Walk Alone

You are born alone, and you die alone. Yet, how we fight against this reality.

Before you begin a deeper walk with God, know that that walk will be a lonely one. The closer you get to God, the further you’ll be from people.

Leonard Ravenhill said it well:

Great eagles fly alone; great lions hunt alone; great souls walk alone-alone with God. Such loneliness is hard to endure, and impossible to enjoy unless God accompanies them. Prophets are lone men; they walk alone, pray alone and God makes them alone.

Growing Older Reflections

You know one thing that growing older gives you, it is perspective. I don’t believe you can get that in any other way.

So many things that I thought were absolutely sure when I was younger, I no longer am so certain of. Age brings forth wisdom, if we are open to looking at things differently.

Growing older doesn’t automatically mean you become wise. You only grow wise when you see things from God’s perspective, and then act accordingly. Much of growing older is unlearning.

For me, faith has been difficult. I’ve gone through my doubts, my disbeliefs and my struggles. The truth is, it’s harder to believe than not to. But I’d rather have a faith troubled by doubt, than a doubt. troubled by faith.

They say that a faith that can’t be tested can’t be trusted. My faith has been tested, and it has failed. But I have gotten up and I have returned. Like the prodigal son, I return to the Father’s loving arms. Great is our God!

Your Not a Real Hermit

What is a real hermit? The Oxford English Dictionary defines a hermit as “a person living in solitude as a religious discipline.” It defines solitude as “the state or situation of being alone.” And it defines alone as “having no one else present.”

A Married Hermit

But since I am married and living with my wife, I cannot say that “no one else” is “present.” But I do spend the majority of my waking hours alone, and I am doing it “as a religious discipline.” So I am a hermit.

I mean, after all, the vast majority of hermits were never alone all the time. Even the Desert Fathers occasionally meet, with some Abbas having disciples actually staying with them. So the solitude is not absolute. So that does not disqualify me.

I will admit that married hermits are an oddity, but they are not unheard of. Paul and Karen Karper Fredette are contemporary examples. But history records others.

Not a Recognized Hermit

But, someone might say, you are not recognized by the Roman Catholic Church as a hermit under canon 603. That is correct, I am not a Roman Catholic hermit. But I never claimed to be. I am a Christian hermit.

In fact, I am not even accepted as a hermit in the Episcopal Church, to which I belong. But then, I have never sought such acceptance.

I Don’t Believe It

If you don’t think I am a real hermit, I am okay with that. I am not seeking recognition. Then just think of me as a lover of God and the solitude that promotes it. At least be charitable, dear brother or sister.

Honestly, I am not going to argue with anyone about this. I am just a sinner seeking to honor my Creator. I am what I am by His amazing grace.

I Am Not Worthy

I am not worthy to be counted among the hermits of the deserts of Egypt. Please go read Anthony the Great, Paul of Thebes, Pachomius, and the other Desert Fathers and Mothers.

I believe God called me to be a hermit and have a ministry of helping those taking the road of solitude in the mystic way. Whether you accept it doesn’t matter to me. I wish you nothing but peace, love, and happiness.

Four Wisdom Traditions

A wise man once said, “It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If we take it from only one place it becomes rigid and stale.”

We see this “rigid and stale” in the old churches. The longer the tradition the worse it can be. There is no openness to new moves of God.

The Four Traditions

Personally, I find four wisdom traditions particularly meaningful. They are the contemplative, the evangelical, the charismatic, and the sacramental

I have not chosen the four traditions of Christianity haphazardly. I have chosen them so that their strength and weaknesses complement one another. More could be added, but these I find most helpful.

Comparing the Traditions

For example, the evangelical is an active and extroverted tradition. It works great in public life and outreach. The contemplative, on the other hand, is more introverted and passive, cultivating inward stillness and an awareness of God.

Another example, the charismatic tradition is about the current movings of God, exercising the gifts to edify and empower believers. While the sacramental is about honoring the faith and traditions handled down from our spiritual ancestors.

Four Elements

The contemplative is like air, for in it we seek the breath in God’s presence. The evangelical is like water, for it brings us back to the washing of the water of the word. The charismatic is like fire, for it is the wild working of the Holy Spirit. And the sacramental trady is like earth, grounding us in the sacraments and traditions of the ancient church.

Having four wisdom traditions allows us to draw wisdom from many different places and people. It also helps keep our minds and hearts from becoming rigid and stale. Understanding the four wisdom traditions will help us become more whole, balanced, and wiser.

Few Should Become Hermits

Thomas Merton rightly said, “The eremitical life is a charism reserved for few.” Everyone can benefit from solitude, but only a few should follow the way of the hermit.

What is a Charism?

A charism is a divinely conferred power or ability. Without it The hermit life can lead to confusion and delusion. Most people need a spiritual mentor to help guide them into a deeper relationship with God.

I didn’t all of a sudden decide to become a hermit. After four decades of walking with God, I felt the inward urging into the desert of solitude.

I heard the mystics of the Roman Catholic Church and the Hesychasts of the Eastern Orthodox Church speaking to me. They were calling me away from the world into God.

The Middle Way

I found the middle way of Anglicanism that helped me bridge the gap between ancient traditions and modern realities. Merging streams of the movings of God in all ages. Opening me to new horizons and old truths.