“So let’s embrace the true journey of faith and all the healthy growth and change that comes with it. Let’s commit to engage with our evolving faith openly and honestly.”
I couldn’t agree more. I think staying curious and open to the mystery of God is the best way to stay faithful. Not having concrete answers can be hard but in the space of not knowing is where we open and the miracles happen.
I so appreciate your persistance in inviting people into curiosity. And not only inviting them to it, but meeting them in it. I wish I could Airdrop these essays into the minds of everyone I know!
Ryan, I loved this. I am in my early 60s and my faith looks very different from what it did when I was younger, even when I was in my 50s. I actually like the word restoried because I think a lot of our faith journey is that. We learn, we grow, we change our minds, we learn a different way to look at scripture etc. As I start my own writing journey on Substack, I hope to connect with other people my age that are doing the same. It seems the younger generations are much more comfortable asking the questions and living in uncertainty than people my age. I enjoy your Substack.
Yes, in my 50 years as a Christian, God will always be inviting you to go deeper, no such thing as a spiritual “stasis.” Some of the challenges came from intentional changes in our lives, such as a move (20 years active military), where we had to recalibrate and adapt to everything that comes with a new address, or a new job for me or my wife. Other challenges came from either poor decisions, or the suffering that comes with living in a fallen world. We did go through a long period where we reassessed what church was all about, and that led to a move to an environment that was more liturgical and reverent. A big challenge is that in marriage, the husband and wife will go through several “marriages” over a lifetime together, which can open the door to growth. My wife and I also had to respect our individual faith journeys, cheering each other on, challenging to go deeper, but understanding that we each had a one on one relationship with Jesus.
I have long had interest in the journey you wrote about.
I've had too many hard times to not see the pain of life. I gone through many Wall experiences. As I prep to write on the spiritual part of finding purpose, I'm reading The Critical Journey by Hagberg & Guelich.
They point out that The Wall (i.e. hard times) is a crucial part of our ongoing spiritual journey. What they describe is similar to the deconstruction so prevalent in the Christian world in recent years. The classical spiritual ways of purgation, illumination, and unity expect dark nights of the soul and commensurate times of doubt to be part of the Christian experience.
A. J. Swoboda & Greg Boyd both wrote helpful books on the importance of encouraging questions about faith along the way.
“So let’s embrace the true journey of faith and all the healthy growth and change that comes with it. Let’s commit to engage with our evolving faith openly and honestly.”
I couldn’t agree more. I think staying curious and open to the mystery of God is the best way to stay faithful. Not having concrete answers can be hard but in the space of not knowing is where we open and the miracles happen.
I so appreciate your persistance in inviting people into curiosity. And not only inviting them to it, but meeting them in it. I wish I could Airdrop these essays into the minds of everyone I know!
Aw! That’s very encouraging. Thank you, Camilla.
Ryan, I loved this. I am in my early 60s and my faith looks very different from what it did when I was younger, even when I was in my 50s. I actually like the word restoried because I think a lot of our faith journey is that. We learn, we grow, we change our minds, we learn a different way to look at scripture etc. As I start my own writing journey on Substack, I hope to connect with other people my age that are doing the same. It seems the younger generations are much more comfortable asking the questions and living in uncertainty than people my age. I enjoy your Substack.
Hey Janet,
Thanks for sharing this. I love the word “restoried.” I haven’t heard that before but it resonates.
Yes, in my 50 years as a Christian, God will always be inviting you to go deeper, no such thing as a spiritual “stasis.” Some of the challenges came from intentional changes in our lives, such as a move (20 years active military), where we had to recalibrate and adapt to everything that comes with a new address, or a new job for me or my wife. Other challenges came from either poor decisions, or the suffering that comes with living in a fallen world. We did go through a long period where we reassessed what church was all about, and that led to a move to an environment that was more liturgical and reverent. A big challenge is that in marriage, the husband and wife will go through several “marriages” over a lifetime together, which can open the door to growth. My wife and I also had to respect our individual faith journeys, cheering each other on, challenging to go deeper, but understanding that we each had a one on one relationship with Jesus.
I have long had interest in the journey you wrote about.
I've had too many hard times to not see the pain of life. I gone through many Wall experiences. As I prep to write on the spiritual part of finding purpose, I'm reading The Critical Journey by Hagberg & Guelich.
They point out that The Wall (i.e. hard times) is a crucial part of our ongoing spiritual journey. What they describe is similar to the deconstruction so prevalent in the Christian world in recent years. The classical spiritual ways of purgation, illumination, and unity expect dark nights of the soul and commensurate times of doubt to be part of the Christian experience.
A. J. Swoboda & Greg Boyd both wrote helpful books on the importance of encouraging questions about faith along the way.
That point in The Critical Journey is excellent. I loved A.J.’s book but haven’t read Boyd’s. I’d love to read your article when you’re done.
Both books are worth reading. Boyds is from a few years ago.
My current on this topic is actually a book chapter I'm currently working on.
I'm working on using the classical ways of spirituality as a framework for finding God's purpose in our lives. I'm using.
The Wall in the final chapter of this second part. We'll see how it comes out, I'm aiming to complete the chapter this week.
Periodically, I post sections of my chapters here on Substack.