Saturday, July 15, 2006

A Beginner's Catalogue of Cellular Spirituality

i think there's real danger for anyone who says "this is what you have to do to be spiritual"; yet, i am fascinated by just how vast the spiritual life is. i mean, if you were to start listing all of the different things you see admonished in the new testament - different behaviors, attitudes, kinds of speech or associations - you'd get all manner of admirable qualitites, most of which [if you're like me] have no relation to the kind of person you really are.

foolish as i am, i decided to try and list all of the areas in which i thought the new testament really wanted me to develop. here is that list; however, please don't read the list and think i'm saying you need to "be" more of these things.

in fact, i think you should get your own list and quit copying mine.

seriously, just try it and see if you're as amazed as i was at the tremendous reach of god's spirit and calling to you.


the list:


  1. love
  2. peace
  3. grace
  4. truth
  5. beauty
  6. goodness
  7. joy
  8. patience
  9. kindness
  10. gentleness
  11. self-control
  12. humility
  13. selflessness
  14. self-sacrifice
  15. honor
  16. service
  17. discipline
  18. faith
  19. righteousness
  20. godliness
  21. knowledge
  22. wisdom
  23. diligence
  24. moral excellence
  25. perseverance
  26. brotherly kindness
  27. fruitfulness
  28. justice
  29. mercy
  30. compassion
  31. excellence
  32. poor in spirit
  33. peacemaker
  34. maturity
  35. hope
  36. ability to overcome fear
  37. courage
  38. identity
  39. freedom
  40. play
  41. godly pleasure
  42. empathy
  43. sympathy
  44. dreams
  45. visions
  46. submission to authority
  47. submission to god
  48. cooperation
  49. means of dealing with conflict
  50. discernment
  51. fairness
  52. redress of wrongs
  53. repentance
  54. recompense
  55. inclusivity
  56. hospitality
  57. modesty
  58. generosity
  59. gift giving
  60. self-awareness
  61. responsibility
  62. environmental concerns
  63. concern for life
  64. community participation
  65. fellowship
  66. celebration
  67. hope
  68. intimacy with other people
  69. intimacy with god
  70. forgiveness
  71. trust
  72. pre speech
  73. theology
  74. evangelism
  75. witness/testimony
  76. participation in church/with other christians
  77. emotional healing
  78. divine, physical healing
  79. exhortation
  80. thanksgiving
  81. scripture study/reading
  82. prayer
  83. meditation
  84. contemplation
  85. journey/pilgrimmage
  86. silence
  87. solitude
  88. scripture memorization
  89. speaking in other tongues
  90. the interpretation of other tongues
  91. miracles
  92. fasting
  93. rest/observation of the sabbath
  94. personal study/intellectual development
  95. ritual and encountering god through ritual
  96. symbols and encounter god through symbols
  97. baptism
  98. confession
  99. blessing
  100. providence
  101. discipleship
  102. mentoring
  103. security
  104. treatment/attitude towards the other
  105. solidarity
  106. mission
  107. belief
  108. dialogue
  109. health and wellness
  110. uncertainty
  111. creativity
  112. imagination
  113. authenticity
  114. intercession

2 comments:

  1. Wow, Dave. Thanks for doing all the work for me. (just kidding) That's actually something I've beem meaning to do because I'm constantly forgetting so many desires that God has for me. I nerdily printed that off & plan on going through scripture to see what other things the Holy Spirit shows me. Thanks for this- I'm looking forward to this series. Peace Out.

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  2. Play. Good one. I think that most people need to work on that. We've got such a stereotypical view of Christians as always serious, and those playful ones... watch out for them.

    I've always been told that perfection is unreachable. Why then do we try so hard? I truly belive that perfection is not so hard to find. To be. Especially since each person has their own view of what perfection is. Is this list your perfection, Dave? Good luck with that.

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