Church

Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three have gathered in My name, I am there in their midst.”

My friend Jim Spivey, as he interacts with individuals or groups has this remarkable ability to facilitate, or allow the truth to come out. That truth is almost always spiritual, but somehow, some way the Holy Spirit interacts with him in these settings to reveal that truth in a very freeing way.

Secular physiologist might see one of Jim’s groups as group therapy. I consider it much more than that. For me, his groups Love Machine and Iwo Jima are church. And for those who are supposed to be there, I think most would agree with me. They are church for me because the Holy Spirit moves very freely and this murmuration of Him moving and using everyone always occurs. Second, it’s a gathering, and as such Christ being in our midst makes it a lot of what I consider church to be… basking in the presence of God with others. Thirdly, I consider it church because it is healing, or inspiration, or conviction for the soul depending on the individual condition.

People ask Jim how he “facilitates” the groups like that. Some… even Jim call it “Holding Space.”

And so here is what Jim describes as holding space. You tell me if this sounds like what church should be.

Quoting Jim Tolles, Jim Spivey says, “Some of the components are:

-          Letting go of all judgment

-          Opening your heart completely

-          Allowing others to have WHATEVER experiences they are having

-          Giving you complete undivided attention to another person or situation.

He goes on to say, “Those are really the key elements of holding space. You’re not trying to influence the situation in any way. You are not trying to fix it, win at it, or affect any kind of outcome…”

What I add to that is the question of, “Who are you holding space for?”

I think what makes Jim’s gatherings so great, so different, is I know in my heart that Jim is having these gathering for Jesus. The people that come may think it is for them, but I know it’s for Jesus.  Though Jim and I have never discussed this, I feel like when Jim meets with someone individually or as a group there is one goal in him. That is for Christ to shine through.

I remember my very first meeting with him… and I thought he was a whack job. Jim said, “I am here to listen and then to reflect Christ back.” The more I am around him, I see him as there to listen and allow Christ to reflect out of us all. He lets go of his judgments so that he can see all the wonderful manifestation of Christ coming out of everyone around him. He does it with an open heart, never wanting to box in God, or quench the Holy Spirit. He’s not afraid to let people be real, to express their fears and frustrations with four letter words or screams of pain, or even tears… joyful or otherwise.

And what makes it church most of all… is that we all try to give each other our undivided attention. “Try” being the key word here. Serving one another with an open ear and an open heart… not listening to a prepared message, and then being asked to live it outside. But being invited to live it on the inside, to be real, to be truthful, to celebrate the mercy and grace of God in our failures.

I go to meet with Jim, because in those experiences I am always meeting Christ. Not just the little Christ that Jim reflects, but the Christ that is in all the others, and most importantly the Christ in me.