A Reminder to Parents--and to us all

From time to time while looking for sermon stuff I come across items that just don't fit, but are oh so good. Here is one of them--for all parents who think "they aren't looking!"

When You Thought I Wasn’t Looking

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make my favorite cake for me, and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life.

When you thought I wasn't looking I heard you say a prayer, and I knew that there is a God I could always talk to, and trust.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing, and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don't.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't feel good, and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw tears come from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw that you cared, and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn't looking I looked at you and wanted to say,’ Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking.'



Remember, they are ALWAYS looking!

Week 6: God's Never-Ending Adventure

And so we come to the final chapter of the book, in which Epperly discusses . . . well, the final chapter. It's not exactly a happy thought for the holiday season, but here it is: You are dying. I am dying. We are all, without exception, dying. As one of my seminary professors liked to say, "Last time I checked, the mortality rate was still 100%." We all know this on some logical level, but we still don't usually believe it. We tell ourselves it won't really happen, at least not until some distant day far, far into the future, so we don't need to think about it now. But sooner or later, we do think about it. Maybe we lose a close friend or relative. Maybe we are in a serious car accident or get worrisome news from the doctor. Maybe we just suddenly wake up in the middle of the night with the certainty that death can come for anyone at any time, even us. It shakes us to the core. Death is scary, the ultimate unknown. We've never died before, so how can we know what it's like?

Of course, we have ideas of what it's like. We get them from movies and religious tradition and first-hand accounts of people who have had near-death experiences. There is a bright light at the end of a tunnel. Or there are dead loved ones offering welcome and reassurance. Or there is singing so beautiful it can only be angels. Or there is a fiery pit where demons torment evildoers forever. These and other ideas of death and what lies beyond are embedded in our cultural memory. In the final chapter of his book, Holy Adventure, Bruce Epperly offers a different view on this subject, as he has on so many others during our journey together. I quote a rather lenghty passage here, because it is a good summation of his thinking on the afterlife and because it stands in such contrast to traditional thinking.

"For many persons, the vision of eternal life can be threatening as well as reassuring. Dualistic images of the afterlife suggest a separation of the sheep from the goats and the saved from the unsaved. In this dualistically divided universe, only certain humans can achieve their purpose in this life and the next. Others are not only lost eternally but also are condemned to utter darkness and meaninglessness. Such dualistic theology suggests that death is stronger than God! According to such a view, at the hour of death, God is rendered powerless -- a victim, if you will, of God's own abstract justice, which ultimately proves itself stronger than God's love for creation. Stated another way, such dualistic theology asserts that God's attitude toward you immediately changes at the moment of your death. Though eternity lies ahead for you, if you have not chosen Christ as your Savior in the right way, your fate is sealed, and there is nothing God will or can do about it. From this perspective, God's love is finite, limited, and conditional.

In contrast, an adventurous and holistic spirituality affirms that God's never-ending holy adventure is dynamic and life-transforming. Creativity, relationship, and transformation continue beyond the grave. At death, God welcomes all things into an everlasting community of love and healing with the promise that unexpected adventures of growth and creativity lie ahead. Within God's realm both sheep and goats find a home." (pg. 179)

How does this strike you? Is it difficult for you to reconcile his thinking with scriptures like Matthew 25:31-46, in which Jesus tells the story of the sheep and goats to which Epperly refers? Or do you believe with Epperly that in the end God welcomes all things home? For Epperly, both in this life and the next, community is key. "At the moment of our death, our personal identities are not lost but cherished in an adventurous community in which God's presence and passion for wholeness is unfettered. In this loving community, the 'lived omnipresence,' which only occasionally characterizes our everyday experience, will become our daily delight." (pg. 181) I got chills reading that last part, because I desperately long for the occasional awe-inspiring "brush with God" to become the norm. Every time I have one of those divine encounters, it lasts only long enough for me to wish that I could live forever in that moment, and then it's gone. As a song I once heard put it, "We breathe you in, then we exhale." No matter how much I want to, I can't hold my breath forever. So when Epperly writes that maybe that actually is what "forever" will be like, I find that a deeply comforting possibility. I suspect that I am not alone in this.

As a hospital chaplain, I have had the sacred privilege of being present with many people as they took their final breaths, passing from life through death to whatever lies beyond. Each time has been different, but every time I have felt that I was in the presence of the holy, and it was a sense of peace, not of fear. I have no way of knowing for sure what those who died were feeling, but those who did show signs of lucid thought and feeling in their last moments never seemed afraid. Their dying seemed much easier for them than for those they left behind. Grief is never easy. The loss of someone we care about is inevitably painful, and we often wonder how we could have been a better spouse/child/friend/parent/sibling, etc. to that person now that we have no more time with her or him. This is a universal phenomenon, and sometimes the only comfort in our grief is that we are not alone. Everyone around us has experienced or will experience a significant loss, and as Epperly reminds us, God is also intimately familiar with loss. I believe it is because of the Incarnation that God is able to empathize so completely with us, and I take great comfort in that. "God is 'a fellow sufferer who understands,' as philosopher Alfred North Whitehead asserts. God feels our pain, anguish, and guilt. God knows the good we failed to do and the pain we inflicted. God embraces our lives in their totality and calls us to experience healing in the midst of our pain. We can grieve with hope because God is not finished with our lives or the lives of those we love. Despite our pain and doubt, we can trust that God has a vision of wholeness for us and our beloved." (Pg. 189) Even after death, God is not through with us.

How God's continuing plan/dream for us and all of creation continues to play out after we die is a question I will not presume to answer. As we discussed in class, when it comes to so many things about God, we have to confess that we just don't know. Epperly believes this is exactly the right answer, and helps us avoid some very dangerous pitfalls. "A sense of God's deep mystery provides the antidote for too much certainty about subjects such as the afterlife. Too much certainty perpetrates violence upon persons and belief systems alike. It can lead to exclusion, objectification, and spiritual abuse in faith communities; intellectual abuse in academics; and emotional abuse in relationships. When we think we have all truth, we create artificial boundaries between companions and outsiders, saved and unsaved, orthodoxy and heresy. Those outside our religious camp can become the objects of spiritual warfare and violence when we assert that to become one of 'us,' others must forsake their deepest insights and understandings of the holy and unconditionally accept ours. We may even threaten anyone who does not hold our views with the ultimate act of spiritual and ideological violence: eternal damnation and alienation from God." (pg. 193) We do not have to look far to see his logic. The proof is all around us, played out in churches as well as on battlefields.

Those opposed to Epperly's paradigm of universalism often argue that it gives people license to do whatever they wish here on earth, that our actions have no eternal consequences and don't really matter. The author disagrees, however. He does have a place in his theology for divine judgment and wrath; he just understands them differently than what many of us are used to hearing. "Ultimately, the image of God's 'wrath,' so beloved in certain Christian circles, is not about divine destructiveness and violence but rather about God's opposition to all that stands in the way of justice and wholeness. Thus, there is no contradiction between the ideas of divine justice and universal salvation. . . Divine justice asks, 'What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?' God also asks, 'How are you contributing to the beauty and well-being of the earth and its inhabitants? How well are you practicing justice, loving mercy, and hearing the cries of the poor?' If this life is a process of spiritual evolution and transformation, you can only imagine the beauty and wonder of God's loving community in which Christ will bring wholeness to all things. . . Every creature will experience its true relationship with God, and in that experience each will claim her or his vocation as God's beloved child." (pg. 197)

I'm content to answer, "I don't know," when faced with questions about the afterlife, but I hope that Epperly gets some of it right. I hope he's right about a lot of things as I look back over the six chapters of Holy Adventure. I hope that God doesn't have everything planned. I hope that we are co-creators in shaping the world of which God dreams. I hope that God loves it when we improvise. I hope that God's redemption dream for the world includes dogs and live oaks and butterflies and jellyfish and daisies and lots of other creatures, not just people. I hope that the reality present in Christ inspires the wisdom of all the world's faith traditions and we are all on this holy adventure together. I hope that our lives are a blessing to God. I hope that we are so interconnected that there is no "other," and that we will all one day realize that. I hope that we and our choices matter. I hope that God hears the wordless longings of all creatures as prayer. I hope that we will all live forever in a loving community where God's unhindered presence is our everyday reality. I hope for so many things. And this is a good time of year for that, isn't it? One of the themes of this season of Advent is hope.

I hope that these blogs have been worthwhile. I don't know how many people actually read them, but for those who did read and comment, thank you. Being part of this discussion has been one of the things that fed my soul recently. If you can't tell, I very much enjoyed Epperly's book, and if you haven't already read it, I would encourage you to do so. Look for it at your local library (though I don't know how many have it), or buy it here. As always, here are some daily affirmations to take with you on your journey.

My life is an eternal gift to God.

My loving actions bring joy to (a particular person) in this life and the next.

Nothing can separate me from the love of God.

God gives me strength to face today's challenges.

I embrace my sorrow, knowing that God is with me.

I can respond to (a particular loss) with God as my companion.

I trust God with life's mysteries.

I journey into the unknown with God as my companion and guide.

I am in God's hands this day and forevermore.

God's love embraces all things eternally, even (a difficult person or enemy of our nation).

I have an important role in God's everlasting adventure.

God has given me all the resources I need to be God's companion in healing the world.

And finally, here are the last few questions to think about and comment on, before we go our separate ways on this adventure.

• What is your vision of life after death?


• What do you fear most about dying? How does your faith shape your response to dying? When and where have you experienced God's love being stronger than death?


• Do you believe that persons receive rewards or punishments in the afterlife? Do our present lives make any difference in the nature of our afterlife?


• What is your opinion about the doctrine of hell? How do you balance God's love and justice in your own life and in the lives of others?


• What is the greatest insight you have received during this adventure together? How has it changed your life?


• What commitments to your spiritual growth do you intend to make in the future? What practices do you intend to continue in order to nurture your spiritual growth?

It has been a great ride. One member of the class wrote me a wonderful note about the book's impact. "I walked up stairs, turned corners, and opened doors I didn't even know existed. Thank you," the class member wrote. I would say much the same thing to Mr. Epperly if I could. His book has left its mark on me, and I mean that in the best possible sense. I hope that some of what you have read here will stay with you, as we continue the journey on which our traveling companion is God, and for which we draw our own map, together.

Week 5: Healing Adventures

I apologize that this is over a week late. Partly it was due to technical difficulties, and a very busy week. However, perhaps there was a mental block to blame as well. Bruce Epperly’s Holy Adventure has thrown a lot of challenging ideas at us, but this week’s may have been the most difficult for me. I hit a roadblock very early on, with the affirmations for the first day of this week’s readings. Usually, as I have done each day’s readings, I speak each affirmation aloud and then choose one to focus on for the day. But as I spoke one of these first affirmations, I choked on the words. “My body is beautiful,” I tried to read. But I clearly did not believe it. And as we discussed that day’s reading in class, I found that other women (unfortunately there were no men present at that class) had similar experiences. We simply could not affirm the beauty of our physical being.

A few times, the subject of heaven has already been raised in class, and people have half-joked about the hope of finally being attractive there, of leaving behind this “shell” of a body and existing as pure, beautiful spirit. That sounds nice. But it isn’t very biblical. The idea that we humans are exclusively spiritual beings trapped, for now, in prisons of flesh owes more to Greek philosophy than Christian theology (though Paul does seem to subscribe to such a philosophy at times). After all, in Christ, we believe that God took on a human body and fully experienced everything that living in physical form entails. If our bodies don't matter to God, then why the Incarnation? And why a resurrection in which Jesus returned from the grave not as "pure spirit," but also a body that still showed the scars of crucifixion? Epperly points out that embarking on the holy adventure includes embracing our identity as part of the physical universe which God created and called “very good.” He writes, “Embodiment, sexuality, and relationships alike reveal divine creativity and wisdom. . . Whether young or old, slender or obese, wrinkled or smooth, our bodies reveal God’s loving handiwork. . . We love God in the world of the flesh by treating our own bodies and others’ bodies in ways that promote healing and wholeness.” (pg. 150) That seems to be difficult for most of us to do.

In this society, certain body types are valued more than others, and our view of our own and others' bodies extends beyond a physical assessment. Most of us make judgments of a person's worth based on his or her appearance, particularly if that appearance doesn't fit the cultural norms. "Our social attitudes may diminish the personhood of others and lead us to treat them as less than fully human," Epperly writes. He challenges us to "be attentive to your 'self-talk' as it relates to your own embodiment and the embodiment of others. How often do you look at yourself or others in terms of beauty or judgment? In what way do you see others' bodies -- as temples of God or as places of ugliness? How do you judge your own embodiment? Do you affirm the wonder of your body just as it is?" (pg. 152) I must admit, I did not like my answers to those questions. How would you answer?

On a more positive note, Epperly turns to 1 Corinthians 6:20, and with Paul exhorts us to "glorify God in your body." He cites my favorite line from the movie Chariots of Fire, when Olympic runner Eric Liddell explains to his family that, though he believes God created him to be a missionary, God "also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure." Is there anything you do that gives you such a feeling that God is pleased with what you are doing? When we discussed this in class, several people said they had similar feelings when they played sports or otherwise pushed their bodies beyond perceived limits. Epperly gives several suggestions of ways to honor God in our bodies: physical practices such as yoga, qigong, tai chi, walking, jogging, swimming; spiritual practices like meditation, prayer, silence; being mindful of what we eat, giving thanks, choosing foods that are healthy for us and grown in a way that is good for the environment and for the workers who grow it; taking a sabbath day for study, refreshment, and worship each week; finding creative ways to nurture our relationships with others; volunteering our time to help others in healthy ways; commiting ourselves to a healthy Christian community that nurtures our well-being and supports our commitments; massage, Reiki, therapeutic touch, hugs, physical intimacy, etc. (pg. 154) Finding ways of incorporating some of these into our lives is one means of accepting that God loves our physical bodies and intends for us to live fully in them.

One question that Epperly invites us to ponder this week is, "Where do you need healing?" The area of body image is a place in need of healing for many of us. Another very common affliction in our society is stress. We live in a world where we are often encouraged to push ourselves to the point of exhaustion, and workaholism is celebrated. "In many circles the more stressful you describe your life, the more committed your colleagues assume you are to your work. Peace of mind and equanimity are often viewed as signs of lack of commitment and ambition. . . As a model for today's professionals, Jesus' ministry balanced hard work with sabbath rest." (pg. 160-161) The author encourages us to find moments of peace throughout the day, remembering that God is our partner on this adventure, and so we do not have to do it all by ourselves. We do have some control over how much we take on, and so can limit to some degree the amount of stress in our lives.

However, Epperly is also honest about those times when things beyond our control shake our lives to the very core. He quotes the beautiful poetry of Psalm 139, in which the psalmist asks, "Where can I go from your spirit? . . . If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. . . If I say, 'Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night,' even the darkness is not dark to you, the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you." (Ps. 139:7-8, 11-12) As the psalm continues, the writer finds that there is truly nowhere to go where God's spirit is not. Reading the passage at different times in my life, I have been sometimes comforted, sometimes annoyed by the tenacious nature of God's love. Even if we wanted to get away -- and sometimes we foolishly do -- there is ultimately no escape, no place where God's presence will not find us. As one old hymn says, "The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell. It goes beyond the highest star, and reaches to the lowest hell." (From "The Love of God" by Frederick M. Lehman)

When I read Psalm 139 with patients in the hospital, as I often do, I usually leave off the last few verses. I doubt that I am alone in this. After all the poetic assurances of God's love, we then read, "O that you would kill the wicked, O God!" Readers are often shocked to find such words in the Bible, and we are uncomfortable with them. But Epperly does not shy away from these last verses, and is correct when he writes that "even our anger, hatred, and guilt are an essential part of our prayer lives if we are to be truthful to ourselves and God. . . God will not stop loving us even if we no longer love ourselves. God will not hate us even when we hate others." (pg. 166) To that I can only say, "Thanks be to God!"

Besides overwork, another imbalance valued in our society is complete self-sufficiency. We like to convince ourselves that we can survive without anyone else's help, pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and succeed all by ourselves, thank you. Sooner or later, however, we all learn of our need for others in various ways. Life is not all success and happiness, of course, and Epperly believes that "The wisdom of the Cross is that God is as present in pain as in celebration." (pg. 169) In our moments of sickness, weakness, aging, even dying, we are given, as the author puts it, "the gift of vulnerability and interdependence. . . Left to ourselves, we are lost. But when we claim our place in God's dynamic and interdependent universe, we continually discover resources and inspiration beyond our own powers. . . Though we may wish to remain independent agents, we will become stronger in faith and life as we claim life's radical interdependence as a grace and a gift." (pg. 170) We talked about this a good deal in class, especially in terms of our interdependence as a faith community. This church has been, for all of us who spoke, a place where we feel comfortable making our needs known, whether they be social, psychological, spiritual, or practical.

Providence Baptist Church has also been, for myself and another class member, a community of people who keeps us alive, in more than one sense. Let me see if I can explain. At a very dark time in my own holy adventure, when I was questioning the very tenets of my faith, I had a very angry conversation with the pastor and told him that I didn't think I could believe in God anymore. My pastor told me, essentially, that it was okay, that the church would believe for me awhile. And so in the ensuing days and weeks, when I felt at the end of my rope and began to think I had lost my faith, I would remind myself, "No, I haven't lost it. Providence is holding it for me." Every time I walked into a worship service and looked around at the members of my church community, I would feel that these were the people with whom I had left my faith in safe keeping, whether or not they knew it. I experienced some of what Epperly describes, that "we can trust the faith of the community to believe on our behalf when we can no longer pray, sing, or remember the traditions of faith." (pg. 174) I felt comforted by that thought, and could somehow believe that a time would come when I was ready to pick up my faith again, and it would not be hard to find. That turned out to be the case, and another member of the class had a very similar story.

This next thought may seem morbid, but working in a hospital does lead me to think about death more than the average person. I believe that, should something happen to destroy my sense of who I am -- whether death, illness, or traumatic injury -- the people at Providence are some of those who would remember me, ensuring that I was not really lost. It is, again, a comforting thought. I also find peace in the knowledge that, in Epperly's words, "our value as God's beloved children is not based on reason, productivity, language, imagination, or even self-awareness, but on God's abiding, adventurous and non-negotiable love for all creation. I believe that in the evolving adventure of living and dying, God never forgets us, nor does God quit working in our lives. All things are treasured in the divine memory." (pg. 173) In the memories of those we love, we will live on for a time after we are gone, but in the memory of God, we are treasured forever. That is among the many things for which I give thanks this week.

Next week, in the final chapter of the book Holy Adventure, we will look much more deeply at death and what lies beyond -- the last adventure. Until then, here are some of Epperly's daily affirmations from this week's readings. If you like, choose one or more to meditate on as you go about your own adventure this week.

My body is the temple of God.

My body is beautiful.

I glorify God in my body.

God made me (name a characteristic of yourself), and when I (name an action), I feel God's pleasure.

I mediate God's healing touch in every encounter.

I protect vulnerable persons from unhealthy touch.

God is with me in all the storms of life.

Peace is only a moment away.

Regardless of how I feel, God supports me.

I am always at home, because God is always with me.

God's grace is sufficient for me.

God strengthens me in my vulnerability.

I rejoice in the graceful interdependence of life.

I am God's beloved child in every season of life.

Finally, I leave you with a few of Epperly's questions to stir your own thoughts about this week's topics. I welcome your responses to them in the comments below. I am thankful for all of you who have contributed to this wonderful conversation over the past few weeks. Some questions to ponder:

• How do you define healing? How does it differ from curing? Is it possible to experience healing when a cure is not possible?


• What social beliefs stand in the way of your appreciation of your body and the bodies of others?


• What activities give you joy and allow you to feel God's pleasure?


• Jesus often went to a "deserted place" to pray. Where is your personal "deserted place"?


• In what areas do you need to experience personal healing? What practices promote healing and wholeness in your life?

Week 4: Called to Service in the Universal Body of Christ

On a warm afternoon last week, I was walking my dog, Hurley, on the beach at Isle of Palms. Since tourist season is now over, dogs can be off leash during certain hours, and Hurley was running free a few feet ahead of me, sniffing everything in his path. Suddenly, I saw what he was just about to put his nose on and yelled, "Hurley, leave it!" Like the (usually) obedient dog that he is, Hurley looked at me and stepped away from the object he now saw as forbidden -- a dead jellyfish washed up on the beach. I encouraged my dog to follow me in a wide path around the potential stinger and we kept going. But as we walked, I found myself continuing to think about the jellyfish. What is the purpose of such a creature? I wondered. How does it fit into God's dream for the world? That is when I realized that this book has really gotten to me! A few weeks ago, I wouldn't have given a second thought to whether or not God cared about a jellyfish. After all, it is a literally brainless blob, and its defining characteristic is its ability to cause other creatures pain. Why give it a theological thought?

But after reading this week's lessons from Epperly's Holy Adventure, I can't help but reflect theologically on the jellyfish and its place in God's universe. Epperly points to Romans chapter 8, in which we read:

"For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies." (Rom. 8:19-23)

Was this jellyfish in its own way a participant in this longing for a different kind of world, a world that we humans are supposed to help create? Did it somehow do its part in the groaning of labor pains to help birth that new world? The verses following these tell us that when we do not know how to pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with wordless prayers -- sighs or groans, depending on your translation. Did the jellyfish, in its unique jellyfish fashion, actually pray? This was a lot of heavy stuff to think about during a stroll on the beach! I believe that to all these questions, Epperly would respond affirmatively. He challenges us on day 22 to "commit yourself to experiencing the wonder of life in the nonhuman and the human world in new and different ways. Recognize holiness in your animal companions. Watch documentaries about nondomestic creatures. Make a commitment to see every creature as a revelation of God." (pg. 125) It is easy for me to recognize holiness in my dog. Hurley teaches me a lot about God's unconditional love, forgiveness, and delight in us. But to see the revelation of God in a slimy jellyfish? I think for most of us, that is a stretch!

Yet it is a stretch Epperly invites us to take. He reminds us of Paul's vision of the body of Christ in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, in which every part is connected, even the smallest parts are important to the whole, and those parts which may seem most insignificant (or most disgusting) are vital for survival. Lest we humans think too highly of ourselves, Epperly gives us a more balanced view of our place in the cosmos. "Your existence is essential to the well-being of the body of Christ, but so are the existence of plankton, Amazon rain forests, and companion animals or pets and the swirling of galaxies and revolving of planets." (pg. 127) We do matter immensely to God. But we are not the only ones. Matthew 10:29 gives us Jesus's famous teaching on seemingly common sparrows, which can be translated as, "not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father." I couldn't help thinking that day on the beach that perhaps this was true even for the jellyfish -- that it did not die alone there on the sand, but was never apart from God. It was a comforting thought, because if that is true for the jellyfish, it seems safe to say the same for us. So, astonishingly, I did see the revelation of God even in a jellyfish.

This goes hand in hand with one of Epperly's key ideas. The theological word for the concept is panentheism, "the affirmation that God is present in all things, and all things are present in God. Panentheism is to be distinguished from pantheism, which asserts that God and the world are one and the same reality. . . At the the heart of panentheism is the affirmation that God is as near as your next breath and the next person you meet on the street. All moments reveal God, and all actions live eternally within God's experience of the world." (pg. 129) Would you consider yourself a panentheist? How would a panentheistic worldview change the way one interacted with the rest of creation?

Talk of panentheism may sound like heresy to some of us. The idea of nonhuman elements of creation being a means of God's revelation and a part of God's redemption dream can seem radically new. But, Epperly points out, the idea is rooted in scripture, as "the biblical tradition is profoundly creation-affirming. Salvation is not just about humankind and its relationship to God, but encompasses the whole planet. . . The universe is the birthing room of divine creativity, and all creation lives in hope of actualizing its role in a community that embraces God and all creatures." (pgs. 137-138) This may be a very different way of thinking about familiar concepts. What does salvation look like for a jellyfish or a dog? I don't know. But then, if I'm honest, I'm still figuring out what it looks like for a human, too. What do we need to be saved from? Is it only eternal punishment in hell to which we are referring? Surely not. On a day by day and moment by moment basis, we all, in various ways, pray for salvation from many things -- illness, loneliness, depression, anger, failure, fear, pain, hunger, danger, and more. In this, we humans are not alone, and Epperly seems to agree with me that perhaps even jellyfish pray. "God hears all cries and wordless prayers for mercy and relief, whether they come from hungry children, abandoned animals, or persons marginalized because of race, gender, or sexual orientation." (pg. 139)

Taking notice of the natural world around us can help reconnect us with God and remind us of our own symbiotic relationship with the rest of creation. We need the trees and soil and water and insects and animals and all, just as they need us. And every one of us is likewise dependent on God. It is all too easy for us "self-sufficient" humans to forget this. Spending time observing the workings of the cosmos can be just the reminder we need. "The faithful day-to-day rising and setting of the sun do not require our strategic planning, 'best practices,' or purpose drivenness. The ever-present fidelity of God invites us to nurture graceful playfulness even as we seek to bring healing and justice to the earth." (pg. 142)

We can learn from the sun, the sparrows, the dogs, and yes, the jellyfish. All of us are on this adventure together, alongside the God who provides for us every one. Watching Hurley on the beach is delightful because he is completely carefree. He trusts me to warn him of dangers like the jellyfish, and so he runs joyfully along the water's edge, exploring every new thing he finds, tail and tongue wagging. Periodically, he looks back at me, taking a playful stance that invites me to join him in his blissful gallop. When I do, I may be joining him in worship unawares. Epperly says that "we praise God best by rejoicing in our lives and sharing our joy of life through acts of generosity, kindness, and hospitality. . . We praise God by being fully alive to the beauty and wonder of our unique and precious life and the uniqueness and wonder of all things." (pg. 144) May we live fully this week, aware of our place in this interconnected community, this web of creation, the body of Christ.

Here are some of Epperly's affirmations for this week. If you wish, choose one or two to repeat to yourself as you go about your day, and see how it may help center you in God.

My calling is to be God's partner in healing the world.

I honor God's Spirit in the nonhuman as well as human communities.

My gifts bring healing to my human and nonhuman companions.

My gifts bring healing to (a particular animal or human).

All persons are my neighbors.

I reach out in love to both strangers and enemies.

In Christ, I am joined with all creation.

My well-being and the well-being of the planet are one.

I experience God in the voices of the earth.

I listen for God in the pain and beauty of the nonhuman world.

I experience wonder and beauty everywhere I look.

I trust God's care in all things.

I breathe joy with all creation.

I laugh with God at life's hilarity.

It is my hope that these affirmations will be meaningful for you this week. Here are some questions to think about and respond to in the comments below:

• 
  Where do you experience beauty?
• 
  Do you think the nonhuman world shares in God's aim at wholeness and salvation? How should we weigh our care for humans in relationship to our care for the nonhuman world?
• 
  In what ways are we called to live simply so that others -- including the nonhuman world -- can simply live?
• 
  How often do you take a "beauty break"? In what ways does the appreciation of the beauty of creation transform your daily life?

Lastly, I wanted to share a link to this beautiful video. It served as our closing prayer in class. The images are from the BBC/Discovery Channel docuseries "Life," and the song is called simply "The Prayer." (The subtitles are in Portuguese, but the lyrics are in English.) Enjoy this glimpse into the beauty of the nonhuman world.

"Life"/"The Prayer"

Week 3: Called to Partnership

"Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he's not around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?" Guardian angel Clarence speaks those words to George Bailey in the classic film It's a Wonderful Life. Clarence gives George the chance to see what the world would have been like if George had never been born. In ways he had never realized, George's life changed the lives of not only his family, but his entire town and people all over the world he had never even met. In this week's readings from Bruce Epperly's book Holy Adventure, the author uses George Bailey as an example to all of us that our decisions and actions, too, affect the world around us in ways we may never know.


Like Abraham and Sarah, Epperly says, each of us is blessed to be a blessing. "Blessedness is the gift of a larger perspective on our lives. . . God's vision of your personal adventure includes those you will directly touch and those who are shaped indirectly through your blessing of others. . . Each of our actions has consequences that radiate out into the universe, shaping the lives of persons we will never meet." (pg. 91) That the smallest things we do can positively influence the lives of others half a world away is often difficult to see. But this is our calling, and one of the ways God chooses to work in the world. Can you think of a time someone's seemingly insignificant action positively influenced the course of your life?

Epperly invites us to make a conscious effort to bless everyone we meet. For example, he says, we may do this through "letting another go first in the checkout line, picking up a dropped parcel for someone, or smiling at a stranger . . . calling your government representative about a piece of legislation and expressing your opinion clearly but kindly; taking a moment to say hello and affirming by your personal acknowledgement the holiness of a homeless person as you drop a coin in his or her can; making yourself available to help a harried father or mother at the grocery store; working cheerfully on a Habitat for Humanity project; praying for each person who comes into your house of worship; or finding a common cause with someone whose political views differ from your own." (pg. 95) In my own life, I have been blessed by small acts of kindness from varied and often unexpected sources. An offer of friendship from a child my own age of an ethnic group I had been told to mistrust; a word of encouragement and acceptance from a teacher at a moment when I questioned my own worth as a person; a kiss of blessing from a man who survived the Holocaust with his faith and joy intact -- all these and more were gifts of a moment that changed my life. And though I do not fully understand it, I believe that the blessings I have given, consciously and unconsciously, continue to influence the lives of others. By God's design, this web of interconnectedness is the way the world works.


It is amazing enough to think that our smallest actions change the experience of other people we will never meet, but Epperly does not stop there. He asserts that our thoughts and actions even influence the experience of God. "God is not merely a judge who objectively evaluates our lives from a distance. God feels our lives from inside and receives our experience into God's own life. Christian ethics asks, 'How will my actions shape my neighbor's life and bring justice and shalom to the world?' It also asks, 'How will my actions shape God's experience? Will my actions give God a more beautiful or an uglier world?'" (pg. 105) This was an astounding revelation for me. Like so much in Epperly's book, it flies in the face of the traditional teaching many of us grew up with, in which God is immovable and nothing we do makes much of a difference to God one way or another. In that view, God is always just doing God's thing and we do ours. What God does certainly influences us, but to think of the reverse being true borders on heresy in such a worldview. When we believe that our lives can shape God's experience, however, will we not consider our actions even more carefully?



God invites us to experience the holy in unexpected places, Epperly says, most notably in "the least of these," to use Jesus's words. The most vulnerable people in our lives and in our world are "the least of these," and in serving them, Jesus told us, we serve him. What we often neglect, however, is what we can learn from them. Most of us are more comfortable giving than receiving. We like to be in a position of privilege and power in which we can give of our abundance, and deceive ourselves that we need nothing. While our needs may not be material at this moment, we are still in need. Those people that we are able to serve in tangible ways may be able to give us a new understanding of God's dream of interconnectedness for the world, as, in Epperly's words, the Christ in them greets the Christ in us. Together, we can affirm one another's worth as people created in the image of God, something we all need and which cannot be bought. And who knows? Tomorrow our situations may be reversed, and we may find ourselves the ones on the receiving end of material help.


One way we may be able to influence the lives of others we never meet is through prayer. This is a bit of a tricky subject, because in all honesty, I can't begin to tell you how prayer "works." In some cases, it seems that prayers for a person's healing or even a global event can work miracles. I met a person once who was convinced that the united prayers of American churches were the only thing that averted the Cuban missile crisis. Working in a hospital, I do sometimes see incredible recoveries in patients after I and their families have prayed for them. At other times, however, I see patients who were prayed for and loved just as much continue to suffer debilitating illness and even die. There is no formula that I have been able to discern. Though also uncertain about the how, Epperly is convinced that prayer can be a powerful force for good in the world. He writes that "as we ponder the power of prayer to shape the world, we can visualize our prayers creating a positive 'field of force' around those for whom we pray, enabling them to be more attentive to God's dream for their lives and opening the door for more lively expressions of divine love and relatedness in the world. As a nonlocal causal phenomenon, prayer touches others immediately without the need of any form of physical contact. In many ways, all prayer is 'distant healing' prayer. Our prayerful intentions for the highest and best of another also enable God to transform that person's world in new and creative ways." (pg. 104) As an exercise in our small group last week, we each took a section of the newspaper and prayed through it. In matters that were out of our hands, such as the global economy, the war in Afghanistan, the continuing sin of racism, and others, we asked for God's help and influence in the lives of those affected. Praying through the news is a spiritual discipline that can help alleviate our sense of powerlessness, and connect us to the larger world in surprising ways. Our prayers can remind us to operate from a sense of divine abundance, rather than being paralyzed by our own scarcity of resources. Epperly affirms that "living in terms of abundance is the result of perceiving our connectedness to God, loved ones, and the wider community, regardless of our inner or outer conditions of poverty or wealth." (pg. 95)


Partnering with God to heal the world also involves forgiveness, Epperly reminds us. This is something I think we all struggle with, and much of the problem lies in our faulty ideas of what forgiveness means. We are told as children to "forgive and forget," or when someone apologizes to us for a wrong done, to say, "That's okay. I forgive you." But when we have truly been hurt, sinned against, that is most definitely not okay, and forgetting may be impossible. Instead, Epperly gives us a different definition of forgiveness. "Forgiving is not forgetting, but transforming the meaning of the past in the present moment. . . In authentic forgiveness, the past event is not forgotten but experienced as an opportunity for greater freedom, love, and creativity. This does not mean that we minimize its impact. . . As a spiritual discipline, forgiveness is a gentle process. It cannot be hurried. To find wholeness, we must fully experience our anger, hatred, depression, and despair about life's traumatic experiences." (pg. 113) God does not expect us to quickly shake hands and make up with one who has abused or traumatized us. But we are called, as God's people, to consider our own and others' need for forgiveness in a realistic and humanizing manner. Each one who hurts us is a person created in God's image, just as we are, who has done wrong, just as we have in various ways. God stands ready to forgive each of us, and to teach us, in time, how to forgive as well. "To forgive is not only to affirm our value as God's beloved children but also to recognize that same holiness in those whose actions temporarily disguise God's presence. While we will not allow ourselves to be abused or treated unjustly, we also look for signs of healing in the most unlikely of places as we work for the healing of ourselves, our families, and the earth." (pg. 114)



One member of the class asked this week if forgiveness meant we had to stay in relationship with one who has hurt us. As Christians, we are often told to put others' needs above our own, and to some extent, this is a good thing. But failing to take care of ourselves is just as wrong as neglecting the needs of others. In the last day of readings this week, Epperly focuses on Jesus's command in Mark 12:31 that we should love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Many of us are guilty of ignoring the second part of that commandment. We have sanctified self-denial to the point that many Christians push themselves to the brink of burnout in the name of service to God. This was surely not God's intention. Epperly tells us, "We cannot wisely love others until we know how to love ourselves -- and do it! In the dynamic and interdependent fabric of life, our wholeness and well-being and the wholeness and well-being of others are indivisible. Indeed, we cannot achieve our vocation in life apart from one another. . . We find God's presence not only in the natural world but also in the face of our neighbor and in our own personal adventures." (pg. 118) God's sabbath rest is an integral part of the creation story, and being co-creators alongside God means allowing ourselves moments of sabbath, as well. As we journey with God looking for ways to heal the world this week, let us remember to care for ourselves as part of that world.

Here are some of Epperly's daily affirmations on which to meditate this week. Choose one or more to integrate into your own adventure.

God blesses me so I can be a blessing.

I bless each person I meet.

God's abundance flows through my life toward others.

I expect great things from God in (a particular situation).

I give and receive God's love in every encounter.

I am constantly giving and receiving grace and love throughout the day.

I see God in (a particular person).

I do something beautiful for God in every situation.

God loves my enemies as well as me.

I experience God's presence in (a difficult person or political figure).

I forgive myself and claim God's love for me.

God is with me as I seek to forgive (a particular person).

I love myself just as I am.

I treat myself with love, taking time for rest and refreshment.


Some questions to think about this week and respond to in the comments below:

Where do you experience God's blessing in your life? In what ways do you bless others?

Where have you experienced a small action making a tremendous difference in your life or in the life of another? What are the implications for our faith?

Reflect on the difference between living by abundance and living by scarcity. How do these different ways of living reflect our faith and trust in God?

How do you feel when you consider that your actions shape God's experience? What would you like to give to God?

How do you experience God in "the least of these"? In your enemies? In your neighbor? In yourself?

Week 2: Who Are You?

Last week, we explored our images of God, our understanding of who God is. In week 2 of Holy Adventure, Bruce Epperly invites us to take a closer look at ourselves. Who are we? What are the deepest truths of our identity and selfhood? Biblically speaking, we get our first clue early, in the very first chapter of the very first book. Genesis 1:26-27 states that on the sixth day of creation "God said, 'Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness;' . . . So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." Somehow unlike anything else in creation, the biblical text affirms that we were endowed with the imago Dei, the image of God. Wonderful! So . . . what does that mean?

In asking the question, we are in good company. Theologians have been debating the subject for centuries, and still have not come up with one definitive answer. Epperly believes this is a good thing. "There is a virtue in the vagueness of the Genesis passage. . . To define God's image too precisely leads to categorizing some persons as less than fully human if they do not meet our definition of God's presence or human uniqueness." (pg. 62) I know from experience what Epperly means. I once heard a preacher declare that the image of God was fully realized in Adam and Eve as one unit. For him, the imago Dei was complete only in the context of a marriage relationship. Where, I wondered, did that leave me and all the other unmarried persons in the world? This very narrow definition excluded an awfully large percentage of the population! I knew then as I know now that this could not be right. Each and every one of us is created in God's image, no exceptions. What difference would it make, Epperly asks, if we made a conscious effort toward each person with whom we come into contact to remember that she or he bears the image of God?

At times, it is hard to believe that certain people are created in God's image. It is perhaps most difficult, though, to believe it of ourselves. We know ourselves so well, we think, all of our imperfections and dark thoughts. To see ourselves as bearers of the divine image as much as Adam and Eve, Sarah and Abraham, or other biblical characters is hard at times. We may hold ourselves to a different standard than the people in the Bible, thinking they existed on some other spiritual plane. But Epperly reminds us, "Divine revelation did not end with the closing of the biblical canon or a chosen set of scriptural texts. . . We are the Esthers, Pauls, Marys, Josephs, Peters, and Mary Magdalenes of our time." (pg. 64) Who can you relate to as you read the Bible, and how does your own holy adventure mirror his or hers? How is your journey different from hers or his? The people of the Bible were all just as human as we are, and yet God's light shone through them. The same is true of us, whether we believe it or not. "Though we may doubt our abilities and hide our gifts, God's light still shines, constantly illuminating and transforming our lives even when we are unaware of its power. . . God's light radiates from within our lives, and there is nothing we can do about it." (pg. 65) As Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 5:14, we may try to dampen our light, but we can never completely hide it or put it out. What a comforting thought.

Though some things about us -- like the fact that we reflect the image of God -- remain the same, in other ways we are constantly changing and, hopefully, growing. Epperly reminds us that even Jesus, our most perfect example of humanity, grew and changed. Luke 2:52 tells us, "Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and humankind." It may be strange for some of us to think of Jesus learning and growing spiritually. It would be easy to think of him as having always been perfect, not needing to learn anything. But, Epperly states, "It is obvious from Luke's gospel that even Jesus needed to grow in his relationship with God. He needed to claim, and then push beyond, the deepest spiritual experiences of his people. The Gospels suggest that Jesus continued to grow spiritually throughout his life. Jesus constantly explored new possibilities of God's presence in his ministry of healing and transformation, and we need to do the same." (pg. 68-69) As evidence of Jesus's growth, Epperly points to the story told in Matthew 15:21-28 and Mark 7:24-30 in which a foreign woman comes to Jesus asking him to heal her daughter. At first Jesus refuses, even comparing her to a dog, which would have been the normal view of foreigners in the culture in which he grew up. The woman is persistent, however, and as Epperly puts it, "the foreign mother's faith and persistence convinced Jesus that divine healing is available to everyone. As a result of this holy encounter, Jesus grew in his embrace of ethnic diversity and in his understanding of the scope of his mission." (pg. 69) In the same way, Epperly encourages us to continue growing in our embrace of diverse ideas and people.

Another way in which we grow is through confronting temptation, as Jesus did throughout his life. While some believe that God purposely "tests" us at such times, Epperly's opinion is that "temptations are not directly sent by God to test our character but are the natural result of our personal growth and our openness to growing in stature and vocation." (pg. 73) Jesus's temptation in the wilderness after his baptism is a perfect example, Epperly believes, of how the good can be the enemy of the best. Jesus was not tempted to do evil, but to do things that seemed good -- to demonstrate his extraordinary power, to grow his number of followers, to be a ruler and leader of people. In our own lives, it is such temptations against which we must be on guard. Those things that may seem good, and especially seem easier, can distract us from the best things which will challenge us and allow us to grow into the people God dreams we will be.

Stagnation is also our enemy. When we grow comfortable with where we are in life and fear anything new, we sabotage our own evolution as persons and derail our spiritual journey. Epperly cites the story in Luke 5:1-11 of Peter and his friends on a fishing trip. This was their job, their livelihood. They had been doing it for years and certainly had their own techniques that had worked for them in the past. During this night of fishing, however, their tried and true methods had been unsuccessful. They caught nothing. From the shore, Jesus called out to them to try something new. They must have been exhausted, and anxious about trying an untested strategy. But when they did, they caught more fish than the boat could hold. Where in your life is Jesus calling you to deeper waters, uncharted territory?

The apostle Paul is one who was certainly called outside his comfort zone. After an encounter with the risen Christ, he went from persecuting Christians to being one of their greatest missionaries. Again and again, he reached out to those outside his circle of familiarity and found things in common with them. "Though Paul was Jewish by ethnicity and Christ-centered in theology, he believed that the reality present in Christ inspires the wisdom residing within every faith tradition. Christians can embrace the practices and insights of other faiths, precisely because persons of other religious traditions also participate in the holy adventure of God's omnipresence. While we travel different paths and receive different insights from God, we are all inspired by the Holy and Loving One." (pg. 85) What do you think of Epperly's statements? How do you think they would sound to someone outside the Christian faith?

Here are a few of Epperly's daily affirmations for this week. If you like, choose one each day to repeat to yourself as you go about your life, and see how it changes your perspective on your own identity and that of those around you.

I am created in God's image.

(Name another person) is created in God's image.

I am the light of the world. I shine for God.

You are the light of the world, _____. (affirm another person)

I am continually growing in wisdom and stature.

I embrace diversity and complexity with love and understanding.

God is with me in every struggle.

God guides me during times of temptation.

In Christ's mind, I am connected with all things.

Christ's energy flows through my body, mind, and spirit.

Behind every failure, God has placed a new dream for me.

I courageously venture into deep waters with God as my companion.

I live and move and have my being in God.

The infinite energy of the universe inspires and revitalizes me.

As you go through this week, living into your own holy adventure more and more fully, remember who you are. Here are some of Epperly's questions for discussion, which you can respond to in the comments. We have a great conversation going, and I hope it will continue!

• What does it mean to you that we are "created in God's image"? Where do you sense God's image in yourself and others? What keeps you from experiencing God's image in your life?



• What do you consider your greatest gift? In what ways do you nurture that gift from God? In what ways do you hide it?



• How do you experience God's light in your life? How often do you experience God's light in others?



• As you seek to grow in wisdom and stature, what new ideas are you struggling with? What is too far out for you to venture? Where is God challenging you to launch out into deeper waters?



• What are your greatest temptations as you explore your personal growth?



• How do you find "wilderness times" of quiet prayer and reflection in the midst of your busy life?

Week 1: Transforming God

It is not something we often think about, but how we see God shapes and is shaped by how we see ourselves. Those who view God as a demanding perfectionist often see themselves as failures, unable to live up to God's exacting standards. People who truly believe that God is love are more likely to love self and neighbor freely. Of course, as Bruce Epperly is quick to point out in Week 1 of his book, all our images of God are flawed. We cannot come up with one word, image, or description that fully encapsulates who God is. God is too big, too mysterious, too incomprehensible, too holy. And yet, Epperly also says, “God does not hide from us. The God of scripture, tradition, and spiritual experience wants to be known.” (pg. 29) Though the words and images we use to describe God are imperfect, they are materials through which God can work to reveal aspects of God's character to us. Epperly invites us to go deeper in our search for God, to be “playful mystics,” delighting in the discovery of God in unexpected places or circumstances.

The universal nature of God's love is something that is often mentioned in church, but few are willing to fully embrace it in all its implications. Epperly believes that not only does God love every human – regardless of gender, religion, race, nationality, physical or mental health, social class, or any other barrier – but also that “God's love is not limited to humankind. All creation bears the divine image and reflects God's love. . . The adventurous God loves fox terriers, Siamese cats, and the color purple! God has sufficient stature to reach out to Islamic fundamentalists and American entrepreneurs alike, as well as Pentecostal preachers and progressive professors.” (pg. 32) We often overlook the importance of the non-human elements of creation in God's dream for the universe, but surely we cannot be the only creatures about whom God cares. In a later week, Epperly will expand on this idea, so we will return to it then.

Seeing God as Creator is not a new idea for most of us. We have most likely read the creation story (actually two stories) from Genesis, and have heard from people who believe that God created the world in literally seven days. But what happened after that? Did God stop creating? Was divine creativity spent after a week? No, I don't believe so, and neither does Epperly. The world around us and the intricate tapestries of our own lives testify to the continuing creativity of God. Instead of thinking of creation as a finished process, Epperly invites us to see “that God is continually working in our personal, planetary, and cosmic evolution, and . . . that we live in the 'eighth day' of creation. . . Though we live in a risky universe in which happy endings cannot be presumed, we can choose to become God's partners in an open system whose best days lie in the future.” (pg. 40) We are creative people because we are the children of a God who is constantly creating anew, and who invites us to be partners in the ongoing process of creation. That is an exciting prospect! In our first group class, some of us told stories of times we could clearly see God working in our lives and the lives of those around us, when we got to be part of creating something new together with God. They were wonderful stories, and I think we all have them, if we only pay attention. Sometimes we need to hear from someone else's viewpoint in order to see clearly. As an example, Epperly points to the story of Esther, from the Old Testament book of the same name. Though she was a wife of the king, she felt powerless to stop the plot she had heard about to destroy her people. It took her cousin Mordecai to show her that perhaps God had worked to bring her into the royal court “for just such a time as this.”

One tool that Epperly gives us for turning our focus more toward the adventurous activity of God is daily affirmations. In each day's reading, he gives several short sentences for the reader to choose from and repeat throughout the day. This may seem a strange exercise for those who have never done it before, but something so simple really can help change our perspective. For example, I found my feelings toward someone I had had a disagreement with soften as I repeated the affirmation, “God's love embraces both me and _____.” As I filled the blank with this person's name throughout the day, the truth of the affirmation began to sink in, and I was able to see him not only as someone who had angered me, but as someone loved by God just as much as I am. I would invite you to give daily affirmations a try if you have never done so. Here are a few Epperly gives us in week 1:

God loves me (fill in your name), yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

God's love embraces both ________ and ___________ (name two political, military, or personal adversaries).

Nothing can separate me from the love of God.

God is my companion in (name a particular situation).

God and I are partners in God's new creation.

Divine creativity is revealed in (a particular life situation or aspect of your life).

Divine wisdom is at work in my life right now.

I awaken to divine inspiration in synchronous moments and encounters.

God is inspiring me with every breath.

God is inspiring me in (a particular life or work situation).

God loves me just as I am. I am God's beloved child.

My life brings beauty to everyone I meet.

God forgives my mistakes and helps me begin again.

God is helping me find the best path in my life.

Epperly's challenge to see God and ourselves in new ways is an exciting one. Such a change in perspective has the power to transform the way we interact with one another and the world. As we go forth this week to love and serve in the name of the creative Creator, here are some questions to ponder and respond to in the comments below:

• What does it mean to you to be a “playful mystic”?



• What words have you used in your life to describe God? Which ones still work for you? Which do not, and why?



• When did God become more than a word for you? How?



• As you reflect on your life, what new adventure is God calling you toward?



• When have you experienced divine synchronicity? How has it changed your life?



• What difference does your life make to God and others, as a cocreator with God?



• Do you think we can surprise God by our thoughts and actions?