1. Listening to the story through the lens of our
personal theology
Presented by: Nate Gustafson, M.Div., CPSP Diploamate

2.  “She taught me this above all else: things
which don’t shift and grow are dead things.”
Betonie, a Navajo healer, quoted from
Ceremony by Leslie Silko.
 Humanity searches for meaning (see Frankl)
 Theological Reflection (T.R.) “It is about
weaving the threads of our lives and our
religious heritage more strongly into a single
story of faithfulness” The Art of T.R., p. viii.

3. “T.R. is the discipline of
exploring individual and
corporate experience in
conversation with the
wisdom of a religious
heritage… a genuine
dialogue… (T.R.) may
confirm, challenge, clarify
and expand how we
understand our experience
(and tradition). The
outcome is new truth and
meaning for living” The Art
of T.R., p. viii
Tradition Experience

4.  Certitude – we only
tolerate our
predetermined
positions and
categories (Tradition
only)
 Self-Assurance – rely
solely on current
experience, what I
think and feel now
(Experience)
 Exploration –
discover where we
are and how we
arrived at this point.
Open to testing our
views, looking for
clues to new insights.

5.  Experience – Re-enter experience, aware of
inner and outer dimensions.
◦ Learn to become non-judgmental narrators of the
story/experience; 5 W’s and the H guide us
◦ Withhold judgment; NO self-berating, NO
apologizing, NO self-congratulatory remarks
◦ Present to the experience as best as we can
remember it

6.  Feelings – clues to the
meaning of the
experience; gifts
◦ Physical sensations
◦ Naming feelings
 “Entering into human
suffering and death is
a dangerous
undertaking… it can
numb you, leaving you
cold of seeing without
feeling,” John Dunne,
The House of Wisdom
 Images – symbols of
our experience,
metaphors.
◦ We must relate to feelings
◦ NO problem solving or
psycho-analysis

7.  Insight – consider and question those images.
◦ “Our reflection becomes theological when we use
questions arising from themes in our heritage to
explore an image,” The Art of T.R., p. 42.
◦ “Insights are an invitation to transformation”
 Action – how are you going to move as a
result of this reflection?
◦ Prayer, Plan and People are keys to movement

8.  Experience: Action
(Lived Narrative),
Tradition, Culture,
Positions
 Feelings: Heart of the
matter
◦ Central issue, tension,
theme, problem, worry
 Image: Correlations
◦ “Steel rod” and “yoke is
easy, burden is light”
◦ What is this like? How
does Scripture speak to
image? What is life
giving or encouraging?
 Image: Correlations
◦ Common themes-
brokenness, loss, pain,
worry, helpless
◦ Compare/Contrast to
action, tradition
,culture, or position
 Action – Movement
◦ Next time I experience
______, I will ______
◦ Draw, write, sculpt
◦ Prayer together
◦ Remember and do
______

9.  So What? What’s the
point of all this T.R.?
 Compare your usual
process of T.R. with
this process.
 Obstacles you feel to
incorporating T.R.?
 How do we make this
process our own?