“Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.”
(James 1:22)

“Spiritual maturity is not knowing what to do with your whole life but just knowing what to do next.”
(Henri Nouwen)

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These are the best of times as far as the availability of books on spirituality.  A search on Amazon gets more than 30,000 hits!  However, this number must be taken with a large grain of salt because ‘spirituality’ has a broad range of meanings covering religious, new age, and atheist thought; not to mention psychology, sociology, and medicine.  Still, it is a staggering number, which suggests to me that despite rising secularism there is a widely felt hunger for a more meaningful, if not deeper life and connection with something higher than ourselves.  Christian spirituality has traditionally answered this desire by a process of re-formation of the human soul into the image of Christ.  By following the commands of Jesus, Paul, and others recorded in the New Testament, it is possible to become more loving, joyful, patient and the like.  It sounds straightforward enough, but it is a life that is elusive even for self-identified Christians.

The focus of this series of posts is on Spiritual Practice that emphasizes applied as opposed to theoretical applications.  This I believe has value to empiricists, like me, who learn by doing.  I do not present this as the only approach to spiritual growth as there are many well-worn paths paved by true spiritual masters.  What I offer here are practices that have “moved the needle,” so to speak, in my life and relationships.  These practices are not esoteric, but come directly out of Scripture, as well as being borne out by the best that psychology and various other faith traditions offer.

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Introduction

Ask most Christians whether they want to grow and mature spiritually, and almost all will say they do.  Who among us does not conceptually believe in the virtuous life taught by Jesus – one of compassion, forgiveness, purity, generosity, humility, and faith?   Who does not wish for a life of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, as described by the Apostle Paul?  Who does not want to be happy and a blessing to others?  For the most part, even those of other faiths or no faith tradition affirm these virtues in one form or another.  There is something in our common humanity and “the better angels of our nature” that yearns to live more sanely.  Except for a few unfortunate souls with injured or malformed hearts, a life of love, peace, and joy is surely universally attractive, transcending cultural and religious differences.

Just imagine living in equanimity, day-to-day, with an uncluttered mind and gentle spirit.  Being moved by suffering of all kinds and with the strength to weather the inevitable storms of life.  Living free from the ponderous weight of our pride, with greater compassion for those around us who also bear the weight of the human condition.  Although it may never be more than a beautiful dream, it is one from which we should never awake.  For this is the abundant life that Jesus sets before us.  It is also a life that few of us approach in the face of worries, fears, and so many pressing problems – relational, financial, emotional – and the habits we have built up to protect ourselves from them.

Indeed, for Christians and non-Christians alike, there are few who ever fully realize this kind of life.  This is attested to everywhere we look.  We see it in state of our world reported in any daily news feed.  We see it in the state of our nation with a deepening political divide.  We see it in the state of many of our churches where, as philosopher Dallas Willard wrote, “The Ten Commandments aren’t very popular anywhere.  This is so in spite of the fact that even a fairly general practice of them would lead to a solution of almost every problem of meaning and order now facing Western societies.”  And we see it in the state of our own souls for those of us fearless enough to take an honest look into the thoughts and habits of our character.

Let’s face it, we are up against it when it comes to making fundamental changes in our character.  It takes applied and sustained effort to awaken from the slumber of our daily lives, which are often marked by busyness, boredom, conflicts, loneliness, and/or anxiety.   Although we may sense the possibility of a different and beautiful life, it seemingly lies just out of reach on the other side of a river wide and deep that we don’t know how to cross.  It’s not that crossing is impossible, but either we never try to cross or else we misjudge the strength of the current and are swept away.  Case in point – New Year’s resolutions.  According to a Pew Research survey, roughly a third of Americans (100 million) made them in 2024, with only about 1% holding to them by the end of 12 months.  New Year’s resolutions are not the best analogy because for the most part they involve improving one’s health and finances rather than the deeper matters of the soul.  Still, there is a point of commonality insofar as retraining our ingrained habits is hard work, and practical guidance is essential.  Moreover, the older we get, the more set in our ways we become, and if we are not careful our character can become as inflexible as our joints and bones.

The premise of this series of posts is that there is a way across the river involving a straightforward application of Scripture as well as some well-known and some lesser-known practices.  These practices can help us bridge the gap between our desire to grow spiritually on the one hand, and actual growth on the other.  I write from my own faith background, which is following the teachings of Jesus, as well as the wisdom psychology and other faith traditions has to offer.  But mostly I write from my own spiritual practices that have evolved over the past decade or so.  I do not claim that this is the only way to cross the river, but I am confident that it is one way.  What may be different about what I am writing from many works on Christian spirituality is that I am focused solely on direct practical applications for a spiritual life.  I have nothing against theoretical, theological, and historical constructs, but I just don’t find them all that reliable for spiritual growth.

That said, I would make it clear that I don’t believe there is any “12 step” type program for spiritual growth.  No two of us are the same.  We have different backgrounds, different relationships, and different preferences.  Moreover, we are dealing with spiritual matters and a re-formation of the soul.  In regard to such things there is no law, no single and correct practice or discipline.  The forces that are at work when we set out on this journey we may never fully understand.  And so, all that is presented is done so in a spirit of openness and humility.

Summary of Practices

The one practice that is essential to transforming the soul is practice!

It appears so obvious that it hardly seems worth mentioning.  But surprisingly, it is not so often attempted as G.K. Chesterton famously wrote, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting.  It has been found difficult; and left untried.”  And to be clear, Jesus doesn’t equivocate in his teaching.  For example, he doesn’t say “A new suggestion I give you: Love one another.”  But rather, “A new command I give you: Love one another.” (John 13:34)

Indeed, practice is precisely what Jesus tells us to do, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24)  The same point is driven home be the Apostle James who wrote, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.” (James 1:22)  The words, “Do what it says,” roll easily off of the tongue, but upon serious reflection the mind says, “No, this can’t be done.”  The physical and emotional habits that have attached to our soul are like lichen on a rock and removing them can feel overwhelming.  Still, our habits are not lichen because our soul is not a rock.  And if we are unwavering in our commitment to re-formation and take it slow, change is possible.

Re-formation of the soul is an integrated process and any attempt to divide it is necessarily arbitrary.  It’s much like a functioning body insofar as different parts work together to make the whole.  Moreover, there is no particular order to the practices.  Here are four that I will write about in subsequent posts.

• Put on the new self (Ephesians 4:24)
• Put off the old self (Ephesians 4:22)
• Be made new in the attitude of the mind (Ephesians 4:23)
• Suffering produces character (Romans 5:3-4)

Crossing The River

On January 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 with 150 passengers on board took off from LaGuardia Airport in New York City crossing the Hudson River on its way to Charlotte.  Unfortunately, the twin engine Airbus A320 hit a flock of geese knocking out both engines.  In the cockpit was Captain “Sully” Sullenberger who had been a commercial airplane pilot for 30 years and an Air Force fighter pilot for 12 years before that.  He was also skilled in flying gliders.  Without power to return to the airport, Sully made a split-second decision to land in the Hudson.

You all know the story of how he made a near perfect water landing, slides deployed and all on board were rescued.  You may also know that after everyone had been evacuated, Sully himself walked up and down the aisle twice to make sure no one was still in the cabin.  A few months later an interviewer asked how he did it.  His answer is memorable.  “One way of looking at this might be that for 42 years, I’ve been making small, regular deposits in this bank of experience, education and training.  And on January 15, the balance was sufficient so that I could make a very large withdrawal.”

It’s hard to imagine the number of gauges that must have been flashing, alarms going off, voices in his headset, and ailerons and elevators needing adjustments to hit the water at the best possible angle.  Certainly, there was no time to think each one through.  Sully’s reaction was automatic, formed over years of practice and expertise developed through many thousands of flights.

In a less dramatic way, we all encounter “geese” every day.  We face geese whenever our desires come into conflict with those of others.  We face geese when we don’t get what we want, or when we get what we don’t want.  We face geese when we are too tired or too blind to see our habits and the effect they are having on others.  We face geese in the inevitable ups and downs of life.  Indeed, we are hitting metaphorical geese every day, and our reaction will depend upon the state of our heart as it has been formed through various disciplines.  Over time, through faithful commitment to our practices, we too may experience the kind of equanimity that Captain Sully did when he twice walked up and down the aisle of a sinking airplane.  Perhaps more importantly, others will be touched by ripples from what we do and so experience blessings beyond number.

With thoughtful, sustained practice we can find our way across the river that leads to love.

S