My Spiritual Journey

1. All the while I was going through everything, something kept me sane and hopeful and that was my faith in God. I wanted to do something that could connect me more to God because somehow I knew he was the only one to help me heal and get back on my feet. And that was when my love for gospel music grew, that I even became a chorister. I loved singing and listening to gospel music and I believe that helped me a lot in finding my way back up.

What is spiritual formation? That is a question many evangelical Christian’s began to wonder as it became a popular topic of discussion within many Christian churches in the past twenty years. Dallas Willard in this article takes a look at that question throughout this excerpt from a book he wrote in 1999. Throughout this piece he takes an in depth look at what spiritual formation looks like in different contexts. He begins with what it might look like for the average person walking down the street, but then transitions to what it should look like in the life of a believer in Jesus. Willard is thorough in giving us what spiritual formation is and even why it is such an important part of the life of a Christian.

I’d like to state the most obvious observation that I’ve made about spiritual formation; that is that I will always need to be seeking for ways to nurture my personal spirituality throughout my life. I know that to most people this may sound like a “duh” statement, but for me it has truly become a reality and one that I must admit I have been struggling to embrace. I was brought up in a church that, like most traditional churches, stayed happy living in the “comfort zone” of their Christianity. They took everything that the Bible said at face value without digging in to find out why they believed what they believed. I had never been challenged to look deeper into the text. In the past few years I have felt the need to tunnel out of this

My journey began with the death of a loved one-my grandmother. At the tender age of 15, I held her hand as she breathed her last. That one memory has influenced all that I have endeavored for.

My spiritual formation took a new turn when in 2013 my parents’ house was burned down in an arson. At that time, I was living with my parents. Since, the house was not insured, our local church and our acquaintances in the neighborhood helped us financially so we could rebuild our house, while a family in the neighborhood gave us shelter at their house. The love and care of the

When I left treatment for alcoholism in June of 2007, the person who picked me up told me I needed to find a church. He told me it was not about religion, but about spirituality. So the search for my spiritual home began. I looked at fundamental Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism and Metaphysics at Unity. I found my spiritual home with Unity and metaphysics.

My ongoing journey with faith has been complex. Growing up, I was surrounded by a family full of preachers, teachers, and other persons of God whose highly saturated faith background and deep loyalty to the church shaped my world views. Deeply ingrained into the fabric of my past was devotion and servitude to something I couldn't quite grasp; it was something that I found hard to believe and difficult to commit to.

I find religion redundant and superfluous. Inevitably, my parent's Mexican and catholic values have contaminated me. While attending church every Sunday is not on my to-do list, I do believe in miracles. I do not pursue a religion, but miracles are real. I know this because I am one. My predators are not bullies or drugs. Instead, my predator is hardship itself. I’ve shaken the hand of death and prejudice, but I yet haven't shaken the hand of my college professor.

My path currently can be best described as, finding my way on my spiritual journey but with no particular church or denomination. To explain, over the years I’d experienced many hardships and twists of paths in life where I’d question much of what I’d learned as a child. My bitterness and rebelliousness often lead me to feel as if I was left alone and unfulfilled by any type of worship. Although, these feelings have often changed as I’ve aged and most recently my struggles have pushed me in a direction to find myself once again. Also, I feel this class comes into my life at a great time where I’m feeling a bit incomplete and lost in terms of my purpose.

Chan makes an effort in his book to talk deeply about theology and spirituality and integrate them together. He points to me issue with my spiritual reading. He mentions that our Bible focus on clarifying the meaning of the text first before applying it to life. He points out that spiritual reading should be concerned with the Bible as the Word of God that calls us to God. Therefore, I should change my approach to the reading. I should always remember to have this question in mind when having spiritual reading - “how does this particular text tell the Christian story of which I am a part” (p.159)? Also I have to be disciplined in my spiritual reading to have “openness to God, humble listening and willingness to obey” (p.160).

With each passing day, I began counting them down and marking them off on my calender. In the mean time, as I observed new patients entering the program, I could not help but notice the excruciating extent of suffering drugs and/or alcohol subjected them to. Most of them appeared almost weightless as if they were suffering from starvation. The texture of their skin appeared dried out, pale and wrinkled. The impotence they endured over their drug(s) of choice was obviously tormenting. Likewise, A glimpse into their burgundy colored eyes told practically their entire story as I could virtually feel the pain thumping inside their chests. Repeatedly, I observed storm-like tears slithering down their cheeks as their faces implied how clueless they were about what to expect. I was forced to ask myself, “how much of what I saw was me?” I continued to question whether

I would like to reflect on a few key moments of my spiritual journey from childhood that has led me to my call to ministry. I do believe that as the prophet Jeremiah was called before his birth (Jeremiah 1:5) that some are called and know their purpose from an early age while others find their path later after stumbling through life. Perhaps it might be that they have heard the call but were uncertain or unwilling to answer the call. Looking back on my life’s journey, I can see the “God moments” and how they have influenced my faith journey.

“FLY IT LIKE A MUSTANG!” he shouted, so I shoved the stick all the way over and a view of the earth completely filled my right window as we came around. Oh man!

My faith journey has been challenged throughout my life. I have had many ups and downs, and many times when I questioned my faith. Although those times were rough, I found comfort in God and knowing that He is always there for me. One of my favorite quotes is “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” Philippians 4:13. This quote got me through tough times when my faith was shaking.

My journey with God started in February of 1993, when I went to a ladies’ conference in Columbus, Texas. It was while the speaker was explaining that she knew there were some of us out in the audience, who felt guilty about something they had done in their past, and they did not feel that God could forgive them for it. But then she quoted from God’s word; “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, not principalities, no things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:38-39 NASB) The speaker continued on to say that all we need to do is