Kindred in Christ,

The season of Lent (the 40 days leading up to Good Friday and Easter) invite us into a period of self-reflection and inner work. At first, we may feel hesitant to undergo the inward journey, as we fear confronting our unresolved wounds and the ways we still resist God’s love in our lives (sin). But as Christians we can have confidence that Christ lived through all the abysses of human life and that Christ goes with us when we dare engage in sincere confrontation with ourselves. Because God loves us unconditionally—along with our shadow sides—we do not need to dodge ourselves. But we can journey inward and come to receive God’s healing and change in our lives (repentance).

To help us engage this inner work together, you are invited to join us during the next 5 weeks for our Lenten worship series, The Inward Journey, which will explore the Enneagram and knowing ourselves in God. The Enneagram is an ancient tool used to discern different character or personality types. When used as intended, we are taken much deeper than mere behavior traits to the profound pulls and pushes of the deep patterns of our living. Click HERE to take a free test to help discern your Enneagram personality type.

As we grow in understanding ourselves we will be invited to grow in love of others. We will learn of the gifts of our “type” and the liabilities that come with it. We will search for a truthful way of living life, accepting that for each of us the way will differ in slight or even vast ways. And we will also hopefully discern what specific exercises are necessary for each of us to honor and encounter the deepest truths of our own unique souls.

St. Teresa of Avila, the great church reformer and Spanish theologian, writes in her masterpiece The Interior Castle:

“Not a little misery and confusion arise from the fact that through our own guilt we do not understand ourselves and do not know who we are… But what treasures this soul may harbor within it, who dwells in it, and what great value it has, these are things we seldom consider, and hence people are so little concerned with preserving their beauty with all care.”

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz