Mar 3, 2022
This episode is primarily an exploration of the concept of
"intention," especially as it relates to our spiritual journeys.
But in the end, it is best summed up by the question, "What Do We
Really Want"? Of course, if each of us drills down to discover what
we value the most, and explore the reasons for these values and how
they have been present in our life paths so far, no two of us will
end up with the exact same answer. Not only that, we should hold
somewhat loosely to our answer because if we are engaging
intentionally with our lives and spiritual journeys, we will not be
the same people we were when we last visited the question.
In the episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon is joined
by two wonderful and insightful friends and fellow retreat leaders,
Mark Crego and Jana Spangler, for
a discussion of "intentions." Do intentions differ from goals or
motivations? And if so, how? In our faith lives, we generally
inherit the institutional intentions for us, which are very often
aligned with what our parents or other important figures in our
lives have for us. But how well has/does a church prepare us for
the hard spiritual work of discovering and uncovering what drives
us most deeply? Do most institutional religions even point
us toward this kind of work as a thing to expect to undertake as we
continue maturing?
This episode features some ideas for ways to become open to this
kind of work, and then to allow us to fully embrace the challenges.
The panelists discuss many things that will resonate with some
listeners and not with others, but they assure us that this is okay
and it shouldn't be another (dang) reason to judge ourselves
harshly. Each discussant comes at the nexus of what "intention"
means to them, and how it plays out in their own hearts and
journeys--and you will be able to recognize their differences based
on their temperament, training, study, personalities, and life
stories.
Please listen to this episode! It's a great one!