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Raw Spirituality: The Rhythms of the Jesus Life
Have you ever felt a tension between developing your internal spiritual life and the call to outward service in the world? Those of us who are more naturally activists risk becoming bitter, tired and burned out. Those of us who gravitate toward the contemplative life may struggle to connect our spirituality with the world around us. How do we allow the life of Jesus to flow through our whole bodies into our everyday lives? This book is a result of how Tom Smith held these questions in tension, as Eugene H. Peterson reflects in his "There is a back story here that is helpful in understanding Tom Smith's fierce focus and energetic imagination. He grew up in South Africa during the years of apartheid. . . . He also was aware that the Rwanda genocide took place in a population mostly Christian. He became a pastor in a flourishing South African church and then came to North America. He experienced the temptation to degenerate church into a consumer program. . . . This book is a witness to what takes place when names trump numbers and stories with their accompanying metaphors keep relationships personal and prayerful." Having Jesus in our hearts is not enough. Jesus calls us to a spirituality that involves our everyday actions and interactions with others and extends our sphere of influence. In this raw, honest, whole-life approach to Christian formation, Tom Smith introduces us into a "rhythm of life" that that brings flourishing to our personal spirituality that then extends to our service in the world.
223 pages, Paperback
First published July 11, 2014
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August 16, 2014
*Raw Spirituality* is written by Tom Smith, a South African minister whose heart has been formed to truly care about discipleship in the Christian community. He’s seen “discipleship” used as a sales pitch and drives us away from that in his book. He’s given us a good story on discipleship here and the end-of-chapter questions set us into a conversation with the author.
The book is approachable; it’s a quick, enjoyable read. But, it also has wisdom that makes you put the book down for a second. The wisdom is often a well-placed quote, like Kierkegaard’s quote on pg. 29 (“…It is not a question of interpretation but of action.”). Sometimes it’s an original word from Tom that makes you pause.
I caught myself often thinking about my disciple-making context through Tom’s words. For example, I paused to think about helping people draw healthier mental images of God (an idea from chapter two), and to think about helping people see their entire lives as an incarnation of eternal life in Jesus’ likeness (inspired by chapter six). Each chapter lent itself to inner dialog. Hearing stories and ideas like Tom’s is going to make a difference where I’m at.
*Raw Spirituality* is a composition of postures, practices and mindsets that lead to health in the way of Jesus. Tom has written chapters that build on one another and each chapter has an image to remember the practice by. In reality, the book is similar to a monastic “rule of life,” in that it writes out (for his context) what a community is called by God to do and how they intend to do it. While Benedict’s Rule isn’t hard to understand, Tom’s book, by comparison, helps you see that a “rule of life” is a helpful tool for a Christian community, and not only helpful, a real gift that clarifies what people hope for.
Tom’s “rhythm of life,” looks like this:
1. #1. “What is your picture of God?”
2. Plug In. Plugging in to life with God — place, time, etc.
3. Bread and Wine. “Who are your companions that you journey with?”
4. Puzzle Piece. “How have you been able to contribute your piece of the puzzle to beautify the world?”
5. Shoes. “What opportunities has God given you to be in other people’s shoes?”
6. Downward Steps (Downward Mobility). “How have you served with the privileges and resources that you have?”
7. A Clock. “Where have you seen God at work in your job, ministry, and life?”
The most formative part of the book for me was from page 87. Tom there wrote about his community’s journey through “church detox.” His list of “antioxidants” is a list many I know would resonate with. I’ve written the list down as inspiration. He wrote,
- follow Jesus and not the pastor
- seek the kingdom of God above all else
- exercise daily disciplines to become more like Jesus
- as a family member share my life with others
- get to know the text and live into it
- realize that I am a missionary and have a full-time calling
- respect the wider church over geography and time
- confess our brokenness and journey toward wholeness
- give sacrificially, especially money and time
- reach out to the poor [make a life with the poor]
Tom Smith has written a great book that will spark great conversation on intentional disciple formation. I am inspired and I suspect many more will be too.
The book is approachable; it’s a quick, enjoyable read. But, it also has wisdom that makes you put the book down for a second. The wisdom is often a well-placed quote, like Kierkegaard’s quote on pg. 29 (“…It is not a question of interpretation but of action.”). Sometimes it’s an original word from Tom that makes you pause.
I caught myself often thinking about my disciple-making context through Tom’s words. For example, I paused to think about helping people draw healthier mental images of God (an idea from chapter two), and to think about helping people see their entire lives as an incarnation of eternal life in Jesus’ likeness (inspired by chapter six). Each chapter lent itself to inner dialog. Hearing stories and ideas like Tom’s is going to make a difference where I’m at.
*Raw Spirituality* is a composition of postures, practices and mindsets that lead to health in the way of Jesus. Tom has written chapters that build on one another and each chapter has an image to remember the practice by. In reality, the book is similar to a monastic “rule of life,” in that it writes out (for his context) what a community is called by God to do and how they intend to do it. While Benedict’s Rule isn’t hard to understand, Tom’s book, by comparison, helps you see that a “rule of life” is a helpful tool for a Christian community, and not only helpful, a real gift that clarifies what people hope for.
Tom’s “rhythm of life,” looks like this:
1. #1. “What is your picture of God?”
2. Plug In. Plugging in to life with God — place, time, etc.
3. Bread and Wine. “Who are your companions that you journey with?”
4. Puzzle Piece. “How have you been able to contribute your piece of the puzzle to beautify the world?”
5. Shoes. “What opportunities has God given you to be in other people’s shoes?”
6. Downward Steps (Downward Mobility). “How have you served with the privileges and resources that you have?”
7. A Clock. “Where have you seen God at work in your job, ministry, and life?”
The most formative part of the book for me was from page 87. Tom there wrote about his community’s journey through “church detox.” His list of “antioxidants” is a list many I know would resonate with. I’ve written the list down as inspiration. He wrote,
- follow Jesus and not the pastor
- seek the kingdom of God above all else
- exercise daily disciplines to become more like Jesus
- as a family member share my life with others
- get to know the text and live into it
- realize that I am a missionary and have a full-time calling
- respect the wider church over geography and time
- confess our brokenness and journey toward wholeness
- give sacrificially, especially money and time
- reach out to the poor [make a life with the poor]
Tom Smith has written a great book that will spark great conversation on intentional disciple formation. I am inspired and I suspect many more will be too.
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