Nebraska Synod ELCA

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable,
if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
—Philippians 4:8 (NRSVUE)—

Beloved in Christ,
My spiritual practice this Lent has been to revisit a program meant to build spiritual resilience, as defined by author and educator Connie Fourré. “Spiritual resilience is the ability to maintain a sturdy positive spirit and a clear sense of purpose and meaning even in the face of suffering.” I first encountered the practice of spiritual resilience while serving as a campus pastor; a group of us across the United States were offered the opportunity to be trained in spiritual resilience by Connie herself, and I was so affected by the experience that I began offering spiritual resilience practices as part of the campus ministry program soon after.

Spiritual resilience is centered on building awareness of eight positive emotions:

Gratitude – Hope – Compassion – Awe – Serenity – Joy – Inspiration – Love

Through the practice of concrete, practical habits that deepen our awareness of these eight emotions, we improve spiritual and emotional well-being, building a resilience that allows us to feel centered even in times of suffering and loss. For me, the practice involves beginning the day with meditation on what my body is telling me is going on at the moment, and how things change as I spend the day focusing on one of the eight emotions and being aware of moments when I experience it. I breathe easier, I sleep better, I have a more positive attitude, and I’m a better spouse, parent, pastor, and friend because of it.

To be clear, I’m not trying to sell you on a spiritual resilience program, or any other program for that matter. Our theme for this month is “Go and…be intentional.” For me, being intentional about my own spiritual well-being has been a good Lenten discipline; this particular intentionality has made a positive difference for me (and, I hope, for the people around me as well). One of the tricky bits of our Lutheran faith is that we can far too easily let our trust in grace and the work of the Holy Spirit become an excuse for passivity. Orthodoxy (having the right sort of faith – literally “correct belief”) is important, but so is orthopraxy (correct practice): all the ways we live and breathe and move with God and our neighbors. Our faith is best described as a “because – therefore” sort of faith, but we have an awful lot of options when it comes to living out “therefore” in the lives God has given us.

So, beloveds: because you are free in Christ, what will your therefore be this month? What will your practice be? May it be one filled with gratitude, hope, compassion, awe, serenity, joy, inspiration, and love, and may it be intentional.

Yours in Christ,
Bishop Scott

^[1] Fourré, Constance. The Spiritual Resilience Handbook: A Faith-Based, Research-Informed Practical Approach. © 2020 Constance Fourré.