When one is open to God leading in unexpected ways, it's not unusual to find oneself on paths that depart from mainstream, evangelical traditions. While these paths shouldn't undermine the necessity of the spiritual disciplines of prayer, bible study, and active participation in the Body, they, by definition, recast the context and purpose of these needful pursuits and, in doing so, can challenge the place the local church often occupies as the primary means by which the presence of God is mediated in one's life.