Session #2Session #2

Rule of Life

The structured routine of self-chosen and

intentionally undertaken Christian spiritual

disciplines you pursue as either personal or

communal life-practices in maintaining and

deepening your relationship with God and effective

engagement within broader-life public life.

JCD

Session #2

The structured routine of . . .

1. Self-chosen and intentionally undertaken

• Christian spiritual disciplines

2. You pursue as either personal or communal life-practices in

• maintaining and deepening your relationship with God, and

• effective engagement within broader-life public life.

Our logo . . . LUKE 24:13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him . . .

"Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"

OVERTURE

Commencement exercise as an act of fellowship and worship in which the teacher will model the skill/behavior of the previous teaching session in sharing spiritual thought/reflection.

TEACHING Interactive teaching supported by visual media, and examples.

PRAXIS ACTIVITY

A planned activity to enable personal and group processing of the teaching’s focus

EPILOGUE Closing exercise of session-summary as an act of corporate worship

Each seminar session contains four aspects

Our time together today . . .

Overture

Teaching – The Fourfold Framework

Praxis Activity

Epilogue

Overture #1

Some guiding questions for gazing . . .

1. “What am I seeing in the text, what’s it seeking to show me?” or,

2. “What am I hearing in the text, what’s it trying to say to me?” or,

3. “Why are the things in the text happening - what’s the reasons behind its and actions?” or, .

4. “What’s happening in the text– (something is for sure!), What does activity imply - how is it happening? - Who’s doing what?”

Meditation is not the setting apart of a special time for personal

devotions, whether morning or evening, but it is the

reflection on the Word of God in the course of daily activities

JOSHUA 1:8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your

mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be

careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be

prosperous and successful.

Regardless of the time of day or the context, the godly respond

to life in accordance with God's word. Even where the word is

not explicit, the godly person has trained his heart to speak

and act with wisdom

Looking at looking . . . . . Looking at looking . . . . .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxISs5ctVM8

Proverbs 6:6-8

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its

ways and be wise! It has no

commander, no overseer or ruler, yet

it stores its provisions in summer and

gathers its food at harvest.

Let’s “consider the Ant” . . . Let’s “consider the Ant” . . .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcAUa6e3x0s

Some guiding questions for gazing . . .

1. “What am I seeing in the text, what’s it seeking to show me?” or, (V)

2. “What am I hearing in the text, what’s it trying to say to me?” or, (A)

3. “Why are the things in the text happening - what’s the reasons behind its and actions?” (R)

4. “What’s happening in the text– (something is for sure!), What does activity imply - how is it happening? - Who’s doing what?” (K)

Proverbs 6:6-8

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.

Ezekiel 34:11-16

For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. 12As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. 13I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. 14I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD. 16I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.

May the words of my mouth and

the meditation of my heart be

pleasing in your sight, O LORD,

my Rock and my Redeemer

Psalm 19:14

Christian Spiritual Disciplines in a “Fourfold

framework”

Devotional Life . . . .

The practice of regular Bible reading, prayer,

reflection/meditation, and personal

worship which may include the spiritual

discipline of journaling; the Bible reading

element is frequently supported by

published Bible reading notes.

Devotional Life . . . .

1. Bible reading

2. Prayer

3. Reflection/meditation

4. Personal worship as active response – which may include the spiritual discipline of

journaling

– the Bible reading element is frequently supported by published Bible reading notes.

Evangelical devotional practices spiritual disciplines in four quadrants . . .

•Pray •Ruminate

•Read

•respond

Worship as active

responsiveness

Bible reading

Prayer Meditation/ rumination

Christian Spiritual Disciplines are . . .

Devotional spiritual formation

practices disciples apply

consistently that help maintain

and nurture faith, grow

spirituality, and build up Christ-

conformity.

The Reading of Scripture Prayer

Bible Study Devotional Reading

Guidance Lectio Divina Meditation

Memorization Teachability

Theological Reflection

Breath Prayer Centering Prayer

Confession Conversational Prayer

Examen Prayer Intercessory Prayer

Practicing the Presence Prayer

Self Examination Silence

Meditation/Rumination Active Responsiveness

Contemplation

Devotional Reading of Christian

Classics Examen

Journaling

Meditation

Theological Reflection

Celebration Fasting

Fellowship Gratitude

Service Simplicity Solitude

Submission Submission

Worship

PRACTICING SPIRITUAL PRACTICES

• Spiritual practices put us in a place where we can begin to notice God and respond to His word to us

• Spiritual disciplines give the Holy Spirit space to brood over our souls

• Spiritual transformation, “recovering your life,” comes from partnering with the Trinity for change

• Keeping company with Jesus in the space between wanting to change and not being able to change through effort alone can be a difficult thing to do.

SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES OPEN US TO GOD

(aka “Worship”)

Worship is not something we work up or go to on Sunday

morning. Worship is every discipline's end game! We miss the

point and endanger our souls when we think of spiritual

disciplines as ends in themselves.

Spiritual practices exist to open us into God.

They are never the "be all and end all" of discipleship. The "be all

and end all" is a loving trust of and obedience to the God who

is within us yet beyond us and our very best efforts.

Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices That Transform Us. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2005, p.17-21.

Dividing the disciplines into three groupings (Richard Foster) . . .

• Inward

– Disciplines practiced in the privacy of our intimate walk with Jesus

• Outward

– Disciplines that affect how we interface with the world

• Corporate

– Disciplines that are practiced with others.

Distinguishing two types of disciplines (Dallas Willard) . . .

• Disciplines of Engagement

– Connect us to the needs of others and the call to be God’s heart and hands in the world. They address sins of commission.

• Disciplines of Abstinence

– Detach us from hurry, clutter and busyness, and open us to being with God alone. They address sins of omission.

Spiritual disciplines catalogued under the acronym WORSHIP (Adele Calhoun) . . .

Worship God

Open myself to God

Relinquish the false self and idols of my heart

Share my life with others

Hear the word of God

Incarnate Christ’s love in the world

Pray to God

W

O

R

S

H

I

P

Disciplines are intentional ways we open space in our lives for the worship of God

They are not harsh but grace-filled ways of responding to the presence of Christ with our

bodies.

Worship happens in our bodies, not just our heads; in Romans 12:1 Paul exhorts

“Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of

worship”

Praxis Activity Putting legs on my

quadrants

Which approach to disciplines would best empower me in practices?

1. Richard Foster’s 3 groupings

2. Dallas Willard’s 2 types

3. Adele Calhoun’s acronym

Remember it’s not firstly what you “mix” . . . It’s “how/why you mix them”

• Desires

• Felt deficits

• Intention

• Desires – Wish/want to • Felt deficits - Need to • Intention - Plan to

My daily-weekly Exercises and Devotional activity

Click here for our Web-blog . . . http://spiritmentor12.blogspot.co.nz/

http://dailybible.americanbible.org/

GARDEN TABLE

CAVE ARMCHAIR

Developing your “Settling

Place”

Epilogue

True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I'm not afraid when you walk at my side. Your trusty shepherd's crook makes me feel secure.

You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies.

You revive my drooping head; my

cup brims with blessing. Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my

life. I'm back home in the house of God for

the rest of my life.

May the words of my mouth and the

thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you,

O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19:14