Kindred in Christ,

Emmanuel Garibay, an artist from the Philippines, who happens to be Methodist, depicts the moment when the prodigal son returns home and is embraced by his loving father (Luke 15:11-32). I love this painting for many reasons. The tender expressions of their faces, the generous embrace of the parent, and the rest of the child captures well the experience of when we find our rest in God after losing ourselves for a time. Garibay titles this piece, Pagbabbalik Loob, which translates to “Conversion” or “inner change.” This is a reminder that conversion from sin (aka the way we tend to lose ourselves) is not about doing right or believing right (these are just the byproducts), but about allowing ourselves to be embraced and finding our rest in God once again.

Christopher Heuertz, author of the Sacred Enneagram suggests that inner healing or inner change feels less like doing “right actions” and more like “returning home.” With the help of the Enneagram, this Lenten season, we have been exploring together the different ways we tend to lose ourselves, and the power of self-reflection to help bring inner healing. This week, we will explore what it looks and feels like to undergo the grace of God, which returns us home.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz

Kindred in Christ,

The Lenten season invites us to reflect on the sin that still secretly lurks in our hearts, which is anything within us that seeks to resist God’s love and justice for us or for others. And one of my favorite thinkers on this topic is the English novelist Francis Spufford who suggests that sin is our human propensity to f**k things up. (Read more of his reflection HERE.)

After making a regrettable decision or acting in ways that we know go against God’s coming kin-dom of peace, you too may have found yourself saying, “I do not understand what I do! For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate I do” (Romans 7:14-21). It is likely that we have all resonated with the Apostle Paul’s words at one point or another as we reflect on our human propensity to mess things up.

The personality typing tool of the Enneagram offers us a way to reflect on this propensity and map out a way to return to our rest in God. As we have mentioned throughout our series, the Enneagram is influenced by the ancient church’s concept of the 7 deadly sins (two more were added so nobody is left out). See below:

In the above graphic, as well as in the book The Sacred Enneagram, Christopher Heuertz writes that it is better to think of these as Passions rather than strictly “sins.” While each Passion can certainly lead to sin, in the original Latin, passion means “suffering” or “enduring.” The Enneagram suggests that under stress or unresolved trauma or other issues, we each decelerate into our passions even to the point of losing ourselves—thus becoming sin.

Heuertz suggests that when we are going on our journey to find ourselves back into our rest in God, it is like fumbling in the dark. It is hard. We cannot find our way. And he says, when we start to recognize the “whys,” when we ask why we have these passions and why are we acting on these passions to unhealthy degrees, then the “why” becomes a flashlight back to our true selves.

Join us this Sunday as we reflect further on our propensity to mess things up, and how we can journey back toward personal and collective healing.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz

Last week began our new Lenten series The Inward Journey.  We considered how we tend to create distorted identities based on what we do, what we have, and what others think of us. We also talked about the Enneagram and hopefully most of you have taken time to take the free test and have an idea of which personality type you are. If you have not yet done so, I encourage you to set aside a few moments and take the test, as knowing your Enneagram personality number will help you get more out of our Lenten series.

This week, we are going to consider how our Intelligence Centers speak into how we perceive the world. As seen in the above chart, the nine Enneagram personality types are divided into three Intelligence Centers: Gut, Heart, Head.

Depending on which Enneagram type you are, you might experience the world and your relationships primarily through your thoughts, your emotions, or through instinctive reactions. It’s how you live in the world.

And the reason we are talking about this is because we can also engage with and relate to God through our Intelligence Centers; through our heart, mind, or gut and we are called to do so.

According to Jesus, the greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind (Matthew 22:34-40). But what does that really mean? Why is THIS the greatest commandment? How can this help us become more connected to our true selves and a more just and generous expression of Christ? And how can the Enneagram Intelligence Centers help us live out the greatest commandment?

Join us this Sunday, in-person or online as we explore these questions and more.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz

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

Pastor Paul will facilitate a pop-up small group on the Enneagram during 3/2, 3/16, 3/30, and 4/13 from 6-8pm. The group will meet in-person for dinner (potluck), book discussion and spiritual practices. There is a limited number of spaces (we can host another group at a later date if there is greater interest). We will read The Road Back to You (required reading) with The Sacred Enneagram (nor required) as a supplement. We ask that you purchase the book The Road Back to You. (The church can sponsor your book if needed. Just let us know!) Contact Pastor Paul (paul.ortiz@ugathering.org) to sign up for the group or to ask any questions.

If you would like to know your Enneagram personality type, click HERE for a free test.