Week 4

“To become a Christian is not merely to learn the Christian story; it is to enter into it, and accept it as part of our own experience.” (McGrath, 119) How do we learn these stories, but through the Biblical narrative and the lives of others? This week we are challenged, encouraged, and affirmed to incorporate Biblical stories, images, and experience into our practices of Christian Spirituality. These aids are essential tools in our Spiritual tool box. Certainly, we are all born with a spiritual nature, just as we are born with bodies that have muscle, but it is with intentional practices that our spirit is formed. We would not expect to be able develop the muscle memory required to be a skilled tennis player without practice. We …show more content…
(McGrath, p. 108)This resonated with me, I have been studying stillness as part of my wellness training to be still. In our digital age learning to shut off the distractions and constant mining has become critical- we are a distracted society with high levels of anxiety. I have learned that in a time of interior silence and stillness we shrink our amygdala that is the part of the brain associated with ‘flight or fight’, fear and stress. With this shrinkage, the pre-frontal cortex comes online and creates connectivity with other parts of the brain. Since the pre-frontal cortex is the part of our brain associated with higher order thinking and reasoning, this shift increases our capacity to make good decisions and control our emotional responses. ( From notes taken from The Body Keeps the Score and Scientific American references while studying with Revelation Wellness) Our minds are not simply matter, they matter and we improve their functions by connecting with God in silence and stillness. We truly are transformed by the renewing of our