 Spiritual: July 12, 2023 Issue [#12068] |
This week: The Natural World Edited by: Jeff  
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"Only a real risk tests the reality of a belief."
-- C.S. Lewis
About The Editor: Greetings! My name is Jeff and I'm one of your regular editors for the Noticing Newbies Official Newsletter! I've been a member of Writing.com since 2003, and have edited more than 400 newsletters across the site during that time. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me via email or the handy feedback field at the bottom of this newsletter! 
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The Natural World
As I write this editorial, my family is finishing up the last of the packing for our vacation. By the time you read this, we'll one day into a six-day visit to Hawaii, the first family vacation we've taken since the COVID-19 pandemic. To say we're excited would be a vast understatement. 
The thing I'm most looking forward to on this trip is spending some time at the beach. The ocean is one of the places I feel most connected to God and, while I live about twenty minutes away from that same Pacific Ocean here in Southern California, there's no comparison to the warm waters and energetic waves of Hawaii. Here in SoCal, I'll walk along the beach and listen to the surf; in Hawaii, I can sit in the surf and let it buffet me back and forth.
I'm hardly the first person to find that nature offers a unique spiritual experience. For some, like me, it's the beach. For others, it's the mountains, or a river, or the desert. Some might like to be way up in the sky, while others might like exploring a forest, or even subterranean caves. Two of the things that I think most of these experiences have in common is that they: (1) remind us of the incredibly complex beauty the world has to offer, and (2) give us a place free from the distractions of the modern world (unless you bring them with you  ).
It's hard to focus on your inbox full of work emails when you're surfing ocean waves, or watching snow fall gently outside the window of a warm cabin, or hiking to the top of a mountain with majestic views all around. It's hard not to see how many of the things in this world are interconnected when you're observing an entire ecosystem inside a rainforest, or living off the land. It's hard to maintain high levels of stress and/or anxiety when you're sitting around a campfire laughing and telling stories with friends.
Many employees on staff at a church are given a sabbatical every so often. Many seminary students are required to complete an extended retreat where they spend time in isolation to help with their spiritual formation. It's not surprising that many of these practices revolve around the individual spending time in nature, away from the distractions of the modern world.
And yet, it's so easy for us to dismiss the natural world as antiquated, or even undesirable. I personally prefer to live in an urban setting rather than a rural one (I wouldn't be living in the second largest urban area in the United States if I didn't!), and I got my fill of things like camping, fishing, etc. when I was younger. Spending time in nature isn't my first choice for recreation ... but it is my first choice when it comes to seeking out a place where I can experience some spirituality.
The great thing about nature is that it's all around. No matter where you live (even if it's a major metropolitan area), there's some kind of nature nearby. Maybe it's an urban park, or the hiking trail in the woods behind your suburban housing development, or the creek that's just down the road. Depending on the aspects of nature you find most appealing and where you live (as an "ocean" guy, I'd have a hard time living in the Midwest; I'd probably have to become a "river" person), you can probably find some element of the natural world that speaks to you and helps you get in touch with your spirituality.
And, as a bonus, it's also a great reminder not to take the natural world for granted. In a world with a rapidly changing climate and natural resources being greatly exploited and/or diminished by corporate interests, it's important not to become too detached or apathetic toward the planet we live on. Spending time in nature can help with your spiritual formation as well as your attenuation to the planet we all call home.
Until next time,
Jeff
If you're interested in checking out my work:
"New & Noteworthy Things" | "Blogocentric Formulations"
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I also encourage you to check out the following items:
EXCERPT: Feeling lonely is a normal human experience, even if you have friends or are in a room full of people. You can feel lonely even when you are with other people. When you don't feel deeply connected to anyone or feel like you have no one who understands you or is willing to engage with you and make an effort, whether it's with friends or family.
EXCERPT: I am not here to argue anyone's faith because after seeking truth most of my life, no different to any other man, I can at least admit to myself that I don't know the truth...yours, or anyone else's.
I believe we know very little, if anything, about the truth; about the universe. We LIKE to think we know...that we are better than the animals that roam the earth simply because we have concepts they don't...that we are superior because of this one difference. I would ask...what good has it done us?
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Feedback from "Spiritual Newsletter (June 14, 2023)" about idols:
Hi, I just would like to add something to think about. Whether we like it or not, Humans have an innate desire to praise and worship because this is one of our purposes why we were created by our Maker. (Isaiah 42:21) But due to the ‘perversion caused by sin, there is the twisting effect, instead of worshiping our Creator, we are already creating and worshiping our own gods (idols) and other dead gods, and worst we became like the one we worship and we serve and this gives birth to the defilement of our soul. (Psalm 115:4-8) Thanks for the great article.
What a wonderful NL, Jeff! I especially liked your longer list of "beneath the surface" after the list of the "big ones" (Approval, Comfort, Food / Drink / Drugs, Health / Youth, Intellect, Relationships, Self, Security, Sex / Pleasure, Success). So true!
I hope you don't mind, but I'm sharing this newsletter with my FB Unvarnished Gospel Group. I am inpress with how you have interpreted PS:23
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