A Closer Look: A Theology of the Ordinary
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She reigns over my writing studio – Anima Mundi (Latin for world spirit). She is my cherished sculpture, with one hand reaching to the heavens and the other hand placed as if bringing forth the mysteries of love from her heart. She is quite ordinary in her exquisite way; her face could be anyone’s – her body is flowing and strong. For me, she represents the soul of the universe -- that spark of God within me and within every other being. She reaches out with Grace and in the same coordinated motion, brings forth the love she has to give to the world. This is a book about the Spirit she artistically represents.
My soul (my spirit living in this body), can express my experience of Anima Mundi only through words and my life experiences, all of which are quite ordinary. Yet it has been my deeply held value since childhood that people throughout the universe are the same – we are all ordinary human beings. As Frederick Buechner states in The Sacred Journey, “The Story of any one of us is the Story of us all.” Someone before has experienced everything that I have experienced. There is nothing new in the universe –only new interpretations.
As a human being, I have spent a lifetime attempting to figure out why I exist; the answers rarely come simply or without pain. There seems to be a hollow spot or hole at the center of my being that is searching for Anima Mundi. And that genderless Spirit is calling my name. In the context of my life and upbringing, that world spirit is known by the name God. But that Spirit by any other name is still the same world spirit. Just as the word for “orchid” in French, German, Chinese, or Swahili is still the same flower, the word for God in any faith is still the same One God. So, “Spirit,” “Anima Mundi,” “God” – one and the same.
What I propose in this book is that as I discover who I really am, I come more and more in touch with my soul, and thus in touch with Anima Mundi -- the universal spirit. And discovering who I am is about becoming aware of my ways of being which are my true nature. Who I am is not describing myself as mother, wife, artist, or teacher; who I am is not my collection of awards, bank accounts, and prestige. Who I am is being loving, caring, and a multitude of other words describing being, which are a part of the Universal Being or Universal Spirit of God -- the ground of all being. Building the path to my soul is about laying the stones of “ways of being,” rather than building higher the brick walls of hierarchy. These pathway “stones of my being” are very ordinary and are available to every person in the universe, the young and the old, the rich and poor, the well known and the unknown. As such, they lay down a theology of the ordinary.
In Life of the Beloved, Henri Nouwen speaks of the four ways of being that became important in his life: taken, blessed, broken, and given. “I have chosen them not only because they are so deeply engraved in my being, but also because, through them, I have come into touch with the ways of becoming the Beloved of God.” Various different ways of being have brought me in touch with the love of God; each of our pathways is unique, with stones of our own choosing. As soon as my heart chooses a stone of being, it begins to feel like the hole or hollow space within me is beginning to fill. As I lay each stepping stone, like a magnet, other empowering ways of being are attracted to me and become a part of my stone “pathway of being,” leading me closer and closer to my goal and closer and closer to Anima Mundi.
Each chapter of this book is a way of being, or inner essence. I can fill in the blank of “I am ___________” with any of the chapter titles. Each chapter illustrates a way of being from stories of my life, as ordinary as it is, for my stories are only a reflection of the human predicament. From the depth of my soul, I know that even though it may seem relatively insignificant, my life demonstrates the presence of God through parts of my life that worked, as well as parts of my life that didn’t work. I trust that in its common nature, my experiences may in some way shine a light for the reader to discover who he or she is – to claim one or more of the ways of being as his/her own, and find a joyous life filled with possibility. This is an option only because we are all on this human pathway together, and each of these ways of being is available to anyone. We all are a part of Anima Mundi, and She is a part of us.
To assist in this process, I have followed each story from my life with “a closer look” at what is happening in the experience from a theological perspective. I then ask a few questions as a means of dialogue with the reader. My intent is to take a closer look at one human life (mine) through the eyes of the Spirit. It starts with some basic ways of being from my childhood, which set the foundation for more adult choices and discoveries later in the book. My
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About the Book
"Compelling spiritual autobiographies require rare gifts of introspection, intellect, perspective and sensitivity that only an extraordinary artist and author like Minnietta Millard could create. In A Closer Look: A Theology of the Ordinary, readers are invited to re-think their own histories and hopes." Dr. Donald E. Messer, President emeritus, The Iliff School of Theology "Minnietta Millard opens us to the possibility of new discoveries and joy in our own lives as she skillfully blends her mainstream theological education with mystical views, transpersonal theorists, and quantum physicists." Dr. Jane Park Cutler, Licensed Clinical Social Worker "Skilled artist, effective Christian Educator, faithful spouse, devoted mother, brilliant teacher are simple descriptions of this profound life well lived and recorded here. Minnietta Millard offers challenge, direction, hope and inspiration to all." Bishop Rueben Job, Bishop of the United Methodist Church "Minnietta has so gracefully and intimately shared her life, which flows like the mightiest of rivers, that her words will touch and heal the lives of many." Lori Desautels, Special Education Teacher "This book contains wonderful stories which are so often our stories too. We are blessed to be given such a treasure." The Reverend Susan Ruach, General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church
About the Author
Born and raised on the prairies of South Dakota, Minnietta Millard absorbed early on the sense of Spirit in all things. The Christian faith became the chosen vehicle for deepening her relationship with that Spirit and her relationship with service in the world.
Along that path of service she became a Director of Christian Education (Dakota Wesleyan University, B.A.; Boston University School of Theology, M.R.E), was Chairperson of the Committee on the Status and Role of Women for the SD United Methodist Church, directed summer Junior High camps, taught confirmation classes for 19 years, and led adult classes and workshops in several states. At one point she was recognized as the Outstanding Young Religious Leader in her community.
After moving to Indiana, she was President of the Board of Directors of the Vivian Smith Teen Parenting Program, which was recognized as a leading force in educating, supporting, and nurturing teen mothers and their babies so the mothers could graduate from high school. She was Director of a Three Year Covenant Community for Spiritual Formation and is presently on the Board of Bridge Builders, the purpose of which is to create a satellite university of the University of Indianapolis at Mar Elias School in Ibilin, Israel, where Christian, Jews, Druids, and Muslims study together in peace.
Minnietta was on the ground level of bringing a training called Beyond Your Best to Indianapolis because it so powerfully enables participants to bring forth within themselves that sense of Spirit in all being and in all becoming.
What she became during these various activities found expression in her second career as a stained glass artist. It was in being an artist for 25 years that she learned to trust in a Spirit flowing through her in the creative process, including creating her own life.
Married for over 42 years to Dr. Kent Millard, pastor of St Luke’s United Methodist Church, a mega church in Indianapolis, Indiana, she has two adult children, who with their spouses have blessed her with seven grandchildren.