Blogging the disciplines

Meditations on Prayer

2009-02-25T12:52:00.001-08:00

Like Ted, I’ve spent the past month meditating on the subject of prayer. Out of all the disciplines, I struggle with it the most. Sometimes I just don’t know what to say to God. Here is the omniscient, omnipotent creator of the universe, and I can hardly get a word out. Despite the knowledge that God desires my prayers, my words often feel so hollow.

Part of the problem is that I don’t understand people who pray about every little thing. I once heard someone say that he asked God every morning what clothes he should wear to work on the chance that something about his person would spark a opportunity to witness to an unsaved individual. It was a noble idea, but not for me. I like to think that God has better things to do with His time than to help me select outfits.

In fact, I tend to subscribe to the theories that “God helps those who help themselves” and that God put me on earth to work for Him—not the other way around. Why should I ask God to comfort my hurting neighbor when the Holy Spirit within me can comfort said neighbor through my own two arms? So what do I need God for?

Turns out, I need God for the things I can’t control or handle on my own. And that covers a broad range of territory. I can’t always be in the car to make sure my husband is focused on the road; I need God to protect him. I can’t force my enemies to forgive me; I need God to touch their hearts. I’m not perfect yet. In fact, I’m pretty far from it. I need God’s guidance for my life. For that alone, I should be praying about every five minutes.

Besides, God has done so much for me. I should be thanking him continually. God, forgive my failure to pray.

What is Prayer About?

2009-02-10T06:25:00.000-08:00

So after a month of learning about meditation, I can now say I have been meditating about prayer in February. Actually, I have been meditating on prayer for years. It seems at the same time one of the most complicated things to understand and one of the most important things to get right. I have at times in my life attempted to bend my theology to fit with my understanding of prayer, which seems so clear in scripture. I think it comes down two ways we can think about prayer:

1) We pray to ask God to change
2) We pray to be changed, so that God can change US.

I think neither of these is completely right, but we need to understand the role of both ideas in prayer. God does change, but God also changes us, and calls us to change. Prayer is the way those things happen, but beyond that, I'm not sure I understand much more about how it works. Nor do I think it's important. Whether we understand or not, there is a call in scripture for followers of Christ to pray.

What do you think? What changes more in prayer, God or Us? In praying do we compel God to do something, or do we compel ourselves to change in response to the prayer we are praying?

A month of prayer

2009-02-05T11:51:00.000-08:00

February's discipline is prayer. I loved Foster's section on it for two reasons. He reminds us that prayer is absolutely central to the Christian life. Some of the disciplines are optional or occasional (pilgrimage and keeping vigil for instance). Not so with prayer.

The second point I want to emphasize is that praying well is a skill. This isn't to say that prayer is complicated, but then neither is running, and people spend years practicing at that to get faster. What gives us the idea that we should be able to master prayer quickly?

For the last couple of years I've tried to start each day with at least a few minutes of prayer. Rather than try and spend more time praying this month - though that would be a good thing too - I'm going to keep a notebook of everything I pray about each day, and also record all answers to prayer that I receive. When these include anything interesting, I'll post them here.

What are you going to do to focus on the discipline of prayer this month? What practices have helped you in the past to pray consistently and well?

Creating Space

2009-01-19T21:16:00.000-08:00

As I think about meditation, I'm struck with one of Foster's statements: “Christian meditation, very simply, is the ability to hear God's voice and obey his word” (17). He then goes on to refer to people who like to make things complicated, and implictly apologizes to those people for giving such a simple answer.

I have to admit that I am one of those people too much of the time, and as one of those people—and in defense of like-minded folks—I would argue that meditation is more accurately described as “creating emotional and spiritual space,” as Foster states a few pages later (20). The reason why this seems more accurate, at least in my understanding and experience, is that it doesn't seem to treat meditation as a cookie-cutter discipline. Instead, this definition allows a greater exploration of imagination and the movement of the Spirit, both of which exceed my ability. With that said, I do think Foster does a great job of covering the variety of extremes in thinking about meditation, but I thought that I might try to figure out the direction from which I'm approaching this task.

Since I seem to be confessing things here, I would also add that although I tend to be very comfortable with silence, I have often thought about meditation as a means of emotional manipulation or an attempt to get a Spirit-sealed-stamp on the forehead for proceeding with a certain action. Foster calls this sort of thinking a “mushy, giddy, buddy-buddy relationship.” I am not really interested in meditation for that reason. Jesus is not my homeboy.

What I am interested in is being more intentional about creating that emotional and spiritual space so that if the Spirit decides to stir things in me, I will be stirred. I can have (and have had) many discussions with people about what it means to obey God's word and hear God's voice, and what I have learned so far is that the verdict is still out about my ability to do those things.

What I can do, in the meantime, is actually try to make space for God to transform me, in the smallest or largest of circumstances. In the last week, I was blown away by a few different times when I felt that sense of meditation, not as something that I was trying to create, but as something that just struck me as what I should hope for in meditation, or what I anticipate the feeling might be like. I got to take care of a baby and have her fall asleep on me. I couldn't move while she was sleeping because she would wake up, so as I sat unmoving, I ended up letting my entire body relax and my mind stop chasing rabbits. Tonight I got to bless a friend's apartment and pray in all of the rooms, waving incense over the pictures of his family. I didn't expect to take part in either of these things, but they happened and I felt a sense of “Oh, yeah...this is what actually matters. Guess I should actually try for this more often, huh?”

To end my long and rambly entry, what I found most helpful with Foster's first chapter is his suggestion about Rev. 3:30: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” I've always thought about this in the popular, evangelical way in that the verse is speaking to unbelievers. Foster thinks that it is for believers, and as someone who tends to make things more complicated, I admit my own irresponsibility in making such assumptions. I need to answer the door, too.

Discipline: An Introduction

2009-01-19T10:46:00.000-08:00

When you hear the word “discipline,” what springs to mind? Do you hearken back to your childhood days when your parents confined you to your room for misbehavior? Or do you recall scenes from popular action movies in which a martial arts master announces in a ridiculously pronounced Chinese accent to his clumsy teenage protégé, “My son, you lack discipline!”

In either of these cases, one can see how the word “discipline” has taken on a negative connotation in recent years. In the first instance, it is associated with punishment. In the second, it is correctly portrayed as a means to an end, but only if the objective is learning how to pummel badly dressed European mobsters—and we all know how pertinent that is. Mention “discipline” in a group setting and note the resulting facial expressions; I guarantee that smiles will be scarce.

Maybe society has a point. After all, cultivating discipline requires sacrifice at some level. Take the martial arts protégé in the action flick, for example. While his friends are riding bikes or watching TV, the protégé is doing push-ups, running laps, and sweating like a greased pig in mid July. By the end of the movie, his friends think he is cool because he can break bricks with his bare fists; however, not a single one of them volunteers for the six months of brutal physical training required to do the trick. In retrospect, one martial arts master per suburban neighborhood seems sufficient.

Unfortunately, we live in an anti-discipline society. There's no reason to live frugally because there are credit cards available to purchase what we want when we want it. Integrity is outdated; how can you get ahead in a world full of cheaters without bending the cards a little yourself? People will inevitably disappoint you, so why invest so much in relationships? God loves you no matter what you do; why try to be a better Christian?

The answer to all of these questions is that discipline significantly improves the quality of one's life. I have heard countless individuals make statements like the ones above, yet many of them are unhappy and have lives that are fraught with anxiety. I have found that practicing financial discipline means that I do not struggle to pay the bills. Maintaining integrity means that my employers are more likely to promote me because they can trust me. Treating my husband with kindness and consideration means that I never encounter another woman's perfume on his shirt. Drawing closer to God gives me a sense of purpose and peace that I cannot find in all the logic and jargon of the secular world.

Yes, being disciplined is not always easy. Sometimes it means saying “no” to something when I really want to say “yes.” But I have learned to see that any sacrifice that eventually pays off is really no sacrifice at all. It is living an undisciplined life that comes at the cost of one's true desires.

Over the course of this year, I will be writing about the value and importance of the Biblical disciplines and how practicing them can lead to a better life and a stronger relationship with God. Maybe by December, you will find yourself smiling whenever you hear the word “discipline."

Topics

2009-01-16T04:10:00.000-08:00

I´m going "out of town" for the weekend ("Campamento de Niños") but I wanted to post a few things before I left.

I´ve been making an effort to meditate 15 minutes each morning this week. I found it works MUCH better if I have a topic, and often the more specific the topic the more focused I will be. Here are some examples, each of which could be a seperate blog post in itself (or short book)

-"...they spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem" -Luke, About Jesus talking with Moses a Elijah at the Transfiguration

-"...desiring to justify himself..." -Luke, the lead in to the story of the good samaritan

-"Discipline is the cost of Freedom" -I read this quote on a blog somewhere

-"Rich toward God" - something Jesus said in Luke

-"Strive to enter through the narrow door" -another quote from Jesus in Luke

-"Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to him" - Luke talking about Jesus

So yeah, some were better than others. Most of them, as you can see, came from Luke, which Sarah and I are reading together each night. I like the idea of using pieces of scripture for meditation, and it has worked out well for me this past week. Any thoughts? Has anyone done something similar?

One more thing while I´m posting. I read this short post about Mysticism, which, like it or not, if you practice the disciplines you will at some point be accused of. Especially meditation. I´m posting this because it specifically talks about meditation, and I think it offers some good food for thought. It´s from Tony Jones´blog, who, if you´ve heard of him you probably have a strong opinion of him, and I would encourage you to put those aside for now. OK let me know what you think!

Learning to celebrate

2009-01-14T10:50:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

I'm coming in to the disciplines blog a couple weeks late, but that seems to be a good metaphor for the way I've approached discipline at times in my life. I read Foster's book a few years ago and fell in love with it because of its willingness to speak truth to my too-comfortable life. I look forward to writing a bit more later and joining the discussion.

Peace,
Adrienne

Meditating is countercultural

2009-01-13T07:47:00.000-08:00

It really is. Think about it. What could be more counter to the predominant American culture of hurry than stopping? That's what meditation is, pausing from our work, play, and even from our thoughts as much as we can, to listen to God.

Americans don't even meditate in church. The closest most of us come is a moment of silence that lasts approximately 15 seconds.

I was getting discouraged by my inability to meditate well - to regularly set aside time for it and to remain focused without letting my mind wonder. Then I realized that there's no reason I should be good at meditation yet. I've barely done it, I've read only a little about it, and I've never seen anybody else do it. Realizing all of this, I can allow myself to be a beginner. Not that I want to stay a beginner, but right now, that's what I am. I'll progress from here.

We have few shining examples of how to do many of the spiritual disciplines, but there are some. We (the people writing this blog) are doing our best with whatever amount of guidance we can find. In the midst of our stumbling attempts, we'll make some progress. Maybe someday we'll even be able to guide others.

So come on. Join the counterculture.

UNdisciplined

2009-01-07T16:23:00.000-08:00

Untill now, my approach to the disciplines, and frankly to most of life, has been, well, undisciplined (much like my comma use in the previous sentance. sorry.)

In reading foster and in living a life at a slightly downshifted pace, I am realizing in these days the importance of a disciplined approach to spiritual matters.

I´ve always had an interest in being "more spiritual", but seeing as the Bible lacks the details (as Christians we don´t have 5 daily mandatory prayer times, though I have often wished we did) I have never really "disciplined" my self to practice. I also feel that there is a danger in turning the disciplines into law, and for this reason I have avoided giving myself a fixed time each day to practice a discipline. well, I´m going to start giving it a little more effort.

7:00 am. Not an early time by any means, but here in Paraguay things rarely get started early enough that this should be a problem. I´m going to start slow, heeding Fosters advice not to run before you can walk. For 15 minutes each morning I will meditate on something from the day before. A verse, a line from a song, a quote, maybe an image, something. as they say in Paraguay, vamosaver

So what do you think? Does practicing spiritual discipline mean a fixed time? And if so, to what extreme does one stick to this time? What types of events, if any, superceed this set-time, and how does that work?

Just practice

2009-01-06T06:34:00.001-08:00

Let me back up a step from this month's discipline to write about spiritual disciplines in general as an introduction since this is my first post.

I've never really understood spiritual disciplines. They always seemed mystical and esoteric or old-fashioned and monkish, or else maybe a way to earn points with God. But I read two phenomenal books recently that have given me a new perspective on the disciplines.

In Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath tell this brilliant response of a middle school algebra teacher to the question "When are we ever going to need this?" Her reply was "Never. You will never use this. People don't lift weights so that they will be prepared should, one day, [someone] knock them over on the street and lay a barbell across their chests. You lift weights so that you can knock over a defensive lineman, or carry your groceries, or lift your grandchildren without being sore the next day. You do math exercises so that you can improve your ability to think logically, so that you can be a better lawyer, doctor, architect, prison warden, or parent.

"Math is mental weight training. It is a means to an end, not an end in itself."

Soon after reading this, I cracked open The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard, whose ideas inspired me to reread this section from Made to Stick, making the following changes:

Change the question to "When are we ever going to need to meditate, fast, or {insert the discipline of your choice here}?" Change math to spiritual disciplines and mental weight training to spiritual weight training.

Spiritual disciplines, similar to math, are much more than practice for other things, but when you have to ask, "Why am I doing this?" again, remember you're doing it as practice for real life situations. You fast, saying no to the temptation for food, so that when temptations for sin arise, you'll be prepared to say no. You meditate, seeking God's voice in quiet circumstances where it's easy to hear, so that you will be able to hear his voice in the noise and distractions of every day.

Day One Thoughts: Conviction

2009-01-02T03:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, January first, was a holiday, and even in the mission field there are celebrations to be had. We got home last night at 11:30, stuffed full of Paraguayan-Chineese food and I started in on Foster´s first chapter, Meditation. I figure I´ll use this book untill I finish the chapter, then I´ll move on to some other resources (one can only read a chapter of a book so many times in a month.) By the way, If anyone else has Meditation-related resources to share, please let us know. Especially web-based ones (for me at least, since my access to print material is currently limited.)

The thought I spent a little time thinking through last night (and which certainly deserves a little more thought yet) is this:

Over the past few years, my view of Christianity has been shifting. I used to see it as a prescribed set of rules, boundaries, and/or goals to be achieved. I now see my faith more as a set of convictions given by God. Sometimes they are given to communities of people, sometime a conviction is given to one individual, and sometimes they even change with time, as scripture shows God changes God´s "mind" occasionally. Meditation follows then, as the reasonable thing for any Christian to do: meditation is seeking conviction from God.

For the first few days of January I will be meditating on what convictions God is calling me to.

New Project I´m thinking about...

2008-12-31T12:27:00.000-08:00

So, being new years eve, I´m thinking about 2009. I´m thinking about starting a new blogging project where I spend a month at a time on each of the twelve classical spiritual disciplines (see "Celebration of Discipline" by Richard Foster) and blogging about my experiances with each. I would love some company in this, so if anyone is interested in joining, practicing the disciplines and writing about it here, please let me know! January starts with Meditation, and we´ll move in order through the book, one a month.

Peace
Ted