Passionate Spirituality: Barb Visota

Where do you see expressions of passionate spirituality in your life or in the life of the congregation?

From Barb Visota

I have been thinking about passionate spirituality and asking friends what it means to them. What I have realized is that it is completely personal and different for everyone.
I keep remembering what Clark said at one of our early meetings about quiet devotion. That makes me think about the story of Martha and Mary. One expressed her passion by working hard to meet the practical needs of others as a way to serve. The other chose to be passionate about listening for the voice of God. One expression of passion is every bit as valid as the other.
What I have to remember is not to get perturbed with anyone because the way they choose to express their spirituality is not the way I would choose.
For me, being passionately spiritual is a choice. I don't wait for passion to strike like inspiration, I choose to be passionate. And once I've made that choice God keeps it going. There is a thought that runs through my day, a feeling that there's always someone walking next to me and that keeps me making the choice every day to continue to be passionate.
Last week I was at a memorial service for a friend. The priest was talking about the ways we practice Christian values in our lives and he said that "we follow as we know". Maya Angelou says "we do what we know and when we know better, we do better".
Just by contemplating the meaning of passionate spirituality I am beginning to "know better" which is bringing me and keeping me closer to God.
I was surprised that people in the focus groups were surprised that we scored lower on passionate spirituality. They saw very plain evidence of it all through our congregation. Maybe it was always there, we just weren't expressing it openly. And maybe just contemplating that will help more people "know better" and follow as they know.
I'm praying that God will release our potential and our faith.