What strange ways do you connect to God?
For the record, I love preaching, prayer and worship music. I have spent an enormous amount of my life dedicated to working these three things as potential wasy to help people connect to God. I have probably listened to thousands of sermons on tape or mp3 over the years, and preached about 500 myself.
All that said, I often find that if I can connect to God outside of preaching and worship music, it can be super-helpful. I think that because this is my life work, at times, I can feel like “I’ve gotten as far as preaching will take me at the moment, I need something fresh.”
I have found a lot of help in non-worship music. I know its cliched, but Bono has been my companion for many years. Lauryn Hill, Beethoven and Nickel Creek have been there too.
I also, strangely, have really enjoyed studying business models. Not just as ways to strategize about church. I actually find it fascinating how people reflect God’s creative image in the creativity and daring of powerful corporations. This summer I’ve been obsessed with baseball, and especially with Henry Aaron. His life is so tragic, and yet heroic. There is a lot to learn from him.
I know a lot of people are into movies- I’m not so much. But some TV shows have been helpful metaphors- Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The West Wing, and a few others. I’m not much of a fiction reader, but I know that helps a lot of people. I also really enjoy wandering around neighborhoods looking at houses and talking to God about my life.
I’d love to know strange ways you connect to God?
Category : Uncategorized
manual labor with friends
*Art Museums (believe me, seeing Jackson Pollock’s work up close & personal is one of the most profoundly spiritual experiences of my life)
*Poetry readings or any readings, for that matter
*Riding a horse on an open pasture
*Visiting something natural but immense (Lake Superior is one for me) to see the majesty of God’s creation
*Really amazing food
*Any Ken Burns film
I didn’t peg you as the horse riding type.
Ah that breaks my heart Jeff. I actually own a horse. Apparently it’s a well-kept secret in the Mercy crowd.
Actually, this Sunday I skipped church (sorry!) and went riding my Dad. He’s in great shape but has crossed the 60 barrier. One thing that I, selfishly, struggle with is his aging and more apparent truth that he won’t be around forever. His arthritis is bugging him and just recently I’ve started to help him get on his horse (whereas for most of my life it’s been the other way around). This makes each ride more and more precious as he ages. This past Sunday, it was absolutely gorgeous and there were hundreds of monarch butterflies out on the valleys we ride along. My dad brought up a conversation years ago we had while riding: I was maybe 12 and totally freaked by some Sunday sermon where the pastor talked about how awesome heaven is–so awesome that we don’t even recognize the people we loved in our previous life on earth. I was totally freaked by this thought and started crying because I didn’t want to go to heaven if it meant I would forget riding horses with my dad that particular summer that had brought a record number of monarch butterflies to Minnesota. My dad avoided laughing at my theatrics and just responded: “You know what? I think God is so good that He could make this our heaven. Just me and you…and our horses…and our butterflies.” I don’t know how theologically/biblically sound this theory is but it deepened my trust in a Creator who appreciates a nice autumn day with record numbers of monarch butterflies.
I’m just saying Jeff–get on a horse, appreciate that the beast could kill you but probably won’t, feel it’s breath, enjoy the monarchs, and you’ll probably see the grace of God in that moment.