What are you longing for?

What are you longing for?

How would you answer that question?  Are you longing for a Klondike bar?  A vacation?  Some peace and quiet?  Each of those things is good.  I would take one of each. :)

But that's not what I'm really asking.  What are you longing for in your heart of hearts?  Are you longing for more?  Are you wanting to go deeper than where you are now?  Do these questions resonate with you?  Do you sense a hunger and thirst?  If you've been following my blog from the beginning, you've learned of my call to go deeper and you've learned about some of my journey. 

I'm just now being able to articulate (to express in words) what I have felt deep in my soul for several years.  [NOTE:  Most folks will know what "articulate" means.... I wrote it that way for an eccentric geeky friend who speaks better English than I do.  I came up with "express in words" while this person simply said "articulate".  sigh.   I don't claim to speak English, only Spanish and French.  Before you ask...yes...English is my native language.]

This "deeper".  This "longing for more".  Where is it taking me?  On a journey to and through spiritual disciplines (spiritual practices) as well as on an exploration of church history and theology.  Several courses that I took at Asbury Theological Seminary stretched and challenged me through our readings and discussions.   Some books on history and Christian thought that I read in those two years: Documents of the Christian Church by Bettenson & Maunder, Readings in Christian Thought edited by Hugh T. Kerr, The Story of Christianity by Justo González.   That's just the tip of the iceberg on the books that challenged me.  I'll mention more later.  I'll probably talk about some of them too. 

I picked back up a book today that I purchased in 2007.  Longing for More: A Woman's Path to Transformation in Christ by Ruth Haley Barton.  It was staring at me from the shelf, so I took it down.  I had read more than I remembered.  Here are some things I underlined back whenever I first read it:

• "How does one experience spiritual transformation even when our outward circumstances are not what we would choose?  What are our choices when we feel we have none?" (14)
• "The only thing that kept me going was my longing for freedom to follow God more fully and my growing awareness that the movement toward freedom is indeed the heart of the spiritual journey." (16)
• "...the call to freedom required them to take risks, to leave some things behind and move into unknown territory." (17)
• "The road to transformation always seems to lead us through the wilderness--that solitary place where the chaos in our soul starts to settle and it gets so quiet that we can finally hear the still small voice of God with clarity." (17)
• "The sovereignty of God permeates our lives as well, although we don't always see it.  God is putting together a package in each of our lives, preparing us to make a unique contribution to his kingdom.  We need to ask ourselves, What have I come to the kingdom for?  Why has God brought me to this particular time and place?" (54)
• "Often what we see as limitations are God's training ground for unique usefulness to him." (55)
• "One way to become more intentional and disciplined about living your life according to God's purposes is to actually chart out your purposes, priorities and plans." (60)

And, that's where I am in the book.  I have quite a few pages left to finish it. Why today?  What does this book have to say to me today?  To you?  I don't know.  

What do I know?  These things: life is a journey and I choose to see this journey as an adventure.  It is an ongoing learning and transformational process with ups and downs and twists and turns. 

Throughout this journey I am seeking to be more intentional and disciplined about living my life according to God's purposes.   I am working on my (revised) rule of life.

Why "revised"?  Because life changes.  We change.  Flexibility is key.   My life isn't the same as it was three years ago when I wrote my first "rule of life".   Maybe I'll post my rule of life, my map, once I get it worked out.

How are you coming along on your journey?  Where are you?  Do any of the quotes from the book speak to you?  Which ones?  How will you respond?

Remember to share your journey with someone else.

~Debra