1 / 31

Spiritual vitality after 70

Spiritual vitality after 70. November 19, 2011 – Virginia Theological Seminary. II Corinthians 4: 7-9, 16-17. But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.

habib
Download Presentation

Spiritual vitality after 70

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Spiritual vitality after 70 November 19, 2011 – Virginia Theological Seminary

  2. II Corinthians 4: 7-9, 16-17 But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.

  3. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. . .

  4. So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal wealth of glory beyond all comparison.

  5. Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot

  6. Richard Rohr

  7. YOUNG … OLDER … OLD OLD

  8. dabrooks@nytimes.com

  9. There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics

  10. The Elderly Sub-Populations

  11. Pew Research Center – November 7, 2011

  12. Margaret Cruikshank Aging in contemporary America is so complex and multidimensional that studying it is worthwhile, even necessary, for those who wish to do it consciously and without fear. Source Margaret Cruikshank, Learning to Be Old: Gender, Culture, and Aging (2003), ix

  13. Simone de Beauvoir There is one form of experience that belongs only to those who are old – that of old age itself. The young have only vague and erroneous notions of it. Source Simone de Beauvoir, The Coming of Age, trans by Patrick O'Brian (1996), 381.

  14. Aging as a Spiritual Practice http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ORvUZou0Ak by Lewis Richmond

  15. Spiritual Well-Being Affirmation of life; the ability to say “yes” to life in spite of negative circumstances. By being a part of a community of faith, people grow to accept the past, live into the present and seek the hope of fulfillment in the future.   Source Thorson, J. A., ed. Perspectives on Spiritual Well-Being and Aging. Charles C. Thomas Publishers LTD, 2000, xiii.

  16. Theorists Who Shaped Erikson

  17. Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development

  18. Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development

  19. Gerotranscendence • Increased feeling of affinity with past generations, & decreased interest in superfluous social interaction • Feeling of cosmic awareness, & redefinition of time, space, life and death. • Individual becomes less self-occupied & more selective in choice of social and other activities. • Individual might experience decrease in interest in material things. Solitude becomes more attractive • Source: In Thomas, Bill. Post on Changing Aging Blogstream, Feb. 3, 2011. http://changingaging.org/blog/2011/02/03/gerotranscendence/

  20. Deepening Spirituality All Ages • Finding worth in one’s being, not through having or doing • Accepting one’s life journey and faith story • Confronting losses and accepting gains • Experiencing a new (or renewed) relationship with God • Serving the needs of others Source: Gentzler, R. H. and Clingan, D. F. God’s Challenge to the Church and Synagogue. Discipleship Resources, 2003.

  21. COME BACK AT 1pm!

  22. Zones of EmotionVedantam, S. “Older Americans May be Happier than Younger Ones.” In The Washington Post, July 14, 2008, p. A04.

  23. Principles of Parish Ministry for Maturing Adults • Part of parish plan • Pay attention to three dimensions of growth: spiritual, physical, & psychological • Employ styles of teaching unique to people being served

  24. … Principles for Parish Ministry • Assume God is calling each person to a profound personal vocation • Shift focus of ministry to shared activities & shared growth in faith and life • Welcome elders into mainstream

  25. … Principles for Parish Ministry • Embrace a goal of spiritual transformation • Offer programming that rises out of the real situation in which elders live • Focus on both interior and exterior growth • Be Christ-centered • Think: Developmental, ongoing, & lifelong • Honor diversity of age, stage, personality, ethnicity, & spirituality Source: Johnson, R. P. Parish Ministry for Maturing Adults: Principles, Plans and Bold Proposals. Twenty-Third Publications, 2007, 15-16.

  26. Essential Programming Components • Responsibility toward community, family, and church • Thorough contemplation of death and eternity “unless we can come to terms with our ultimate destination, we really won’t have the wisdom to make those right decisions about the journey here”

  27. … Essential Components • Provide time for solitude & meditation • Recognize being alone ≠ being lonely • Feel loss deeply • Recognize movement toward giftedness in maturity • Making and keeping friends Source: Davis, C. B. “Spirituality and Aging,” in Perspectives on Spiritual Well-Being and Aging, J.A. Thorson, ed. Springfield: Charles C. Thomas Publisher, 2000, p. 45-53.

More Related