The Gift of Wonder
One of our beloved writers here on the V3 blog, Christine Sine explores creative practices for delighting in God in her new book The Gift of Wonder.
Christine took some time with us to share more about her book and how it can be a resource for church planters and practioners.
Whatis the central message of the book?
Unlessyou become like a child you cannot enter the kingdom - these words of Jesus’ rivetedmy attention a couple of years ago. I asked my Facebook friends what childlikecharacteristics they thought we needed and was amazed at the response -playfulness, awe and wonder, imagination, love of nature and many more. Yet welive in a world of play deprivation, awe and wonder depletion, nature deficitdisorder, compassion fatigue and I believe God deprivation as a result.
In The Gift of Wonder I explore 12 childlike characteristics that I think we need to recover our spiritual health.
Whydo you sense our cultural moment needs the message of this book?
Welive in a culture of high stress and anxiety. Our relationship to God and ourapproaches to discipleship often seem to add to this stress. We often believeGod as an authoritarian figure with lots of rules and regulations that add toour load and always leave us feeling we can never measure up. Our discipleshipapproaches often provide head knowledge but little heart commitment. Many areleaving the church and Christian faith I suspect partly because they do notfeel they measure up to this very demanding God.
Unfortunatelywe know little of the God who loves to laugh, play and enjoy life, yet this isthe God that we desperately need to become acquainted with. This is the God whoinvites us to relax and be drawn into intimacy as we play together, dig in thedirt and use our imaginations to create new forms of spiritual expression. Thisis the God who offers us freedom and enjoyment in life without stress orunmanageable burdens.
Whatbooks or authors have most influenced you and your writing?
The Swiss theologian Hans Urs Von Balthazar and especially his book Unless You Become Like This Child, was very influential in shaping this book. I have also drawn frequently from Christine Valters Paintner who opened my eyes to new forms of spiritual practice like Lectio Divina and photography. As well as that the Godly Play website and the resources that this curriculum - supposedly for kids - offers, have been a huge gift to me.
Inwhat ways do live into this message in your local context?
WhenI was researching the impact that a daily dose of awe and wonder has on ourlives, my husband Tom and I started calling our daily walks awe and wonderwalks. As we walked around our local lake or through the neighborhood, we wouldpoint out to each other the sites - everything from light shimmering on thelake, to murals on the walls, that gave us a sense of awe. It was lifetransforming. My own spiritual disciplines have been enriched by practices suchas painting on rocks, creating contemplative gardens and the writing of poetry.These all provide me with a more playful approach to my faith that has helpedme to relax and enjoy God in fresh ways.
Howdoes the message of your book impact discipleship?
TheGift of Wonder is designed to be used in discipleship and spiritual formationcourses. Each chapter contains a variety of examples of how groups have alreadyadopted the principles in their lives and churches. The chapters end withspiritual exercises that can form the basis for spiritual retreats andcurricula. A number of groups are already using the material in this way aswell as a resource for small groups and for spiritual retreats.
Howmight church planters integrate some of what you have written in this book?
The Gift of Wonder has a lot of potential for use by church planters in discipleship classes within the church to enable congregations to develop a deep and enriching faith.
Itis also full of examples drawn from church planters who have engaged theirneighborhoods through playful and imaginative ways. The book gives lots ofsuggestions on how to engage the neighborhood as members both explore andinteract with people they meet and want to invite into their churches.
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