Spiritual Building Blocks: Using Our Head, Heart, & Hands to Love God, Our Self, & Neighbors

By Marshall Welch

Spiritual Building Blocks takes the greatest commandment and uses it as the cornerstone in building a spiritual foundation to help notice Gods presence in our everyday lives. Part 1 begins by unpacking the greatest commandment into six essential parts: God, the self, our neighbor, our head, our heart, and our hands. The opening chapters answer common questions about spirituality and its relationship with religion. Part 2 presents a variety of spiritual practices and exercises using our head, heart, and hands as building blocks to nurture our spiritual lives as we love God, the self, and our neighbors. Some of these practices may be new while others may be familiar but reframed in a new way. Personal stories by everyday people illustrate many of these exercises. Spiritual Building Blocks was written for individuals or small groups interested in deepening their spiritual lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 26, 2015
• ISBN: 9781514407226

Marshall Welch

Marshall Welch is a commissioned lay pastor in the Presbyterian Church USA and a certified spiritual director who conducts individual and small-group spiritual direction. Marshall earned his diploma of arts in spiritual direction and doctor of ministry at San Francisco Theological Seminary. He also teaches innovative classes and workshops on spirituality using gardening, nature, music, and popular films.

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Copyright © 2015 by Marshall Welch.

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Rev. date: 10/20/2015

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CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1: How Do We Be Spiritual?

Chapter 2: What Do We Mean When We Say Spirituality?

Chapter 3: Who Is My Neighbor and How Do I Love My Neighbor?

Chapter 4: And While We’re At It….Who Am I, Anyway?

Chapter 5: Where and How Do I Find and Keep God In My Life?

Part II: Spiritual Building Blocks

Introduction

Block I – The Head Chapter 6: God + Head

Chapter 7: Self + Head

Chapter 8: Neighbor + Head

Block II: Chapter 9: God + Heart

Block II – Chapter 10: Self + Heart

Block II – Chapter 11: Neighbors + Heart

Block III - Chapter 12: God + Hands

Block III - Chapter 13: Self + Hands

Block III - Chapter 14: Neighbor + Hands

References

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. [Biblica]

Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible copyright © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scriptures marked as (CEV) are taken from the Contemporary English Version Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®). Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Website

Scripture quotations marked NRSV are taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Copyright © 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Website

Dedicated to my friends, companions, and teachers in the

Diploma of Arts in Spiritual Direction Program

San Francisco Theological Seminary

INTRODUCTION

T HERE ARE MANY…MANY books on spirituality. Most of them are really good books, too. To be honest, a whole bunch of them have been used to shape this book and are cited throughout these pages. So why do we need one more? What makes this one different from all the rest? These are good questions.

This book is for Christians who are curious to learn more about spirituality. Some Catholics seem lost and dis-enfranchised from their tradition’s dogma and doctrine. They are looking for ways to live out their faith. On the other side of the spectrum are many mainline Protestants, especially those who are not quite so sure about this whole spirituality business that can sound very mystical, touchy-feely or even down right un-Protestant. At the same time, many Christians have a hunger or need to go deeper into what has been their religious experience. It is common to hear this type of individual say something like, There must be something more that I’m missing or not getting. This book is designed for that person. It’s also for those who are already exploring ways to deepen their spirituality.

This book uses two designs or formats that most of the other books don’t have. First, it is written in a voice that is conversational and accessible to just plain folks. While the content may be based on theological or theoretical stuff (because that is important), it’s presented in a straight-forward manner. It is not intended to be a textbook.

Second, reading books tends to be a passive, intellectual affair (which can be a good thing) in which the reader expects the content to simply wash over them or be poured into their head. This book is designed to move from the passive accumulation of information to actively engage you. You will be invited to interact with the ideas by literally writing responses to questions posed on the pages. There’s a word for this…it is intentionality. You’ll read plenty more about intentionality as you go along. So, this book might take a little more effort. But that can work for you if you read this with others and then share your written responses on the pages with each other. That will be a return on your investment and it is a chance for reflection and contemplation on what you wrote as well as on what you hear from others. And while we’re at it, sharing with others is a form of fellowship, which also happens to be a spiritual practice.

The book has two parts. The first part begins with questions many Christians have about spirituality. So each chapter title in Part I is a common question. The responses to those questions in the opening chapters provide a good foundation to build from. A framework for spirituality is presented as the cornerstone of that foundation as everything will be built around it. That cornerstone consists of one verse from the Bible known as The Greatest Commandment. We will un-pack what the words mean and simplify the essence of it into six basic parts. Because spirituality can be or seem so big and complex, Part I of the book will provide you with a tool called a discernment cube that you can literally handle and help you get a grasp of that scripture. Don’t worry…it is not some mystical crystal ball or portal into the cosmos. It truly is a tool you can use to help guide you on your spiritual journey. In this way, you’ll not only get your head around it…you’ll get your heart and hands around it too.

The six basic parts of our understanding of spirituality become the basic cornerstone for creating and living a spiritual life presented in Part II of the book. This section of the book consists of chapters or building blocks that provide a description of specific ways or exercises you can use.

Each chapter has the same features and format. A brief scriptural passage is the first thing to read. In this way, we begin by focusing on The Word. It is followed by a quote from a famous person that helps frame the narrative. The text of the chapter is interspersed with reflection boxes that allow you to stop and process the information along the way. The chapter ends with a summary reflection box. You will be invited to write down your ideas, feelings, and possible next steps in the margins or in a personal journal. These chapter summaries will come in handy if you are reading this book as part of class or group, as you can use your reflection responses as part of the discussion.

CHAPTER 1

How Do We Be Spiritual?

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this; you shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.

~ Mark 12:30-31

Spirituality is a highly relational process of becoming fully human to grow in compassion and sensitivity to one’s own self, others…and to God.

~ Sam Hamilton-Poore

Authentic spiritual life, biblically and historically, has always held together the love of God, self, and neighbor.

~ Tilden Edwards

W HEN CHRIST WAS asked what was the greatest commandment (Mark 12:31-32) he replied by citing the ancient Hebrew scripture familiar to him as a Jew known as the Shema (pronounced Shmah ) found in Deuteronomy 6:5 – to love the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. But Christ went on to include a second commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. The adjective, greatest suggests that out of all the important things the Bible teaches us, these forty-plus words are the most important. All of the other scripture essentially builds off of this. The verse does not ask us to believe in something. It TELLS us to DO something – to BE a certain way. We are to love and be loving. Ben Campbell Johnson and Andrew Dreitcer remind church leaders that, spirituality not only encompasses attitudes of the heart and the practice of spiritual disciplines, but also includes all the ways we live our lives before God (p. 2).

Be. This is an interesting and complex verb. Shakespeare even took note of this and asked us to ponder it. Be is an action that implies we are to do more than merely exist. Existence is an automatic, mechanical state. You just are when you exist. To be and be-ing is something else. It implies a nature or quality in how we live. Living is not the same thing as existing. God breathes life into us so we can be (Genesis 2:7). That breath biologically and physiologically sustains us and keeps us going so we can be. The Latin word, spiritus, means breath and it is the root for our word spirituality. This notion of breath is a strong and powerful image and metaphor. The whole notion of the Holy Spirit is based on this. In this context, spirit does not mean a ghost or specter – it literally means breath of life. This life-giving breath allows us to be and the greatest commandment tells us HOW to be. THIS is the basis of spirituality and we will unpack spirituality in much more detail in the next chapter and throughout this book. So, as a heads-up, you will notice throughout these pages that the word be is often viewed as a verb and this is depicted by presenting it as be-ing or be-having, and be-coming to deepen our understanding of HOW to live.

So before we go any further, let’s take a moment to do a little exercise. Sitting right here and now, simply take a breath and hold it. You don’t need to take a huge, gulp of air as if you were blowing out birthday candles or getting ready to dive into a swimming pool – simply take a breath and hold it. Do it now.

***

Welcome back. Now, just take another minute or so to jot down or take mental inventory of what you noticed or experienced during those few seconds of holding your breath.

This exercise has been conducted a number of times in various settings, including retreats for religious leaders of churches from various denominations. In a group situation, it is possible to discuss the discoveries that came from the exercise. Over the years, typical responses include statements such as, "I became aware of sounds in the room that I hadn’t noticed before, or I felt my body relax a bit, and conversely others have reported, I felt myself tense up because I was so focused on holding my breath. Still, some have shared, I became aware of my thoughts and how my mind wandered, or I suddenly became aware of others in the room. Finally, one brave and often somewhat reluctant individual eventually states the embarrassingly obvious, I had to exhale." Ah-ha! This simple revelation to this exercise is typically the first real lesson in spirituality for most individuals.

Most individuals miss the point that we must exhale because it is so obvious. It is, however, an important key to our understanding of spirituality. It becomes clear that none of us can sustain ourselves — quite literally — by merely inhaling. We cannot be just in-spired. To survive, we must exhale. We have no choice in the matter because we would suffocate otherwise. We are physiologically and biologically wired to inhale and exhale. Simply put, we are connected to the breath. Tilden Edwards is a well-known theologian and spiritual teacher who notes that breathing is essential to our physical being. He goes on to suggest that the breath is a symbol of not only God’s spirit, but our spirit as well. Furthermore, the process of inhaling and exhaling is a give and take, two-way street. Inhaling oxygen gives us life and exhaling carbon dioxide contributes to the sustainability of other organisms in the environment. Spirituality, then, is sort of like a two-way street or a give and take process. We will go into much more detail on this and unpack what we mean by spirituality in Chapter 2.

So — these two commandments are the foundation of spiritual development and spiritual formation because they tell us how to live and how to be – loving to God, to others, and to our self. Pastor and scholar on Christian spirituality, Sam Hamilton-Poore, suggested that spirituality is a highly relational process of be-coming fully human to grow in compassion and sensitivity to one’s own self, others…and to God (p. 85). Spirituality is how we relate. Here we note the triadic nature of this relationship brings us back to the same fundamental players named in Christ’s articulation of the two greatest commandments: God, self, and others. This is the first of two conceptual triads that will form the cornerstone of spirituality explored throughout this book. Stay tuned for the second triad that is introduced later.

The commandment succinctly tells us how to go about being relational – with our heart, mind, soul, and strength. It is also absolutely critical to note the conjunction used in the scripture. We are not commanded to love God with our heart OR our mind OR our soul OR our strength but rather WITH all four. Theologian Gerald May stated the contemplative way of love and life embraces the way of acting, knowing and feeling. (p. 192). These verbs – acting, knowing, and feeling – are embedded within the Greatest Commandment. The heart and soul are where feeling takes place. Knowledge and storing information takes place in our mind. We act with all our strength and our whole being. We use our hands to be active and physical. Tilden Edwards captures and describes this as the essence of our being that transcends but is integrally part of all our visible dimensions of body, will, mind, and feelings (p. 1). For the purpose of this book, we will be consolidating these dimensions into three parts: the head, heart, and hands. These three parts are the second important triadic structure that comprises the cornerstone of spirituality.

Unpacking the Greatest Commandment

There are just over forty words in the Greatest Commandment. It is easy to run our eyes over the words and not fully understand them. So now it is time to unpack and really look at the key words head, heart, and hands in this scripture. A particular component of this spiritual triad may resonate with individuals within a specific tradition more than others. For example, evangelical Christians who tend to seek and respond to emotional or ecstatic experiences may gravitate to the affective dimension of the heart. They like the celebratory rush of praise that comes from the heart. As a result, there is a kind of zeal that is demonstrated to others. Meanwhile, some mainstream Protestants from the Reformed Tradition may be responsive to the intellectual process associated with the head. The Reformed Tradition is a subset of Protestantism based on the teachings of John Knox and John Calvin that primarily includes the Presbyterian denomination, but other smaller groups fall into this category as well. This group tends to be up in their heads. Young people who are questioning or alienated from traditional religion and/or partisan politics tend to seek engagement such as service projects or mission work that produce and represent tangible work using their hands as a means of manifesting their spirituality.

It is important to understand that one of these approaches and responses is not more appropriate or better than another. Likewise, there are degrees to which an individual engages in one or more of these spiritual approaches. What is suggested here is an attempt to integrate the three spiritual dimensions which seem to reflect the original intent and meaning of scripture, resulting in a holistic spiritual formation. Again, we are reminded that the scripture uses the conjunction and and not merely or as we love God, our neighbors, and our self.

So, let’s unpack the main features of the Greatest Commandment to illustrate how they can be applied within spiritual formation. The commandment begins with love.

Love

In this context, to love God is a verb. Unfortunately, the power of this verb has been compromised in contemporary society; we love ice cream, we love our new shoes, we love the latest movie. As such, we have lost the meaning and understanding of what it means to love. The New Bible Dictionary noted the Hebrew word aheb often used to depict love, has a range of meaning as broad as does the English word, but in the context of Deuteronomy 6:5 where the greatest commandment originated, it is an inner force or might which impels to performing an action. Likewise, the Hebrew word ahavta, actually used in the Shema passage, means to have affection. The poet W.B. Auden succinctly defined love as an intense attention toward someone or something. We notice things when we pay attention. To love God is to pay attention and notice God’s presence in our life. For many, the first step on their spiritual journey may be to suddenly realize we don’t typically pay a lot of attention to God in our life and that realization is a good staring place. So, as the rest of this book will illustrate, an important aspect of spirituality means paying attention – noticing where God is (and isn’t) in our life. This does not mean literally encountering a burning bush like Moses. But it could be as simple as evoking a whispered Wow response of awe taking in the splendor of nature. It can also be on the flip side when we encounter or deal with frustrating people on the freeway or within our own family. That grr – moment is a trigger to remember God’s presence and reminds us to ponder how would God want us to respond in these situations. Writer Duane R. Bidwell reminds us that paying attention and noticing God’s presence is not a mountain top experience. Instead, it is looking and listening for indications of God’s presence and direction amid shopping for groceries, managing employees, cooking dinner, and walking the dog (p. 54). But the verb love is not all about us.

Theologian, Daniel L. Migliore defined love as the act of seeking and maintaining the good of another, which is the essential message of Christ’s ministry. Therefore, love is active and relational. In this context, love becomes a verb – something to do with others. It is an intentional desire and act of being with and caring for another. Love is compassion in action. As the scripture of the greatest commandment reminds us, the act of love is not only directed toward God, but to our self and to our neighbors as well.

But before addressing the second greatest commandment it is necessary to further