In recent years I seem to have found myself surrounded by people who feel compelled to run. Nearly every week, if one wanted to, one could sign up to run in a 5K, 10K, half marathon, marathons, Iron Man, Iron Women, Iron Infant, or (insert your group here) type of run. Occasionally I will secretly want to just sign up and run. A certain breeze, the temperature, even the feel of my faux running shoes being laced up can burst upon my senses and all of a sudden my legs feel like they were 18 again. I would just know that I was missing out on something wonderful. Then my brain kicks in and kicks my senses around a bit and asks "what's the matter with you?". "There's been no training, no build up, no discipline to your body that would even get you through the first city block, what's the matter with you?".
I used to view various spiritual "disciplines" as those practices mastered by a select few saints throughout the ages who happened to hold abnormally close relationships to God. I told myself this as an excuse to avoid the futility of pursuing these at all costs. To be perfectly honest, my evangelical influences didn't do a great deal to discourage this thought process. Faith, after all, was to be excercised, which, in the Western world, means go, go, go. As I got older, like so many others of my kind, I began to feel like I was missing out. There must be something more to this life. And I would look longingly at these giants of the faith and want to just jump in and "be spiritual"...you know, all Nike "just do it" like. Soon after, within a spiritual "city block" I'd give up, frustrated and convinced even more that these relationships were not for mere mortals like me. In all of this I felt deep in my heart that I was missing something ... and I am beginning to understand that I was right. But it wasn't what I thought. It was hidden right in front of me. It's actually contained in the phrase "Spiritual Disciplines". Did you catch it? Discipline. It implies there will be work involved ... training, practice, growth, strengthening, stamina building work.
In our current call to build community and relationships in a city that lives and breathe the go, go, going of "successful and fulfilled" lives, I can't believe that good news for them is the additional go, go, going that we frequently connect to a church community. That only leads to exhaustion of the worst kind...exhaustion of the soul. This week our group begins the journey of exploring various spiritual practices and the discipline to develop them and move towards a refreshing, life giving, and life giving away faith in Christ that truly is good news to people on the treadmill. Let me repeat that it's a journey ... It's not a class, a workshop, a sermon ... It's a journey. This week we begin by exploring the practice and discipline of solitude. Watch this page for exercises, reminders and best practices as we journey together.
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