The Eddy of Spiritual Formation
I was given the opportunity to reflect on my journey with the spiritual traditions as part of the course Soul-Shaping Traditions: Prayer and Formation throughout Church History. I wanted to consider a creative piece to accompany a presentation on my journey with the spiritual traditions. In keeping with the title of Richard J. Foster’s book, Streams of Living Water, images of water came to mind, and in particular an image of an eddy in a stream.
The first leaf to swirl into my eddy was named Evangelical and was rooted in Mrs. Lowney’s Sunday School class. In the summers of my childhood, my family would stay at my grandmother’s cottage at a lake. On Sundays, children from the surrounding cottages were invited to Mrs. Lowney’s one-room cottage to gather around her kitchen table and hear her tell a Bible story accompanied by flannel board images. After our Bible story, we would eat cookies and drink Kool-Aid while Mrs. Lowney’s black lab snoozed under the kitchen table. My sister and I have vague memories of our childhoods, but we both have vivid memories of this Sunday School.
In my early twenties, I became a follower of Jesus and joined an Evangelical church. Through great sermons and home fellowship, this first church was a foundation in the word of God.
In the mid-80s, I attended a conference with John Wimber, the founder of the Vineyard denomination, and the leaf called Charismatic swirled into my eddy. My husband and I left our Evangelical church and joined a Vineyard church plant. My thirty years plus with the Vineyard denomination were a fantastic experience. Vineyard formed me with “kingdom now and kingdom not yet”. There is a mystery to signs and wonders apparent and signs and wonders hidden.
My experience with the Vineyard denomination also partnered with the Social Justice Tradition. My favorite experience was a weekly breakfast served right after our church service. The old Elks Hall, where we met, was a landmark in the community. Our surrounding community was largely marginalized, with many folks struggling with addictions and mental health. Our church community would sit down and eat breakfast with our community folk and listen to their stories. This time of sharing stories and sometimes even praying together was one of the most beautiful experiences I have been part of.
In the last eight years, I have become increasingly aware of a new leaf named Contemplative. This coincides with my time with a spiritual director. The Contemplative tradition as a life of loving attention to God has included journaling, walks, Lectio Divina, and the Examen. The Emmaus Formation courses have been a large part of embracing the Contemplative.
Lastly, the leaf I never expected, called Incarnational, made its way into the eddy. I have been part of a Liturgical church these past five years. While I still consider myself charismatic, I am surprised that I increasingly use the Daily Office. I am surprised that I have come to love the reading of the liturgy as a community and the prayer of confession and absolution. I now long for the weekly eucharist.
I am incredibly grateful for all of these traditions and the ways they have flowed through my life and my church life. It is my hope that I will notice them as they reveal themselves in the lives of others as I honor their stories.
Written by Carrie Penner
Carrie is a student in the Emmaus Spiritual Formation Program. She brings with her years of teaching children, young adults and leading children’s ministry. Carrie lives in Vancouver BC with her husband. She enjoys time with her grandchildren, walks, and heaps of Earl Grey tea.