Spiritual Exercise #10 - Prayer

Can I be honest? Prayer has always been difficult for me. Actually, I think most people if they were honest would say the same thing. It isn't natural for most people in our world today to spend time in prayer. Some of this has to do with the busyness of our lives and the simple lack of time for relationships. It probably means for many of us we have a wrong view of prayer. Maybe we need to explore a new approach.

Prayer
Jesus was deliberate about teaching his disciples how to pray. The apostles devoted themselves to prayer. For centuries, monks have devoted their lives to prayer. This long tradition of prayer has produced many different and meaningful answers to the question of how to pray. One of the most enduring practices involves simply offering God's own words back to him. This is called "praying the Scriptures."

Practice Prayer: Look through your Bible for a passage that connects with you. Or look for a passage that seems to capture what you might want to say to God. Try looking through the book of Psalms for a passage you could pray. When you've found the passage, spend a few moments in silence to ready your heart. Then read the words of Scripture to God as a prayer. You may be surprised to find that praying the Scripture helps you to express your own words. If so, pray those words to God after reading the passage.

Some material from Mars Hill Series on Spiritual Practices

Spiritual Exercise # 9 - Meditation

I first experienced the exercise of meditation in a yoga class at my local hospital. The stress of my life and the fast-paced world around me were taking a toll on having opportunities to truly meditate. It was in that class that I was able to ponder, to hear the Voice of my heart. Since that class, I have tried to find daily opportunities for mediation. I hope through this exercise you too will find time in your daily life for meditation.

Meditation:
Meditation isn't about the mind; it's about the heart. To meditate is to ponder something in your heart. The Hebrew word for meditate is hagah. Isaiah uses the word to describe the growl of a lion feasting on its prey. In the same way, pondering something in the heart is like sucking the juice out of an orange until it's dry. The only trouble is that there are so many things fighting for our attention that we rarely meditate on anything.

Practice meditation: In order to make space in your heart for God's presence, take 5-10 minutes and write down all of the noise inside your head and heart. This is sometimes called "stream of consciousness writing." Be mindful of the fact that these noises are constantly fighting for your heart's attention. No choose a small section of Scripture to read aloud. Read it out loud three times, allowing for a brief period of silence after each reading in order to meditate. [This practice is called Lectio Divina, which means "divine word". ] During the first reading, listen for a word, phrase, or idea, repeating it to yourself quietly. During the second reading, pay attention to how the word, phrase, or idea is speaking in your life. What does it mean for you? What is it telling you about your life? During the last reading, focus on what you sense God calling your to do or become.

Some material from Mars Hill Series on Spiritual Practices

Spiritual Practice #8 - Sabbath

For about a year now, my family and I have been dedicated to resting and finding a day of Sabbath each and every week. Honestly, with three kids, that is almost impossible. We have found that by making it a priority, we begin to long for it - especially when the clutter of life seems to sweep it off of our weekly schedules at the blink of an eye. Homework has to stop, emailing and social networking has to stop, cell phones and the TV must be turned off and naps, sitting in the stillness, listening to the leaves blowing out side or calming music in a coffee house (at least for me) must win the hour or day. Our lives are busy, noisy, adrenaline induced, caffeinated... and often it takes an entire day for me to come down from the mountain of life.

Sabbath
Rest matters to God, and the practice of Sabbath is God's way of making sure that people understand that. Sabbath isn't about replenishing our energies in order to face another week of work. Nor is Sabbath simply an arbitrary discipline of doing nothing in order to make God happy. Quite the opposite,

It's about making sure we're living our lives rather than letting our lives live us.

Sabbath is one day every week when we are meant to experience the kind of life that God created us for.

Practice Sabbath: Choose one full day in the next week to practice Sabbath. As a way of preparing for that day, think carefully about what activities are, or feel like, work for you. Commit to avoiding any of these activities during the day. Next, identify what activities make you feel alive and connected to God and others. How will you incorporate them on this day? When your Sabbath has come to and end, reflect on this question: What about this day felt holy? Why?

Some material from Mars Hill Series on Spiritual Practices

Donald Miller: Million Miles Tour