First session of the course given by Pastor Becca Ehrlich at the Lutheran Summer Gathering at Silver Bay, July 2016.

1. Pastor Becca Ehrlich
Christian Spirituality:
Connecting to God
Lutheran Summer
Gathering @ Silver Bay
2016

2. Welcome!
• Quick intros!
• Name
• Where are you from?
• What about this course appealed
to you?

3. What is the course?
• Today we will do a quick intro on
Christian Spirituality
• The rest of the week, we will be
spending the first half of class time
looking at 2-3 different spiritual
practices
• The second half of class time will be
time on your own to try these practices

4. What will it be like?
• Over our time together, we will look at and
try different styles of spiritual practices
• Antenna– Each of us have a frequency
that we hear God best on
• The best spiritual practices FOR YOU will
tap into that frequency
• The best frequency for you may not be
the best frequency for someone else
• Goal: Find some practices to incorporate
into your own spirituality when you leave
• “Turn judgement into curiosity”

5. What is Spirituality?
• Connecting with something bigger than us
• Involves meaning
• What is the meaning of life?
• Why are we here?
• What is my purpose?
• Many different traditions
– Spiritualities can be informed by a religion,
but don’t have to be
– “Spiritual but not religious”

6. What is Christian Spirituality?
• What makes Christian Spirituality different
than other spiritualities?
• Jesus is at the center: connecting to God
and understanding life’s meaning through
the Christ lens
• “How has Christian humanity throughout
its history understood what it is to seek
and know God?”

7. Christian Spirituality Heavy
Hitters
• We can learn about how to connect
with God by hearing about how others
before us have done it
• Different styles
• Different philosophies
• We will look at just a few today (it would
take many courses to cover it all!)
• As we look at these– which resonate with
you and your views on spirituality and
God?

8. Mysticism
• Mysticism: Becoming one with God
(union) and/or experiencing the
presence of God. Those who practice
this are called “mystics”
• Started in early Christianity and hit its
stride in Medieval Christianity
• “Mystical experiences”: experiencing God
in a powerful and supernatural way
• Mystics in many traditions; Christian
mystics focus on Christ

9. Early Christian Mystics
• Origen: Spiritual life as a journey back to God,
recognizing our true nature (made in God’s image)
means that we can connect back to God through Jesus
despite our shortfalls
• Gregory of Nyssa: Stages of spiritual growth and
progress– God speaking to Moses through light, cloud,
and “divine darkness”
• Augustine: Too much to cover! “Double knowledge”
(knowing God intimately and knowing yourself
realistically), transforming our desires from selfishness
to selflessness, God’s transformative grace, said to
God, “You have made us for yourself, and our hearts
are restless until they rest in you.”

10. Middle Ages & Early
Renasissance Christian Mystics
• Hildegard of Bingen: “psychic cosmology”
(interdependence of all things), visions and
experiences of God as “Living Light”
• Francis of Assisi: focus on Christ and the mission of
salvation, help people to see God’s goodness, mercy,
and love, helping others, stigmata, “Lord, make me an
instrument of your peace”
• Catherine of Siena: God’s love shown to us through
Jesus’ sacrifice, integration of spirituality with life’s
actions
• Julian of Norwich: use of the word “mother” for God
and Jesus, the mystery of God’s mercy and
redemption in the face of sin and evil

11. Late Renaissance, Reformation
& Counter-Reformation
Christian Mystics
• Ignatius of Loyola: Society of Jesus (Jesuits), serving
Jesus together in Jesus’ love, faith-filled perspective
at the heart of all service, Spiritual Exercises
• Teresa of Avila: Friendship with Christ central to life
and spirituality, four degrees of prayer (water from
well, water turned on, water flows from river, water
falling through rain), spirituality as castle with seven
mansions and many rooms, Jesus dwells at center,
goal is union with God
• John of the Cross: God brings purification and purging
to the soul, spiritual journey brings people into
darkness and into “dark night of the soul”

12. Modern & Contemporary
Christian Mystics
• Thomas Merton: God as central to life, taking time for
silence and prayer to stay open to God
• Dietrich Bonhoeffer: importance of Christian community,
importance of discipleship and all that goes with it,
importance of being involved in the world and what is
happening
• C.S. Lewis: God’s grace pulls you in from unbelief to
belief, practical faith that connects with daily life
• Henri Nouwen: “theology of the heart”, being able to
help others because of the pain and suffering we have
experienced, Three Movements (Loneliness to Solitude,
Hostility to Hospitality, Illusion to Prayer)

13. Discussion
• Which mystic sounded like you could relate to him/her
the most? Why?
• Have you had a “mystical experience” before? If so,
what was it like?
• How does the idea of experiencing God’s presence
make you feel?
• For more reading on these Christian Spirituality heavy
hitters: Christian Spirituality: An Introduction to the Heritage, by
Charles J Healey

14. More On That Antenna
• We are “tuned in” to God
the best on one station,
but other stations come
in as well
• 3 Colors of Your
Spirituality by Christian A.
Schwartz, part of the
Natural Church
Development resources:
Blue, Red, and Green,
with 9 spiritual types

15. The 9 Spiritual Types
• Our
each.

16. 9 Spiritual Types
• Our spiritual type falls
into one of the three
colors, or between two
colors. Our opposite
types are across the
wheel
• Having a spiritual type
means that we have
strengths and
weaknesses relating to
each.

17. Strengths/Weaknesses

18. Spiritual Growth
• First step is getting
comfortable with your
“antenna” and spiritual
style
• Next step is to
experience other spiritual
styles besides your own,
to stretch how you
experience God
• This is why you are
encouraged to try new
things during this course!

19. Experiencing God
• The main goal of this course is to help you
connect with God and experience God’s
presence.
• By learning about and trying different types of
spiritual practices, you’ll be able to not only
figure out what style(s) are your antenna, but
also find new ways to experience God and pray
• Openness is key– to new experiences and new
ways of thinking about and connecting with God
• “Turn judgement into curiosity”

20. The Course
• Each course session we will learn about 2-3 spiritual
practices in the first half of class time; second half of
class time will be for you to try these practices. You may
not get to try all of them in the time allotted– feel free to
try them in your spare time as you feel moved to do so.
• These practices are designed to touch on as many
spiritual styles as possible, so you may not find
everything “works” for you, but you will find that some
practices help you “tune in.” But you don’t know until
you try!
• You can go anywhere you want to, to try these
practices. You may stay here, or go outside, etc. Just be
mindful of others who are in class, etc.
• At the beginning of our time together the next day, we
will talk about what it was like to try the spiritual
practices from the previous day.

21. What Will Be Learning/Doing
• Tuesday: Lectio Divina, Breath Prayer/
Centering Prayer, Creative Movement Prayer
• Wednesday: Praying in Color, Journaling,
Walking the Labyrinth
• Thursday: Prayer Walk, Using a Picture/Icon,
Charismatic Renewal
• Friday: Examen, Faith Five, Prayer in
pairs/groups

22. Questions or Comments?
•Closing in Prayer