Greg Sunter Evangelisation & Spiritual Formation

Spirituality is about what we do with the fire inside of us, the inner yearning, a quest for ultimate meaning in the face of death. Spirituality searches for a relationship with God, a sense of transcendence and the sacred. (Kevin Treston).

“Long before we do anything explicitly religious at all, we have to do something about the fire that burns within us. What we do with that fire, how we channel it, is our spirituality. Spirituality is more about whether or not we can sleep at night than about whether or not we go to church. It is about being integrated or falling apart, about being within community or being lonely, about being in harmony with mother earth or being alienated from her. Irrespective of whether or not we let ourselves be consciously shaped by any explicit religious idea, we act in ways that leave us either healthy or unhealthy, loving or bitter, in community or alienated from it. What shapes our actions is our spirituality.” (Ron Rolheiser, Seeking Spirituality)

What do we mean by spirituality? We each have our images and thoughts about God and our relationship with God. Spirituality is simply the manner in which we allow these images and thoughts to direct the way we live (Michael Morwood 1997). In the most general sense, by spirituality I mean the ways and patterns by which the person – intellectually, emotionally, and physically – relates to that which is ultimately real and worthful for him or her. (James Nelson – “The Intimate Connection”)

I would describe spirituality as the practice of bodily social, political and personal connectedness so that life comes together in a way that both transcends and includes the bits and pieces that make up our search for wholeness, freedom, relationality, and full human dignity. (Letty M Russell)

We no longer envision the spiritual life as a way of drifting life in a calm and tranquil sea; rather, we realise it is a voyage under ever- changing conditions. What matters is not so much that we arrive at some destination, but how we make the trip. (Kathleen Fischer)

Spirituality is both a deeply personal and dynamically interpersonal thing. Gerard Broccolo refers to it as “a way of viewing life and a way of experiencing life.” Thus, spirituality involves our worldview – our way of seeing and hearing, attending to, being aware of the call of God in every aspect of our lives. But it also means experiencing that call, living it out, being responsive and responsible, being a person of action and involvement. (Sharon Reed)

Spiritual Formation for Religious Educators “We teach who we are” (Parker J Palmer, The Courage to Teach)

Spiritual Formation for Religious Educators You can’t give what you haven’t got!

Gateways to Spirituality

The relational gateway The contemplative gateway The creation gateway The activist gateway The intellectual gateway The worship gateway

The relational gateway

The contemplative gateway

The creation gateway

The activist gateway

The intellectual gateway

The worship gateway

The relational gateway The contemplative gateway The creation gateway The activist gateway The intellectual gateway The worship gateway