SPIRITUAL GROWTH

“the goodness that each thing hath, it is He.”

― Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love

Have you ever wondered why life seems so filled with meaning? Maybe you've marveled at the beauty of a sunset, or a majestic mountain. Maybe you've seen the look of joy on a baby's face when it sees its mother. There are many examples from life we could draw from that give us a sense of a purpose and an existence bigger than ourselves. At Bluff Park UMC, we believe along with countless others in ages past who declare that God is behind all the goodness that we perceive, and that God has created us, loves us, and wants to move further with us in our relationship with him. We believe spirituality is the pursuit of this goal, and at Bluff Park UMC we have many ways of getting closer to the one who made us, sustains us, and loves us so immensely that it can be overwhelming at times! Below are just a few of the ministries we offer for this purpose. Please reach out to us with special questions or concerns!

God Calls Us out of ourselves

What is faith? Luke Timothy Johnson writes that faith can be summed up as the response of the whole person to the Living God. What that means is when we look around and see the beauty inherent in creation, we turn to God, it's creator, and open ourselves up to Him. It means that we put our distractions aside and earnestly seek what Plato called "the true, the beautiful, and the good." We believe that all goodness comes from God (and God is goodness!). It means that when we examine our lives, that the meaning inherently found in it has its source in the Creator and that we were made to be in loving relationship with him. All problems in this world are a direct result of humanity failing to respond to this call, and that's why Christ's Church exists—the promised remedy for the brokenness of humanity and creation. 

We each fall short of being perfect. Surely that's no secret! But God in Christ calls us to a relationship with Him, because in that relationship we see the transformation that changes lives, and the world, for real and permanent good. Whether you're brand new to Christianity, or a seasoned saint, we all need to know the basics of spirituality. We think they are: 

Prayer

Prayer is the foundation of all spiritual practices. In prayer we open ourselves up to the communication of God, and God deeply desires us to be present to him in this most intimate of ways. Human beings have always felt the deep need for prayer, and it has existed in some form in every culture. The Bible talks about prayer often, and Jesus models prayer for us as well. It is in this most intimate of settings, we get to know God as our Father, our comforter, our healer, and our friend. We can abide in the presence of the Creator, and when we do this habitually we notice something very interesting—we change! God in the Holy Spirit works in our hearts and we become more patient, more understanding, more discerning, more loving, more aware of reality... in short, we become more holy. It's this process that prayer inaugurates in us that changes us forever, and the world too. 

Worship

Worship is the act of praising God and affirming with all our being that God is the only thing worth devoting our lives to. Each week Christians get together and worship God together at church. We do this because we believe that being in a community (and not isolated) is what God intended for us to begin with. The Church models this "perfected" (though we're hardly perfect) community each week as we sing songs, praise God, pray together, sacrifice together, participate in holy communion together, and connect with God in a regular and planned way. Routine greatly helps us improve, and it keeps us regularly going back to the true source of love and goodness that keeps us going!

discipleship

Discipleship is just a fancy word for living out your faith in an authentic way. What is it that you actually do to grow closer to God and transform the world (as opposed to merely what you say)? We have many ways of living out our faith: we study scripture to hear God speaking to our hearts through the text. We make honest efforts to help those who need help the most, or need help close to us. We take care of the world that God has entrusted to us with environmental creation care efforts. We seek social causes that align with the heart of God, who is the loving father of everyone who has ever lived. We pray, and fast, and worship, and when we do these things all of a sudden we become more conformed to the image of Christ who is God. And when that happens... lookout, because you begin to change the world around you for the better because God is working through you!

Taking Next Steps

There's really so much more to faith than the short bit we can say on a webpage! The old saying goes "The proof of the pudding is in the eating," and it's so true for faith as well. You can read a library of books about a relationship with God, but until you actually get started, you'll never really "get it." Reach out to one of our ministers or come visit us! We'd love to meet you!


Traditional worship

8:45 AM

The Gathering Modern Worship

10:45 AM

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