last one! phyllis and i had fun sitting at my kitchen counter yacking away about a topic that unfortunately we know far too much about–church refugees. good, amazing people who for all kinds of reasons have “left” church. if you are just now reading, check out part 1 and part 2. i know there are some who might say “why are you promoting church leave-ers” and there are many others who would say “aren’t we over this conversation yet?” and my response is “um, there are lots and lots of folks who are floating-around-out-here-in-la-la-land-and-lost-all-they-once-knew and you might be over it, but they’re not. they’re gasping for breath, trying to find their way. so whether you understand it or not, it’s real.”
i believe God is far bigger than the institutions and boxes we humans try to put God in. and i believe God speaks in all kinds of ways far beyond christian small groups & sermons & worship music & the Bible-according-to-the-one-sure-interpretation. and i also believe that when people are displaced out of all they once knew, sometimes connecting with God, opening hearts up to God, experiencing God is far from easy and free. it takes practice to break beyond the confines of past spiritual experiences & expectations & all kinds of language & baggage that go along with it. in this last video phyllis fleshes out some ideas of spiritual practices that can help church refugees open up to new possible ways of connecting with God & themselves in new, unfamiliar ways.
if you are a church refugee, what are some other spiritual practices that have helped you along the way? please share so that others can glean from your experience, too.
[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/13417733]