Who Sparks Our Creative Passions, Who Comes to Us in Bread and Wine
ALONE WITH MY THOUGHTS
I have tried to take spiritual retreats where I go to a quiet place armed only with my bible, a journal, and my thoughts. It usually is a miserable time. I struggle to hear God’s whisper of truth just for the sake of my personal edification. I hear stories of amazing retreats of this nature taken by friends and colleagues. I am always a bit envious. I get too distracted with my random thoughts and don’t come away with much besides frustration. I have learned to take a different type of retreat.
GLORIOUS SAWDUST
The best kind of spiritual retreat for me is to block out some time to do all the things that I love, that I don’t have time to pursue in the everyday. It starts with putting on my favorite shirt, one that people don’t exactly want to see a pastor wearing. I am wearing it in the photo on the top of the page. It says, “Legalize Marinara.” Then it is off to the grocery store where I buy my favorite foods. I cook up my favorite things, usually this involves a charcoal grill. Then I go the wood shop at Milwaukee Maker Space and make lots of glorious sawdust. With no project in mind, I just examine my collection wood and see what speaks to me.
NIGHT SAILING
If it is summer, I also make a late night trip to the boat for night sailing. To go night sailing is to know its benefits. When you are a mile out of the city, under the starry sky, it is so quiet, except for the sounds of sailing. You can hear water splashing against the hull and the gentle luffing noise the sail makes when you get lost in the moment, and head slightly off course. All of these things speak to my spirit in ways that little else does.
PASSION
One thing all of these have in common is the creativity and skill they take. Doing these kind of things produces passion in my life. This passion can then lend itself to our calling as children of God in the world. I am a much better pastor after taking time to work in my wood shop. I have more ability to hear the needs of others when my own needs aren’t drowning them out.
NICKEL SLOTS
I also believe that God calls us to be interesting people with something to share. Following our creative passions in life helps to develop us as human beings. I found myself walking through a casino a while back, in search of a new restaurant. As I walked through the smoky room, I noticed people sitting slumped over at nickel slot machines, pulling the handles. Its like they were working at a never-ending factory job. The blank looks of despair made me sad. I wanted to shake them and say, “We have been created for so much more than this.” For fear of being thrown out of the casino, I just kept walking.
CO-CREATORS WITH GOD
We often celebrate God as the creator of all things. I can’t help be inspired by many of the things I see in God’s good creation. Not only is God’s creativity inspiring but God has given us the unique ability to be creators. This is what it means to me that we are created in God’s image. When it is God’s creation that sparks our creativity we become co-creators with God in making this world all that it can be.
BALANCE
One of my favorite questions that I stole from my time with the Quakers at George Fox college is, “How is it with your soul today?” It makes me take stock of how much passion I have to give to others. The problem is that I sometimes forget to ask it. It is usually when I get too busy with life, that I miss the importance of balancing work with play. Then I know it is time for another “spiritual retreat.”
I would love to know what it is that fills your spirit with passion. Feel free to leave a comment.