Rediscovering the Spirit: From Political Brokenness to Spiritual Wholeness

By Lowell Greathouse

How do we come together when things around us are falling apart? What is the best way forward when we are faced with political turmoil, a global pandemic, civil unrest, and spiritual wandering? Rediscovering the Spirit is an exploration of the critical spiritual principles we need to understand and embrace in our current social reality. The book focuses on the nature of the inward-out movement and how to deal with current social barriers that cause deep division and alienation. We can come together in whole and harmonious ways when we rediscover and activate our spiritual lives through centering, framing, practicing, and learning how to live with others.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Release date: Oct 16, 2020
• ISBN: 9781725285224

Lowell Greathouse

Lowell Greathouse is a retired United Methodist minister. He served as a pastor in local churches in Oregon and Idaho. Lowell also worked for United Way of the Columbia-Willamette, Community Action in Washington County, and Catholic Charities in San Francisco, and he has been involved in a variety of community-based projects over the years.

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Rediscovering the Spirit

From Political Brokenness to Spiritual Wholeness

Lowell Greathouse

Rediscovering the Spirit

From Political Brokenness to Spiritual Wholeness

Copyright © 2020 Lowell Greathouse. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.

Wipf & Stock

An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers

199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3

Eugene, OR 97401

www.wipfandstock.com

paperback isbn: 978-1-7252-8520-0

hardcover isbn: 978-1-7252-8521-7

ebook isbn: 978-1-7252-8522-4

Manufactured in the U.S.A. 09/17/15

To Susan, my life companion, and to all those who have brought joy, challenge, and insight to enrich the journey.

Table of Contents

Title page

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Part I

Chapter 1: Measuring What We Are Really Worth

Chapter 2: An Inward-Out Movement

Part II

Chapter 3: Centering

Chapter 4: Framing

Chapter 5: Practicing

Chapter 6: Living with Others

Part III

Chapter 7: Barriers to Making Progress in Our Spiritual Journey

Chapter 8: Recovering the Spirit in Times of Political Peril

Chapter 9: Dealing with Conflict

Chapter 10: Vocation

Epilogue

Bibliography

Acknowledgements

Rediscovering the Spirit is the result of much more than just putting words in a book. It is the culmination of countless hours of conversation, significant life experiences shared with others, and a number of epiphanies and serendipities that have taken place along the way. Because of this, there are a number of people who simply must be acknowledged and thanked for their part in bringing Rediscovering the Spirit to fruition.

First and foremost, I owe special thanks to my wife and life partner, Susan. We have shared life together for nearly forty years, beginning with our trip to the Honduran border with El Salvador and Guatemala as an international delegation to the refugee camps located there in 1982. Thanks to her insights, willingness to be a sounding board for my ideas, and her ongoing spirit of adventure, I have grown as a person and as a writer over the years, even as we have grown together as a couple. Raising a family and having two thoughtful, caring daughters in Lindsey and Kelly, represent the deep joy of our journey.

I am also grateful for having had two amazing parents who helped me think about life more deeply, as well as be socially aware, from the very beginning. Many of the things I have focused attention on in this book are the result of watching and learning from them years ago. Part of this work is also the result of many hours of conversation with my two brothers, Mark and Gordon, who share many of the same concerns that I discuss in Rediscovering the Spirit. In these ways, this book is a kind of family album.

I have been blessed by having a number of remarkable work settings in which I was able to live out my deepest values. I also had many teachers along the way, who inspired me and guided my thought development and spiritual growth throughout life. These teachers and mentors include John Whiteneck, Doug Nelson, Jim Barlow, John Roth, John Snortum, Alpheus Mason, Mary Harris, Marvin Chandler, Richard Foster, Rene Pino, among many others. It is a gift, beyond words, to have mentors and guides who are willing to share their experiences and perspectives.

My research and study for this book has also been deeply influenced by important historical figures who have helped shape my understanding of life, including Abraham Lincoln, Mohandas Gandhi, Jesus, Harriet Tubman, Albert Schweitzer, Howard Thurman, Oscar Romero, John Howard Griffin, Martin Luther King Jr., Robert Kennedy, Sergio Mendez Arceo, Nelson Mandela, John Wesley, Henri Nouwen, Paulo Freire, and others. Their life journeys have helped me shape my own understanding of the world in ways that have influenced how I approach spiritual and political matters.

Studying theology, civil society, human psychology, and spiritual dynamics first at Claremont McKenna College as an undergraduate and then at San Francisco Theological Seminary and Azusa Pacific University provided me with important settings, colleagues, and teachers to test my ideas and learn from others about spirituality and the interplay between personal and social settings. I am also grateful for having attended the Parliament of the World’s Religions on two occasions, in Melbourne, Australia in 2009 and in Toronto, Canada in 2018, so that I could learn from some of the best minds throughout the world, who represent so many different religious and cultural traditions. These experiences were true learning laboratories for developing the kind of spiritual life I discuss throughout this book.

Over the years, I have been blessed to be a part of many cross-cultural experiences. These experiences have not only shaped my understanding of life in profound ways, but have challenged my assumptions while deepening my spirit. This book would not be the same had I not had so many rich and varied opportunities outside my own cultural background. I have been blessed to learn about cultural differences at an early age and be part of a cross-cultural family, but was also fortunate to work with children from various cultural backgrounds in New York many years ago. Having the chance to live and work in Cuernavaca, Mexico, while in seminary and be with so many colleagues from various cultures over the years has deeply influenced how I see politics and spirituality. I have had many insightful teachers and friends who opened my eyes throughout my journey.

Because Rediscovering the Spirit is fundamentally about how one approaches life, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the names of those who have been a part of important conversations over the years. They include Devon Hartman, Mary Beierle, Mike Smith, Sharon Powers, Kenny Wood, colleagues from my work at Oregon Fair Share, Catholic Charities of San Francisco, Community Action in Washington County, and United Way of the Columbia-Willamette, as well as so many friends and parishioners from the United Methodist Church in Filer, Idaho, and in Lake Oswego, Beaverton, Portland First in Oregon, as well as colleagues from the Greater Northwest Area Cabinet of the UMC. Each of these settings informed what I learned about centering, framing, practicing, and living with others as a part of my own faith journey. My friends and colleagues have always been patient with my limitations and generous with their insights.

I have gained a great deal from being a part of the Writers in the Grove group in Forest Grove, Oregon. This talented, supportive community of writers has helped me grow as both a writer and a person. Mary Jane Nordgren’s guidance of this weekly gathering of writers has created a setting that inspires good writing and establish an environment of thoughtful critique among us.

I am grateful to the Wipf and Stock publishing team for their support and work with me as a first-time author. Their experience, encouragement, and skill have been instrumental to bringing this effort to fruition.

Finally, I’m thankful for those who read and provided helpful feedback to the earlier versions of my manuscript, including Frank Rogers, Dave Richardson, Julia Nielsen, Ann Farley, Mike Smith, Gordon Greathouse, and my wife, Susan.

It is clear to me that a book such as this does not happen in a vacuum. It is the culmination of many people’s insights and experiences. I deeply value being a part of such an amazing community of friends, colleagues, and family.

Introduction

From Political Brokenness to Spiritual Wholeness

Imagine for a moment what it would be like to stand at an intersection and observe the aftermath of a tragic accident. There is a lot of damage to take in. There are people calling out for help. Some are running to assist, while others are running away. There is a lot to see. At moments like this, we discover what we are truly made of.

Today we stand at a critical crossroads as witnesses to an awful set of circumstances that have created widespread frustration and social dysfunction. In all the confusion, we have lost track of many of the spiritual essentials that give life meaning and connect us with each other. It is time to intervene, change our ways, and do something different, significant, and bold.

Something important has happened, and we can no longer ignore the ramifications that have been exposed. We see the evidence in our politics and economics, but the most lasting impact has taken place within us—spiritually—as we try to make sense of our world and live our lives. This situation has evolved in recent years, as we continue to neglect the fundamentals of spirituality and underestimate their importance to our future. We do so at our collective peril.

If this wasn’t clear before, in the spring of 2020 the realities involved at this critical crossroads were exposed in powerful ways as longstanding racism and institutional injustice were revealed through the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers, as a major pandemic swept across the globe, as unemployment reached levels not seen since the Great Depression, and as governmental and religious leadership failed in many ways to be a positive agent of change, reconciliation, and social advancement. Yes, we are at a critical crossroads where a tragic accident has taken place, and it is not just political in nature. It is deeply spiritual, as well. What happens next depends on all of us.

It is time to name and address these matters head on, step back to reflect on what has happened, and then proceed to find a new way forward that honors spiritual realities and longstanding wisdom teachings. Rediscovering the Spirit is an attempt to do this by reframing our current national crisis and division along spiritual, rather than political, fault lines. Even if the political warfare in the United States were to cease immediately, we would not be out of our current turmoil. If we do not reorient our spiritual lives in healthier ways, we simply will not heal our individual and collective souls, nor make progress as a nation.

Fortunately, what many refer to as spirit continues to be very much alive and present in the world, even if we are not accessing its value fully. We depend upon spiritual understandings to give meaning to our days, provide a framework for our view of the world, and sustain us in difficult, turbulent times. At the crossroads where we currently find ourselves, we need to make a crucial turn and venture forth in a new direction.

For years, I’ve had the words only those who can see the invisible can accomplish the impossible¹ displayed in my office. These words remind me about the importance of paying attention to those things that, while at first are invisible to the naked eye, describe the essentials we need in order to navigate our material world in meaningful ways.

Spirituality is at the heart of what it means to be a human being who is fully alive. Countless religions and faith traditions demonstrate this essential truth. Our time on earth is about both the ticking of the clock and the beating of the heart, about physical reality and spiritual presence. As human beings, we have a deep desire for life to have meaning and substance. To be alive is to experience the world through the senses and be aware of how our heart and mind process these experiences, attaching value and purpose to them. These are the invisible components of living. Spirit is the mortar that ultimately holds things together and gives them shape and value.

Our world is made up of material things, and we need to pay attention to them in order to function on a daily basis. But all too often, we get caught up in the material world and in the politics that define us in a given time and place. If we aren’t aware of the importance and presence of the spiritual realm that infuses all of life with meaning, we will neither understand nor appreciate the totality of our existence. Failing to attend to the invisible dynamics in creation makes it nearly impossible to discover wholeness and integrity as individuals or as a society.

In the fall of 2019, my wife, Susan, and I made a seven-week 9,500-mile journey, driving across the United States and visiting some twenty-five states. During our travels, we saw a number of remarkable, inspiring sites that depict our nation’s story and reflect its natural beauty. We were often surprised by the spiritual dynamics that were a part of many of these experiences.

In Memphis, Tennessee, we visited the Lorraine Motel and the National Civil Rights Museum located there. Much could be written about the power of this museum and the story it tells about the history of the African-American experience in our nation. The site is filled with pictures, displays, and stories that depict the long, harrowing journey of this community through American history. It moves from the hardships and suffering of slavery through the inspiration and accomplishment of the Civil Rights Movement. It is a place immersed in the physical realities and the political turmoil that was a part of this long history.

When we came to the end of the exhibit, we found ourselves standing at the actual room (Room 306), where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spent his last hours. It was a very ordinary physical space with two beds, a nightstand, and dresser. There we found ourselves standing just a few feet from the place where he was shot and killed. It was here where I experienced something much more powerful than simply a personal reaction to what was in front of me physically. Suddenly, I moved to a spiritual, transcendent place where I reflected on Dr. King’s life and witness.

It was as if I could hear the words he’d spoken the night before at the Bishop Charles Mason Temple Church of God:

I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will.²

Then a series of questions flooded in: What took place within Dr. King’s life to lead him from the comforts of seminary in Boston to the segregated South in the first place? How was he able to speak out against social injustice and racial oppression against such great odds? Where did he find the inner resources he needed to risk his life on behalf of others for so many years? How did he find the courage to make his way to Memphis, Tennessee, and the Lorraine Motel in the spring of 1968?

Dr. King must have known that he could die at any time because of his convictions and willingness to stand up for freedom, justice, and human rights. As we stood there, these were the questions that this place of holy ground invited me to grapple with. It is why spirituality, which is inner work, always proceeds the actions and physical activities that are a part of our lives.

As we left the Lorraine Motel, there was still more to our experience at the National Civil Rights Museum. After standing at Room 306, we walked across the street, where the museum continued in a small building located there. It was the boarding house where James Earl Ray rented a room in April 1968 and at 6 pm on April 4th raised his Remington rifle and assassinated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I had an eerie feeling in this place. Here I was looking out a boarding house window onto the balcony in front of Room 306 across the street. That was the spot where Dr. King stood in 1968 when he was assassinated. It was through this window that Ray positioned King in the scope of his rifle and pulled the trigger. Standing there, I felt death lingering in the air all these years later.

The whole experience reminded me of something I heard Daniel Berrigan say in a seminary class I attended: Who dies first, the killer or the victim? It is a rather strange question on one level, but when you reflect on it, you realize that this powerful question is about one’s inner spirit.

What happened moments earlier at the Lorraine Motel where Dr. King died, happened again at the boarding house window. Now I was pondering these questions: Who was James Earl Ray at this point in his life? What had happened to his spirit prior to April 4th that led him to take the life of a man standing across the street? How did his inner darkness lead him to raise the barrel of a gun that evening and change the course of human history?

Spirituality is about these kinds of deep questions. They are questions related to the good and evil that dwells within us. Our responses to these inner questions determine who we become and how we spend our lives in the material, political world.

It is in the spiritual realm where we grapple with the critical existential questions of life:

•Who am I? And who are we?

•Why am I here? And what are we called to be collectively?

•How shall I live? And how shall we live together as neighbors?

These are the issues that take us on a journey in which we explore the spiritual life and determine why our time on earth matters.

When I look at my own life, the spirit reflects those hidden life forces that impel, compel, inspire, and draw me toward certain people, events, and physical realities. I can’t explain these things through simple logic, material well-being, or return on investment. They simply matter inside—at the heart of who I am. They are the essentials that bring harmony or dissonance to my very being. They affirm life, connect me to others, and produce joy and meaning in my life.

Why reach out to a stranger in need or become interested in someone who is different from me? Why give time, energy, and money to causes I’ll get no material return