GroshLink

Have you ever thought about mysticism?  Would you define a Christian mystic as ethereal, flaky, spooky, weird, one with unexplainable experiences/powers, practicing a unique form of Roman Catholic spirituality, New Ager, guru, one out in the desert seeking one's inner being?  Or would you define a Christian mystic as one who hears, follows, and calls others to follow the voice of God just as Abraham, Moses, the prophets, the disciples, the leaders of various reform/missional movements (e.g., Benedict of Nursia, Patrick, Hildegard of Bingen, Clare and Francis of Assisi, Teresa of Avila/John of the Cross, Menno Simmons, Martin Luther, John Calvin, the Wesleys, George Muller, Deitrich Bonhoeffer, Corrie Ten Boom, Billy Graham, Mother Teresa)?

On the first day of Mystical Spirituality, Graham Standish, Pastor of Calvin Presbyterian Church in Zelienople, PA, defined a Christian mystic as one who

1. Relates to God as Trinity
2. Grounded in prayer
3. Steeped in scripture
4. Guided by the inner Christ and the Holy Spirit
5. Lives a simplified life based on spiritual principles and practices
6. Always open to transformation, note: the narrow path is a difficult path

Sounds like the call of every follower of Christ as they grow closer to the Father through the work of the Holy Spirit as part of the people of God guided by the Word, worship, teaching, and experience.  Did I just repeat myself?  Anyway, it was a great joy to receive on Monday after giving a lot out over the past several days.  I also met an Anglican priest who is an InterVarsity alum from Bucknell and whose daughter is involved in an InterVarsity chapter at McDaniel.  He has already been a great encouragement to me.  I'm excited to report:

1. despite Greyhound being about 1 hour late to Harrisburg, the trip to 'da Burgh went well and I accomplished a fair amount of reading.  On Thursday, I had lunch with a good friend, and got settled in/reconnected to 'da Burgh.  Great to room with a new Pitt grad student in the home of an InterVarsity alum (whose kids were also involved in InterVarsity)!
2. the visit by Susanna Bede Caroselli, Professor of Art History, Messiah College, was worth the effort as a number of graduate students, faculty, and artists took away good material for consideration and conversation from her presentations (more on that later).
3. the workshop on small groups at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (PTS) could have used some refinement, but those which attended received a lot of helpful material, maybe too much ;-)  It was good to catch-up with Margie Krogh, see my influence on book table selections (including Soul Searching), and chat with a retired pastor who, along with his wife, was involved w/InterVarsity at Wooster.
4. after sharing during the services of Beverly Heights Presbyterian Church a number of those present affirmed their enthusiasm for the InterVarsity's mission of campus engagement, particularly with the faculty and administrators of colleges and universities.
5. several significant conversations with graduate students, faculty, and alumni regarding their life, the work in 'da Burgh and beyond . . . a few more to go, including a Pitt alum from several years back who is now a student at PTS, a PTS faculty who invited me to play basketball on Thursday.  Had a great time at my old place last night watch Heroes with some old and new members of the South Oakland community.  How things change . . . and they're changing for the better with window updates on our old house!