I've been slackin' trying to wrap this thought process up. Almost there.

Spiritual pathways to God; Creation, Relational, Contemplative, Serving, Worship, Intellectual and Activism.

Intellectual.

This pathway as a connection with God is pretty polarized - you either love it or you hate it. Okay, maybe not hate, but you would rather spend your time doing something else. In other words this isn't your pathway. Saying such isn't a reason to not venture down it, it just means it doesn't come as easy and you have to remind yourself that knowledge is a good thing and that God calls us to wrestle with His text.

If you've ever been in a small group at church or a 'Sunday School' type situation, you can easily pick out the guy/gal whose pathway is intellect - they are so annoying. And yes, I realize I've been that guy. So I try to balance it, but I love it. I love the dialogue, I love the debate, I love investigating and concluding what I believe on 'issues' in theology.

My wife on the other hand is much happier working on loving her neighbor as herself and couldn't care less about 'issues' like predestination, eschatology and the like. And she reminds me to stay grounded and that we are called to not just be hearers or thinkers but also doers of the text.

Though I would have loved to pursue learning Greek and Hebrew in college I worked with people who just wanted to know me and why I love Jesus and who I root for on Sunday - not the root words of Biblical text. And though I have formed opinions on local/global flood theories, individual/holistic predestination theories and gap/literal creation theories - the people whose life I want to make an impact in, don't have any idea what the crap I'm talking about right now.

Spiritual pathways to God; Creation, Relational, Contemplative, Serving, Worship, Intellectual and Activism.

Worship.

I've been slacking in finishing this series of thoughts - my Pennsylvanian friend Pearl recently posted some pathway thoughts - here and here.

Worship in my mind has two lanes in connecting us to God.

1st - the traditional lane of worship is song - as mainstream Christianity has defined it as a 5 song set called 'worship' during Sunday morning services, led by a 'worship' team. This form of worship is an amazing opportunity to corporately worship God and for a lot of Christians is a powerful pathway.

My beef with this lane of the pathway is that I think a lot of people mistake the emotional excitement of this form of worship with an actual connection with God. I'm not judging, but it has been my personal experience. So, a lot of times instead of singing aloud - I close my eyes on Sunday mornings and just say the words with my heart.

2nd - the holistic lane of worship is the idea that our lives are to be worship and so in all things we do, we do it as worship to God. This idea definitely makes me feel connected when I actively do it. This form of worship is saying 'through my God-given talents and passions, I will glorify God.'

I love this way of connecting - 'cause honestly, I suck at singing, can barely keep rhythm and have no real musical talent. But that doesn't make me a bad worshipper - my passions, my dreams, my relationships - all become forms for me to worship God. I'm thankful for the talents I have and I use them to honor God.

That's worship to me - what do you think?

Spiritual pathways to God; Creation, Relational, Contemplative, Serving, Worship, Intellectual and Activism.

Serving.

If you went to my church, you'd know that serving's name is John and Melanie White. The two most giving, dedicated and servant-minded people I know. They love to give of their time and talents for the community - it's what they do. Another friend of mine once said, ‘If I'm not doing something for my church community, I'm not growing.’ For him, the serving pathway was his life line to God and I would assume it is the same for the White's.

For me it doesn't come that easy and I have no problem exercising my 'NO' muscle, but I have become convinced that the best thing I can do with my life is serve others. Cliché - yes, but also true. Looking back on my life, I will not regret the time I spent serving others, but I will regret the time I spent serving my self in this consumerist culture.

So if serving is your pathway then it comes easy for you and the rest of us have to be reminded to prioritize it. Regardless, serving has the same benefits for all. I've never gone on a community serving project or a mission’s trip and felt like I was wasting my time. It always reminds me how blessed I am and always makes me feel more connected with God. And I guess that's because it connects me with God's heart - those experiences connect me with one of God's earliest commandments to us, use our blessing to bless others.

Actually now that I’m thinking about it, the fondest memories I have from growing up, the ones that most defined who I am today, were experiences where I was serving others.

What about you?

Spiritual pathways to God; Creation, Relational, Contemplative, Serving, Worship, Intellectual and Activism.

Contemplative.

This pathway is best understood through the idea of mediation, studying, pondering and the like. The contemplative pathway draws you to God through thought. It is a very introverted process. If you like this pathway then you love hours of uninterrupted time to be with your thoughts.

I love to think and get lost in my thoughts, but those don't necessarily draw me closer to God. For me, this pathway has to be played out with the relational pathway. When I read the bible, or a book, or listen to music or see a piece of art the ideas play over and over in my head. I meditate on snippets of larger ideas all the time, but for me, I need to talk it through with someone else. I need to hear my self articulate it and then dialogue about it.

But there have been incredible moments in the contemplative pathway when God has come alive to me through an idea. Sometimes its a verse that just runs through my head, other times its a catch phrase from a song and at other times is something someone said that captivate my mind. These contemplative moments draw me to something deeper, show me something about myself and often times solidify something God's been saying to me.

Does this pathway gel with you?

Spiritual pathways to God; Creation, Relational, Contemplative, Serving, Worship, Intellectual and Activism.

Relational.

Like creation, this is an easy one for me. I just laid down with my wife and son, as they were drifting off into their Sunday naps and it reminded me of what a gift these relationships we have are. As I rubbed my son's forehead and admired his profile, I was reminded of what a gift from God he is. As I kissed my wife and touched her skin, I was reminded of how precious it is to share your life with someone. And I felt close to God, thankful to God and appreciative for all I have.

A mentor of mine in college once said that it is our relationships that are the most important things in life. I've grown to believe that the infamous 'meaning of life' question can be summed up in relationships. Our relationship with God, family, friends - even acquaintances - it is a beautiful gift. A gift that challenges us, grows us, supports us and betters us. And even in the heartbreak and pain that is so often associated with relationships, there are beautiful lessons of life and strength.

I always feel connected to God when I'm able to have a cup of coffee with someone or catch up with an old friend on the phone. Relationships are a gift and precious connection to the Creator.

Spiritual Pathways are a cool way of thinking about and identifying the ways in which you connect with God. There are several variations, but the best list of pathways I've ever found are from John Ortberg's book, 'God is Closer Than You Think.'

He lists 7 pathways to God; Creation, Relational, Contemplative, Serving, Worship, Intellectual and Activism. There is no priority to the list but a realization of what best works for you. Some you more easily fit into, others you have to work at. Usually the pathways that are harder for you are the ones you learn the most from.

Creation.

I wanted to start by talking about the Creation pathway - this is the one I most easily fit into. Growing up in Colorado, I love seeing and experiencing God's creation. I love to breath in the early morning air, soak up the view of the wetland behind my house, admire the sunset's display of colors and even just mowing my lawn. I love it. The beauty of the world around me draws me to God and reminds me of how freaking huge, great and awesome He is. Being outdoors just does it for me. I love to camp, rock climb and fish for these reasons. I feel the most disconnected from an atheist while being in the outdoors.

As a last note - it isn't just the natural outdoors that do it for me in this pathway, I also love being in a downtown, soaking up the culture of God's creation, seeing diversity and admiring the work of artist and architects - as they are byproducts of God's creation.

How about you?