Writing Your Prayers

Today I'd like to share a method of praying that I've used for many years: writing out my prayers in a journal. I began this practice after reading Becky Tirabassi's book, "Let Prayer Change Your Life." I found her book both inspiring and practical.

Tirabassi's experience with writing her prayers prompted me to do the same. My prayer journal is not as complex as the notebook she suggests, but I highly recommend both the book and the practice of writing your prayers. There is just something about putting your prayers down on paper that gives them power and permanence.

I write my 'Letter to God' during my Quiet Time each morning. I find that I don't pray for as many different things, as I do when I pray silently in my head. (I actually do have time at night for silent prayers.) But the prayers I write down are the ones that are most important to me. Sometimes I write for guidance: asking for direction, which path to choose for the future. Other times I write for forgiveness: specifying where I have sinned and asking that God give me the strength to change and to have mercy on my past errors. Oftentimes I pray for others: for friends who are sick, for ministries of the church, for people on the mission fields, for those who are facing a crisis. Many times I just write out my praise to God: glorifying who He is and magnifying His name.

Because I write every day, I find that I go through more than one journal each year. I love buying a new journal: a different style and color for each season. I sit with my new journal, thumbing through the blank pages, anticipating what I will write on its pages. Just the act of writing keeps my mind focused. Thought of what's next on my schedule or what happened yesterday, don't cloud my mind. I am able, through writing, to concentrate and distill my thoughts. When I've finished one journal, I like to look back through the pages, finding instances of answered prayers and patterns in what I've talked to God about. I love having a record of the progress I'm making in the Spiritual Discipline of Prayer.

Whatever is on you mind to pray for, try writing it down and see for yourself if the practice makes a difference in your prayer life. I hope that, like me, a prayer journal brings new zest and expectation into your prayer life.

"Just as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so go on living in him ... in simple faith. Grow out of him as a plant grows out of the soil it is planted in, becoming more and more sure of the faith as you were taught it, and your lives will overflow with joy and thankfulness." Colossians 2:6-7 (Phillips)

Meditation: A Review + Billy Graham

Today, I'd like to spend a few moments reviewing what we've learned about Meditation this week. First and foremost is deciding to make time for Meditation (and the other Spiritual Disciples to follow). Until we choose to put our lives within reach of Heaven, we will not progress in finding a deeper relationship with God. So, if you haven't already, set aside a particular time and place to have a Quiet Time. Many people prefer mornings ... before the cares of the day intrude. Others prefer the evening, after the day is done, to be alone with God. Whatever time works for you, it is important to be faithful in meeting with the Lord at the same time and place every day.

We also discussed the importance of Meditation: how can reach depths of love and heights of joy when we give ourselves over to things of eternal importance. There are several methods we discussed this week: meditating on scripture, on hymns or praise songs, on our problems and concerns or on current events. If after trying one method for a week, you find that it is just not working for you, then move on to one of the other methods.

Another important ingredient in having a useful time of Meditation is to put the rest of our day in the Spirit's hands. Our short time of Meditation will have little positive effect if the rest of the day is spent in strife or sin-filled activities. By living in balance and practicing "holy leisure," we can better appreciate our Quiet Time.

I pray that this blog has been useful to you and that you have been inspired to make Daily Meditation a priority.

I'd like to also mention a new book by Billy Graham: "The Reason for My Hope." Graham has stood as a spiritual giant over the past 50 years or more. Many Christians were first introduced to the Gospel by way of one of Billy Graham's crusades or through his writings. Now, toward the end of his life, he has summarized the reasons behind the hope he has in Christ. I encourage you to read this new book. Here is a link from the BGEA webite: http://billygraham.org/articlepage.asp?articleid=9708

I'd love to hear from you readers. Let us know how your are progressing on your spiritual journey and share your insights into Meditation or the other Disciplines.

Beginning tomorrow, we will spend a week introducing the Discipline of Prayer. I hope you will join us as we explore the function and purpose of Prayer in the Christian's life.

Who can Meditate? You can.

When we speak of Meditation, some people immediately dismiss the idea that they are 'qualified' to meditate. They may think that Meditation is for the Spiritual Giants among us: priests or saints, pastors or 'Prayer Warriors.' We rob ourselves of a wonderful spiritual exercise when we believe we aren't "good enough" to meditate.

I think it is wise to approach this Discipline with humility ... but not with a feeling of unworthiness. God desires to commune with you no matter where you are on your spiritual journey: beginner or advanced. It just may be that the beginner has a more profound experience than  those who are 'professionals.' However we do need to believe that we can hear the voice of God. We don't have to go through someone else: we can approach his throne directly. We need only turn our attention to the Father. Richard Foster quotes Thomas Merton in Celebration of Discipline: “This desire to turn is a gift of grace. Anyone who imagines he can simply begin meditating without praying for the desire and the grace to do so, will soon give up." 

Spiritual Meditation is a gift of grace. We can receive it fully and freely if we ask. Yet we hold back, like shy, frightened children. Foster states, "That is why meditation is so threatening to us. It boldly calls us to enter into the living presence of God for ourselves. It tells us that God is speaking in the continuous present and wants to address us."

Will you set aside some time today to begin? Will you still your mind and wait for God to speak? What He tells you may not be earth-shattering. It could be as mundane as "Call your friend Emily" or "Make that appointment to see a doctor." We can't expect states of ecstasy every time. But we can expect to be changed when we put ourselves within hearing distance of God.

We will talk more about how God speaks to us and how we can hear Him more clearly when we discuss the Spiritual Discipline of Prayer next week. Today we can be assured that God desires to communicate with us: the lowly or the great, men or women, rich or poor, young or old. Who can Meditate? You can.

How to Meditate

Yesterday we what & why and the where & when of Meditation. Today I'd like to propose some methods we can use to get started in our practice of Christian Meditation. As I mentioned before, Christian Meditation differs from Eastern Meditation in that, instead of emptying the mind and trying to become "nothingness," Christian Meditation involves filling the mind and spirit with God's presence. We can do that in several different ways.

The most common method is to meditate on Scripture: pick one verse from the Bible (the Psalms are a rich source of useful lines of scripture), or chose one word (Mercy, Peace, Love), or you might want to use an event (one of Christ's parables, the Beatitudes, an example of healing). The practice then entails delving deeply into the portion of the Bible you have selected.

This is not the time for study ... comparing translations, reading commentaries ... but a time for just sitting and working the scripture into your soul, seeking intimacy with God. Don't rush from passage to passage but stick with just one. Use all your senses to experience the text your working with. Spend a week, if you like, contemplating on the verse, word or event throughout the day ... not just during your quiet time.

Another method people have used is to meditate on God's creation. Evelyn Underhill recommends, "... begin with that first form of contemplation which the old mystics sometimes called 'the discovery of God in his creatures.' " As Psalms 19:1 tells us, "The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament (i.e.earth) does show forth his handiwork." Select a tree or a flower: allow its beauty and form sink deep into your mind and heart. Listen to the birds or watch the little creatures that creep through your garden. Richard Foster says, "These are humble acts, to be sure, but sometimes God reaches us profoundly in these simple ways if we will quiet ourselves to listen."

There is another form of mediation: selecting a current event or something from our recent past. Seek to perceive its significance in the larger scheme of things. Thomas Merton writes that the person “… who has meditated on the Passion of Christ but has not meditated on the extermination camps of Dachau and Auschwitz has not yet fully entered into the experience of Christianity in our time." You might want to approach this form of meditation with a Bible in one hand and a newspaper (or your iPad's New York Times app) in the other. You might want to meditate on the current government shutdown or the conflict in Syria. What is God's design in these events? What action do you feel called to take in response?

One final suggestion for meditation is suggested by Foster in The Celebration of Disciplines: "... what the contemplatives of the Middle Ages called “re-collection,” and what the Quakers have often called “centering down.” It is a time to become still, to enter into the recreating silence, to allow the fragmentation of our minds to become centered." In this form of meditation, sometimes called "palms down, palms up," we bring whatever is troubling us that day (a project at work, an illness, a troubled relationship), anything that you are anxious about, and simply say, "Palms down," and release it into God's care. Surrender your fear, let the Lord handle it for you. Then, turn "Palms up" ready to receive what you need (peace of mind about the project at work, comfort and healing for your illness, a solution for your troubled relationship) . Once you have "centered-down," spend the rest of your meditation time in complete silence. Don't ask for anything else. Let God commune with you, to simply love you.

In all these methods of meditation, this is what we are waiting for: a fresh experience of God's love. What an overwhelming wonder to know that the God of the Universe is listening to me, caring about the things I care about, offering His acceptance and peace in my life.

I pray that one of these forms of Meditation appeals to you. I hope you will try one of them in the week ahead. Please share any thoughts or difficulties. I'd like to hear if you are troubled or if you find peace. Together we can help each other gain a deep connection to the Father.

Meditation: The Basics

In the week ahead we will take a brief look at the Spiritual Discipline of Mediation. This will serve as an introduction to the Discipline. In January of 2014, we will spend the entire month looking at the Discipline of Meditation in greater depth.

Today I'd like to cover the basics: the what and why, plus the when and where of Meditation. Tomorrow we'll talk more about the "how."

Richard Foster, in Celebration of Discipline, describes Christian Meditation as "simply ... the ability to hear God’s voice and obey his word." Christian Meditation differs from Eastern and secular mediation in that, instead of emptying our minds, we are filling our minds with ... and obeying ... God's word. We will explore more of the differences in the week ahead and also in more depth in January. For now, we need only see that Christian Mediation calls us to seek God through the various ways he talks with us and to act upon the lessons we learn. God longs to communicate with us. He stands at the door and knocks. When we let him in, through the practice of Meditation, we grow more sensitive to his voice. Meditation is hearing, then obeying.

Foster also explains: "In meditation we are growing into what Thomas à Kempis calls 'a familiar friendship with Jesus.' We are sinking down into the light and life of Christ and becoming comfortable in that posture. The perpetual presence of the Lord (omnipresence, as we say) moves from a theological dogma into a radiant reality. 'He walks with me and he talks with me' ceases to be pious jargon and instead becomes a straightforward description of daily life."

To know the mind of Christ ... what a worthy goal and wonderful experience. Christian Meditation allows us to, quoting Foster again, "create the emotional and spiritual space which allows Christ to construct an inner sanctuary in the heart" Foster, Richard Celebration of Discipline, HarperCollins, p. 20
This week I hope we can begin this inner journey together.

The "when and where" are individual decisions. I'll be using my morning quiet time, in my "Sacred Chair," to begin my practice of Christian Meditation. As Foster suggests, "Find a place that is quiet and free from interruption. No telephone should be nearby. If it is possible to find some place that looks out onto a lovely landscape, so much the better. It is best to have one designated place rather than hunting for a different spot each day."

I hope you will find a specific time each day and a special place to put your heart and mind within God's reach. Meditation calls us away from the busyness of our lives into a quiet space where we can hear the 'still, small voice' of the Lord. Are you listening?

Better Together

I you are a fan of Jack Johnson, as I am, you already know his song, Better Together. You can watch Jack's performance here: http://youtu.be/seZMOTGCDag
I think Better Together would make a great theme song for this blog. Truly, things are 'better together.'

When we look back over our lives, thinking of those times when we felt at our best, don't they all involve time we've spent with other people? A family vacation, a great birthday party, a hike with friends, the first date with our future mate, a game of Monopoly or Scrabble, lunch with our co-workers, a conference with other believers,  a wedding? Even difficult times, visiting a friend in the hospital or attending a funeral, when we a part of a group we feel more alive, more connected.

God, as He functions in the Trinity, is in relationship. The Father, Son and Spirit commune with each other and with us. He designed us for companionship too ... we are made in His image. Our personalities bloom, our virtues and foibles appear, our lives take on new meaning, when we spend time with those we love. Even when we are separated by miles of ocean or land ... unable to be together physically ... we can still experience the warmth of friendship via a phone call, a letter or on the Internet.

Over the past year I've been reading the New Testament, from Matthew through Revelation, over each quarter. I've used four different translations of the Bible. On Oct. 1st I began again, this last time using Phillip's paraphrase of the New Testament. I've been struck, each time I read through the Gospels, by how much time Jesus spent with other people. Of course, we don't have a complete record of every day of his 30 years here on earth, but what we do have shows him almost always in relationship with others.

From healing all the sick who were brought to him, teaching the multitudes, spending time with his friends, Lazarus, Mary and Martha, walking on the shores of Lake Galilee with his disciples, praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, appearing to over 500 people after his resurrection, time and again, we find him in the presence of other people. He had to slip away at night or early in the morning just to spend a little time alone. But the crowds still found him. He attracted huge crowds: 5000 men (not counting women & children) one time and 3000 another. Yet he had time to gather a child in his arms to make the point that we must humble ourselves if we want to be a part of his kingdom.

In our modern world, we rarely have the opportunity to be in such constant contact with others. We all value our independence, our privacy. We feel drained when we spend a day with family, on Thanksgiving or Christmas. We scurry home to our sanctuary ... glad to be alone again. But how often does that time alone make us feel alienated, depressed and blue? We can easily slip into distorted views of reality. We need other people to see ourselves and the world clearly.

That's the value I'm hoping this blog will bring: a place and a time to connect with others ... even though we aren't physically present to each other. We can still utilize this blog to express our thoughts, share our hopes, recount our joys or ask for help. I pray that we will form a new community: a safe place to visit each day and find renewal and refreshment for our souls.

Won't you join me as we explore the Spiritual Disciplines? Hopefully you'll find that Time Together Today is one more way we become "better together."

Are you dirty enough?

When you receive the seed of God’s word, you can never be too dirty. In Jesus’ parable of the four types of soil, we find that the richest soil produces the best crop of fruit.

The parable of the sower and the soil is told in both Matthew 13 and Luke 8. Let’s use Matthew’s account: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” Matt. 13:3b-8.

As we see, there are four kinds of soil: the shallow soil beside the road, the rocky soil, the thorny soil and the good, rich soil. Both Matthew and Mark give a full explanation of what happens to the seed in each of these soils.

In Matt. 3: 19-23 we find these details: ^“When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.  The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.  But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

We probably all know people who display the characteristics of each of these types of soil. We may even realize that we have been each of these soils sometime in our lives. Of the different kinds of dirt, I think most of us in this modern world are most like the third type: we receive God’s word but we let worries about everyday concerns and our constant desire for more ‘stuff’ choke the life out of the spiritual seed that God plants in our life. We never succeed at leading a full, productive life because we let anxiety, fear and greed rob us of a deeper connection to God.

The Spiritual Disciplines can help us tend our little plot of ground. They can prepare our hearts to receive all that God wants to share with us. Through practicing the 12 Disciplines (Meditation, Prayer, Fasting, Study, Simplicity, Solitude, Submission, Service, Confession, Worship, Guidance and Celebration) we will find that we are developing rich, moist soil in which love, joy, peace and the other Fruits of the Spirit will grow and increase.

When it comes to practicing the Spiritual Disciplines, we can never be too dirty.

Jesus' yoke is easy; His burden is light. Are yours?

As we approach the Spiritual Disciplines a word of warning. It is easy to fall into the trap of making the Disciplines into a new form of legalism. In our effort to gain a fuller understanding of how to put ourselves into God's care, we may err on the side of setting up the Disciplines as just more rules to follow. As Richard Foster says in Celebration of Disciplines, "They (the Disciplines) are meant to bring the abundance of God into our lives. It is possible, however, to turn them into another set of soul-killing laws. Law-bound Disciplines breathe death." 
How can we avoid making these practices merely external practices? How do we learn to use them for our internal spiritual growth? Why are the Disciplines important and how do I make them a part of my daily life without becoming legalistic? Are we trying to manipulate God (into accepting us for our good works) or trying to control how others perceive us (as holier-than-thou)?  What is our motive? Who are we trying to impress? Are the Disciplines a source of joy and inspiration or merely another temptation to pride and fear? These are questions we need to ask ourselves before we begin our journey together.
I don't have all the answers. These are areas to examine in your own life. I believe, however, that we can learn to lay down the burden of always having to be perfect or of always having to have the right answer. We can learn to avoid judging others by our own standards. We can reach our goal of inner transformation. We have, as our guide, Christ's Spirit and the Word.
Let's concentrate on the freedom we have in Christ. Let's celebrate with these Disciplines, not make them into another obligation ... for us or others. Foster quotes Leo Tolstoy at the end of chapter 1, "Everybody thinks of changing humanity and nobody thinks of changing himself." 

Would you like to spend time together today?

Do you long for a deeper connection to God? Do you want to know Christ and experience a new way of living? Are you curious about how to establish a daily quiet time? Then, you are invited to begin a spiritual journey with "Time Together Today." If you are willing to set aside some time each day, will take this journey together, beginning today. We will use this time to read our Bibles, meditate on how the Word intersects with our lives and pray for guidance. In January of 2014, we will begin a study ... and practice ... of the 12 Spiritual Disciplines as described by Richard Foster in his seminal book, "Celebration of Discipline." Each month will be devoted to one of the Disciples that help us grow in our Christian walk: Meditation, Prayer, Fasting, Study, Simplicity, Solitude, Submission, Service, Confession, Worship, Guidance and Celebration. Over the course of the next 13 weeks, until Jan. 1, 2014, we will explore first, the details on how and why to begin a daily devotional time; then we will devote one week to an overview of each Discipline. This introductory time together will allow us to get to know each other, to share what works (and what hasn't worked) in creating a time and place for our daily devotions and to purchase some of the books that we will use next year. Foremost is Foster's "Celebration of Discipline" and secondly, the daily devotional I'll be using, "Spiritual Disciplines Devotional: a Year of Readings," by Valerie E. Hess. I will also recommend some study guides, workbooks and classical readings that can enhance our experience of following the 12 Spiritual Disciplines. Will you join me on this quest for a deeper relationship with our Savior? Please feel free to comment and add your voice and your experiences as we travel along with Time Together Today.