July 1, Quote 1

"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience;
we are spiritual beings having a human experience."  
            Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

    I've heard people say that they aren't a religious person, per se, but rather they were spiritual people.  And de Chardin would wholeheartedly agree.  To be human is to be a unique mixture of body, mind, and spirit.  And note that we almost always list them that way: body first, mind second, and lowly spirit always bringing up the rear.   And yet ancient peoples knew better.  The body was ruled by the mind, and the mind was shaped, formed, and guided by the spirit.  In fact, there are those who have suggested that this triumverent nature of human beings mirrors the trinitarian nature of God--Spirit, Son, Father.  The Sustainer flows from and gets it cue from the Redeemer, the Redeemer is sent and guided by the Creator, and together the three form an essential unity of purpose and power.
    We are spiritual beings having a human experience.  Followers of Jesus believe that the more we grow and mature spiritually, the richer that human experience becomes.  Jesus did not come so that we might practice religion.  Jesus came so that we might have life and have it to the full.  That being said, where else do we learn what it means to be a spiritual person--where else to we turn to exercise and expand our spirits than an ancient/modern community of faith, equipped and called for just such a purpose?  
    You can be spiritual without being in church--in fact, you already are.  I suppose you can also be an athlete without the benefit of training; you can be a musician without practicing, being part of a ensemble, or instruction; and you can be a student without necessarily having a gifted and wise teacher; but really would you want to if you had the choice?