Renovaré

As Summer comes, so comes vacation, adventure, heat and sun. This year, Summer also brings Renovaré.

Renovaré, the latin word meaning ‘to make new’ is my personal theme for this season in life. In a spiritual quest, the central core of that journey is to discover something new. Renovaré is the quest to take five major areas of my spiritual life and remodel them according to the pattern and plan found in the message and life of Jesus. This will not be a one-time project.

Here in Atlanta, our main thoroughfare north and south through the city is called Peachtree Street. It is like Avenue of the America’s in New York City; Biscayne Boulevard in Miami; Champs d’Elysse in Paris or Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Peachtree Street defines Atlanta. Peachtree is always growing, accommodating, moving and it is always being renovated. In fact, there was a famous lyric here in Atlanta for decades that had as its tag line, “They’re tearing up Peachtree Again….”

Making Peachtree fit for more traffic, better transportation, smoother rides is a never-ending project.

Visitors to our city sometimes become confused because there are so many streets, avenues and roads bearing the name – more than fifty at last count. But there is only ONE Peachtree Street!

In spiritual quest I have found there are many alternative ways to the one true way. That way, as I have sensed it, is to simply follow the founder. Jesus was the catalyst to a new way of life in which humans learned to relate to their Creator and life source through relational connection and trust rather than conformity and legality.

What do I mean by that? We know, by study and by experience, that God is love. We also know that God is community, in that he is more than one singular being eternally existing as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He is life, in that death could not conquer or hold him. The message of Jesus is this.. God loves us, wants to include us in his community and wants us to remain there for eternity. How, by trusting in the way of Jesus.

I am choosing to live life by embracing the way of Jesus, in prayer, compassion, empowerment, obedience and purity. I do not live by the negative force of guilt and shame, but by faith and trust. I want to be a human being instead of a human doing. I want to be like Jesus in how I relate to God, relate to people, serve people with and beyond my ability, respond to the direction of God.

There are a slew of books, preachers, ideas, churches, women, men, traditions and heresies that will purport to be the way, but they will not be ‘the way.’ As Atlanta has only ONE Peachtree Street among many Peachtree thoroughfares, there is only ONE way to be like Jesus – that is to be like Jesus.

I began this quest some time ago. Now, i continually am on a quest to retool, rethink, re-evaluate, repave, and re-imagine this way I am on to Jesus-likeness. So, this Summer I am doing a Renovaré. Walk with me as next week i unpack what it means to me to live like Jesus in prayer.

~ by phil underwood on 2 June, 2008.