Episode 083:
Living an Integrated Life
…by Paying Attention to God’s Presence
September 3, 2019
Paying Attention to God’s Presence
Integration comes in many forms. You’ve probably read signs that talk about “head, heart, and hands.” Or maybe you’ve seen the popular saying that it takes, “mind, body, and spirit.” If you’re United Methodist, you’ve likely heard of Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. Certainly if you’re a person of faith you’ve heard of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
These are all examples of integration.
Bringing together our thinking, feeling, and doing – our cognition, affect, and behavior – help us to know who we are and whose we are. As leaders, we must be “in tune” with ourselves so we can be receptive to the tune of God.
Are you “in tune”?
Michael Cavanaugh in his book, The Effective Minister, writes, “A violin is a musical instrument that is both sensitive and strong. It is sensitive in that it is affected by the slightest touch, and it is strong because its strings can withstand a good deal of pressure.”
He continues, “A violin must be continually and properly tuned to be played well, for if it is not, even the finest violinist cannot call forth beautiful music from it…When ministers are in tune with themselves, they can touch people in beautiful ways, but when they are out of tune with themselves, not even the Lord can make music with them.”
Tuning in to God
In this episode, Tim and Sara have a conversation about when we first became “in tune with God.” Then, we turn to the question of how staying in tune with God continues to inform our lives and leadership. We point to how our first experiences of God can’t be our only experience of God.
Stories from South Africa and kitchen table conversations take center stage in helping us to become aware of God’s presence in our lives. Those life-shaping experiences propelled us toward growing in grace
Your Turn
How about you, when did you first become aware of God’s presence? How is God’s love shaping your life and leadership today?
Remember, growing in grace, reminds us of world adventures and kitchen table conversations but it never leaves us the same.
“Some people believe that following Jesus is a simple matter of inviting him into our hearts. But when we do that, Jesus always asks, ‘May I bring my friends?’ And when we look at them, we see that they are not the kind of company we like to keep. The friends of Jesus are the outcasts, the marginalized, the poor, the homeless, the rejected — the lepers of life. So we hesitate and ask, ‘Jesus, must we really have them too?’ And Jesus replies, ‘Love me, love my friends!’”
–Peter Storey
Following Jesus Every Day
Watch for a new series of “Following Jesus Every Day” starting September 29. “It Takes Courage” is a five-week study of scripture exploring the following five themes. It takes courage to…
- be a disciple
- live in relationship with others’
- serve your community
- to lead, and
- to be humble and whole.
Mentioned in the Episode
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