spiritual leadership
It is raining cats and dogs right now. This is California! It's not supposed to rain!
Anyway... I'm taking a class called Spiritual Life and Leadership. It's not as appealing as the title makes it out to be. We are studying Quaker clearness committees. Basically, it is about sitting in a silent circle and asking a particular focus person questions to help them with discernment. Today, I was the focus person. My issue was thinking about doing a Ph. D. program, a topic I will write more on at another time. There were some interesting questions asked of me, but nothing earth shattering. While I agree that helping people in their discernment processes is a big part of spiritual leadership, I was expecting more from the class.
So what is spiritual leadership? How does one qualify as a spirtual leader? How does one learn to be a spiritual leader? Was that something else i was doing before i got to seminary? If that is the case, what's the point of seminary?
In addition to my clearness committee experience today, I am also thinking of spiritual leadership in light of my marriage. I feel like I'm failing at the job of being the spiritual leader of my household. There are people at my seminary who would frown upon me even using that language. I know Marnie is feeling my lack of leadership. Right now, I don't feel like I have much to give in the realm of spiritual leadership. I've lost alot of my former disciplines; I don't pray as much, I don't study the Bible unless I'm actually studying the Bible, I have no desire to fast (I used to all the time)...
But are those things really what spiritual leadership is all about? Helping people to pray more, study more, fast more? Maybe in part. But shouldn't there also be a component of spiritual leadership that shows us how to be human? How to live in light of grace? I think part of my problem right now is that I have forgotten how to connect to the divine. In my pre-seminary days, the Bible was a huge part of that for me. Now there couldn't be anything less divine to me than the Bible.
Seminary is supposed to be making me a more complete spiritual leader. So far, I've learned how to be a presbyter, a performer, a liturgist, an exegete (whatever the hell that is), a theologian, and a scholar. What does genuine spiritual leadership look like?
Anyway... I'm taking a class called Spiritual Life and Leadership. It's not as appealing as the title makes it out to be. We are studying Quaker clearness committees. Basically, it is about sitting in a silent circle and asking a particular focus person questions to help them with discernment. Today, I was the focus person. My issue was thinking about doing a Ph. D. program, a topic I will write more on at another time. There were some interesting questions asked of me, but nothing earth shattering. While I agree that helping people in their discernment processes is a big part of spiritual leadership, I was expecting more from the class.
So what is spiritual leadership? How does one qualify as a spirtual leader? How does one learn to be a spiritual leader? Was that something else i was doing before i got to seminary? If that is the case, what's the point of seminary?
In addition to my clearness committee experience today, I am also thinking of spiritual leadership in light of my marriage. I feel like I'm failing at the job of being the spiritual leader of my household. There are people at my seminary who would frown upon me even using that language. I know Marnie is feeling my lack of leadership. Right now, I don't feel like I have much to give in the realm of spiritual leadership. I've lost alot of my former disciplines; I don't pray as much, I don't study the Bible unless I'm actually studying the Bible, I have no desire to fast (I used to all the time)...
But are those things really what spiritual leadership is all about? Helping people to pray more, study more, fast more? Maybe in part. But shouldn't there also be a component of spiritual leadership that shows us how to be human? How to live in light of grace? I think part of my problem right now is that I have forgotten how to connect to the divine. In my pre-seminary days, the Bible was a huge part of that for me. Now there couldn't be anything less divine to me than the Bible.
Seminary is supposed to be making me a more complete spiritual leader. So far, I've learned how to be a presbyter, a performer, a liturgist, an exegete (whatever the hell that is), a theologian, and a scholar. What does genuine spiritual leadership look like?
genuine spiritual leadership is what the holy spirit does. no human can do it. i say give yourself some credit (although i admittedly have difficult doing that for myself). as for classes not living up to their potential - you wouldn't believe how unfunny my biblical humor class is. shameful.
ps does this mean i should start posting on my blog again as well?
pps www.blogskins.com as per your email indication
Posted by
Kathryn Craven |
11:28 AM
Thanks, Kat! That's a helpful reminder to me. Today was a good reminder of the Holy Spirit's presence.
Yes, you should start blogging again!
Posted by
dlweston |
11:28 PM
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Posted by
Anonymous |
3:02 PM
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Posted by
Anonymous |
5:35 PM