The passages below are suggestions for reading, meditation, and Lectio this week. Feel free to post your comments or reflections about these passages. The Lectio Divina prompts are also here for your use.
Nov 1 -- Luke 18:35-43
Nov 2 -- Psalm 63:1
Nov 3 -- Psalm 34:8
Nov 4 -- Luke 9:57-62
Nov 5 -- Psalm 37:7
Nov 6 -- Zephaniah 3:17
Nov 7 -- Psalm 131:1-3
Read: Seek a phrase or verse that attracts your attention. Repeat the phrase to yourself. Savor the text.
Reflect: What meaning is offered to you as you consider the phrase or verse?
Respond: What response do you have to the word? What is God’s invitation to you?
Rest: We seek to rest in God’s transforming power and presence.
10/31/07
Putting it All Together -- A Rule of Life
by Marvin PritchardSpiritual Transformation is the process of being changed into the likeness of Christ for the sake of others.
1 Timothy 4:7 (NASB)
But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness;
2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV)
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Our purpose is not:
□ To enroll folks in a Bible study
□ To form “bands of brothers (sisters) who will walk life’s journey together”
□ To help a person solve their major life issues
While these three things may happen, our purpose is:
Spiritual transformation is the work of the Holy Spirit; we can not transform our selves or anyone else. Our task is to help folks choose a way of life that helps them create the conditions in which spiritual transformation can take place by developing and maintaining a rhythm of spiritual practices that keep them open and available to God.
These past weeks have had that vision in mind.
Barton says that “many of us try to shove our spiritual transformation into the nooks and crannies of a life that is already unmanageable, rather than being willing to arrange our life for what our heart most wants. We think that somehow we will fall into transformation by accident”. It just doesn’t work that way.
Marjorie Thompson in her book, Soul Feast, offers an analogy for us. Certain kinds of plants need support in order to grow properly. Tomatoes need stakes, and beans must attach themselves to suspended strings. Creeping vines like clematis will grow on any structure they can find. Rambling roses take kindly to garden walls, archways and trellises. Without support, these plants would not have the space and sun they need to flourish, and their fruits would rot in contact with the soils. We would be unable to enjoy their beauty and sustenance.
When it comes to spiritual growth, human beings are much like the plants. We need structure and support. Otherwise our spirituality grows only in a confused and disorderly way. Structure gives us the freedom to grow as we were meant to.
In the Christian world the name for this kind of structure that supports our spiritual growth is rule of life. It is also referred to as a personal rule. One text I read suggested that if I feel uncomfortable or anxious about using the word rule, I should use rhythm in its place . . . a rhythm of life.
Without a rule of life . . . very little of what we have been reading about and studying these past few weeks would prove to be of any lasting value to you.
This week is about putting it all together; tying up everything we have learned so far. It is time to make some choices about the spiritual practices we have been learning.
How would one define a rule of life? Very simply, it is a pattern or rhythm of spiritual disciplines that provides structure and direction for growth in holiness.
The Latin term for rule is regula. From it we get our words regular and regulate. A rule is not meant to be restrictive or legalistic. However, it does require a commitment. It is intended to help us establish a rhythm of living. A rule of life gives us a way to enter the lifelong process of personal transformation. Ultimately, a rule will help you love God more.
Barton has suggested that a rule of life seeks to respond to two questions:
□ Who do I want to be?
□ How do I want to live?
Barton has combined the question to:
□ How do I want to live so that I can be who I want to be?
A few things to be mindful about when considering on a rule of life:
□ A rule of life is different for everybody. No two individuals will have exactly the same rule of life. We have a lot of latitude in a personal rule of life. A rule of life should be diverse, reflecting the needs and spiritual aspirations of the person.
□ A rule of life should take into account your personal circumstances at this point in your life. A personal rule of life can change with the seasons in your life.
Marjorie Thompson in her book, Soul Feast, says, “Whatever your circumstances, it is always possible to include some form of spiritual discipline in your daily priorities.
If you wan to become and remain physically healthily, you eat sensibly and exercise regularly. If you want to become spiritually healthily and remain replenished, you practice spiritual disciplines regularly.”
□ Be careful not to become legalistic about your rule of life. If it becomes a legalistic way of earning points with God, it should be scrapped.
Barton suggests that, once we have developed a rhythm of spiritual practices, that we should have a great deal of flexibility. This is not a once and for all time decision. A rule of life needs to be realistic in light of the stage or season of our life. We should avoid being rigid and legalistic. This is a rhythm not a law.
Remember, the Spiritual disciplines are a means to an end; they are not the end. Do you recall the definition of spiritual transformation? It is the process of being changed into the likeness of Christ for the sake of others . . . that is the end.
□ Don’t try to take on too much at once. It is like eating . . . there are lots of foods that are good for us and each one has unique nourishment to it. We need to resist the temptation to be greedy.
If the rule of life contains too much, albeit good stuff, it can soon turn into drudgery and we won’t follow it. The question is: What can I realistically commit to? This is about honoring personal limitations. It is better to commit to a single practice and stick with it than to take on five and quit altogether because you cannot keep up.
□ Barton also suggests that an effective rhythm of spiritual practices will be balanced; a balance of disciplines that come easy to us and disciplines that stretch us.
□ Don’t be afraid to experiment with your rule or rhythm. It can easily be changed and revised, but it shouldn’t be subject to whims. Give yourself time to settle into your rule of life so that it has time to shape your life.
I want to close with a quote that is in your book.
Ask me not where I live
or what I like to eat . . .
Ask me what I am living for
and what I think is keeping me
from living fully for that.
-Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude
What are you living for?
Resources:
Sacred Rhythms, Ruth Haley Barton
Soul Feast, Marjorie Thompson
Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, Adele Ahlberg Calhoun
10/28/07
Group Discernment
"The joy and wonder of us all attending to God’s Spirit and discerning well together is the testimony that God is working among us. There is something truly magnificent and incredibly tender about any group of people who will let themselves be pliable to that movement of God’s Spirit in community. It is a sign that Christ’s reign has come on earth as it is in heaven.... The good news is that it is never too late to learn to listen to God together! In my experience we sometimes despair because we reserve discernment for those big deal decisions. Or we think we have to change the polity of the entire organization before we can do any good. What seems to work better is to start with the regular and routine things with whomever is willing to be a listening community with you—your family, your spiritual friends or small group. Start where you have the freedom to be authentic with one another and experiment with the principles and practices as a group."
~ Jan Wood
Co-author of Practicing Discernment Together, in a recent online discussion about the book
~ Jan Wood
Co-author of Practicing Discernment Together, in a recent online discussion about the book
10/24/07
Oct 25 -31 Suggested Lectio: Sabbath
The passages below are suggestions for reading, mediation, and Lectio this week. Feel free to post your comments or reflections about these passages. The Lectio Divina prompts are also here for your use.
Oct 25 -- Exodus 31:12-13
Oct 26 -- Isaiah 55:1-2
Oct 27 -- Psalm 84:1-2
Oct 28 -- Psalm 92:1-5
Oct 29 -- Mark 2:23-28
Oct 30 -- Hebrews 4:9-11
Oct 31 -- I John 5:3
Read: Seek a phrase, word, or verse that attracts your attention. Repeat that phrase to yourself or write it down. Savor the text.
Reflect: What meaning is offered to you as you consider the phrase or verse?
Respond: What response do you have to the word? What is God's invitation to you?
Rest: Relax in God's transforming power and presence.
Oct 25 -- Exodus 31:12-13
Oct 26 -- Isaiah 55:1-2
Oct 27 -- Psalm 84:1-2
Oct 28 -- Psalm 92:1-5
Oct 29 -- Mark 2:23-28
Oct 30 -- Hebrews 4:9-11
Oct 31 -- I John 5:3
Read: Seek a phrase, word, or verse that attracts your attention. Repeat that phrase to yourself or write it down. Savor the text.
Reflect: What meaning is offered to you as you consider the phrase or verse?
Respond: What response do you have to the word? What is God's invitation to you?
Rest: Relax in God's transforming power and presence.
Sabbath: It is Good
by Nicole Lowell
Many years ago, my husband lived in Israel on assignment with the Air Force. One Saturday morning, soon after he got there, he pulled the lawn mower out of his garage and fired it up. He’d hardly gotten to the lawn itself when he looked up to find several of his Jewish neighbors standing at his fence, scowling and shaking their fingers at him.
It was, of course, Sabbath. Mowing the lawn was forbidden for them, but it was also frowned upon, even for the Gentiles in the neighborhood.
Sabbath. Shabbat. In Hebrew the word literally means: Quit. Stop. Take a break. If it were a traffic signal, Sabbath would be a red light, not just a stop sign. Not just a quick, rolling pause before proceeding, but a full halt, leaving your foot on the break. An interruption in the flow of your movement, a break of momentum.
What an odd thing. And really, it’s so ancient; is it even relevant anymore? I mean, didn’t that go out with the Old Testament sacrifices and such?
I’ve been reading about Sabbath recently, and regardless of what we think, it’s hard to get around the fact that it’s actually a commandment. Number four in top ten to be precise. “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy…” So where did Sabbath come from? What is it for? Why would God ask us to do such a thing?
In Genesis 1 and 2, we get a remarkable story. It’s also a familiar story, so it’s easy to miss how incredible it is. “In the beginning…” In the beginning there is absolutely nothing except God, in the form of a Spirit, hovering over a void. And then God takes action. The first thing we see God do is work. He speaks, things are created, they are good things. Morning. Evening. Another day, and God does it again; He gets to work – creating, shaping, speaking, breathing.
But the 7th day is different. God still does some things, but they are very different things. Eugene Peterson pointed out that in Genesis 2, when the 7th day rolls around, God did four things: He finished, he rested, he blessed, and he made the day holy. The original Sabbath, the prototype.
After Genesis, the idea of a day of rest doesn’t emerge again until after the Israelites have been freed from slavery in Egypt and they’re wandering in the desert. The timing here is interesting to me. At this point, the people didn’t actually have jobs; they didn’t have routine work to do. They were literally wandering around in the middle of nowhere. And it was precisely into this lack of vocation, this big empty, that God pours the Ten Commandments, including one on taking a day off. The fourth commandment: “Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy.”
Holy. What an interesting word. We hear it a lot and we sing it a lot, and when we do, we typically think we mean “perfection” and “without sin or stain.” That might lead us to think that Sabbath is supposed to be a day of moral purity. But that’s not quite the meaning.
The Hebrew word translated “holy” here literally means “set apart.” The Amplified Bible cracks the word open by including the description “withdrawn from common employment and dedicated to God.” In other words, Sabbath is a day that, essentially, is supposed to be different from all other days. This is what makes it holy, not specifically sinlessness, but the fact that it is “set-apart” and dedicated. It’s different.
This, by-the-way, is also what makes God holy -- his other-than-humanness, his set-apartness. And on Sabbath, we are invited to “be holy as He is holy” by setting aside our time, our effort, our labor. Sabbath reminds us, as Ruth Haley Barton pointed out, that we are finite. We cannot do it all. God, on the other hand, is infinite and whole. In Genesis we saw that God rested on the 7th day because He was finished. He commands us to rest because we are not. Sabbath is a day set apart for us to rest, to relax in His completeness, to know that His finishing work is part of our regular rhythm. This is why we need to keep Sabbath holy; we need time that is different and setting aside time is our path through the day of rest.
So let me create a little picture here for you, a picture of Sabbath. It begins with trail, a path different than the one we take any other morning. We’ll call the trail holiness.
But the trail isn’t the whole picture. In fact, there are problems if we only look at the Sabbath path of holiness. By Jesus’ day, the religious Jews who practiced Sabbath seemed to not be all that relaxed. They had focused so much on the setting apart, that they missed that a day of rest was a means to an end, a path to a destination beyond.
But before we rush too quickly to the destination (I know, I know, some of you are already wondering why we aren’t there yet), let’s slow down on this path, because it’s not just the trail that’s different on Sabbath, it’s the countryside, too.
Every week day, I drive the same roads to work. Everyday I park in about the same spot and come to the same desk and get geared up into the same work state-of-mind. But when I get a day to hike, I drive different roads on the other side of town. I walk out into unfamiliar terrain, a landscape that can catch me off-guard and surprise me. Odd-shaped trees, a close encounter with a bird, the way the light illuminates a meadow of grasses. While I’m on those trails, I’m surrounded by sights and sounds and smells that are unlike anything else I deal with 40 hours a week. And the truth is I pay closer attention; I notice things—both outside and inside.
So it is with Sabbath. It’s a day that, if we let it, can take us through amazing terrain. But what’s the point of that? Think about that for just a moment. In our incomplete, fallen, and twisted world, what makes you most open to God? A newborn baby? A sunset? An unexpected connection with an old friend? A moment in worship when we feel God come near? These things have the power to take our breath away, especially because they are not the result of anything we can do. Wonder of wonders!
But most of the time, we’re just too busy, too capable, to “on top of it” to make room for wonder. Enter the Sabbath command.
A day of real rest clears out the mental and emotional clutter. It opens us up to deeper amazement, deeper delight and awe for the One who longs for our undivided attention. Think of the last time you were truly able to step away from your “regular” life (maybe you can hardly remember!). Weren’t you more susceptible to seeing how beautiful your family was, more aware of how miraculous life is, more alert to God’s work in your heart? Sabbath gives us a regular chance to really look and really see, to really listen and really hear, to really accept and really receive the gifts of grace, love, mercy, beauty. And worship. Community worship on Sunday is just one obvious way to create this opening.
If holiness is the path of Sabbath, wonder is the terrain, the country of Sabbath. So what is the destination? Let me begin to answer that by quoting a short bit from the gospel of John:
In the next few verses, the Pharisees complain that this healed guy did “unlawful” work that Sabbath by carrying his mat. If you remember the story, you know the Pharisees confront Jesus about this. But before we get to Jesus’ answer, stop for a moment and imagine, for the life-long lame man who was healed that day, what do you think the rest of his week was like?
In one word, he was transformed. And transformation is the destination of Sabbath for us, too. When we set aside one day a week to become aware of the magnitude and beauty of God, how could we not be transformed? How could our lives, slowly but surely, not become more and more in tune with the Lord of the Sabbath? How could our rest not begin to deeply impact the other six days—the work?
It seems that Jesus saw it this way, because when, later that day, the Pharisees question him about this Sabbath-healing business, Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working (Do you hear how that must have grated on the Pharisees who only saw Sabbath as “non-work”?) .... I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself (Do you hear him admitting his limitations?); he can do only what he sees his Father doing (Do you hear his openness to God’s miraculous wonders?), because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (John 5:17, 19). In other words, the Sabbath leads to the transformation of our work by helping us to recognize that what’s important is actually the Father’s work.
We get so busy, so smart, so excited about our ability to multi-task and get the job done. It’s easy to forget that God does not actually need our work. There’s nothing that we do that He couldn’t get a duck to do instead. This is just reality, folks.
But the Lord welcomes our participation with Him. He welcomes it because, I suspect, He enjoyed His creation work so much that He wanted to share. He wants our joy to be complete. And more than anything, He wants us to do what we see our Father doing.
Sabbath, ultimately, is a day set aside so that we can return our eyes to what the Father is doing. It opens the door to an awareness of God-at-work that we can take back to work. Ultimately, Sabbath can be used to transform our hearts, making us more and more accessible to the movement of the Spirit every day of the week. Making us more passionate about following, more aware of how we get in the way, more available to be used as fountains of restoration for others. Sabbath allows us to participate in our own re-creation, “making all things new,” and to say with God, “it is good.”
Many years ago, my husband lived in Israel on assignment with the Air Force. One Saturday morning, soon after he got there, he pulled the lawn mower out of his garage and fired it up. He’d hardly gotten to the lawn itself when he looked up to find several of his Jewish neighbors standing at his fence, scowling and shaking their fingers at him.
It was, of course, Sabbath. Mowing the lawn was forbidden for them, but it was also frowned upon, even for the Gentiles in the neighborhood.
Sabbath. Shabbat. In Hebrew the word literally means: Quit. Stop. Take a break. If it were a traffic signal, Sabbath would be a red light, not just a stop sign. Not just a quick, rolling pause before proceeding, but a full halt, leaving your foot on the break. An interruption in the flow of your movement, a break of momentum.
What an odd thing. And really, it’s so ancient; is it even relevant anymore? I mean, didn’t that go out with the Old Testament sacrifices and such?
I’ve been reading about Sabbath recently, and regardless of what we think, it’s hard to get around the fact that it’s actually a commandment. Number four in top ten to be precise. “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy…” So where did Sabbath come from? What is it for? Why would God ask us to do such a thing?
In Genesis 1 and 2, we get a remarkable story. It’s also a familiar story, so it’s easy to miss how incredible it is. “In the beginning…” In the beginning there is absolutely nothing except God, in the form of a Spirit, hovering over a void. And then God takes action. The first thing we see God do is work. He speaks, things are created, they are good things. Morning. Evening. Another day, and God does it again; He gets to work – creating, shaping, speaking, breathing.
But the 7th day is different. God still does some things, but they are very different things. Eugene Peterson pointed out that in Genesis 2, when the 7th day rolls around, God did four things: He finished, he rested, he blessed, and he made the day holy. The original Sabbath, the prototype.
After Genesis, the idea of a day of rest doesn’t emerge again until after the Israelites have been freed from slavery in Egypt and they’re wandering in the desert. The timing here is interesting to me. At this point, the people didn’t actually have jobs; they didn’t have routine work to do. They were literally wandering around in the middle of nowhere. And it was precisely into this lack of vocation, this big empty, that God pours the Ten Commandments, including one on taking a day off. The fourth commandment: “Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy.”
Holy. What an interesting word. We hear it a lot and we sing it a lot, and when we do, we typically think we mean “perfection” and “without sin or stain.” That might lead us to think that Sabbath is supposed to be a day of moral purity. But that’s not quite the meaning.
The Hebrew word translated “holy” here literally means “set apart.” The Amplified Bible cracks the word open by including the description “withdrawn from common employment and dedicated to God.” In other words, Sabbath is a day that, essentially, is supposed to be different from all other days. This is what makes it holy, not specifically sinlessness, but the fact that it is “set-apart” and dedicated. It’s different.
This, by-the-way, is also what makes God holy -- his other-than-humanness, his set-apartness. And on Sabbath, we are invited to “be holy as He is holy” by setting aside our time, our effort, our labor. Sabbath reminds us, as Ruth Haley Barton pointed out, that we are finite. We cannot do it all. God, on the other hand, is infinite and whole. In Genesis we saw that God rested on the 7th day because He was finished. He commands us to rest because we are not. Sabbath is a day set apart for us to rest, to relax in His completeness, to know that His finishing work is part of our regular rhythm. This is why we need to keep Sabbath holy; we need time that is different and setting aside time is our path through the day of rest.
So let me create a little picture here for you, a picture of Sabbath. It begins with trail, a path different than the one we take any other morning. We’ll call the trail holiness.
But the trail isn’t the whole picture. In fact, there are problems if we only look at the Sabbath path of holiness. By Jesus’ day, the religious Jews who practiced Sabbath seemed to not be all that relaxed. They had focused so much on the setting apart, that they missed that a day of rest was a means to an end, a path to a destination beyond.
But before we rush too quickly to the destination (I know, I know, some of you are already wondering why we aren’t there yet), let’s slow down on this path, because it’s not just the trail that’s different on Sabbath, it’s the countryside, too.
Every week day, I drive the same roads to work. Everyday I park in about the same spot and come to the same desk and get geared up into the same work state-of-mind. But when I get a day to hike, I drive different roads on the other side of town. I walk out into unfamiliar terrain, a landscape that can catch me off-guard and surprise me. Odd-shaped trees, a close encounter with a bird, the way the light illuminates a meadow of grasses. While I’m on those trails, I’m surrounded by sights and sounds and smells that are unlike anything else I deal with 40 hours a week. And the truth is I pay closer attention; I notice things—both outside and inside.
So it is with Sabbath. It’s a day that, if we let it, can take us through amazing terrain. But what’s the point of that? Think about that for just a moment. In our incomplete, fallen, and twisted world, what makes you most open to God? A newborn baby? A sunset? An unexpected connection with an old friend? A moment in worship when we feel God come near? These things have the power to take our breath away, especially because they are not the result of anything we can do. Wonder of wonders!
But most of the time, we’re just too busy, too capable, to “on top of it” to make room for wonder. Enter the Sabbath command.
A day of real rest clears out the mental and emotional clutter. It opens us up to deeper amazement, deeper delight and awe for the One who longs for our undivided attention. Think of the last time you were truly able to step away from your “regular” life (maybe you can hardly remember!). Weren’t you more susceptible to seeing how beautiful your family was, more aware of how miraculous life is, more alert to God’s work in your heart? Sabbath gives us a regular chance to really look and really see, to really listen and really hear, to really accept and really receive the gifts of grace, love, mercy, beauty. And worship. Community worship on Sunday is just one obvious way to create this opening.
If holiness is the path of Sabbath, wonder is the terrain, the country of Sabbath. So what is the destination? Let me begin to answer that by quoting a short bit from the gospel of John:
Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath. (John 5:8-9)
In the next few verses, the Pharisees complain that this healed guy did “unlawful” work that Sabbath by carrying his mat. If you remember the story, you know the Pharisees confront Jesus about this. But before we get to Jesus’ answer, stop for a moment and imagine, for the life-long lame man who was healed that day, what do you think the rest of his week was like?
In one word, he was transformed. And transformation is the destination of Sabbath for us, too. When we set aside one day a week to become aware of the magnitude and beauty of God, how could we not be transformed? How could our lives, slowly but surely, not become more and more in tune with the Lord of the Sabbath? How could our rest not begin to deeply impact the other six days—the work?
It seems that Jesus saw it this way, because when, later that day, the Pharisees question him about this Sabbath-healing business, Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working (Do you hear how that must have grated on the Pharisees who only saw Sabbath as “non-work”?) .... I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself (Do you hear him admitting his limitations?); he can do only what he sees his Father doing (Do you hear his openness to God’s miraculous wonders?), because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (John 5:17, 19). In other words, the Sabbath leads to the transformation of our work by helping us to recognize that what’s important is actually the Father’s work.
We get so busy, so smart, so excited about our ability to multi-task and get the job done. It’s easy to forget that God does not actually need our work. There’s nothing that we do that He couldn’t get a duck to do instead. This is just reality, folks.
But the Lord welcomes our participation with Him. He welcomes it because, I suspect, He enjoyed His creation work so much that He wanted to share. He wants our joy to be complete. And more than anything, He wants us to do what we see our Father doing.
Sabbath, ultimately, is a day set aside so that we can return our eyes to what the Father is doing. It opens the door to an awareness of God-at-work that we can take back to work. Ultimately, Sabbath can be used to transform our hearts, making us more and more accessible to the movement of the Spirit every day of the week. Making us more passionate about following, more aware of how we get in the way, more available to be used as fountains of restoration for others. Sabbath allows us to participate in our own re-creation, “making all things new,” and to say with God, “it is good.”
10/20/07
Prayer Labyrinth
Here is one of the most prayerful and quieting online experiences I've ever encountered. This "virtual" prayer labyrinth, hosted by Youth for Christ, can be a restoring way to spend your lunch hour or to quiet your heart on a Sunday afternoon.
Discernment
"St. Ignatius of Loyola notes that sin is unwillingness to trust that what God wants is our deepest happiness. Until I am absolutely convinced of this I will do everything I can to keep my hands on the controls of my life, because I think I know better than God what I need for my fulfillment."
~ David Benner (quoted in Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Calhoun, p. 99)
Oct 18-24 Lectio Passages: Discernment
The passages below are suggestions for reading, meditation, and Lectio this week. Feel free to post your comments or reflections about these passages. The Lectio Divina prompts are also here for your use.
Oct 18 -- Romans 12:1-2
Oct 19 -- 1 Corinthians 13:4-6
Oct 20 -- James 1:5-8
Oct 21-- Deuteronomy 30:19-20
Oct 22 -- Isaiah 42:16
Oct 23 -- John 10:10
Oct 24 -- Proverbs 3:5-6
Read: Seek a phrase, word, or verse that attracts your attention. Repeat that phrase to yourself or write it down. Savor the text.
Reflect: What meaning is offered to you as you consider the phrase or verse?
Respond: What response do you have to the word? What is God's invitation to you?
Rest: Relax in God's transforming power and presence.
Oct 18 -- Romans 12:1-2
Oct 19 -- 1 Corinthians 13:4-6
Oct 20 -- James 1:5-8
Oct 21-- Deuteronomy 30:19-20
Oct 22 -- Isaiah 42:16
Oct 23 -- John 10:10
Oct 24 -- Proverbs 3:5-6
Read: Seek a phrase, word, or verse that attracts your attention. Repeat that phrase to yourself or write it down. Savor the text.
Reflect: What meaning is offered to you as you consider the phrase or verse?
Respond: What response do you have to the word? What is God's invitation to you?
Rest: Relax in God's transforming power and presence.
10/11/07
An Outline of the Examen
Transition: I become aware of the love with which God looks upon me as I begin the examen.
I. Gratitude: I note the gifts that God's love has given me this day, and I give thanks to God for them.
II. Petition: I ask God for insight and strength that will make this examen a work of grace, fruitful beyond my human capacity alone.
III. Review: With God, I review my day. I look for the stirrings in my heart and the thoughts that God has given me this day. I look also for those that have not been of God. I review my choices in response to both.
IV. Forgiveness: I ask for God's forgiveness for my sins this day.
V. Renewal: I look to the following day and, with God, plan how to live it in accord with God's loving desire for my life.
Transition: Aware of God's presence with me, I prayerfully conclude the examen.
I. Gratitude: I note the gifts that God's love has given me this day, and I give thanks to God for them.
II. Petition: I ask God for insight and strength that will make this examen a work of grace, fruitful beyond my human capacity alone.
III. Review: With God, I review my day. I look for the stirrings in my heart and the thoughts that God has given me this day. I look also for those that have not been of God. I review my choices in response to both.
IV. Forgiveness: I ask for God's forgiveness for my sins this day.
V. Renewal: I look to the following day and, with God, plan how to live it in accord with God's loving desire for my life.
Transition: Aware of God's presence with me, I prayerfully conclude the examen.
Oct 11 - 17 Lectio Passages: Self-Examination
The passages below are suggestions for reading, meditation, and Lectio this week. Feel free to post your comments or reflections about these passages. The Lectio Divina prompts are also here for your use.
Oct 11 -- Jeremiah 12:3
Oct 12 -- Psalm 17:3
Oct 13 -- Hebrews 4:13
Oct 14-- Psalm 139:1
Oct 15 -- Psalm 139:2
Oct 16 -- Psalm 139:3
Oct 17 -- Psalm 139:23-24
Read: Seek a phrase, word, or verse that attracts your attention. Repeat that phrase to yourself or write it down. Savor the text.
Reflect: What meaning is offered to you as you consider the phrase or verse?
Respond: What response do you have to the word? What is God's invitation to you?
Rest: Relax in God's transforming power and presence.
Oct 11 -- Jeremiah 12:3
Oct 12 -- Psalm 17:3
Oct 13 -- Hebrews 4:13
Oct 14-- Psalm 139:1
Oct 15 -- Psalm 139:2
Oct 16 -- Psalm 139:3
Oct 17 -- Psalm 139:23-24
Read: Seek a phrase, word, or verse that attracts your attention. Repeat that phrase to yourself or write it down. Savor the text.
Reflect: What meaning is offered to you as you consider the phrase or verse?
Respond: What response do you have to the word? What is God's invitation to you?
Rest: Relax in God's transforming power and presence.
Praying Online
The Internet can be a place to pray. The links below offer three different tools for opening up space in your life to connect with and listen to God.
- Jesuits in the U.K. have created a Web site providing downloadable MP3 "podcasts" of daily prayer and scripture meditation (similar to Lectio) as well as a "Review of the Day" (similar to the Examen), all accompanied by beautiful music: http://www.pray-as-you-go.org/
- A group in England has compiled scripture and historical, traditional readings to encourage worldwide Christians to pray the Daily Office ~ prayers for morning, noon, evening, and bedtime: http://www.northumbriacommunity.org/PraytheOffice/index.html
- For anyone who wants to be more deliberate in praying for people and specific requests, MyPrayerTeam.com has created an electronic "reminder" system for partnering friends and family who want to lift up each others' requests regularly: http://www.myprayerteam.com/
10/10/07
Prayer Cairns
~ by Sara E. SingletonOnce you decide to intentionally enter into spiritual formation, you eventually come to a place when you find yourself in one huge FOG. Nothing seems to have clear edges or definition, and at times you may wonder if you’ve lost your way. In my own experience, I found that practicing spiritual disciplines heightened my awareness of God’s presence. Pretty soon I began to long for a break for God! I’d entertain what it would be like to watch TV again on my own and get life back to “normal.” Living with the awareness of God around me all the time was wearing me out!
On the other hand, there have been times when I’ve felt that I was spiritually soaring, and such heights of spiritual ecstasy gave me reason to look down upon other believers who were less mature. This self-assessment was what a young pastor felt as he wrote to his mentor, John Newton, in the late 18th century. This pastor listened to Newton’s preaching and attempted to put everything he was hearing into practice. The pastor soon reported to Newton that although he had once been a kernel, he was now a full stalk with ripe ears of corn. Newton responded to the proud pastor that the more mature Christians become, the less aware they are of their true state. This is because God gives the growth and the mature believer has no eyes except for the Lord.[1]
The goal of spiritual formation is to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves (cf. Luke 10:25-27). Love is of God. How is God’s love going to come into me to heal me and fill me so that I can pour back this love to God and to others? Romans 5:5 says, “And hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
God’s love is poured into us through our communication and communion with God. This is the essence of prayer. The root of all growth in grace is through prayer. Prayer is, simply put, a shared life with God.
How does one have a shared life with God? It is through the same means of communication and communion that we exchange in any intimate relationship. God speaks to us in Scripture, and through reading Scripture, memorizing it, and chewing it in lectio divina, we receive the mind and will of God. On our part, we are to invited to turn our thoughts into prayers, learning to talk to God about everything! We commune with God through centering prayer, listening prayer and contemplative prayer. But there remains a problem. We think about and study prayer more than we actually pray.
Emilie Griffin expresses this dilemma in her book, Clinging. She writes, “There is a moment between intending to pray and actually praying that is as dark and silent as any moment in our lives. It is the split second between thinking about prayer and really praying. For some of us, this split second may last for decades. It seems, then, that the greatest obstacle to prayer is the simple matter of beginning, the simple exertion of the will, the starting, the acting, the doing. How easy it is, and yet- between us and the possibility of prayer there seems to be a great gulf fixed: an abyss of our own making that separates us from God.”[2]
The reason we have difficulty sharing life with God is that our prayer life is another area of our lives that has been affected by the Fall. Prayer is the most intimate experience possible with God, since it is Mind to mind/Heart to heart/Emotion to emotion, Will to will. Prayer is intimacy with God at its fullest.
What are we to do? There is a great space between us and God. It is what I call the Great Synapse. Imagine from cellular biology an image of a neuron at the interception with muscle tissue. Neurons have tiny branches called dendrites that reach out to the muscle. Communication between this highly specialized cell that carries out the will of the person is communicated through neurotransmitters, bits of chemicals that leak out of the dendrites and move toward the muscle, causing its contraction. Now image is similar to the relationship we have with God through prayer. The mind of God and the energy of God pulsate through the universe. God is expressing His glory and love into all the world. The receptors are our minds, our heart and our will. Prayer is the great connector in this synapse. Think of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel and the space, the gap between the fingers. Prayer is what bridges this gap and connects us with the heart of God!
Recently I went climbing with my husband up to the summit of Mt. Princeton, about 14,200 feet. Nearly four fifths of the hike is over large boulders, with no real trail in sight. Every hiker depends upon those who have gone before them, building cairns as they ascended. Cairns are rocks that are built into the shape of a haystack. They can range from 12” to 4’. To find one’s way up Mt. Princeton, one must walk toward the next cairn.
I would like to point out three cairns that left by those who have gone ahead of us.
Cairn #1 is the Lord’s Prayer in Mt. 6:9-14, taught to us by Jesus. At times there are no prayers in us. We need a way to ease into prayer, some aide to prayer when we need all the help that we can get. This is what the Lord’s Prayer can do. To begin the prayer, imagine yourself standing before the door of a great mansion. “Our Father, ….” You have just entered into God’s house, where life is lived on God’s terms. Who’s Father is He? Our Father! You have begun to pray for the world, particularly for the household of faith. “…who art in heaven,” you continue. Where is heaven? Is it far off, or is all around us? Does God live in heaven? If He does, then this means that all of heaven’s resources are available. In each phrase of the Lord’s Prayer, you are going down a long hallway in within the mansion, and each hallway has many doors on each side. Each phrase of the prayer can lead you to open one of these doors and discover more prayers you want to offer as you are led through the prayer that Jesus taught to His disciples.
Cairn #2 is The PAPA prayer is a way of praying first taught by Larry Crabb.[3] It involves:
P- Present yourself as you really are, not as you wish you were. This means being honest with what is on your mind, your feelings and needs and distractions. If we are not presenting ourselves honestly to God – who are we fooling?
A - Attend to how you are thinking about God. Is He your genie, your servant, your watchmaker, your distant father, your disciplinarian? Or, is He the Lord who is risen and victorious, portrayed most fully in Revelation 1:12-18? Get the true image of Christ which John saw on the Isle of Patmos before you go further. It will change the way you pray.
P – Purge yourself of anything that blocks your relationship with God. This may require repenting of an inadequate view of God and His ability to provide and fully love you. Confess your sins so that you may be made trustworthy and whole.
A – Approach God as the “First Thing” in your life. Imagine that God answered every one of your prayers and continued to ask if there was anything more that you would like. “You: My list is complete. I have everything written down.
God: Then I will give you everything on your list. But on one condition: you will never
hear My voice again. I will withdraw all sense of My presence from you. You will never
know Me.”[4] Immediately we realize that it is God who we really want. Only He can
satisfy the hungers of our heart, for we were made for Him. When we begin to
understand that everything else is secondary, then we learn to pray for first things first,
which is for God Himself.
Cairn #3 comes from The Cloud of Unknowing , a spiritual classic written by an anonymous 24 year old man in the 14th century. This monk says that all prayer can actually be summed up in two different one-syllable words. All that is wrong within us and within in the world is because of sin. When we cry out, “Sin! Sin! Sin!” we are petitioning for immediate and complete grace to come to our rescue. The image that comes to mind is a peasant who discovers in the middle of the night that his house is on fire. He has not time for explanations or long requests. He calls out with all his might, “Fire! Fire! Fire!” and every one of his neighbors will come running. In the same way, we call out our need with this one word – sin. The other word that is the summation of all that is good, the ultimate desire of our heart and our greatest need is the cry for “God! God! God!” Surely God will be pleased to make Himself know to the soul who cries to Him to reveal Himself in all His glory. These two words can be spoken as breath prayers while one walks or works throughout the day. These two words can gather our thoughts into one great petition and one great trust.
Fire! Fire! Fire!
By beginning with these three cairns, the spiritual pilgrim can continue on the difficult yet worthy trail of pursuing the God who waits to be found!
[1] See J. Todd Murray’s Beyond Amazing Grace: Timeless Pastoral Wisdom from Letters, Sermons and Hymns of John Newton, 2007.
[2] Emilie Griffin, Clinging: The Experience of Prayer (New York: McCracken Press, 1994), p. 3.
[3] Larry Crabb, The PAPA Prayer: The Prayer You’ve Never Prayed (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2006).
[4] Crabb, p. 153.
10/7/07
Mike Yaconelli's Terrible Prayers
I have always been terrible at praying.
I forget.
My mind wanders.
I fall asleep.
I don't pray enough.
I don't understand what prayer is
Or what prayer does.
If prayer were school...I would flunk praying.
But prayer isn't school.
It is mystery.
Maybe the mystery is...Jesus loves terrible prayers.
Maybe...When I can't think of anything to say, he says what I can't say.
When I talk too much, he chersihes my too many words.
When I fall asleep, he holds me in his lap and caresses my weary soul.
When I am overwhelmed with guilt at my inconsistent, inadequate praying,
He whispers, "Your name is always on my lips."
I am filled with gratitude, my soul overflows with thankfulness, and I...
I...find myself saying over and over again, "thank you,"
Praying the mystery.
I forget.
My mind wanders.
I fall asleep.
I don't pray enough.
I don't understand what prayer is
Or what prayer does.
If prayer were school...I would flunk praying.
But prayer isn't school.
It is mystery.
Maybe the mystery is...Jesus loves terrible prayers.
Maybe...When I can't think of anything to say, he says what I can't say.
When I talk too much, he chersihes my too many words.
When I fall asleep, he holds me in his lap and caresses my weary soul.
When I am overwhelmed with guilt at my inconsistent, inadequate praying,
He whispers, "Your name is always on my lips."
I am filled with gratitude, my soul overflows with thankfulness, and I...
I...find myself saying over and over again, "thank you,"
Praying the mystery.
"The Practice of Paying Attention"
Do you need a bit of encouragement to slow down and notice what God is up to? The link below is to a short article by Ruth Haley Barton (author of Sacred Rhythms) on the practice of paying attention in the midst of our sometimes overly-busy lives.
Prayer in Poetry
After Reading Dom John Chapman, Benedictine Abbot
by Jack Ridl
"Pray as you can; not as you can't."
My prayers will sit on the backs
of bedraggled donkeys, in the sidecars
of Harleys, in the pockets of night
watchmen, on the laps of widows.
They will be the stones I walk by,
the smudges I leave on anything I touch,
the last place the last snow melts. They
will be brown, weekdays, potato pancakes.
They will stick to the undersides of porches,
docks, dog paws, and carpets. When I'm sick,
my cough will carry them. When you leave
in the morning, they will sink into the bed,
the sofa, every towel. I will carry them
in the modesty of my feet. Everything
will be praying. My dog will be petitioning
for mercy when he stops to sniff a post.
Every window in our house will be
an offering for supplications. The birds
at the feeder will be twitching
for my forgiveness. I will say my prayers
are bread dough, doorknobs, golf tees,
any small and nameless change of heart.
When I forget my prayers, they will
bundle up and go out on their own
across the street, down into the basement,
into a small town with no mayor where
there is a single swing in the park. When
I forget, they'll know I was watching TV,
the sky, or listening to Basie, remembering
the way my mother and father jitterbugged
to the big band station, he pulling her close,
then spinning her out across the green kitchen floor.
by Jack Ridl
"Pray as you can; not as you can't."
My prayers will sit on the backs
of bedraggled donkeys, in the sidecars
of Harleys, in the pockets of night
watchmen, on the laps of widows.
They will be the stones I walk by,
the smudges I leave on anything I touch,
the last place the last snow melts. They
will be brown, weekdays, potato pancakes.
They will stick to the undersides of porches,
docks, dog paws, and carpets. When I'm sick,
my cough will carry them. When you leave
in the morning, they will sink into the bed,
the sofa, every towel. I will carry them
in the modesty of my feet. Everything
will be praying. My dog will be petitioning
for mercy when he stops to sniff a post.
Every window in our house will be
an offering for supplications. The birds
at the feeder will be twitching
for my forgiveness. I will say my prayers
are bread dough, doorknobs, golf tees,
any small and nameless change of heart.
When I forget my prayers, they will
bundle up and go out on their own
across the street, down into the basement,
into a small town with no mayor where
there is a single swing in the park. When
I forget, they'll know I was watching TV,
the sky, or listening to Basie, remembering
the way my mother and father jitterbugged
to the big band station, he pulling her close,
then spinning her out across the green kitchen floor.
Oct 4 -11 Lectio Passages: Prayer
The passages below are suggestions for reading, mediation, and Lectio this week. Feel free to post your comments or reflections about these passages. The Lectio Divina prompts are also here for your use.
Oct 4 -- Isaiah 50:4-5
Oct 5 -- Ephesians 1:15-19a
Oct 6 -- Luke 5:15-16
Oct 7 -- Matthew 6:5-8
Oct 8 -- Psalm 63:1-8
Oct 9 -- James 5:13-16
Oct 10 -- John 15:7-8
Read: Seek a phrase, word, or verse that attracts your attention. Repeat that phrase to yourself or write it down. Savor the text.
Reflect: What meaning is offered to you as you consider the phrase or verse?
Respond: What response do you have to the word? What is God's invitation to you?
Rest: Relax in God's transforming power and presence.
Oct 4 -- Isaiah 50:4-5
Oct 5 -- Ephesians 1:15-19a
Oct 6 -- Luke 5:15-16
Oct 7 -- Matthew 6:5-8
Oct 8 -- Psalm 63:1-8
Oct 9 -- James 5:13-16
Oct 10 -- John 15:7-8
Read: Seek a phrase, word, or verse that attracts your attention. Repeat that phrase to yourself or write it down. Savor the text.
Reflect: What meaning is offered to you as you consider the phrase or verse?
Respond: What response do you have to the word? What is God's invitation to you?
Rest: Relax in God's transforming power and presence.
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