Every congregation and other gathering, if left to its own devices long enough, will approach the base question of reality. "What sort of world are we in, and what can we do within it?"
God has come to visit us in this world. Jesus was very specific telling us how we can and should live to have the best possible life here. We call his list of simple directions the "Beatitudes".
We can also see this list as God's list which helps us decide our directions for mastering life in this world. "If you do this, you will have the good life!".
As the congregation or community group explores its own mission it will provide the experiences to help its people master living in this world. Thus Personal Mastery is at the core of the life of the church.
9. ____/____ Personal Mastery The members of the community consistently and with the support of the whole community moves toward Personal Mastery of the skills and motivation needed for community and personal life, even life itself. Spiritual life, ethics, emotional well being, social comprehension and inner peace are important to the whole person.
King David was considered to be a master at living. He had a strength of spirituality, of war, of poetry, of love and many other areas. He was welcomed to the throne by many who recognized this mastery.
It turned out that David had another mastery, that of introspection. At the death of his son, David was despondent, for he knew the fault was clearly his own. Much of this introspection comes out in his Psalms. "Yea, though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me." The strength of this self-understanding braced him up for the down periods of life.
Jesus was also a remarkable example of introspection. The Gospels often speak of Jesus looking deep inside himself to see his own needs and directions. Even while with his Disciples Jesus apparently often needed to reach down deep to discover himself.
People of the Renaissance emphasized the whole person. It became a style to have knowledge and expertise in many areas of life. Various academic subjects were particularly important. Astronomy, music, physics, history, dance and many more areas were expected to be part of the rainbow of knowledge of the accomplished person. Even today the term Renaissance Man is one of the highest accolades to be given anyone.
