Introduction: Loss and Lent

Im glad to see some Portland theological work get some notice. Good stuff. For a town so labeled as 'unchurched' we have allot of good, progressive churchy types going on. Its a good Place! 

http://www.amazon.com/The-Boston-395-ebook/dp/B006OFRY0O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361055719&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Boston+395

Bo:

I am in for this series. 

One thought I had as I read through this chapter was that it seems that loss of faith, doubt, and other "dark night of the soul" experiences may be a natural part of the faith journey for many.  If this is the case, then those involved in church work and ministry should be allowed to continue their work when they are going through it, rather than being disqualified or somehow unfit to continue.  As a community, we need to not only accomodate it, we need to embrace it in some way.  I understand that some do not make it through such experiences with their faith intact, but we may inadvertently contribute to some not making it through if we try and avoid accomodating and embracing loss and doubt.  You think?    

Sometimes, when I have been through a period of loss and doubt it has led to me changing the entire way I think about faith. And sometimes stripping my faith of some rather unhelpful baggage has been precisely the thing that has allowed me to carry on. That pruning process has made it possible for new things to grow.

I'm really looking forward to this book!

I cannot tell you how much this post means to me and how much I agree.  I was raised in the church, and my senior year of high-school I had a very close friend turn on me and begin verbally abusing me in the name of Jesus and righteousness, which was crazy for me because I held the exact same faith and values as they did, and agreed with everything they said.  I saw the dark side of certainty that day, and  I had already struggled with depression for most of my life, so needless to say, it was pretty a pretty traumatic event in my life.  

Ever since that day my doubts and emotions spiraled until one night after years of struggle and confusion and searching, I felt something snap inside of my soul and I looked up to the sky where God had been and he was not in the stars where he had been, and I spoke to him and instead I heard my own voice reflected off of a great nothingness where before I had prayed and felt a warmth.  It was the most excruciating thing I have ever experienced and since then I have tried to live the Christian life only because I believe that what Christ taught and how he exemplified it in his life are very meaningful and beautiful things, but anything that has to do with Christianity or the Church (especially catch-phrases or Christian buzz-words) fills me with pain and anger and I cannot believe like I did even when I try to.  

I lost the omnipotence of God that night too (which is probably a good thing because it doesn't make any logical sense to me anyway), but it was scary at first not having a controlling force guiding me, but over the years I have begun to pick up the fragments of my faith and try and make something cohesive out of it, but ever since that day my world was shattered and all that my faith means to me anymore is for me to show people that they are valued and that they are human (isn't that what God is supposed to be all about anyway?) and to look horizontally for the presence of Christ in each other.  

In other words, I found my faith when I lost it, and I think that the best thing that can happen to your faith is to have it broken like that because it gives you perspective, but I would never wish the experience on anyone.  To see beyond what you have always known and into what truly is can be the most enriching experience, even if it feels at times like someone has torn open your chest cavity.

I do, however, believe strongly that God is present in the spaces between people and is manifest in the passage of love from one entity to another, but I can no longer believe quite like I did, nor can I believe that there is a God in control of all things or who has power to act at will, nor do I feel the need or desire to.  If that were so and he/she were truly good, I cannot justify his/her silence in the face of such bitter suffering, and so I have struggled to believe that prayer is effective at all except as a means to change the one who prays or to be the answer in one's own actions.  

I am sorry this is so long, but I just wanted to tell a small portion of my experience, as you have done, so others might not feel alone.  If God exists and has a purpose that is consummated in the Cross, it is to be present for one another in the suffering and absence of meaning, and to be able to say, "I understand.  You are not alone."  That is where I picked up the scraps of my faith and began to find some meaning; at divine empathy.

I've always been intrigued by the phrase 'God told me...' and never able to say it with any integrity. I often wondered whether the difference between me and someone who did use it was just one of language or whether or experiences were fundamentally different. Even the faith that I had seems to have been diminished over the last few years. I cling onto the idea of God but I've no idea why I would recommend this experience of absence to anyone. For these reasons (perhaps) I felt that I could emphathise with Tony's experience of being out-of-place and slightly forlorn at seminary. Not that I've ever been to Albania or seminary!

i only came to faith after my most profound experience of loss (to date). learning to pray, to feel the spirit move, and learning to be re-inspired have for me been very positive, affirmative experiences in my new skin. becoming more active in my faith, even to the point of preaching - that happened at level i would best describe as inspiration. hearing God speak to me happened at a level i would put way over the top of any other i have ever had - Her voice filled me with such blessing that word fall short.

so, i do believe God does speak to us. not very often in my case, but it was enough.

having some download glitches borrowing the e-book of neighbors and wisemen, but should be able to get that sorted.

sorry you and tony have lost a dear friend - that gut-wrenching feeling is all too real.

I have always been uncomfortable with the "God told me" language, perhaps because it was usually used as a trump card to shut down an argument. But I used to be able to say, "I feel God leading me to..." And while that's not the same, I now struggle with that because I don't feel that anymore. I can sense God's movement in the shadows, but I rarely catch a clear glimpse of what God is doing. So... yes, it is quite unsettling to feel like I"ve moved from the "in the know" group of Christians to the "have no clue" group. 

I, too, hold the aversion to the phrase; however, I have found recently that we do hear the voice of God in our interaction with our family and friends.God not only works in mysterious ways, but also speaks that way as well, Moreover, there have been times when I assumed that I had walked away from the path, did not give any thought to God or religion, had "lost my faith" when I realized that one really never loses that which God has given - try as one might.And for that I remain forever grateful... Charis