The formula is there’s no formula

June 11th, 2007 by Marc

From an interview with David Goetz in the latest Cutting Edge magazine on his new book Death by Suburb.

The challenge of Christian spirituality is that there is no formula. People like a list of do’s and don’ts, but in reality it’s a life of following Jesus. True Christian sprituality is never a direct route. So instead, you develop a lifestyle of practices that open you up to God so that you can listen to him in the midst of this crazy world and see what happens. We cannot simply use willpower to control our life and our spirituality. It doesn’t work like that. But ongoing practices can open us up to all kinds of unanticipated things in God.

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This entry was posted on Monday, June 11th, 2007 at 8:32 am and is filed under books, church planting, leadership. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

4 responses about “The formula is there’s no formula”

Rob said:
June 11th, 2007 at 10:56 am
The beauty of this quote and the previous Natalie Portman one, is that they are both about a relationship with God. It isn’t about ticking off a list of accomplishments, but of being present and from that presence, expecting that you are in a relationship with true interchange and communication. We, not so simply, need to practice how to listen in new ways.
Perhaps we need a new word for ‘listen’ in the context of our relationship with God. At the very least, a broader definition to include openness and being receptive to God’s role in this relationship.
Marc said:
June 11th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
Nicely said Rob!
Rob said:
June 11th, 2007 at 2:53 pm
Thanks Marc…I came back, because it occurred to me that listening here, in this space (Web 2.0, blogs, twitter and the like) has deepened my relationship with others and by virtue of that, God.

Where else could I go at all hours to learn about how God shapes the lives of others and to see, hear, read how others “listen” to Him and in the case of VCW, uniquely carry out His work?

Thanks for continuing to not only “do” Gods work in your community, but for sharing it here. It is this place (and a few others) where I come to listen to God through others and open myself up to “hearing” His voice in different ways.
Marc said:
June 11th, 2007 at 7:29 pm
Wow, Rob. This is truly humbling.

Thank you!

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