"Pilgrim's Compass" (Paul H. Lang)

TITLE: The Pilgrim's Compass: Finding and Following the God We Seek
AUTHOR: Paul H. Lang
PUBLISHER: Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2019, (128 pages).

Pilgrimage is one of the most popular words to describe a Christians's journey or spiritual growth. Whether one is talking about calling or searching for God's will for our lives, it all begins with the greatest commandment to love God and our neighbours. Spurred by rising yearnings to have a more intimate and personal relationship with God, people are directions. They need a spiritual compass to lead them in their expedition. This book fills in this need as well as to help one "hear the call of God and respond in faith, journeying together with friends on the path to a Spirit-led and joyful life." Unfortunately, Christianity has a checkered history with regard to the pursuit of God in this pilgrimage. After Constantine legalized Christianity, the faith became more institutionalized, making the way of spirituality more formal and rigid. Faith formation is tied to religious affiliation. So much so that spirituality has been defined more on man's terms rather than God's terms. People tend to be more willing to adapt to culture instead of paying the cost of discipleship. Looking at the emerging church, author Paul Lang notices the way culture and the history of Christendom had mangled the way of God. We need a pilgrim's compass and we need it badly. Despite the excesses of the past and the mistakes by the institutionalized churches, there are many who have bucked the cultural trends. The desert fathers and the reformers are some examples of such courageous people of faith. Lang offers us some tools to help us begin our pilgrimage by embarking with the end in mind: definition of a pilgrimage and the recognition of ourselves as pilgrims on the journey. This journey is not necessarily limited to a physical movement. It is a metaphor to guide us through each and every possible opportunity, which includes both physical and non-physical aspects. Tools of the journey include maps, the Bible, spiritual practices like the Lectio Divina, Daily Examen, Prayer, and helpful acronyms to guide us. One example is the ESWN directions of a compass:

• E = Encounter
• S = Struggle
• W = Wounding, Wondering, Weakness, Wilderness
• N = New Name, Newness

The rest of the book focuses on each of these directions of the pilgrim's compass. Lang begins with E (Encounter) which is essentially about orientating our life toward God. This makes sense because the Christian life is essentially a pursuit of God. Our basic stance is that God can be known and we can meet God in any circumstances. In S (Struggle), we will not allow setbacks from distracting or derailing us on the journey. For the journey is worth it; we are not alone; and that struggles are to be expected and overcame. In W, we learn several possible nuances through wounding, wilderness, and wandering, and weakness.  This is by far the author's "hardest to embrace" part of the pilgrim's compass. In N (New Name), we are assured about a new anticipation of our new identity and purpose. This leads us to the concluding part of anticipating the 8th Day of the promised future to come.

My Thoughts
The pilgrim's compass is more like an literary device to help us remember the four compass directions. Its purpose is to orientate us toward a particular direction. In doing so, each of these directions is an opportunity to integrate Prayer with Scripture; Experience with Spiritual Disciplines; and theory with practice. I appreciate how Lang reminds us that the word "compass" in Latin means "step together." This shows us the importance of traveling partners. While some may think of taking an solo journey, it is best to travel together as a community when it comes to spiritual direction. I also appreciate the tools he put together for us; such as the spiritual exercises; liturgical calendar; the pilgrims' prayer; and of course the ESWN compass acronym.

What makes this book really useful is the "Journaling and Prayer Exercises" which we could put into practice right away especially after one finishes reading one chapter. Coupled with the resources, one could profitably learn and reflect on the journey stage by stage. In fact, one could use and re-use the same set of resources to evaluate our spiritual milestones. This expands the usefulness of the tools and the opportunities for reflection.

Having said that, I believe there are a lot more things that the author could have said about the compass. What about the intersections of NW; NE; SW; SE? How do we move from one phase to another? What is the role of a spiritual director? Unless one is familiar with the tools in the book, I feel that this book is best used with a community group. That way, sojourners could teach one another or to help one another through the questions and stages of their spiritual journey.

Rating: 4.25 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book has been provided courtesy of Westminster John Knox Press and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.