Spiritual Disciplines

Following the Relaxed Rabbi: simplifying the heart

2019-05-16T05:10:16+00:00By Joel|Missional Living, Simplicity, Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Formation|

Bill Gaultiere, founder of Soul Shepherding, Inc. and mentee of Dallas Willard, shared a story on his website of an interaction that he had with Dallas. In Dallas' office at USC, Dallas asked him the question, "If you had one word to describe Jesus, what would it be?" There of course are so many words that come to mind to describe Jesus, and after a good length of silence in which Bill was able to contemplate, he asked Dallas what his one word would be. Dallas' answer: "relaxed." Relaxed. It has been a powerful paradigm shift for me as I've been grasping the picture of Jesus as the most relaxed person you'll ever meet. Time and time [...]

Learning to Sing and Dance: a ragamuffin blessing

2020-05-23T22:00:31+00:00By Joel|Prayers and Blessings, Spiritual Disciplines|

My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it. - Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel A blessing that I categorize as a 'dangerous blessing,' is one that Larry Hine, Brennan Manning's spiritual director, gave to Manning at his ordination. I kiddingly call them 'dangerous blessings,' because, as I mentioned in my post "A Beautifully Uncomfortable Blessing," it's not that they do harm, but they courageously embrace what we would normally consider desolation for the purpose of the greatest consolation: experiencing the Love of Christ more deeply. The thing that resonates with me regarding these 'dangerous blessings,' is that they embrace an [...]

Cultivating Silence

2019-05-16T04:57:03+00:00By Joel|Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Formation|

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. Psalm 62:5 Something that has been impactful to me in my walk with the Lord has been integrating quiet/silence into my life. It hasn't been easy. Life get's busy, and it's an odd thing: I've found that when you intentionally seek to create more quiet and silence in your life, you discover how much noise is continually crowding in, and sometimes (oftentimes), it is from within us that the noise comes. Silence is something that we need to cultivate. In Psalm 62:5 we see a word in Hebrew for the kind of silencing of oneself that I'm referring to, it is: dâmam. [...]

Consolation, Desolation, and the Examen Prayer

2019-05-16T04:54:28+00:00By Joel|Prayers and Blessings, Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Formation|

He who goes about to reform the world must begin with himself, or he loses his labor. -St. Ignatius of Loyola Something that has been paradigm shifting for me has been the Examen prayer. As a husband, father and non-profit worker, the Examen has been impactful for me, for self-awareness as well as for my spiritual development in Christ-centered discernment. I've found that it's a useful tool to see where God is at work, and is calling me to Himself throughout the day. Along with this prayer (that I'll share below), there is language (terms) that Ignatius introduces us to, called: "consolations and desolations." Generally put, a desolation is the experience of situations or circumstances that [...]