Summer Spirituality: Holy Adventures<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\""I have a daily spiritual practice that has changed my life. 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{"id":918,"date":"2010-07-09T12:59:42","date_gmt":"2010-07-09T18:59:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/community\/mainlineportal\/?p=918"},"modified":"2010-07-09T12:59:42","modified_gmt":"2010-07-09T18:59:42","slug":"summer-spirituality-holy-adventures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithforward\/2010\/07\/summer-spirituality-holy-adventures\/","title":{"rendered":"Summer Spirituality: Holy Adventures"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

by Bruce G. Epperly<\/em><\/p>\n

Summer is a time for holy adventures.\u00a0 The more relaxed schedule of life with longer weekends, time off for holidays and vacations, and, hopefully, a gentler work schedule opens up spaces for doing new things and exploring new possibilities.\u00a0 It opens each day for holy adventures that may, over time, transform your life.<\/p>\n

I have a daily spiritual practice that has changed my life.\u00a0 As I leave my Lancaster, Pennsylvania home for my morning walk (nowadays at 5:30 a.m., given the intense heat in the mid-Atlantic), I make two verbal affirmations \u2013 usually in a low voice so I don\u2019t wake the neighbors \u2013 \u201cThis is the day that God has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it!\u201d and \u201cWhat surprising adventure will I have today?\u201d\u00a0 Together, these affirmations shape how I look at the expected and unexpected events of the day.\u00a0 They open my spirit to joy and surprise, and awaken me to gifts in responding to whatever comes my way, whether joyful or challenging.\u00a0 They invite me to be an artist in creating my day, but also to let go of my agenda so that I can share in the lives of others whole-heartedly.<\/p>\n

Whether or not we affirm it, our lives are an adventure.\u00a0 Although many things in our lives have been determined by birth, gender, sexual identity, education, family of origin, previous decisions, etc., each day brings unexpected events and opportunities to transform your life by creative decision-making and openness to adventures, small and large.\u00a0\u00a0 When we open our lives to adventure, whatever happens will be an opportunity for spiritual growth and relational healing.\u00a0 Our creativity and freedom are never absolute, nor is the impact of the past all-determining; but in each moment we make choices that lead us toward abundance and adventure or scarcity and fear.\u00a0 Over time, our choices made one moment \u2013 or day \u2013 at a time can transform our lives.<\/p>\n

Life is an adventure.\u00a0 In contrast to Rick Warren\u2019s Purpose Driven Life<\/em>, which speaks of God determining the key events of our lives, I believe that the present and future are open and that we are, to some degree, making it up as we go along.\u00a0 God wants us to be creative, to color outside the lines, and to make a difference in the creative process. \u00a0God creates structures in the universe to maximize our freedom and creativity in support of one another. (For more on my response to Rick Warren, see Holy Adventure: 41 Days of Audacious Living<\/em><\/a>.<\/em>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, how do we live out a holy adventure this summer in our daily lives \u2013 even if it\u2019s only a wee adventure?\u00a0 First<\/em>, it\u2019s about attitude \u2013 open your heart and mind to new possibilities, and be willing to say \u201cyes\u201d rather than \u201cno\u201d to something unexpected.\u00a0 Second<\/em>, look for possibility and growth in unexpected and challenging situations: often our attitude toward challenges makes the difference between health and illness, and joy and sorrow.\u00a0\u00a0 Assume challenges will happen, assume that \u201cstuff happens,\u201d but that in the limitations, there are also possibilities for growth and creativity.\u00a0 Third<\/em>, think outside the box \u2013 do you typically explore new ideas or simply live with the routine without considering change?\u00a0 What new ideas can you first entertain and then, whether you dive in head-first or dip your toe in the water tentatively, begin to embody in your daily life?\u00a0 Many people, and I am one of them, believe that imagination is one of the virtues we share with God, in fact, loving and creative imagination may be what\u2019s most special about us as humans, the \u201cimage of God,\u201d that makes us unique.<\/p>\n

Fourth<\/em>, go with the flow of life \u2013 the Taoists have it right.\u00a0 Oftentimes when we resist novelty, we resist the energies that give birth to life and which bring health and wholeness in our lives.\u00a0 Fifth<\/em>, live with the beginner\u2019s mind: see the world as if for the first time\u2026.in fact, you are always seeing life for the first time, since each moment is unique and new.\u00a0 Sixth<\/em>, trust that God is the source of adventure in our lives \u2013 pause and notice, and prayerfully let yourself be stretched by the divine adventures living in and through you.<\/p>\n

Read other articles in our Summer Spirituality series:<\/em><\/p>\n

Summer Spirituality<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Practicing Gratitude<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Bruce Epperly is Professor of Practical Theology and Director of Continuing Education at Lancaster Theological Seminary and co-pastor of Disciples Community Church in Lancaster, PA. He is the author of seventeen books, including Holy Adventure: 41 Days of Audacious Living<\/span> and Tending to the Holy: The Practice of the Presence of God in Ministry<\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"