Spiritual Reflection: The Spirituality of Leadership

A simple way to understand leadership is through the word “influence”.  A mother or father feeds, loves and teaches their baby – that is a kind of leadership.  A teacher helps a group of children to learn more and more complex knowledge and skills – leadership, again.  In any human relationship there is the potential …

Spiritual Reflection: Temptation…or Contemplation?

I am part of one of the most tempted generations in history.  Today in the West, we have power that would have been undreamt of by previous seekers of spiritual truth. Many of us can eat what we want, when we want; we can travel nearly anywhere we want in the world; we can own …

Reading Stories of God

One way of approaching the Gospels is as stories of God. The Gospels are collections of stories about Jesus.  Some people talk about “pericopes”: short sections of a few sentences, or more, that tell one complete story.  We think the Gospels were basically collections of stories that had been passed around by word of mouth, …

The Spirituality of Jesus (4) – The Seeker

Jesus was a seeker.  He sought out followers and he responded to people’s requests. In particular, he seeks out people on the fringes of society: people whose lives are not respectable; the “tax collectors and sinners”. “It is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick.  I have not come to call the …

The Spirituality of Jesus (3) – The Mentor Leader

In my previous posts on this theme, I have explored how Jesus had a spiritual life, his relationships with other people (1); and how he had a mission to bring healing and wholeness (2). He also had an amazing, charismatic pull to him so that people flocked to hear him speak, people went to him …

Spiritual Reflection – In my beginning…

"In my beginning is my end" wrote T.S. Eliot.  Our "end" means our purpose - if we know how or why something started (like an argument, or a problem), we can gain insight into doing something about it.   Discovering meaning and purpose is also part of the spiritual quest... In some ways, human life …

The Spirituality of Jesus (2) – Healing and Wholeness

I wonder how many people are searching for healing and wholeness today?   And to what extent is this a spiritual search? Many of the stories about Jesus in the Gospels involve healing: the healing of mental, emotional, physical and spiritual diseases.  The Gospel writers see this as Jesus’ spiritual power of goodness that banishes evil …

The Spiritualities of Christianity – Spiritual Conflict

Bosch, 'The Temptation of St. Anthony" Spirituality can be about silence, inner peace and universal love.  But it can also be about conflict: temptations, trials, doubts, pain and death. Bosch’s painting “The Temptations of St. Anthony” (above)explores this well.  St. Anthony is actually alone in the desert, praying.  But he is not alone.  His world …

The Spirituality of Jesus (1) – Prayer, and People

Jesus, who is described in the four gospels (see previous post), is a man of spirituality. Two aspects of his spirituality are of interest in this post: firstly his personal spiritual life; and secondly his relationships with other people. Personal Spiritual Life Jesus believed in God.  He prayed to God and spoke to God as …

Inspiring Paintings: Miraculous Feast

  Miraculous Feast   When the angels Mingled with mortals   And his presence Was felt   In bread And in wine.   Tintoretto - The Last Supper