly did) about the counterfeit gods of our age - money, sex, power, status, pleasure and so on. We need someone to remind us about the other more acceptable, subtle and equally damning Gods of Christian ministry. In the words of C.S. Lewis, second things can never become the first thing. And even good, Christian second things become demonic as first things.

Christ and intimacy with Him and love for Him deserves to be pursued with no other agenda in mind. Knowing Christ is not our pursuit for the sake of some other "greater" end.

I do not pursue Christ and knowing Christ, enjoying Christ, loving Christ, worshipping Christ, following Christ and obeying Christ) for any other reason than - Christ my Savior deserves it and Christ my Lord demands it. eNUFF said... I could end the post here.

But . . .

The Christ who longs for me to devote myself to him is always the missional Christ. He is the missional Christ who:

invites me to be with Him . . .

so I may learn from Him . . .

and in that holistic, enculturated, incarnational learning - become like Him (the great imitation of Christ) . . .

and now, since I am "like Christ" I am able to go forth with Christ and do His mission in His way!

Read the summary of this in Mark 3:13-18.

So, I know that if I am truly, authentically being with the missional Messiah in devotion, then this process will unfold naturally and progressively and I will become his faithful friend/servant who bears much fruit that lasts (John 15:1-17, a text that is all about "abiding in Jesus).

And my working (and experienced) assumption is that as I spend substantial, lingering time with Jeus (abiding, devoted, worshipping, praying, etc.) the learning accelerates, imitation emerges and mission becomes fruitful.

Which is why I love the Jesuit Way of Missional Spirituality and the penetration of one's entire being with sustained, spiritual exercises that connect the follower with the Master in intimacy.

How much time do you need in this?

I'd like to suggest - most likely, a good bit more than you typically give to Jesus.

Let's together, pursue hard and long after the missional Messiah Jesus.

Brian K. Rice
Evangelicals on the Ignatian Way
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

Posted at 02:15 AM in Spirituality Essays | Permalink

Technorati Tags: abiding in Christ, Brian K. Rice, contemplative spirituality, devotion to God, devotional times, Ignatius, Jesuits, missional spirituality, quiet times, spiritual exercises, with Jesus

TrackBack

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341cbf9a53ef0162fceeed82970d

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Intimacy With Christ (the Missional Christ That Is!):

Comments

You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

"To be contemplative, likewise in motion..." Ignatius

Posted by: Joe F | 12/10/2011 at 03:39 PM

The comments to this entry are closed.

Jesuit Bibliography and Some Others

Mark F. William: Aelred of Rievaulx's Spiritual Friendship
Even though this one did not have the cover art, this is the version I am re-reading. I really like this version and recommend it. This is the classic work on spiritual friendship and it has definitely shaped how I think, practice and teach on this theme.
Aelred Squire: Aelred of Rievaulx: a study.
This was a very nice book mainly organized around an exploration of the writings of Aelred. Especially good were the chapters on Mirror of Charity and Spiritual Friendship. I am almost done another reading of Spiritual Friendship and Squire's analysis was very helpful for me.
John Nicholas Grou: Spiritual Maxims
The Characteristics of True Devotion explores the nature of spiritual devotion, Spiritual Maxims explores the pathways to such devotion.
Nicholas Grou: Characteristics of True Devotion
A wonderful Jesuit director. I am focusing on his works in the first part of 2013. Just finished this one and am beginning Spiritual Maxims.
Philip Sheldrake: Spirituality: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
Sheldrake is one of my favorite writers on spirituality. He is an outstanding thinker (history, theology, spirituality) who provides rich intellectual substance about spirituality as well as a devotional flavor of love and service. This is as nice (and short) of an introduction to spirituality as you will find.
Richard Platt: As One Devil to Another: A Fiendish Correspondence in the Tradition of C. S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters
A modern retelling of the age old struggle of temptation. This is in the genre of The Screwtape Letters. No book will equal the original genius of C.S. Lewis, but Richard Platt gives a worthy read for those who want to ponder the nature of spiritual warfare. See my review on December 10, 2012.
St. Athanasius: St. Athanasius: Life of St. Anthony
Just re-read this little gem on the life of Anthony, one of the first and great desert dwellers. Of course, much of this is an apocryphal account to show the greatness of Anthony. But the aim is to promote spiritual discipline, a quest for holiness, the search for intimacy with God and to strengthen the ascetic way of life by illustrating all this in the life of Anthony.
Henry Scougal: Life of God in the Soul of Man
A short devotional book that explains true Christian spirituality as the believer's participation in the nature of God. Practical guidance on how to experience this as well as devotional and biblical reflections about its meaning.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux: On Loving God
Cistercian Abbot and Doctor writes his little classic on his favorite subject - the love of God for us and the love we must have for God. Short, warm, deep.
Francis De Sales: Introduction to the Devout Life
While this is not the exact version I just finished, it is representative of one of the great spiritual classics. De Sales was influenced and helped by the Jesuits, and he in turn shaped their own approach to spiritual formation and direction. A must read spiritual classic.
Jerry Sittser: A Grace Revealed: How God Redeems the Story of Your Life
This may be one of the Books of the Year. I have not yet started it... I am eagerly awaiting its pages. As I peruse through it, it is hard not to go and find my reading chair and dive in. It will be rich in spiritual formation.
James C. Wilhoit: Discovering Lectio Divina: Bringing Scripture into Ordinary Life
Brand new and written by two outstanding evangelicals in the field of spirituality. It is wonderful to see the superlative work being done in contemplative spirituality by evangelicals. They are making a real contribution to spirituality and helping to provide needed perspective to some frequent distortions and imbalances.
Bernard McGinn: The Doctors of the Church: Thirty-Three Men and Women Who Shaped Christianity (Herder & Herder Books)
A Who's Who List of great thinkers who influenced the church. I am a little surprised at the choice not to include Ignatius of Loyola, who even though he was not as much a theologian as many in this book, he was just as important a thinker and innovative a spiritual leader as were many others chosen. Still... a welcome introduction to leading figures in our history.
Paul David Tripp: Dangerous Calling: Confronting the Unique Challenges of Pastoral Ministry
A strong word about the dangers of being in the pastoral ministry. For anyone who is in the work of spiritual direction, there is overlap for what you need to know about your own calling. And for spiritual directors who give direction to pastors, this has substance for you to ingest as you help the pastoral helpers.
Jim Manney: Charged with Grandeur: The Book of Ignatian Inspiration
This is a very nice little devotional book that collects short sayings (half a page to a page, in a small book size) of Jesuit authors. Really worth getting.
Father Kevin O'Brien SJ: The Ignatian Adventure: Experiencing the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius in Daily Life
Brand new book on doing the Ignatian Exercises. I have only skimmed through it... but on first impressions, this may now be my favorite for those who want to do the actual Ignatian Exercises and have a real shot at doing it on your own.
M.Basil Pennington: Bernard of Clairvaux: Lover Teaching the Way of Love
I have only read a little of the considerable writings by Bernard. I decided that I wanted to read several of his works this year. So I picked up this little anthology of selected writings. Very nice. Plus, the introduction by Basil Pennington is very good.
Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection: The Practice of the Presence of God
Just re-read this little classic. See the post on March 12 for some reflections.
Jean Leclercq: Memoirs: From Grace to Grace
Leclercq is one of the great authors of the mystical tradition of monastic spirituality. This was his memoirs. Not what I had expected. I was hoping for more of an intimate look into his spiritual life. It wasn't here.
Roger Helland: Missional Spirituality: Embodying God's Love from the Inside Out
One of the reasons why I am so attracted to Jesuit spirituality is because, it is, at heart - a missional spirituality. There are a number of people who engage with Ignatius and his exercises, but do so as a mainly privatistic spiritual experience. True Ignatian spirituality is intensely missional. Here is a wonderful volume on this Ignatian Way (and one would say Pauline Way and also "Jesus Way) by a Mennonite and a Baptist. I have just started it.
Mark E. Thibodeaux SJ: God's Voice Within: The Ignatian Way to Discover God's Will
The work of spiritual discernment is central to Ignatian spirituality and in one sense, the Spiritual Exercises are a long reflection that enables one to discern the Presence, Work and Word of Jesus that is coming to one, and then on how to respond. The Ignatian language of consolation and desolation is core to the work of discernment. This is a very substantial discussion of Ignatian discernment.
Rodney Reeves: Spirituality According to Paul: Imitating the Apostle of Christ
The theme of the "imitation of Christ" is a core idea in my theology, spirituality, missional engagements and leadership. This book is "theological spirituality" and "spiritual theology." There are 12 chapters organized around the three themes of (1) crucified with Christ, (2) buried with Christ and (3) raised with Christ. This is not a Jesuit book at all, but rather an evangelical providing depth biblical reflection on the spirituality of Paul.
Carl McColman: The Big Book of Christian Mysticism: The Essential Guide to Contemplative Spirituality
A friend who recently met Carl McColman, recommended this to me. I have not yet read it, but it looks rich and deep, biblical and accessible.
Charles J. Healey: The Ignatian Way: Key Aspects of Jesuit Spirituality
This is now my favorite "short" introduction to Ignatius and the Jesuits. A 140 page introduction that gives the essence of Ignatius, the Jesuits, the Spiritual Exercises, prayer, discernment, the Constitutions (and Jesuit leadership) as well as short biographical notes on important Jesuits. I love it.
Susan Howatch: Glamorous Powers
Volume 2 in the Starbridge series and this one about a skilled spiritual director who is dealing with his own brokeness.
Susan Howatch: Glittering Images
A novel of spiritual formation, pride, power, sexuality... and how deceptive the heart is. First in the Starbridge series. I found myself reflecting deeply.
Brennan Manning: All Is Grace: A Ragamuffin Memoir
Brand new by one of my very favorite authors whose early work helped me get in touch with Abba. I am taking this with me on an upcoming trip.
Frederica Mathewes-Green: The Jesus Prayer: The Ancient Desert Prayer that Tunes the Heart to God
This is one of my supplemental pathways... I use this prayer from time to time and always find it helps me center and draw near to Christ. I am looking forward to this little explanation.
Friedrich Von Hugel: Letters to a Niece
I am a little embarrassed to admit that I have never read this classic work on spiritual direction. I recently read another book that had so many good thoughts from it, that I determined - now is the time.
Harvey D. Egan: Karl Rahner: Mystic of Everyday Life (The Crossroad Spiritual Legacy Series)
This is a very substantial work about Karl Rahner (see booknote below this one). I really like it. Not easy reading by any means, but for those who want a more substantial engagement with wise theology, this is worth getting.

Evangelicals on the Ignatian Way

12/05/2011