Week of June 20, 2010

  • Pastor Duane Cross
  • Jun 21, 2010

PATHWAYS

In a wonderful book by Bill Hybels, Courageous Leadership, the author describes 7 different pathways through which people learn and connect with God.  In the next few weeks, I would like to share them with you.  Sacred pathways are like doors that open into a room where we can feel particularly close to God.  We all have different personalities and spiritual gifts, maybe in understanding your pathway to God; you will be able to revitalize your own walk with God.

THE CREATION PATHWAY

            Now let’s take a look at people who tend to grow best and relate to God most closely when they’re surrounded by nature.  These people are the naturalists, the tree huggers, the green believers.  They come alive from head to toe whenever they are surrounded by natural splendor, be it mountains, deserts, plains, woods, oceans, or beaches.

            For these people, being in a natural environment dramatically increases their awareness of God.  They often draw direct spiritual meaning from nature.  People who love the mountains, for example, see in the massive rock formations a reflection of the rock-solid faithfulness of God or a manifestation of his unchanging character.  Desert-loving folks might hike in the heat of the mid-day sun to an oasis that offers shade, water, and refreshment.  There they find spiritual comfort and refreshment because they are reminded of the promise of God to restore our dry, dusty souls.

            Ask people with a strong creation pathway when they feel closest to God, and it’s a no-brainer for them.  Ask them where they would prefer to have their devotions, where they would most enjoy being with a small group of brothers and sisters, where they would most like to reflect for a while on their life, and they’ll answer, “Close to nature.”  We shouldn’t find this all that surprising, given that God created man and woman and put them in a garden.  So it’s just back to their original roots for these folds.

            Imagine what would happen if someone who was wired up like this actually put together a spiritual formation plan that allowed them to triple the amount of time they spend in nature.  What if they moved to a different location so they could live more closely to the natural world God created?  What if they included nature in their vacation plans, knowing that by doing so they would rest and refresh not only their bodies but their souls as well?  I believe that such a plan would almost guarantee people on the creation pathway a greater awareness of the presence of God in their lives.

 

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Pastor Duane

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