Category: Spiritual Formation

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Connection the Dots – Authentic Presence

The idea of authentic presence is that when you are engaging with someone you are truly present with them. If we look in the Book of Acts we see the early church living in community. They were taking care of one and other. They were providing for each others needs. They were present for each other. For many today I think the idea of authentic presence is a lost art.
Wil Hernandez in his book, Henri Nouwen and Spiritual Polarities, describes three things that we need to practice in order to be authentically present with others. These three practices are solitude, hospitality, and prayer. Nouwen would talk about this in terms of our inward, outward and upward focuses.
In solitude we are able to best understand who we are. To be present for others you need to be present with yourself. As you become better at understanding yourself you are better able to relate with others in a deeper, more intimate way. To be authentically present. If you remember how I am using the word authentic, authentic presence is where the other can truly sense that your are there with them and for them.
Carla Dahl in her book Becoming Whole and Holy, defines hospitality as “the ability to create a space in which others can recognize and experience the presence of God.” When we are authentically present with others we should be creating a space where they can feel you have a genuine concern and/or connection to what they are saying. You in a way have become “God’s ears” in the conversation.
In prayer we deepen our presence with God and in so doing we create an environment for ourself which can then be used to create a sense of hospitality for others. If I am being true to myself then my relationship with God needs to be reflected in and through my authentic presence with others. 
I have just given a brief introduction to each of these practices: solitude, hospitality, and prayer. In the future I will come back and flesh them out in greater detail. In the mean time here are three things to think about as you practice the art of authentic presence:
  1. Spend some time alone getting to know yourself
  2. Create an environment of hospitality where God is center stage
  3. Take time to cultivate your presence with God
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Connecting the Dots – Key Words

[My blog has moved to a new home http://www.lrtministry.org/scotts-ponderings/]

This is the first in a series of posts I am calling Connecting the Dots. A tool I use as part of my spiritual reflection is called The Grand Examen. In this exercise the first thing you do is take time to reflect on things you have been learning from a variety of sources. The next step is what I call “connecting the dots.” You look for the themes, ideas, words, scriptures, etc. that seem to be running through your reflections. Today I want to look at some key words that have come up in my reflections from the past several months. These words are authentic, genuine and true. These words all have a similar meaning yet each lends it own nuances to my larger reflection. This is how I have defined each one of these words:

genuine – being or reflecting the essential or genuine character of something authentic – conforming to fact and therefore worthy of belief true – not pretended; sincerely felt or expressed

I want to pause here for a moment to say that words are nothing more that a series of letters arranged in a specific way that have then had some meaning given to them – that is I am not as much intrigued by the words authentic, genuine and true as I am to the the idea or meaning that comes from them. A couple of weeks ago I was listening to a speaker and he was using a word to present an idea that for me based on how I defined the word was flawed. Half way through the presentation the speaker took the time to define what he meant by using the word and I then understood his context and the idea that he was getting across. This wasn’t some unique or seldom used word, the word was “happiness.” I share this story simply to show that when we use words we should also define what we mean by them. The context for these three words come from a number of books that I have been reading. The ideas presented were authentic presences, genuine presence, genuine ministry and true-self. The first, third and the last come from writings from or about Henri Nouwen and the second comes from a book by David Brenner. Over the next few weeks I will be exploring each of these ideas authentic/genuine presence, genuine ministry and true-self. Each of these ideas or topics feeds into our transformational process of becoming more like Jesus.

But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:16-18 ESV)

In your own life have you taken the time to slow down and see what God is teaching you? What have you been reading about? What have you been hearing people say? What obstacles or opportunities have presented themselves to you? Write these things down and start connecting the dots.

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Listening

It’s Sunday morning the 1st of April 2012 and I haven’t spoken with another person since early Friday evening. I am finishing up a three day retreat at Pacem in Terris just north of Minneapolis. Pacem is a wonderful retreat center with 15 or so hermitages (small cabins) scatter about on 120 acres of wooded land. I wish I could say that I come here regularly but it seems that it only works out to be once a year or so.

Every time I come to Pacem it seems that I have a different purpose – at least that is what I think, God sometimes has a quite different agenda. My purpose this time was simply to listen – listen through scripture – the Gospel of John, listen through reading – Becoming Whole and Holy by Jeannine Brown, Carla Dahl and Wyndy Corbin Reuschling, and listening through prayer.

Listening – what does this mean? I haven’t blogged for the past 3 months or so because I have been listening. Listening to scripture as I am attempting to read through the Bible in a systematic way (Prof Horner’s Bible Reading System). I have been jotting down scriptures that jump out at me each month to see what God is speaking to me. I have been listening but I haven’t taken the time to hear. I have the texts but I haven’t taken the time to hear what they are telling me.

You see we have gotten quite good at listening without hearing what the other is saying – it doesn’t take effort to listen but it does take effort to hear. I come to Pacem because getting away from the everyday things helps me to not only listen but also to hear. But even here it takes effort to hear. As I read my mind drifts to other places, I highlight or underline key thoughts but then I need to return to them to hear what they are saying, as I pray my mind drifts and I need to refocus to hear that still small voice of God.

So what am I hearing? From Carla I am hearing about the social science side of formation – the role of love as a formation strategy – by loving God and loving others we are becoming. As Carla points out its not the idea of loving God and loving others that is difficult its the praxis of loving. Also, we need to create an authentic, hospital space where we and others can be formed. This is what Jesus did so well.

From John it was tied to the the end of the Gospel where Jesus is entering Jerusalem for the final time – the shouts of joy that so quickly turned to shouts or crucify him. But then you have His resurrection and charge to us to love and serve others.

For God – this one I am still trying to discern. I have been thinking about a new ministry that I will be launching – LRT Ministry (more on this coming soon), working with Prison Fellowship about a new reentry program at Stillwater prison, writing projects, doctoral studies, sermon prep – just a variety of things that I have been sitting on for awhile. For now I encourage you not only to listen but to hear what God is saying to you through whatever mode He chooses to communicate with you.