Countdown: Day 43

On March 15, Naked Spirituality will go on sale. I’ll share a short quote from the book each day until then. I hope you’ll pass on the ones you find most meaningful.

I want to acknowledge that dramatic spiritual experiences happen, but they are, by definition, pretty rare – otherwise they wouldn’t seem dramatic. Beyond that, although they solve some problems, they can create others. Some people, for example, seem to develop an addiction to dramatic spiritual experiences that disrupts their life as other addictions would. Most important, dramatic spiritual experiences simply aren’t the point. Whatever the value of extraordinary dramatic spiritual experiences, to which some people seem more prone than others, I’m convinced that what matters most – and is available to everyone – is daily, ordinary spiritual experience. With or without dramatic experiences, we can all find, expand and hold a quiet, sacred space at the center of our lives, a space where we experience vital connection to the living God. We can all learn to tap into the quiet current of sacredness and love that runs from the Creator through all creation. Dramatic experiences can awaken some of us to the reality of the spiritual life, but they are not sufficient to strengthen, sustain and deepen us as truly spiritual people. (Brian D. McLaren, Naked Spirituality: A Life with God in Twelve Simple Words. HarperOne, 2011, Chapter 1)