A Call To A Spiritually Based Ministry

The following article, written by an American Baptist, is a call for members of that tradition and all Christian traditions to place a vibrant spiritual life at the root of all Christian ministry. Dostoyevsky said,"It is impossible to be human and not bow down; if God is rejected, before an idol we bow. " Perhaps we bow because we have not learned to be still. Did God enjoin us to observe a Sabbath so we might remember to be still, to become holy and whole? In stillness, we best learn to worship and adore God with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. Out of the stillness, we can then make the journey because we know the One who goes before us and with us, in Ignacio Larranaga's words,"this God, the friend of life and of freedom, the One who accompanied Israel on the long pilgrimage through the desert. " Our Jewish spiritual ancestors well understood humanity's tendency to forget God and God's benefits. They knew that mortals often choose something other than abundant life. We …