JR. Forasteros - February 3, 2013

Growing Up in a Garden

First Things First

When we start to live in real community, we often find frustration because we compare ourselves to those around us. We try to take their process of spiritual formation and apply it to our lives. But spirituality isn't one-size-fits-all. There's no formula for healthy spirituality. Rather, we are more like gardens. Each of us is a little bit different, and we should approach our spiritual growth with the freedom to experiment, to figure out what path God designed to lead to our flourishing.

Discussion Guide     Sermon Manuscript     Guide to Spiritual Practices

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Welcome to Summer at Catalyst! This year, we’re going on a quest for spiritual transformation. To help us get at that, we’re spending our summer with La Familia Madrigal from Encanto. The nine magical Madrigals correlate with a tool utilized in Spiritual Direction called the Enneagram.

This week, we’re focusing on Mirabel’s older sister, Isabela. Mirabel calls her and her other sister, Luisa, the ‘beauty and the brawn’. Isabela is the beauty. She’s tall, slender and her power is creating beautiful flowers. She embodies what a perfect daughter should be, and to top it all off, she’s engaged to a handsome man from the village.

She’s got it all, she can do it all and she never, never does anything wrong. No wonder Mirabel loves her and is more than a little envious of her.

Do you know that person? The straight-A student or the star employee? They are the model student, child, employee, whatever and they never settle for less than absolute perfection. And, look, you wouldn’t say this out loud – certainly not where they would hear it – but they can be really judgy.
Friends, you may just know an Enneagram One.

And if you’re thinking, “I don’t know anyone like that. But I sure do know a bunch of slackers and rule-breakers. Don’t they know that in order to succeed, we have to be perfect?!

Then you might be a One!

Ones are amazing – their drive for excellence is unparalleled, and if you want something to just knock your socks off, you should involve a One. But we’ll see today what 1s already know – they have an overbearing inner critic who keeps them from being able to enjoy the life they’ve worked so hard to build.

Ones, how can you find freedom to enjoy the life God has given you? And how can the rest of us love the Ones in our lives well?

Join us Sunday as we the path to transformation for Perfectionists.

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