Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Spiritual Maturity: The Whole Elephant
    Spiritual Maturity: The Whole Elephant
    Spiritual Maturity: The Whole Elephant
    Ebook222 pages3 hours

    Spiritual Maturity: The Whole Elephant

    By Leslie Reynolds

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    piritual Maturity: The Whole Elephant provides a look at spiritual maturity for both spiritual seekers and the spiritually/ religiously committed. It provides a glimpse of the whole elephant, to use a term based on the Hindu metaphor of the blind men and the elephant.
    It contains widely diverse answers to ten defining questions about spiritual maturity. These questions include: the characteristics of spiritual maturity, the relationship to psychological and moral maturity and to social action and the culture, stages to and which organizations support attainment, alone or in community, how to support others on the path, and where you are.
    The answers are given by thirty spiritual leaders--not leaders of the national or academic variety, but leaders of the shoe leather variety: clergymen--Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and New Age; university professors and a psychotherapist; monks and sisters; a Native American; followers of Islam, Hindu, and Buddhist practices; members of 12-Step programs and a human development trainer; an African-American Sufi and black Baptist deacon. It is spiritual maturity made accessible to everyone.
    It closes with the reflections of a university professor after viewing the Holocaust Museum, providing a glimpse of the possible cost of holding on, so rigidly, to our specific understanding of who God is and his possible plan for us.
    Imagine a dialogue among people who hold very different points of view. The group consists of a Bible church pastor, a law school professor, a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, the abbot of a Zen monastery, a Roman Catholic sister who is an instructor in Spiritual Direction, a Baptist worship leader, and a Methodist pastor. Imagine two of them as reluctant participants: one, the member of Alcoholics Anonymous, because he is not exactly a fan of organized religion; the second is the Bible pastor, who appeared suspicious of mingling with other leaders of non-Bible based religions. The dialogue follows:
    Always the teacher, the law professor begins by giving his definition of spiritual maturity: Coming of age in the spirit. While everyone nods wisely in agreement, they then realize that they all have differing definitions of spirit and even of coming of age.
    The Methodist pastor picks up the thread. The person would have an awareness of the divine in life. They would have a sense in which they would understand that which we call God and feel some connectedness and relatedness to that God. Looking around for agreement, he continues, They would be able to utilize the rites and rituals of their faith in an effective manner with as little sense of magic or mere wish fulfillment as possible. They would be able to give witness to that in a variety of ways, whatever is appropriate that comes with their setting. He points out, aware of the diversity of the setting, that what he was saying could be taken in the broadest possible sense. This application would apply to a Buddhist, or a Muslim, as well as a Christian.
    Afraid that the conversation might digress, the Baptist worship leader enters the conversation to qualify: Its not something we can produce. Its Christ-likeness produced inside us through friendship with the triune God. He explains that what spiritual maturity means to the Christian is Holy-Spirit maturity. He elaborates: he means Holy-Spirit-produced maturity...



    Nodding in agreement, the Buddhist abbot says, I think there is a certain spiritual maturity that comes with people who are really into any spiritual practice--deep into whatever spiritual practice. They seem to be open to all others--seem to have respect for one another.

    That would be wonderful if we all had that openness to one anothers spiritualities. I encountered my own prejudice:
    All human beings have particular biases--beliefs that we hold to be true, whether we are aware of them or not. One question I asked, rather awkwardly, of

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherXlibris US
    Release dateOct 15, 2001
    ISBN9781462834570
    Spiritual Maturity: The Whole Elephant
    Author

    Leslie Reynolds

    Leslie Reynolds is a Spiritual Director who guides people on their paths to a deeper relationship with God. She has a Ph.D. in Counseling and a seminary degree. She has always been a spiritual seeker. While at this moment a committed Christian, she has participated in diverse spiritual traditions and practices. She often shocked her conservative fellow seminarians by saying, “I just don’t think we have the whole elephant,” referring to the well known metaphor of blind men experiencing an elephant. Dr. Reynolds has one published book, Mormons in Transition (Gratitude Press, 1996; Baker Books, 1998), and numerous magazine and newspaper articles. Two other of her books will soon be available from Xlibris, Street People: Case Histories of the Homeless, and After She’s Gone: Sons and Daughters Speak Out.

    Related to Spiritual Maturity

    Related ebooks

    New Age & Spirituality For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Robin Ince Is On The Road

      Mar 27, 2023

      This year continues to be one spent mainly touring bookshops and libraries, so it is time spent with the best people. We live in a world of anxiety with a low hum of panic around us, so each act of kindness becomes increasingly powerful. I was recent

      3 min read

    • Article

      Mindfulness In Action

      Apr 23, 2019

      Mindfulness In Action
      6 min read

    • Article

      Starting Over Is What’s Hard: The Millions Interviews Mary Laura Philpott

      May 15, 2019

      It’s frighteningly easy to settle into being someone you don’t want to be, because that settling can happen so gradually. The post Starting Over Is What’s Hard: The Millions Interviews Mary Laura Philpott appeared first on The Millions.

      7 min read

    • Article

      The Dark Side of Awe

      Jan 29, 2024

      The Dark Side of Awe
      10 min read

    • Article

      Shelf Life

      Apr 6, 2023

      Shelf Life
      6 min read

    • Article

      The New 2022 Nonfiction

      Aug 17, 2022

      The New 2022 Nonfiction
      13 min read

    • Article

      THE WD INTERVIEW Dani Shapiro

      Oct 30, 2019

      THE WD INTERVIEW Dani Shapiro
      11 min read

    • Article

      Amy Tan's Lonely, ‘Pixel-by-Pixel’ Writing Method

      Dec 10, 2013

      Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself” helps remind the Joy Luck Club author to capture the “microscopic” details that make her characters unique.

      8 min read

    • Article

      Clearly, God Loves Me: The Millions Interviews Nada Alic

      Sep 21, 2022

      "The whole point of art is to ask, 'Are you seeing what I’m seeing?'" The post Clearly, God Loves Me: The Millions Interviews Nada Alic appeared first on The Millions.

      8 min read

    • Article

      The Write Stuff

      Oct 1, 2019

      The Write Stuff
      4 min read

    • Article

      Dr. Anouk Aimée Shambrook

      Sep 19, 2023

      I’M A BLACK BUDDHIST teacher in a troubled America. I was raised in a conservative white town in Southern California. My Haitian mother and Irish father raised my siblings and me Catholic. They also introduced us to Buddhist philosophy. Maman would l

      2 min read

    • Article

      What I Learned When I Googled My Students’ Crimes

      May 3, 2019

      As I walked through the door of the Sing Sing Correctional Facility in New York, I was directed toward a first-floor classroom. Instead of the lines of prisoners led by guards that I’d seen at a previous facility, the hallway was swarming with men in

      6 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Ella Baxter

      Dec 6, 2021

      The lowest standard I hold for a book is that I want it to be so psychedelic, so completely discombobulating, that I am torn asunder. I want to read words that turn my bones to dust. The post A Year in Reading: Ella Baxter appeared first on The Milli

      4 min read

    • Article

      Makes What Me, Me?

      Apr 14, 2022

      Makes What Me, Me?
      9 min read

    • Article

      Words Are A Way Through

      Jun 2, 2022

      Words Are A Way Through
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Power Of AWE

      Feb 14, 2023

      The Power Of AWE
      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Spiritual Maturity

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Spiritual Maturity - Leslie Reynolds

      RQabook_preview_excerpt.html\rFv~!d+%%HvE3&G}\$G>>IjoRI>}~z$owok>.6ޙЅWΚ .էU0F6fh!ܚ~Tڄb`6ahፕq!tU;mgU3վۚ~PzFUjq^w\ގ>t&a[xy8ve~܅i4Z#?j3gs* /7{M?.yv=EruNS~y7n0=W+m5>Ӵҟړ08<=;ɟ_^.{ }kRvcwЍ_m|O{3ܽ-nC0Wm!fBE=ּр׽&0ʎ~ hq{cC MRKW%Ŝ5sTU(ɓжS[3S9mTzcۿ@˶/3 aߙPy<=ƤXf 0x,'SrkqDaY-2 @  }~2U t!F1z5h޸7yb3/߽YI{Qb~yTiv]`O 'mD@!w_]bsɶ賰o rg~f2H) e4in% &9YC"~~rK0tG/)w 2ev82pIeo 58MT) ;^Nj,zo?`˝P~#ZcK_v]h[AL dְl-ş{l=wN@ ܻY'n/*Eh94a >n Î(f.!غIB(ש_ WcEQ ōE"YD#o0sƄr[ayz}1v$?ƣ J\YI|rV5+bXBm">B{B}OssGoCuVz uYx[bÇ1J;8\C4 ܏z} ^8Y&`+Z OnK= Wpef;yg[mx`70\zt O}ꣅϥ"簆u^>:u' RZq*LC34aY<<]hS˲:i=m!t-s t{梧đŵ:#J}z:duCԍbmu]qJp0x,d ɻ[w0d@xjΨ=K/6~3x nō>NqX;*$RmU~Rva66 &,֞4~vyCc bSp!elXO\vz>F E5#j`|q,@MK,*fǢm o)̉۹āµA#[+ƴb5~LW ? eLhd' NX>J N]}Ww]-f--2hdbܯI7RjpI[I ysC$']֍6BhJ:>cu9m^XU2 d`H&r{/;kYvB1~y޺t~HRJ #2 a{(nI`ܨG"n !c, ڏ/|~E{_~,ٹN|BBw$=5&M'&ZTL+.S'<OXޒP{TvWHp rd>18@`~Stu\X]I6w0ցAi'A^"({VA rkJxT堩&=5AEQKQ^ BsUo5zѬrgq`A_wX 0TkZkC%;qcuPl-HfxUzAyQfd@G&~$1!NE!++*a (K}~9{usRzwgs͋y<9{e_~gG+5Î/ן o#ra٭c_?Z)0LDhu1m*e@,Lu5]DazEQ9u'| =.ɛם9`.+@"+7|p ίЁ=ȷ h@g!畹τζ+P2p V7o+-25ӎi >?).v:.(OBouTeA@R+|N]#l?Y)v۞4$N.S-ȳ`¬Wg8@Dg LmtԜqFK|@2!ƕP"OQ0/@Q"&p̚v1w 6%߰򰙚7V#}޸q͘tQ%8Zhfk>5HH1vX9<0 lOav5W*QQϙQ60@m*vGFB[ dJ~< 0QJe}jb B VhYZ=M?3:6ū!anj @M9ʢYJ9!z9fl+k[CX@%Z Ff߻̷KEhѿ"|ՁT/aNvZ X+q=hY̊NၛIwO(ڮuV35OeYK2>q,C:j\Iҫ DU/@>ZKzFgβҖ&&@*0&Fb(:ZJŤse7su \z;+ŀ婮< uN Y*&S-<}Տ/g91"J>WHXmK_gZe8탤,tLvk,K7v`Xힸl[?),D{C+\ Q<175!bEdQ5#m RUZϊTҩ;aQvRAg>  eA͝('IOFmmc?1}"Saݺjd2Lɰ",f<\!ҵ(..yV/KoZu`%4Vc!.Y˙%0ͺ$"㜉H~`QmJAVa;O2^1;vV9!u]kuKA&Yk${?&UR^V4H̕6VJ"UHjn T6Ii٢ӀHX A̖ˋm8,`T)ݫvÁmC@%̷3wnߒ SURn8J {Uvh94xHNWa7h4S[>Yp:wONB\(SGgD;)rN{Ӿ% _ⷯF:8o-["g,ݐqRzdBf'lvZl4X55 LdnO)hĒ~T0ט ΚOj;嚥4D&@d*5 P\/Got0FHoG^kiM(l?<'Mz+90gScWZ2eAjiZ4J:{Bkx7kfM777ArNMCֹ 9|":+V'=!yؕqw^[RKe}@bs|ߤ.-Tw݊I;W_1.XA0/2?։M*w7u.,kGI˧N߄ =Rw.k_:$X:)_͕py,Q6V>J0/?Jj[i_<5w*ljzz >>! f{j3 i=ϬI{lwuwceC^>p1mWI\5Ο$C%j x p3j_aLwDiѲM _` z2KZ!N[%Nj#b5CjYI^ .cy} {^SM _\2:44.9gq!<S4CkuLY3|+VΤ+}Ƥ9ԡ `(P-Rc)8B,~7( ?"SZlcd@Qœ")εE%wZs>+=]o[\ܕXbkˈ :3f4+XQ5 09Pd9dkF(N'r)jwp!UKmhaER3ÛBNmJ NBUF64IKH6(\^6ʼ6SF50v` I (#<ـۅQl\ 7q'J NeJ:K&.)nĊ}GŖjR,ct66Ȣrh~-꜖j\ t:~{ R[3q󀠯3̗0:A##!өKᴞ sqy2Ɇ&'ON'aS,qk̝fN Wy*;͞K3̀3eI)n2*(Gb)XwHF\9tvNɹ |'U&_Omz9Z ھgZuqHU O}Ei{d@]qY"1{{ypr$y%|͕t)&&wkq~RbP)oxLM^{9ߘ:,oƐC3YInNtuW4 y673Te/uA`}8{*)hmK͔RIt+N& v]dϴ2zܰkzLmxŔ1]pzbeA% cC |KmvHE-&԰=5XFSN3N/ȅæ r;d0_vm㗫I9 4q5*0 Q3C2ѴnX#9H}"3)g&>4;T0fIHJl3R"փ&^S9=K w}-puGRf3bR^5Wz?Nbnz5ʕkk@Jro5_>h~e)3 x;b}HCPa[, E|=Fi^&H 6J=rg, ?)rA%PmĝHEYDͤ.7җ:z:B5"dxd36RžH A^(D&K9e=o,9K'Xhr9zJ^3-:)/cY}) r[⹥ 5 g@yGlTE&U<" s拗Vz `#E%<hܔ8[ QȃI!N-H :42bؒٳ되qKy "xڌW4}wT.}ﵸvuԷ܆q=DN*:/yc蔷uf763 ҄[~2`)+|muugE/Ւܗ9U +E-n#"蕔3ٹ%MX 괷 ɐ\4}#B.:@Sx>٪]&GIuk$l=B蒉Xܱ)E=0T;وNl #eڀ^\~@Jb COܗm-1ôR)0% ;s&(C._u⽦ 9M1UϥӪzJe;6OuvZ3&Y|Gir6֚?%vE!t1x-H'b^"AF 3\jktA9h*3]};(C(}U}(3ҥh@.-u5_QnN馵4 U`*@mTk~%>Nf5]p.MuE ԪY2sxo#'% tHZK,J`>h6&TMLm<;8ʢf6mm?NN3 iN+:gmsRLF t.rj ;nmWgfTϚ=/?a9yw\#[/ &qNЦRְwu7Fj:%^˘DO'rIQ9&R"r:ѓi9NgjIQyE%tYX֧k6!Wb_)VxᎾHI?®Cu}ya 2B\/`'1L(7wAMXUY\i^[ڳTLpM 3wcJϔU-@.''%/2+TXiᖸ;LLav;摥=h#^&2L 1V ^LC+ |QJI
      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1