Casey Tygrett is a blogger, adjunct seminary professor, and spiritual director who serves as the teaching pastor at Heartland Community Church in Rockford, Illinois. These days, when churches are losing members and lifelong Christians are stumbling in the wilderness, it seems like a propitious time to resurrect the firepower and passion of curiosity and asking questions.
Last week we read this passage from an unnamed Zen Master:
"Have you noticed how clean and glistening the cobble stones in the street are after the rain? Real works of art! And flowers? No words can describe them. One can only exclaim 'Ah!' in admiration. You must learn to understand the 'Ah!' of things."
Tygrett would agree. He challenges us to be energized and animated by curiosity, to be amazed and grateful for this sense-luscious world. There is so much to see, touch, smell, taste and hear!
The author wants to make sure that we don't lose or miss anything close at hand. For him, children keep curiosity alive. The same was true for Jesus in his life and ministry. Tygrett stuffs questions in a variety of journal exercises for chapters on identity, motivation, others, love and failure, ritual, forgiveness, and change.
In our book Spiritual Literacy, we wrote:
"The word question is derived from the Latin quaerere (to seek) which has the same root as the word quest. This makes sense. Questions are powerful allies on a spiritual journey. They stretch our body, mind, and soul."
Combining the spiritual practice of curiosity with the art of asking soulful questions is a salutary path to inward transformation and social change. Just consider what would happen if through every community, people asked, "What can I do for you?"
