Analysis Of We Drink From Our Own Wells By Rio Gutiérrez
We drink from Our Own Wells by Gustavo Gutiérrez describes that when we walk in spirituality, it is according to the spirit of love and life. Drinking from one’s well is a spiritual experience, the Christians in Latin America were learning how to be followers of Christ, they needed to walk with and be committed to the poor. I follow Jesus as he chose me, I was just an ordinary man pursuing my education, but God has called me to follow him in order to be a witness to life. Following Jesus is oriented to the horizon of resurrection, definitive life. “It talks about the journey that we have to walk according to the Spirit.” (Rom.8:4). The Holy Spirit has several gifts. Romans 8: 26 is a great reminder of the Holy Spirit interceding on our behalf,
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and when the disciples of Christ intercede for God’s people, at that time, prayer is like the pleasing “aroma” is that is loved by God. I mentioned this in my earlier paper. Therefore, on a simplistic level, God is pleased with the act of prayer. True discipline must therefore be prepared to take up the cross and follow Jesus leaving our own selves.[2]
The plenary sessions have been good as we have learned how to look at life with different lenses. I appreciated Dr Fredrick Schmidt starting the plenary sessions with prayer. He mentioned about spiritual practices and its disciplines in the church, and explained how we could apply different lenses to spiritual disciplines. The second plenary session was a creative session with Dr. Karla Kincannon helping us be introduced to learning how to we pray and meditate and also create art during this process. It helped me shape my creativity and spirituality together. The third plenary session was with Dr. Fredrick Schmidt where he taught us about the monastic life lived by the monks during the second century, how monks lived; the way they prayed and meditated and gave more time to God. The monks were living a more disciplined life, they were closer to God and away from the worldly pleasures. The last plenary session with Dr. Mark Fowler was an amazing experiencing. He reminded us that we are here in seminary for a purpose and that God wants us to fulfil that purpose in our lives. Our journey in the seminary may be full of challenges but we have to keep our faith strong and remember by whom we have given our authority of life.
The rule of life shapes one’s journey with oneself, my rule of life is about giving thanks to God, as God is the centre of our rule and also our lives.
I believe we should have personal walk with God and hear the word of God. I feel that God speaks to me through the scripture texts. My experience of praying is praying silently but hearing God and receiving God’s guidance. My time spent in reading the scripture comes from a reference in a devotion book and, helps me contemplate on that text and devotional message. Meditation and contemplation are part of the rule of my life. I like to meditate upon the words that God gives me during the time when I read the scripture. I am always reminded about God’s love and grace that is free for all and invites us to accept it with our open …show more content…
hearts.
As Christians, we are commissioned to be in the ministry of Jesus Christ. This would involve challenges just like Jesus had to face when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. These reminds me that I have been incorporated in the journey of Jesus Christ, leaving everything coming to the seminary, and seeking God’s will.
The disciples believed Jesus, following his deeds and his teaching.
Faithfulness to the word of God implies permanent conversion. I have faced some challenges after coming here in the U.S. though I am a Methodist, I study in a United Methodist Seminary even though I am a Methodist, and I have not able to obtain scholarships from outside the school, like the United Methodist Church. These scholarships are solely meant for the United Methodists. Such an experience tempts one to take turn back on the road which he or she has travelled. (Guiterz 95). In seminary we are are required to work toward obtaining good grades. The courses help us discern our calling though, sometimes it is tempting to believe that we are required to submit a report of our being spiritual or less spiritual. There is fear involved in this temptation because it is only through good grades that we are able to obtain the scholarships. As a seminary student, I feel challenged too to think if I should choose my thoughts to rely only on writing good papers and not knowing how to be a practical Christian life. At the same time, my thoughts are also directed toward knowing that I have been called to serve God and not fear. Therefore, it is a quest for seminarians to serve God, we have to serve him fearlessly to be able to see God's work for our life to grow in every situation (29 Wolpert). Prayerful life helps to build the foundation of our live and it helps us to get closer to the life empowered with spirit.
(Foster 237) “God has brought us to such a point that we get stuck at a moment, but it may be because he wants us to prepare us for something which we have not known. We have to remain consistent with our calling so that they may be converted to conviction (guterz104). We do not betray the base of that by which we are here even though it may bring us persecution and death, we shall trust Jesus for his presence in the tragic realities of our lives.( 105G).
In today’s world, it is impossible for us to live similar to how Jesus lived, all we should do is to have some plans for the future, and we can always ask Jesus for direction in prayer how to lead a life with planning and according to the will of God. (W 143). Prayerful life develops foundation of holy living, we are developed in our intimacy with God and grow deeper and stronger in heart and mind. (F61) A prayerful life can be lived by our faithfulness, we develop prayerful life once we keep our faith in God, we develop the bond and intimacy with him, and we can communicate with him through the medium of prayer. (F)
[1] Daniel Wolpert, Leading a Life with God: The Practice of Spiritual Leadership (Nashville: Upper Room Books, 2006), 1-43.
[2] Gustavo Gutiérrez, We Drink from Our Own Wells: The Spiritual Journey of a People, [20th anniversary ed. (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 2003), 1-51.
and when the disciples of Christ intercede for God’s people, at that time, prayer is like the pleasing “aroma” is that is loved by God. I mentioned this in my earlier paper. Therefore, on a simplistic level, God is pleased with the act of prayer. True discipline must therefore be prepared to take up the cross and follow Jesus leaving our own selves.[2]
The plenary sessions have been good as we have learned how to look at life with different lenses. I appreciated Dr Fredrick Schmidt starting the plenary sessions with prayer. He mentioned about spiritual practices and its disciplines in the church, and explained how we could apply different lenses to spiritual disciplines. The second plenary session was a creative session with Dr. Karla Kincannon helping us be introduced to learning how to we pray and meditate and also create art during this process. It helped me shape my creativity and spirituality together. The third plenary session was with Dr. Fredrick Schmidt where he taught us about the monastic life lived by the monks during the second century, how monks lived; the way they prayed and meditated and gave more time to God. The monks were living a more disciplined life, they were closer to God and away from the worldly pleasures. The last plenary session with Dr. Mark Fowler was an amazing experiencing. He reminded us that we are here in seminary for a purpose and that God wants us to fulfil that purpose in our lives. Our journey in the seminary may be full of challenges but we have to keep our faith strong and remember by whom we have given our authority of life.
The rule of life shapes one’s journey with oneself, my rule of life is about giving thanks to God, as God is the centre of our rule and also our lives.
I believe we should have personal walk with God and hear the word of God. I feel that God speaks to me through the scripture texts. My experience of praying is praying silently but hearing God and receiving God’s guidance. My time spent in reading the scripture comes from a reference in a devotion book and, helps me contemplate on that text and devotional message. Meditation and contemplation are part of the rule of my life. I like to meditate upon the words that God gives me during the time when I read the scripture. I am always reminded about God’s love and grace that is free for all and invites us to accept it with our open …show more content…
hearts.
As Christians, we are commissioned to be in the ministry of Jesus Christ. This would involve challenges just like Jesus had to face when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. These reminds me that I have been incorporated in the journey of Jesus Christ, leaving everything coming to the seminary, and seeking God’s will.
The disciples believed Jesus, following his deeds and his teaching.
Faithfulness to the word of God implies permanent conversion. I have faced some challenges after coming here in the U.S. though I am a Methodist, I study in a United Methodist Seminary even though I am a Methodist, and I have not able to obtain scholarships from outside the school, like the United Methodist Church. These scholarships are solely meant for the United Methodists. Such an experience tempts one to take turn back on the road which he or she has travelled. (Guiterz 95). In seminary we are are required to work toward obtaining good grades. The courses help us discern our calling though, sometimes it is tempting to believe that we are required to submit a report of our being spiritual or less spiritual. There is fear involved in this temptation because it is only through good grades that we are able to obtain the scholarships. As a seminary student, I feel challenged too to think if I should choose my thoughts to rely only on writing good papers and not knowing how to be a practical Christian life. At the same time, my thoughts are also directed toward knowing that I have been called to serve God and not fear. Therefore, it is a quest for seminarians to serve God, we have to serve him fearlessly to be able to see God's work for our life to grow in every situation (29 Wolpert). Prayerful life helps to build the foundation of our live and it helps us to get closer to the life empowered with spirit.
(Foster 237) “God has brought us to such a point that we get stuck at a moment, but it may be because he wants us to prepare us for something which we have not known. We have to remain consistent with our calling so that they may be converted to conviction (guterz104). We do not betray the base of that by which we are here even though it may bring us persecution and death, we shall trust Jesus for his presence in the tragic realities of our lives.( 105G).
In today’s world, it is impossible for us to live similar to how Jesus lived, all we should do is to have some plans for the future, and we can always ask Jesus for direction in prayer how to lead a life with planning and according to the will of God. (W 143). Prayerful life develops foundation of holy living, we are developed in our intimacy with God and grow deeper and stronger in heart and mind. (F61) A prayerful life can be lived by our faithfulness, we develop prayerful life once we keep our faith in God, we develop the bond and intimacy with him, and we can communicate with him through the medium of prayer. (F)
[1] Daniel Wolpert, Leading a Life with God: The Practice of Spiritual Leadership (Nashville: Upper Room Books, 2006), 1-43.
[2] Gustavo Gutiérrez, We Drink from Our Own Wells: The Spiritual Journey of a People, [20th anniversary ed. (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 2003), 1-51.