During the next weeks look through the "Spiritual Practices Toolbox" section and prayerfully consider the most important excercise(s) that you need to address.
You may want to start with worship: Write a hymn or a story, paint a picture, begin a ritual, place a symbol on your desktop … do something creative to express the greatness of God to you.
Thoughts from class:
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July 1st, 2007
This week plan times of solitude: Sit still for 1-5min and pray that you might come to "know" God better. Also, investigate what growth needs you have and make plans to fill the gap with study.
Thoughts from class:
Definition of Spiritual Disciplines:
A discipline is any activity within our power that we engage in to enable us to do what we cannot do by direct effort
Spiritual disciplines involve bodily behaviors: wrong habits must be set aside and the Kingdom habits are to be instituted
Goal:
Make our body a reliably ally and resource for the spiritual life. Moving from “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” to “the flesh supports the spirit”
June 24, 2007
(Re)read James 1:2-4 and Romans 5:1-5 (see Golden Triangle below). This week try to figure out one of your typical trials and tribulations that you were so far discarding as an opportunity for the kingdom of God to come into your life. What can you do to "regard it as most joyous occasion" instead?
Thoughts from class:
- The "Ordinary events of life" this is our life as it is today. This is where we ask that "Thy kingdom come". God has yet to bless anyone except where they actually are... Are we inviting each situation that we are getting in or are we faithlessly discarding situation after situation, hoping that life will turn better? Those situations and moments are our life, that's the place for us to receive his kingdom. Being centered in the mind of Christ means: we accept the "trials" of ordinary existence as the place where we are to experience and find the reign of God-with-us as actual reality. Then we will thrive on everything that life throws at us! (Paraphrased from the book "Divine Conspiracy", by Dallas Willard)
- Are we sanitizing or life of "ordinary events" that God sends to us?
- What are your trial and tribulations: Getting up in the morning, caring for ourselves, commuting, other people, your children,...?
This week consider your stewardship of the Keys of the Kingdom. Holding the keys, binding and loosing, in the common language of the Jews, signified to forbid and to allow, or to teach what is lawful or unlawful.
What does it mean for you to faithfully
- ... introduce the Kingdom to others? (Hello Other, may I introduce the King?)
- ... introduce others to the Kingdom? (Hello King, may I introduce Other?)
How is my attitude and expectation different for these two approaches?
Thoughts from class:
Read Matt 16:19; 18:18; Isiah 22:20-22
- Who has got the keys: Peter, the apostles, all ministers, all disciples?
- What is the point of "holding keys"? A metaphor taken from stewards who carry the keys: what examples can you share for someone "holding the keys"?
- What does it mean to hold the keys of the kingdom of heaven? Authority, access, responsibility...
Jesus' victory saves us so that we can be someone to be trusted. The more we anchored in Jesus and Jesus is in us, the Father can entrust us with the tasks He had in mind for us originally. We are saved to become trusted people for the Father to bring His Kingdom about here on earth. Two main areas of trust are shown at the bottom of the "Golden Triangle" (see below)
- How are we holding up in the "ordinary events of life" (temptations)?
- How well are we prepared / trained to face challenging situations in which the Father sends us?
Assignment for the week: Rediscovering your ability to trust in God.
- Where are you called to trust God this week?
- How does Jesus' victory save you so that you can be someone to be trusted this week?
Look at faith/trust not so much something we have to do, but as an ability that comes with us being created in the image of God. Deep inside we are able to trust. This is reflected in many trusting human relationships and is present in songs and poems.
A relationship without trust is not worth living.
We can trust God completely.
Likewise God wants to put His trust in us completely. By experience we know however that we cannot be trusted very much. But there was and still is one man who was completely faithful: Jesus. In Him God regained trust into Humanity. Christ in us is our only hope for a life lived in a trusting relationship with God.
In this world we are under constant attack and we may even be in bondage of the evil one who wants to keep us from living out our birthright as children of God. That's where salvation comes in: Jesus breaks the power of the evil one. We are born from above.
A trusting relationship is the fundamental way of how God interacts, even with us.
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