Thursday, April 28, 2011
In Your Presence
I want to dwell in Your presence o LORD i want to be where You are and be delighted by Your love and grace.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Still about Contemplative Spirituality
Distraction, its a big word that i still have to reflect and reconsider. This word has brought me to think about all the distraction that i have in my life. There are too many things, gadgets, and thought that often distract me from finding God and having that deep connection with Him. Contemplation is about letting it go, for a better focus on God. But that is the hardest part, to let it go. How can something pleasing for me should be taken away without me struggling to get it back? What is my natural being says?
Monday, April 11, 2011
Contemplative Spirituality
As you can see above, the title above indeed sounds very theological. However, this issue has been a hot potato right now among the people in my theological circle. My own Seventh Day Adventist Church.
Well, the accusation given to contemplative spirituality is the practice of meditation and solitude that "technically" mimic the monastic practice of spirituality and eastern mysticism.
I am not going to discuss theologically here, about the pro and con of it. But rather what i have learned from contemplative spirituality for my personal growth. There is something very important, something very true that often we as Christian has neglected so much that when other religion got it, we become so fearful losing our identity.
We are living in the world today that i believe, overemphasizing the importance of productivity, and result as the definition of success and achievement. Well, blame it to the Industrial Revolution. As a matter of fact with the advancement of industrialization, it comes with the urge for higher productivity. The heart of industry is product, for product defines profit, and profit defines success. So the word speed, efficiency, high rate, and other very "productive" word become the vocabulary of the world, and soon enough Christianity become part of it.
We have been carried away with worldview of the world, that our spirituality is defined by speed and efficiency as well. There is no time for God, there is no time for Prayer, there is no time for the Word. Who can spare three hours a day to pray and contemplate with God in solitude? Who can spare their precious productive hour on daytime sitting in one corner of the room with the words and prayer? Only Monk can do that! Therefore, our spirituality has lost its beauty, and Grace of God become very efficient as well.
Contemplative spirituality in my view tries to bring that point across once again. What have been practiced by the Church Father probably still something that we need even more today. Some method might be theologically debatable but the core and the heart of it is still the same. We are too fast, we are too ambitious, we are too rushed, and too insecure. We afraid to loose our catch, our productivity, if we have to slow down and just sit down with God.
We are too greedy, we want all things for our benefit, even the spiritual one. God need to bless us so much, but we cannot wait.
Ironically, Adventist whom we suppose to be the defender of truth, with our great teaching of "Day of Rest" are often the most restless people encountered. We even clogged our Sabbath day with OUR activity, for other day is OURs and God can only function on Sabbath. Spiritual life seems to went down with the Sun, as we pray at the Sundown worship.
This is still the great lesson that i have to learn, and yes i am determined to learn it. How to live up a life that is Centered on God in the term of time, and relationship.
Well, the accusation given to contemplative spirituality is the practice of meditation and solitude that "technically" mimic the monastic practice of spirituality and eastern mysticism.
I am not going to discuss theologically here, about the pro and con of it. But rather what i have learned from contemplative spirituality for my personal growth. There is something very important, something very true that often we as Christian has neglected so much that when other religion got it, we become so fearful losing our identity.
We are living in the world today that i believe, overemphasizing the importance of productivity, and result as the definition of success and achievement. Well, blame it to the Industrial Revolution. As a matter of fact with the advancement of industrialization, it comes with the urge for higher productivity. The heart of industry is product, for product defines profit, and profit defines success. So the word speed, efficiency, high rate, and other very "productive" word become the vocabulary of the world, and soon enough Christianity become part of it.
We have been carried away with worldview of the world, that our spirituality is defined by speed and efficiency as well. There is no time for God, there is no time for Prayer, there is no time for the Word. Who can spare three hours a day to pray and contemplate with God in solitude? Who can spare their precious productive hour on daytime sitting in one corner of the room with the words and prayer? Only Monk can do that! Therefore, our spirituality has lost its beauty, and Grace of God become very efficient as well.
Contemplative spirituality in my view tries to bring that point across once again. What have been practiced by the Church Father probably still something that we need even more today. Some method might be theologically debatable but the core and the heart of it is still the same. We are too fast, we are too ambitious, we are too rushed, and too insecure. We afraid to loose our catch, our productivity, if we have to slow down and just sit down with God.
We are too greedy, we want all things for our benefit, even the spiritual one. God need to bless us so much, but we cannot wait.
Ironically, Adventist whom we suppose to be the defender of truth, with our great teaching of "Day of Rest" are often the most restless people encountered. We even clogged our Sabbath day with OUR activity, for other day is OURs and God can only function on Sabbath. Spiritual life seems to went down with the Sun, as we pray at the Sundown worship.
This is still the great lesson that i have to learn, and yes i am determined to learn it. How to live up a life that is Centered on God in the term of time, and relationship.
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