Spiritual Disciplines

A House That Points to Home

2019-05-16T05:45:57+00:00By Joel|Missional Living, Spiritual Disciplines|

This month our family relocated to a new house. The previous rental where we had been at is being sold, and while we like that place, we had to begin searching for a new locale to lay our heads. We began praying, and we began looking, and something just right opened up in a way that we knew it wasn't us or luck. One of the great joys of praying and listening for the Lord's voice, is that the Lord speaks. Sometimes it's through circumstances in such a way that you sense a wink and a smile coming from the One whom you've been speaking to. This transition has brought me to meditate on how we [...]

Still, Like a Tree

2019-05-16T05:36:14+00:00By Joel|Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Formation, Stillness|

"...in an age of acceleration, nothing can be more exhilarating than going slow. And in an age of distraction, nothing is so luxurious as paying attention. And in an age of constant movement, nothing is so urgent as sitting still." (Pico Iyer) As I've been pursuing the practice of stillness, I have read a book called The Art of Stillness by Pico Iyer, a travel writer. Throughout the book he makes keen observations about stillness, and in a wonderful Ted Talk that he presented, he said, "The trip, in other words, gave me some amazing sights, but it's only sitting still that allows me to turn those into lasting insights" Here, Iyer makes the realization that amidst [...]

Stillness

2019-05-16T05:24:33+00:00By Joel|Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Formation|

"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10 “Let us be silent, that we may hear the whisper of God.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson A rhythm of grace (a life-giving spiritual practice) for me has been the practice of stillness: being still; stopping; resting. It's interesting how counter-intuitive it seems to our culture right now, doesn't it? Being someone who grew up in a generation that spanned a progression from analog to digital, I remember when life moved 25-45 mph, telephones were attached to the wall, photos were shared by waiting for the film developer to call you letting you [...]

Breath Prayer: a powerful little practice

2021-07-28T21:56:28+00:00By Joel|Prayers and Blessings, Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Formation|

A practice that I was introduced to years ago, that I have been revisiting lately, has been a prayer practice called "Breath Prayer." It’s pretty simple: a breath prayer is a short prayer that you pray throughout the day (usually inside yourself), and is short enough that you can pray it in the length of the cadence of your breath. The breath prayer is a way that many throughout history have put the following scriptures into practice: "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall always be in my mouth." - Psalm 34:1 "Pray without ceasing." - 1 Thessalonians 5:17 A traditional active prayer is what has been called the Jesus prayer: "Lord [...]