Adult Spirituality Group notes (3/28/10)

All ten adult attendees rejoiced in the chapter, "Being a Grownup", since it felt personally relevant. Pastor Dan crowed, "A brilliant chapter!" (Soon afterward, the momentary gleam of sunlight that we all took notice of, faded into Seattle overcast....)

We bubbled over the insightful quote, "The capacity to know and affirm and live from the conviction that "it's not about you" is a crucial marker of grown-up-ness." (p. 104) Babies learn to cry and coo and sign language to get mom and dad to eventually figure out their needs. When we attain adulthood, we learn the communication tools to get attention, services, and things, much more effectively. Not only do we learn to specifically articulate our desires, but also gain a complex sophisticated understanding of what we really want.
--For example, Day's father Ajit has learned the complicated skill of communicating in a way that doesn't skip past social graces. Ajit has learned to take time & space for personal development, e.g., meditation, to center himself for his divergent interactions. By opening up to our common spiritual core, he is better able to relate about difficult topics via our commonness. "The art of being able to say something unpopular lies in doing it in such a way that those to whom you are saying it know that you still care about them and that you are in it with them." (p. 106)

Many men are socialized to get angry as a way to express their emotions. Many women are instead socialized to cry. How to manage in balance so that we can both articulate the nuances of our mature perspectives as well as communicate our personal relationship to the perspective? Day feels that Pastor Dan like his father has predominately learned to manage his emotions, e.g., expressions of tears and anger during his sermons in a effective way to impart his message.

Next week, we'll discuss:
1. "The Prayer My Father Taught Me (p. 108)
2. "Friendship" (p. 112)
3. Marriage: What's the Point? (p. 119)

BCUCC Adult Spirituality Group Notes: (3/21/10)

We all had insights about the Common Grace “Hyperparenting” chapter, especially Francis:

1. “There has got to be a balance – All things in moderation, including moderation. The rule is simplicity in life.” – Georg Myers
2. Parents foster their children’s development through “accepting love” and “transforming love”. (bottom of p. 98)
3. Parents should determine what their goals are so that they don’t merely react to divergent opportunities for their children.
4. Kids often have too much structured time. Instead they need down time to construct on their own and be creative. This doesn’t mean passively veg in front of the TV but, e.g., have a quiet walk in nature (to explore the subtle complex ecosystem and sort out and distill their minds).
5. There’s a Slow Parenting movement. The philosophy is basically that “maximizing” a child’s structured exposure to new learning and resources is not helpful. It’s as important for the family to spend time together to bond, e.g., to sit down for a meal. It’s important to give time to foster the parents’ relationship. Check out - http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/what-is-slow-parenting/
6. Finland has a great education model. Until children reach age 7, the emphasis is on social relationships and exercise, not on school learning. Early on, Finland students are dead last, but later are at the top! (Day’s sister will base her children’s development on the Waldorf Answers at http://www.waldorfanswers.com/, which has a similar approach.)
7. A way for working parents in the U.S. to maintain influence in their children’s development is to send children to YMCA and neighborhood centers, as well as post reminders and inspirational note cards around the house.

* Next Sunday, we'll discuss these chapters:
1. Being a Grown Up, p. 102
2. The Prayer My Father Taught Me, p. 108
3. Friendship, p. 112

Tony Robinson Visits!

How many book groups get to meet with the author?! We did last Sunday, 2/28. All agreed it really enriched our already rich experience reading his book, Common Grace. We also agreed the time went way too fast and we had more questions for Tony. Some of the questions/comments topics we discussed with him included the effective way he relates parables to current life issues. Several of us have found ourselves quoting from his book during our everyday lives. I actually posted his comment about parenting being a sacrificial act on my Facebook page - it felt real to me at this stage of my life! I invite others from the group to comment on their thoughts from the meeting. I also invite others to pose questions and we can try to forward them to Tony for more input since the time went so fast.

Sunday Adult Spirituality Group Notes-January 31, 2010

1/31/2010 - Notes by Jane Witmer

We discussed two chapters – Revelation and Dreams in the current book Common Grace by Anthony B. Robinson.  Also, one should note that this author is scheduled to join our group in person on Sunday, February 28.

Conversation centered on the author’s discussion about choice.  He asserts that we do not have choice over what comes our way.  Tom Ward expressed concern about those who feel life’s events are preordained and when things go wrong, lose faith.  Several members commented that we may not have a choice about what events come at us in life, but we have a choice in how we respond or deal with those events.  The last two lines of the chapter supported our discussion and are as follows, “For the most part, we can’t control what life brings us.  It is, however, up to us how we respond to life.  Something is being asked of us.”  We also discussed the importance and the challenge of slowing down enough to allow ourselves to experience a revelation.  In other words, slow down and listen, because God is still speaking!

The chapter called Dreams helped us link subconscious awareness of God’s messages to conscious awareness in the form of a revelation.  We discussed whether or not people can control or direct their dreams and what impact that might have.  Frances G. talked about developing an awareness of the theme of your dreams.  Once again, ask yourself, “Is God speaking to me?”

Thea, Charles, and Dan talked about practicing “praying the scripture” as recommended in previous chapters.  Ask if you are curious about what that means!

The next session will focus on the next 3 chapters.

BCUCC Adult Spirituality Group Notes (1/10/10)

Our next reading is Common Grace, by Anthony B. Robinson, minister at Plymouth UCC and former writer of a weekly column for the Seattle P-I newspaper. (See the book's description at Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Common-Grace-Person-Spiritual-Matters/dp/1570614601/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263173766&sr=8-1 .)
**Charles had passed out copies of the first chapter as he's having trouble ordering the book so far via Amazon.com. Until he obtains books for the group, he'll continue to pass out copies of upcoming chapters we're to read.

Discussion Gems:
1. Practically, an unexamined faith doesn't exist. We must realize our faith through conscious questioning.
2. In the Old Testament, there are dramatic stories of God's active interventions in external events, such as when he parted the sea for Jews escaping from Egypt. Jesus preached the more subtle powerful ways that God intervenes in the affairs of man -> through his heart.
E.G. - Giselle brought up a traumatic experience when it hailed ruining her 700 acres of wheat fields in Nebraska. As a result, she learned that when you pray, you get the strength to be able to live through hardships.
3. When we pray, we normally expect results. The ego is the chooser, based on all influences. It is important as an element of God to keep "Heart Up", to consciously be a channel for God's varied works and love. We ought to have thanks in prayer, not just ask, if we have Jesus' higher vision that God has the whole of creation in mind, justice, and heart.

BCUCC Adult Spirituality Group notes (Sunday, 1/3/10, 6th week of Advent)

BCUCC Adult Spirituality Group notes: (Sunday, 1/3/10, 6th week of Advent)

(9 people attended)

Reading : "Close to God's Heart" Focus Scripture: John 1:(1-9), 10-18

Two spiritual concepts were brought up:
1. The rich bounty of our Adult Spirituality Group’s discussion reminded Pastor Dan of his collegiate discussions with his mentors about the eternal nature of Grace upon Grace embodied in Jesus. In recent times, whirlwinds of thought have surrounded theological debates about the Scandal of Particularity. How could it be that a single individual man (Jesus) could be the savior for all men?
2. A related word, “Panentheism” was also brought up for discussion. Panentheism is a constructed word composed of the English equivalents of the Greek terms “pan”, meaning all, “en”, meaning in, and “theism”, meaning God. Panentheism understands God and the world to be inter-related with the world being in God and God being in the world. It offers an increasingly popular alternative to traditional theism and pantheism. Panentheism seeks to avoid both isolating God from the world as traditional theism often does and identifying God with the world as pantheism does. Traditional theistic systems emphasize the difference between God and the world while panentheism stresses God's active presence in the world. Pantheism emphasizes God's presence in the world but panentheism maintains the identity and significance of the non-divine. Anticipations of panentheistic understandings of God have occurred in both philosophical and theological writings throughout history (Hartshorne and Reese 1953; Cooper, 2006). However, a rich diversity of panentheistic understandings has developed in the past two centuries primarily in Christian traditions responding to scientific thought (Clayton and Peacocke 2004).

** Pastor Dan has not resolved this discussion in his entire lifetime. Instead, he has chosen to focus on Jesus as his beam to find God.

Dan noted that Catholics focus a lot on the Holy Spirit as that is what lives. Tuning into Grace is turning down our personal “volume”. It is making God’s reality conscious, not just living on habit and non-purposeful delusions. Grace isn’t what most people think. Grace is a higher wisdom to face and cope what one is facing. True wisdom to face and cope with what we are facing. Supplicating to God in prayer is to center and “let go and let God.”

I was enthralled by the group’s discussion! :)

Adult Sprituality Group Advent notes, 12/27/09

BCUCC Adult Spirituality Group notes: (Sunday, 12/27/09, 5th week of Advent)

13 people attended.

Reading:"Who is this child? Luke 2:41-52 (Focus Scripture)

From God, mother Mary knew before Jesus' birth that Jesus was special.


It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a world to raise a God man such as Jesus! At age 12, Jesus argued with church authorities, just as nowadays teenagers first develop our own perspectives and self understandings by acquiring new experience and speaking out.
--Day's father, Ajit Murti, noted that there is little information about Jesus until the 3-4 years before his death at age 33. Among Indian & Western scholars, it is believed that Jesus came to India sometime between age 12 and 29 to acquire knowledge and develop as person.


Jane Whitmer goes to church weekly for spiritual focus. Everyday life chips away at one's spiritual confidence.

Charles Cressey highlighted the Colossians reading as a nice summary of the Advent season, because it puts the focus again on the heart.
-- "...And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's you basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it." (Colossians 3:12-17, by Paul)


NEXT WEEK (Jan 3, 2010), the last Advent reading, "Close to God's Heart" will be discussed. The focus scripture is John 1: (1-9), 10-18.