RHTHMS THAT SUSTAIN A HUMAN SOUL
You do not need to be spiritually advanced to begin a spiritual life. You don't need certainty. You don't need to hold the perfect belief. You don't even need to have a dramatic conversion story.
You only need willingness.
Intensity does not produce transformation. Repetition does. Event-driven spirituality often leads to greater disconnect and eventually burnout. We rely upon expectations. They shape our reality, our desires.
Sustainable faith is built through small, consistent rhythms (and living into the intention of practicing daily).
Why does intensity fail?
Our high emotional response to something can inspire change. Very rarely can it sustain change. Without having a structure in place, any good intention we create for ourselves dissolves over time.
If we meet those expectations we celebrate, but when the mark is missed we are left wondering why. After a while all expectations lead to failure. And if our whole spirituality and wholeness rely on "success" through achievement, we set ourselves up for greater pain and more brokenness. This is the beauty in the focus of the Second (New) Testament with Grace being our source, and not by our own works.
You only need willingness.
Intensity does not produce transformation. Repetition does. Event-driven spirituality often leads to greater disconnect and eventually burnout. We rely upon expectations. They shape our reality, our desires.
Sustainable faith is built through small, consistent rhythms (and living into the intention of practicing daily).
Why does intensity fail?
Our high emotional response to something can inspire change. Very rarely can it sustain change. Without having a structure in place, any good intention we create for ourselves dissolves over time.
If we meet those expectations we celebrate, but when the mark is missed we are left wondering why. After a while all expectations lead to failure. And if our whole spirituality and wholeness rely on "success" through achievement, we set ourselves up for greater pain and more brokenness. This is the beauty in the focus of the Second (New) Testament with Grace being our source, and not by our own works.
Spiritual Practices and (W)Holy Shifts
Any spiritual practice is not a performance for God. It's a way of placing ourselves where grace can reach us.
Wesley called these practices "means of grace", and they are ordinary channels through which God forms us over time. We don't earn God's love; we already are loved deeply and profoundly by God. Rather, spiritual practices train our attention. Develop our capacity. Deepen our intimacy.
Again, transformation happens not through intensity, but through consistency.
What happens through our ongoing practice?
We shift:
The church is finally realizing that discipleship is not information. It's formation. The goal of discipleship is to be formed through Christ Jesus, through these practices. It is encounter.
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN PRACTICING
You will not feel different immediately. There will be days that any practice will feel dry. You'll be distracted. And you'll have days where your practice will be meaningful.
Spiritual formation is agricultural, not mechanical. You plant. You water and feed. God grows. It's a gradual growth and process and rhythm. Consistent openness and consent to grace reshapes desires themselves.
You aren't manufacturing God's attention. You are responding to it. You may not notice daily change, but over months and years, you'll notice your growth.
Wesley called these practices "means of grace", and they are ordinary channels through which God forms us over time. We don't earn God's love; we already are loved deeply and profoundly by God. Rather, spiritual practices train our attention. Develop our capacity. Deepen our intimacy.
Again, transformation happens not through intensity, but through consistency.
What happens through our ongoing practice?
We shift:
- Scarcity towards Abundance
- Control towards Trust
- Judgment towards Compassion
- Powerlessness towards Courage
- Comparisons towards Curiosity
The church is finally realizing that discipleship is not information. It's formation. The goal of discipleship is to be formed through Christ Jesus, through these practices. It is encounter.
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN PRACTICING
You will not feel different immediately. There will be days that any practice will feel dry. You'll be distracted. And you'll have days where your practice will be meaningful.
Spiritual formation is agricultural, not mechanical. You plant. You water and feed. God grows. It's a gradual growth and process and rhythm. Consistent openness and consent to grace reshapes desires themselves.
You aren't manufacturing God's attention. You are responding to it. You may not notice daily change, but over months and years, you'll notice your growth.
Four Foundational Practices To Begin With
Daily Prayer (Morning or Night)
We are encouraged to pray and pray often, and there are so many different ways to pray. This rhythm opens our hearts beyond words (Prayer is far more than just reciting words. There will be a separate resource on this.) This rhythm also helps create space for centering and groundedness.
Start with a prayer practice of even seven seconds. And if you are able to then move towards five or ten minutes, and then to the recommended twenty minutes a day (either morning or evening). You will experience quite noticeable fruits in your own way of being in your daily life.
What about praying throughout the rest of the day?
By creating an intentional rhythm in the morning or evening, you'll actually discover yourself slipping into moments of prayer throughout the day. And the more you explore various ways to pray and prayers that speak to your heart, you'll find some you'll naturally gravitate towards.
Start with a prayer practice of even seven seconds. And if you are able to then move towards five or ten minutes, and then to the recommended twenty minutes a day (either morning or evening). You will experience quite noticeable fruits in your own way of being in your daily life.
What about praying throughout the rest of the day?
By creating an intentional rhythm in the morning or evening, you'll actually discover yourself slipping into moments of prayer throughout the day. And the more you explore various ways to pray and prayers that speak to your heart, you'll find some you'll naturally gravitate towards.
Engaging Scripture For Formation
The goal for reading the Bible is not speed or mastery. It is encounter.
Whether you take a section to study or you are prayerfully reading, the Bible can shape our hearts when we engage it for that purpose. And I would challenge you to think about engaging the Bible in different ways. If you eat the same type of food every day, it creates a different experience than if you try different foods or switch it up.
Set aside several days where you sit with scripture for 20 minutes. Start with a short passage from the Gospels. If you don't have a practice in mind or you are too distracted for something more involved, you can ask the following:
What word or phrase stands out?
What does this reveal about God?
What does this invite in me today?
Let the text read you!
The Examen
This practice comes from the Christian contemplative tradition, but it simply is a practice of daily reflection for the end of the day. Do this right before bed.
Ask:
1) When did I feel most alive today?
2) When did I feel drained or disconnected?
3) Where did I act in love?
4) Where did I resist love?
5) What is God inviting me to do tomorrow?
It's important to remember that we practice this in awareness and not for shame. Growth begins with noticing.
Ask:
1) When did I feel most alive today?
2) When did I feel drained or disconnected?
3) Where did I act in love?
4) Where did I resist love?
5) What is God inviting me to do tomorrow?
It's important to remember that we practice this in awareness and not for shame. Growth begins with noticing.
Acts of Mercy
The Wesleyan tradition has always insisted that faith is social. Spirituality that never leaves your inner world becomes self-adsorption.
Once a week, practice intentional mercy. Some ideas include:
Encourage someone without being asked to.
Serve someone or somewhere without posting about it.
Give quietly.
Show up for someone who cannot repay you.
Love practiced externally reinforces love cultivated internally.
Once a week, practice intentional mercy. Some ideas include:
Encourage someone without being asked to.
Serve someone or somewhere without posting about it.
Give quietly.
Show up for someone who cannot repay you.
Love practiced externally reinforces love cultivated internally.
Posted in Spiritual Practices
Posted in Rule of Life, Boundaries, Margins, Sabbath, Leadership Formation
Posted in Rule of Life, Boundaries, Margins, Sabbath, Leadership Formation
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