This post is dedicated to a reflection on the past year in my Spiritual Formation class.
As it turns out, Spiritual Formation became my favorite class here at Kuyper. It was one of the applicable and interesting class I have had to take. It was also the most convicting. It was a learning and living experience. We learned, and we learned how to practice. Those are things I value greatly in education. A tremendous part of this experience was the disciplines and writing about them on the blog. At first I thought I would hate it. I thought it would take up too much of my time. I thought writing about the experience on the internet would be too personal. Overall, I just had a disinterested attitude about the whole thing. However, the true experience was far different than that.
1. Foster says spiritual disciplines are not designed to be ends in themselves, but are intended to facilitate a person's journey into greater freedom in living a Christ-like life. How did your practice of the disciplines this semester (either some in particular or all together) help you grow in your faith and obedience to God?
My experiences of the disciplines this semester greatly impacted my spiritual life. I learned about different methods of meeting God, some of which I had never known about. I learned about disciplines I was curious about. I got to practice things that were outside of my comfort zone. And I learned about all the freedom that can be found in being spiritually connected to God. Some were more successful than others. The ones I enjoyed the most were simplicity, fasting, solitude, and meditation. Fasting and meditation in particular opened me up to listen to God. I did more scripture reading and listening during those two practices than I can remember ever doing. Both of those had a way of focusing me onto the One thing that matters in my life. I was really able to communicate with God through those practices, and developed a better understanding of Who He is. They also helped me realign my priorities and and give them to God. Solitude was a really good refocus. Since solitude is something I already do, I had to work to be stretched during this one. What I learned is that even though I need to take time of solitude, I never actually practiced solitude. I learned the difference through this experience. This will be a discipline I take forward in the future. But I am going to do it right. I know now that I need to rest in God's presence rather than just rest alone. And simplicity. I just love simplicity. Simplicity is the main way that I stay connected to God. I eliminate all of the hindrances in my life and free my heart of anxiety creating clutter. By doing this regularly, I get to put God at the center of my life. It was good to learn a little bit more about it. I think in that respect, it helped me realize that simplicity is a way to obey God.
2. What were some of the distractions or hindrances that kept you from practicing, or practicing to the fullest, the assigned disciplines of the semester? What does this show you about struggle? How do you plan to address this area of struggle?
This question poses a little trouble for me. As I read back over my blogs, I could not find one specific theme of distractions. For the ones that I struggled with, I had very different reasons for each one. For study, I was not mentally or spiritually invested in the topic. I did not come to it with expectancy, so nothing happened. With confession, submission and prayer, I got so distracted with all of the burdens in my life that I could not do justice to practicing these disciplines. They became just another burned. In a lot of ways, this shows my true nature, and really the nature of a lot of people. With deadlines and demands breathing down our necks, it is hard not to feel like that is our true priority. I think a way that I can correct this thinking to be able to place God first again is to prioritize assignments and obligations after I give time to God. I can regularly practice the Sabbath to be able to have at least a day that I can dedicate only to God. It is a tricky thing to struggle with. I am sure it is something I will be wresting with my whole life. I am thankful for the opportunity to face it head on during this assignment.
3. Identify three disciplines you think mesh well together and explain how you see them interrelating. How would you plan to practice them together?
The three that I see meshing well together are worship, prayer and meditation. The purpose of each of these has to do with being in the presence of the Father and experiencing true interaction with Him. It just seems to make sense to me that these three happen simultaneously. Because they do. If I decided to practice them together, I would do it on a Sunday. I would set aside my entire Sunday and treat it like the Sabbath. I would go to corporate worship in the morning, and then spend the rest of my day basking in God and they ways worship that morning transformed me. I would set aside specific time that day to go meditate. I would go to a quiet place (hopefully outdoors if conditions allow) and read scripture. I would then pray to God and meditate on what He had to say. It just makes sense to me that Sabbath worship should be a day full of interaction with God through prayer and meditation.
4. Identify one discipline you would urge a new believer to practice. How would you instruct them in this discipline? Why do you think this discipline is especially well suited to the formation of a new believer?
The discipline that I would encourage a new believer to try is simplicity. Simplicity is that inward and outward lifestyle of reorienting loves into their rightful place. The most transforming part of my spiritual journey has been practicing simplicity. It is one of the disciplines that takes everything in your life and puts it into perspective I think especially for a new believer, the call to transform can be overwhelming. But starting at simplicity is an easy one to take in baby steps. Don't get me wrong, the discipline of simplicity is definitely not an easy one. It might even be one of the hardest. But it is a good place to start. Once a new believer understands simplicity and begins to it's work in their lives, then all the other disciplines come easy. Once a new believer is on the track of transformation and is rightly ordering their lives, then prayer and meditation and fasting all come as an easy and necessary result. Simplicity is one of the most rewarding because of it's long term effects and inward transformation. It causes everything else to fall into place. I would instruct a new believer to start changing their mindset to always putting first the kingdom of God. In every decision from that point on, I would tell them to ask themselves how fits into their spiritual life. Put God at the center of every decision. And eventually take baby steps into bigger things. I would also advise that they read scripture. Scripture is the main tool to understanding God's role in every facet of our lives.
5. Spiritual disciplines fortify believers against some of the universal struggles and weaknesses all Christians have battled against. Identify and describe an area of weakness you observe in the Kuyper College population. What spiritual disciplines, if corporately practiced, would target this area of weakness?
I would instruct Kuyper College to corporately practice submission. Submission is the laying down of our terrible burden to always need to be right. (Side note: I am going to try really hard not to get preachy on this one, but it might come across that way. For that I apologize.) Here at Kuyper, we are studying something very near and dear to our hearts. We are all unified with one purpose that we are just on fire for. We as a college are very, very passionate. However, because we are all equally on fire for the same thing, I think we run into a lot of tension. We all run into people who challenge the beliefs we are fire for with the beliefs that they are on fire for. And the fiery differences cause us to be defensive and send us right up against our need to be right. I would like to say that Kuyper is a gracious school where people honor one another's differences. But I just cannot say that is my experience. I have noticed students treat one another this way, but what is even more disturbing is when they treat professors that way. I hear so much disrespect towards professors and staff that is just unfair and unchristian. I think the way to teach students grace and respect is to practice submission corporately. If we were asked to lay down our need to be right and our pride, I wonder at how good our conversations would be. If we were asked to submit to authority and our peers, I wonder at our attitudes would change. I think it would be a great experience for this school to recognize this weakness and take action steps to fix it.
6. What advice would you give the next class of Spiritual Formation students who will be practicing these disciplines?
The only thing I would tell them is to take it seriously. Put all of your effort into practicing these disciplines. It is not another lame assignment, this is your spiritual life on the line. Don't worry about a grade in this class, just do everything because you want to be closer to God. There are so many good learning experiences from this class. And it is a class we all have to take, so why not enjoy it? Seriously, this a good class that will be one of the most relevant that you ever take. So take it seriously.
Happy reading, and who hoo my semester is over!!
Blessings,
Alyssa
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Thursday, December 6, 2012
The Spiritual Discipline of Sumission
"What freedom corresponds to submission? It is the ability to lay down the terrible burden of always needing to get our own way."
- Foster, 111
Submission, simply put, is the act of setting aside our need to control and allowing some other person, idea, or plan take over. Our entire culture is counter to the idea of submission. Exploitation of others and the pursuit of our good is pervasive in the idea of what it means to be successful. We do have a terrible burden of being told that we need to be the center of our worlds. Why is this a burden? Well, because when we are constantly focused on ourselves, we become unbearable to be around. We loose all of the ability to value other people and their lives. So they leave. It becomes a burden because when we focus on ourselves, we are left alone to face the world.
The discipline of submission while it targets this burden is also about a corresponding freedom. Submission allows us to freely love others unconditionally. It allows us to respect, consider, and show grace to those around us. It allows us to invite others into our community. This type of submission needs to be evident in our relationship to God, in our relationships with our families, in our relationships with our friends, and most definitely with strangers.
One of the hardest parts about submission is the inner attitude that it creates. To start submission, the easiest relationship to submit to is God. I mean obviously we can get on board with submitting to the guy Who laid down His Son in sacrifice for us. The next easiest is those we are closest to like family and significant others. We already know how much they love us, and how they have vowed to love us unconditionally. They aren't going to take advantage of our submission. We can submit to those loved ones. Then a little harder is our friends. We love our friends, and they love us, but they are not always the nicest to us. Its hard to submit to people who aren't very nice. The absolute hardest is strangers and enemies. We can't even fathom that. How in the world can we put ourselves in an inferior position to rude people we can't stand? That is where the inner attitude comes in. Once we start practicing submission in baby steps, we end up cultivating submission into our character. We begin to see Christ in others and in ourselves when we lay down our pride for the sake of others. Submission is one the best emulations of Christ and what He did for us. Just look at Philippians 2:5-11! Now is that a picture of submission, or what?
I was convicted through this discipline. I see so evidently that submission was a characteristic of Christ that I need to model. If you know me, you know that I am a control freak. I hate to be wrong, I hate to admit when others are right, I hate when plans change, I hate when people take advantage of me, and I hate being treated like dirt. All of this culminates into a very defensive and dominate personality. I need more submission in my life. So for my practice of discipline this week, I was very deliberate in my response to people. I was very critical of my interaction and my attitude throughout the day. When someone asked to borrow my car, I said yes. When people asked for help or to talk to me, I said yes. I was intentional about not complaining about my hard classes and frustrating professors. I did not participate in "one upping" others in conversation, and let them be right. I did a lot of random, different things every day to reach into submission.
As a result, I think I am closer to having an attitude of submission. Obviously, this is something at which I can't ever "arrive," but I do think I learned a lot from practicing this discipline. I began to recognize my triggers and my gut reactions. I think I am on my way towards getting better at not reacting to those negatively. I think I am beginning to train myself to raise others above myself, and realizing the burden I was creating. I really think I am becoming passionate about submission in my life. And actually, this is one of them that I would highly recommend others to try. Good luck :)
Happy reading!
Have a blessed day!
In Christ,
Alyssa
- Foster, 111
Submission, simply put, is the act of setting aside our need to control and allowing some other person, idea, or plan take over. Our entire culture is counter to the idea of submission. Exploitation of others and the pursuit of our good is pervasive in the idea of what it means to be successful. We do have a terrible burden of being told that we need to be the center of our worlds. Why is this a burden? Well, because when we are constantly focused on ourselves, we become unbearable to be around. We loose all of the ability to value other people and their lives. So they leave. It becomes a burden because when we focus on ourselves, we are left alone to face the world.
The discipline of submission while it targets this burden is also about a corresponding freedom. Submission allows us to freely love others unconditionally. It allows us to respect, consider, and show grace to those around us. It allows us to invite others into our community. This type of submission needs to be evident in our relationship to God, in our relationships with our families, in our relationships with our friends, and most definitely with strangers.
One of the hardest parts about submission is the inner attitude that it creates. To start submission, the easiest relationship to submit to is God. I mean obviously we can get on board with submitting to the guy Who laid down His Son in sacrifice for us. The next easiest is those we are closest to like family and significant others. We already know how much they love us, and how they have vowed to love us unconditionally. They aren't going to take advantage of our submission. We can submit to those loved ones. Then a little harder is our friends. We love our friends, and they love us, but they are not always the nicest to us. Its hard to submit to people who aren't very nice. The absolute hardest is strangers and enemies. We can't even fathom that. How in the world can we put ourselves in an inferior position to rude people we can't stand? That is where the inner attitude comes in. Once we start practicing submission in baby steps, we end up cultivating submission into our character. We begin to see Christ in others and in ourselves when we lay down our pride for the sake of others. Submission is one the best emulations of Christ and what He did for us. Just look at Philippians 2:5-11! Now is that a picture of submission, or what?
I was convicted through this discipline. I see so evidently that submission was a characteristic of Christ that I need to model. If you know me, you know that I am a control freak. I hate to be wrong, I hate to admit when others are right, I hate when plans change, I hate when people take advantage of me, and I hate being treated like dirt. All of this culminates into a very defensive and dominate personality. I need more submission in my life. So for my practice of discipline this week, I was very deliberate in my response to people. I was very critical of my interaction and my attitude throughout the day. When someone asked to borrow my car, I said yes. When people asked for help or to talk to me, I said yes. I was intentional about not complaining about my hard classes and frustrating professors. I did not participate in "one upping" others in conversation, and let them be right. I did a lot of random, different things every day to reach into submission.
As a result, I think I am closer to having an attitude of submission. Obviously, this is something at which I can't ever "arrive," but I do think I learned a lot from practicing this discipline. I began to recognize my triggers and my gut reactions. I think I am on my way towards getting better at not reacting to those negatively. I think I am beginning to train myself to raise others above myself, and realizing the burden I was creating. I really think I am becoming passionate about submission in my life. And actually, this is one of them that I would highly recommend others to try. Good luck :)
Happy reading!
Have a blessed day!
In Christ,
Alyssa
Sunday, November 25, 2012
The Spiritual Discipline of Solitude
Each Spiritual Discipline I have practiced so far is supposed to target some inward struggle. The purpose of each discipline is to lead to a renewed sense of freedom because of the release of that struggle. The discipline of solitude is supposed to target the inward focus of self. Being alone will take the focus off ourselves so that we are accustomed to hearing God's Word and feeling God's presence better.
Pulling away into a place of solitude is ultimately going to prepare us for the times of spiritual dryness and other times of trial. Solitude is a demonstration of "mortification" which is a fancy term for dying to self to be raised again in Christ. If we encounter a dry time where we feel that God is not present, we often feel lonely or abandoned. This is a form of self-centeredness, because we blame God and not our ignorance. But if we often practice the discipline of being alone, then we know what it feels like to still feel God in the silence. Practicing silence takes the focus off of ourselves and the world moving around us, and places it solely on God's presence. This stealing away for a time and being with God helps prepare us to engage other people. It creates a ready spirit in us so that we are able to fully do ministry. It is refreshing. And it prepares us for dry seasons. And it prepares us for suffering. Solitude is a method of mortification that leads us closer to living a life like Christ.
As an introvert, I am not unfamiliar with having to take alone time to be refreshed. The only way I can feel energized is to steal away for a time. So it was definitely possible and easy for me to practice solitude this week. However, in class we introverts were challenged to take this one step further beyond just alone time. Perhaps thinking less about taking alone time to relax, and more taking alone time to be with God. Or maybe even doing something else all together. I chose something else all together.
I am a very outgoing introvert. I love people and interacting with them. I am also very, very chatty. I love laughing and having a good time with people. I realize that much of my day is spent talking so that I get attention. I definitely retreat to be alone, but for the rest of the day, I am completely self-centered. So I decided to go an entire day without talking. I wanted God to be exalted by my speech and my interaction with people. And I really need to dial down my senseless conversation in order for that to happen.
I made a few ramifications before the day started. I decided that I would talk when spoken to so that I would not appear rude or have to tell everyone about my practice. I decided I would contribute to my group project at our meeting. I decided I would speak in class if called on. I told my professors and the few people I interact with most so that they would not make it more difficult on me. Even when I did have to talk, I decided I would speak limited and thoughtfully so as to still exalt God.
What I found is that with those three in mind, I still talked more than I did not. The professor who knew I was not talking still called on me. People said hi to me every direction I turned. One of my roommates still chatted at me non-stop because she doesn't like silence. I work in food service and still had to be polite and conversational to the customers. There was no way to go about my daily life and not interact with people. I did sit around the lunch table and not contribute to the conversation. But that experience did not really have any spiritual awakenings. I did like sitting back and observing instead of feeling like words were my responsibility. I think what I learned from that experience is that perhaps my daily interaction is a little more significant than I had initially realized. I did get an education in how to chew my words carefully before saying them, but I think I learned that it is okay that I talk a lot. This practice of this discipline led me to maybe consider that I do not have to change anything.
So even though I did not achieve any spiritual awakenings through my mortification, I would not call it useless. I think learning about this discipline and studying it has led me to consider taking alone time to exalt God and be refreshed by His presence. I know that I need that alone time anyway to be energized, and who better to energize me than the Creator? It was good to learn and practice solitude. I think it would be interesting to continue to practice this one and let it become a natural part of my introvertedness.
Thank you for reading :)
Blessings,
Alyssa
Pulling away into a place of solitude is ultimately going to prepare us for the times of spiritual dryness and other times of trial. Solitude is a demonstration of "mortification" which is a fancy term for dying to self to be raised again in Christ. If we encounter a dry time where we feel that God is not present, we often feel lonely or abandoned. This is a form of self-centeredness, because we blame God and not our ignorance. But if we often practice the discipline of being alone, then we know what it feels like to still feel God in the silence. Practicing silence takes the focus off of ourselves and the world moving around us, and places it solely on God's presence. This stealing away for a time and being with God helps prepare us to engage other people. It creates a ready spirit in us so that we are able to fully do ministry. It is refreshing. And it prepares us for dry seasons. And it prepares us for suffering. Solitude is a method of mortification that leads us closer to living a life like Christ.
As an introvert, I am not unfamiliar with having to take alone time to be refreshed. The only way I can feel energized is to steal away for a time. So it was definitely possible and easy for me to practice solitude this week. However, in class we introverts were challenged to take this one step further beyond just alone time. Perhaps thinking less about taking alone time to relax, and more taking alone time to be with God. Or maybe even doing something else all together. I chose something else all together.
I am a very outgoing introvert. I love people and interacting with them. I am also very, very chatty. I love laughing and having a good time with people. I realize that much of my day is spent talking so that I get attention. I definitely retreat to be alone, but for the rest of the day, I am completely self-centered. So I decided to go an entire day without talking. I wanted God to be exalted by my speech and my interaction with people. And I really need to dial down my senseless conversation in order for that to happen.
I made a few ramifications before the day started. I decided that I would talk when spoken to so that I would not appear rude or have to tell everyone about my practice. I decided I would contribute to my group project at our meeting. I decided I would speak in class if called on. I told my professors and the few people I interact with most so that they would not make it more difficult on me. Even when I did have to talk, I decided I would speak limited and thoughtfully so as to still exalt God.
What I found is that with those three in mind, I still talked more than I did not. The professor who knew I was not talking still called on me. People said hi to me every direction I turned. One of my roommates still chatted at me non-stop because she doesn't like silence. I work in food service and still had to be polite and conversational to the customers. There was no way to go about my daily life and not interact with people. I did sit around the lunch table and not contribute to the conversation. But that experience did not really have any spiritual awakenings. I did like sitting back and observing instead of feeling like words were my responsibility. I think what I learned from that experience is that perhaps my daily interaction is a little more significant than I had initially realized. I did get an education in how to chew my words carefully before saying them, but I think I learned that it is okay that I talk a lot. This practice of this discipline led me to maybe consider that I do not have to change anything.
So even though I did not achieve any spiritual awakenings through my mortification, I would not call it useless. I think learning about this discipline and studying it has led me to consider taking alone time to exalt God and be refreshed by His presence. I know that I need that alone time anyway to be energized, and who better to energize me than the Creator? It was good to learn and practice solitude. I think it would be interesting to continue to practice this one and let it become a natural part of my introvertedness.
Thank you for reading :)
Blessings,
Alyssa
Thursday, November 15, 2012
The Spiritual Discipline of Simplicty
Now look at that! There is a discipline that I unknowingly named by blog after! Needless to say, since it is already a concept I feel strongly about, I loved learning about this discipline.
Simplicity as Foster describes, "escapes us because we have no unity or focus around which our lives are oriented." "Simplicity is the only thing that sufficiently reorients our lives so that possessions can be genuinely enjoyed without destroying us."
Simplicity starts with an inward change of lifestyle. If the inward desire for a less cluttered life is absent, then it will look and feel like a legalistic work. Any sort of outward expression of a simple lifestyle has to be motivated by an inner feeling of freedom. Freedom is the feeling of enjoying what we have been given. It is the opposite of shame, which is what we feel when our lives are not ordered correctly. Shame separates us from God. So, to combat that shame, one would practice simplicity Simplicity causes me to put God first always. Simplicity shows me that when the right first thing is first, everything else fits into place. The inward focus of simplicity causes me to orient all of my life around God. When I orient all my life and possessions around God first, I begin to start seeing those things as His. And when I truly attest that all of my possessions are God's, I become much more thankful for all that He has given to me. When I am grateful for all that I have been given, then I find that I trust God for His full sustainability I no longer have to worry about hoarding more and more stuff because I trust God will provide. When I start to trust in God's provision, I begin to share things with others. And giving away to others is an outward sign of simplicity.
Do you see how that outward discipline of simplicity stemmed from a long line of inward transformation? It has to be inward first. And that inward has to be a sense of freedom.
One of the things that stands out to me about simplicity is that it might be one of the most counter-cultural. A lot of these other disciplines are being taught by the Church and practiced by it's members. In America, simplicity is not taught nor practiced correctly. Americans are consumers and proud of it. Christians are not immune to that consumerism. There are dozens of passages in scripture that talk about riches and wealth and none of them talk about storing up material possessions for ourselves on earth. In fact, they all make claim that wealthy people are not healthy Christians. I have heard only a handful of sermons on wealth in my life, and I disagreed with almost all of them. I have heard some about how we must all give away everything we own and live on the streets. I have heard several with the underlying message that storing wealth is okay as long as you tithe a decent amount. But the most common message on wealth is the ever famous prosperity gospel. But I have not heard one good sermon on the spiritual damage that a disoriented life can have even the most well-meaning Christian. This makes the message of simplicity all the more urgent.
Consumerism is a barrier to my spiritual life that I have committed to overcoming. I cannot put a date and time on when I decided to live like that, but it has definitely been a couple of years. I think over time I just became aware of all of the negative influence I saw in people. I witnessed greed and selfishness from money and stuff well up in people, and I ended up not even wanting to be around them. So I have committed to eliminating all the clutter in my life that other get so hung up on. I have spent a lot of time developing an inner spirit of freedom that creates my outward lifestyle of simplicity. I agreed with everything Foster said and everything we discussed in class, and for this blog I even put on my own opinions in. I am so grateful that I get to put my own personal experience from previous years into this blog.
I have a very basic cell-phone and a very basic laptop. I have had the same car since I turned sixteen. I have a closet full of (cute) clothes that I buy on clearance. I live in a modest home. My life is very free of hoarding and cluttering of possessions. I do not hang onto any of my possessions in an unhealthy way. I do not obsess over the "new." I do not marvel at the latest and greatest piece of technology. I do not read gossipy fashion magazines that keep me up on the latest style. I ignore ads on tv that tempt me into a consumeristic lifestyle I work very, very hard to avoid the temptation of wealth and enjoy my freedom in Christ. I am not sharing this arrogantly, I am sharing that to explain that I had trouble coming up with a practice this week. for the sake of this assignment, I struggled to come up with a practice that would be new or tangible. I already do several things on a regular basis to ensure that I have rightly ordered loves. Instead of writing about all of the things I do on a regular basis or blabbing about how I created an inner spirit of simplicity, I just want to reiterate that there are several ways to do simplicity. The one I found this week may be different from my classmates, but I just spent time reflecting on what I have changed over the past few years, and what has worked and what has not. I also spent a lot of time reflecting on previous disciplines and how those most definitely have a place in my life as simplicity.
The result of that reflection is complicated. Only because life is complicated. There are a lot of layers to simplicity and the life that I am living. One thing that I reflected that I could do differently is give more. Sure I do not store up a lot for myself, but what am I doing for others? That is a discipline I would like to add to my life. I also decided there are several other disciplines I want to do regularly to keep God at the center. Meditation, fasting, and prayer are just a few that I am continuing to do now. These are things that I will be more able to measure in the future, but for this week, simplicity has taught me to often reflect on how things have gone thus far. It is okay to stop and reorient so that the reorientation will continue to go smoothly.
I am grateful for the conversation on simplicity this week. This is something I will continue to be passionate about.
Thank you for reading.
Blessings,
Alyssa
Simplicity as Foster describes, "escapes us because we have no unity or focus around which our lives are oriented." "Simplicity is the only thing that sufficiently reorients our lives so that possessions can be genuinely enjoyed without destroying us."
Simplicity starts with an inward change of lifestyle. If the inward desire for a less cluttered life is absent, then it will look and feel like a legalistic work. Any sort of outward expression of a simple lifestyle has to be motivated by an inner feeling of freedom. Freedom is the feeling of enjoying what we have been given. It is the opposite of shame, which is what we feel when our lives are not ordered correctly. Shame separates us from God. So, to combat that shame, one would practice simplicity Simplicity causes me to put God first always. Simplicity shows me that when the right first thing is first, everything else fits into place. The inward focus of simplicity causes me to orient all of my life around God. When I orient all my life and possessions around God first, I begin to start seeing those things as His. And when I truly attest that all of my possessions are God's, I become much more thankful for all that He has given to me. When I am grateful for all that I have been given, then I find that I trust God for His full sustainability I no longer have to worry about hoarding more and more stuff because I trust God will provide. When I start to trust in God's provision, I begin to share things with others. And giving away to others is an outward sign of simplicity.
Do you see how that outward discipline of simplicity stemmed from a long line of inward transformation? It has to be inward first. And that inward has to be a sense of freedom.
One of the things that stands out to me about simplicity is that it might be one of the most counter-cultural. A lot of these other disciplines are being taught by the Church and practiced by it's members. In America, simplicity is not taught nor practiced correctly. Americans are consumers and proud of it. Christians are not immune to that consumerism. There are dozens of passages in scripture that talk about riches and wealth and none of them talk about storing up material possessions for ourselves on earth. In fact, they all make claim that wealthy people are not healthy Christians. I have heard only a handful of sermons on wealth in my life, and I disagreed with almost all of them. I have heard some about how we must all give away everything we own and live on the streets. I have heard several with the underlying message that storing wealth is okay as long as you tithe a decent amount. But the most common message on wealth is the ever famous prosperity gospel. But I have not heard one good sermon on the spiritual damage that a disoriented life can have even the most well-meaning Christian. This makes the message of simplicity all the more urgent.
Consumerism is a barrier to my spiritual life that I have committed to overcoming. I cannot put a date and time on when I decided to live like that, but it has definitely been a couple of years. I think over time I just became aware of all of the negative influence I saw in people. I witnessed greed and selfishness from money and stuff well up in people, and I ended up not even wanting to be around them. So I have committed to eliminating all the clutter in my life that other get so hung up on. I have spent a lot of time developing an inner spirit of freedom that creates my outward lifestyle of simplicity. I agreed with everything Foster said and everything we discussed in class, and for this blog I even put on my own opinions in. I am so grateful that I get to put my own personal experience from previous years into this blog.
I have a very basic cell-phone and a very basic laptop. I have had the same car since I turned sixteen. I have a closet full of (cute) clothes that I buy on clearance. I live in a modest home. My life is very free of hoarding and cluttering of possessions. I do not hang onto any of my possessions in an unhealthy way. I do not obsess over the "new." I do not marvel at the latest and greatest piece of technology. I do not read gossipy fashion magazines that keep me up on the latest style. I ignore ads on tv that tempt me into a consumeristic lifestyle I work very, very hard to avoid the temptation of wealth and enjoy my freedom in Christ. I am not sharing this arrogantly, I am sharing that to explain that I had trouble coming up with a practice this week. for the sake of this assignment, I struggled to come up with a practice that would be new or tangible. I already do several things on a regular basis to ensure that I have rightly ordered loves. Instead of writing about all of the things I do on a regular basis or blabbing about how I created an inner spirit of simplicity, I just want to reiterate that there are several ways to do simplicity. The one I found this week may be different from my classmates, but I just spent time reflecting on what I have changed over the past few years, and what has worked and what has not. I also spent a lot of time reflecting on previous disciplines and how those most definitely have a place in my life as simplicity.
The result of that reflection is complicated. Only because life is complicated. There are a lot of layers to simplicity and the life that I am living. One thing that I reflected that I could do differently is give more. Sure I do not store up a lot for myself, but what am I doing for others? That is a discipline I would like to add to my life. I also decided there are several other disciplines I want to do regularly to keep God at the center. Meditation, fasting, and prayer are just a few that I am continuing to do now. These are things that I will be more able to measure in the future, but for this week, simplicity has taught me to often reflect on how things have gone thus far. It is okay to stop and reorient so that the reorientation will continue to go smoothly.
I am grateful for the conversation on simplicity this week. This is something I will continue to be passionate about.
Thank you for reading.
Blessings,
Alyssa
Saturday, November 10, 2012
The Spiritual Discipline of Study
"Study is a specific kind of experience in which through careful attention to reality the mind is enabled to move in a specific direction." - Foster, 63
Study is a relativity straightforward spiritual discipline. It sounds as simple as reading scripture or other theological or biblical books. As a bible student, I do this on a regular basis, so I was hoping that I would find out that the discipline of study would be different than just that. Because I know my schoolwork never feels like a spiritual discipline. I must confess, I also had a small hope that maybe that meant that I already practice this discipline daily. Maybe that meant I could cop out of this one!
Instead, I realized that study is a unique five step process. The first step is repetition. To use the example of my practice this week, I repeatedly read 1 Corinthians 13. I read it three times every morning for a week. The idea behind repetition is the hope that it would creates a habit. Habits are when our minds are trained to head in that direction with out provoking. The hope is that I would reflect on the words of 1 Corinthians 13 all day.
The second step is concentration. This is where I bring focus to my continuous reading of the same passage. It is easy to breeze over familiar words, especially with an already familiar passage like 1 Cor. 13, but this second step ensures that each time I read, I am focused on meaning.
The third step is comprehension Comprehension occurs when I understand what I am reading, as well as why it is important that I know what is being said. This is the sort of interpretation and application part of reading scripture. Each morning I read this passage, I spent time thinking about what stood out and how I could carry it with me for the rest of the day. I made sure to apply the passage every day, in a new way. This prevented study from going stale.
The fourth step is reflection. This is an activity that is the natural result of comprehension. This is really what makes it valuable for life. Taking time to reflect is what gives this discipline value. Reflection is how we invest, apply, and connect to our day to day life.
The fifth step is perhaps the most important. It is humility. The discipline of study requires a teachable spirit and mold-ability. To truly study might mean change. And we need to be amiable to change. We must always be willing to recognize that we need deeper knowledge. Deep knowledge and application is what will lead to understanding in our lives.
So this sounds really great. Like a super easy and beneficial five-step process to becoming more holy. Awesome.
Problem is... I totally bombed this one.
Earlier today, I started to get really discouraged because I was not finding any benefit in the discipline of study. It occurred to me that perhaps it was my motivation, or lack thereof, that was hindering me from this experience. I missed the class lecture where we discussed this discipline. Usually, our class conversation leads me to feel really convicted about the discipline being discussed. It can get lively. The class is a room full of students who are fired up about spiritual matters, and the conversation is usually sparked with passion. I missed the passion for the discipline of study. And I could not summon the conviction on my own. I did not know what to expect with this practice, so I did not expect anything. There was nothing about study that I felt personally invested in. So just like I learned with holy expectancy, I didn't expect God, so I didn't meet God. And it showed in my attitude towards my daily practice of reading 1 Cor. 13.
I have given all of the other disciplines an honest try, and even started to like ones I did not think I would. And here was study, one that I thought would totally work for me, and I could not make a go of it. The lesson learned here is a complete attitude check. I now understand that there cannot be anything forced about spiritual matters. I still had to give this discipline a try for the sake of the assignment, but I have to admit that if it were not for the matter of a grade, I should have abstained this week. My heart and mind were not open to what this discipline would or should have taught. This is a very good discipline, but I will share from experience that none of these are good without proper motives and a prepared heart. Expectancy is an important key for spiritual disciplines, and they should not be tried without it. And this is my honest post about what has not worked for me.
Until next time,
Alyssa :)
(Don't worry, this has not discouraged me from honestly trying for the next four weeks!)
Study is a relativity straightforward spiritual discipline. It sounds as simple as reading scripture or other theological or biblical books. As a bible student, I do this on a regular basis, so I was hoping that I would find out that the discipline of study would be different than just that. Because I know my schoolwork never feels like a spiritual discipline. I must confess, I also had a small hope that maybe that meant that I already practice this discipline daily. Maybe that meant I could cop out of this one!
Instead, I realized that study is a unique five step process. The first step is repetition. To use the example of my practice this week, I repeatedly read 1 Corinthians 13. I read it three times every morning for a week. The idea behind repetition is the hope that it would creates a habit. Habits are when our minds are trained to head in that direction with out provoking. The hope is that I would reflect on the words of 1 Corinthians 13 all day.
The second step is concentration. This is where I bring focus to my continuous reading of the same passage. It is easy to breeze over familiar words, especially with an already familiar passage like 1 Cor. 13, but this second step ensures that each time I read, I am focused on meaning.
The third step is comprehension Comprehension occurs when I understand what I am reading, as well as why it is important that I know what is being said. This is the sort of interpretation and application part of reading scripture. Each morning I read this passage, I spent time thinking about what stood out and how I could carry it with me for the rest of the day. I made sure to apply the passage every day, in a new way. This prevented study from going stale.
The fourth step is reflection. This is an activity that is the natural result of comprehension. This is really what makes it valuable for life. Taking time to reflect is what gives this discipline value. Reflection is how we invest, apply, and connect to our day to day life.
The fifth step is perhaps the most important. It is humility. The discipline of study requires a teachable spirit and mold-ability. To truly study might mean change. And we need to be amiable to change. We must always be willing to recognize that we need deeper knowledge. Deep knowledge and application is what will lead to understanding in our lives.
So this sounds really great. Like a super easy and beneficial five-step process to becoming more holy. Awesome.
Problem is... I totally bombed this one.
Earlier today, I started to get really discouraged because I was not finding any benefit in the discipline of study. It occurred to me that perhaps it was my motivation, or lack thereof, that was hindering me from this experience. I missed the class lecture where we discussed this discipline. Usually, our class conversation leads me to feel really convicted about the discipline being discussed. It can get lively. The class is a room full of students who are fired up about spiritual matters, and the conversation is usually sparked with passion. I missed the passion for the discipline of study. And I could not summon the conviction on my own. I did not know what to expect with this practice, so I did not expect anything. There was nothing about study that I felt personally invested in. So just like I learned with holy expectancy, I didn't expect God, so I didn't meet God. And it showed in my attitude towards my daily practice of reading 1 Cor. 13.
I have given all of the other disciplines an honest try, and even started to like ones I did not think I would. And here was study, one that I thought would totally work for me, and I could not make a go of it. The lesson learned here is a complete attitude check. I now understand that there cannot be anything forced about spiritual matters. I still had to give this discipline a try for the sake of the assignment, but I have to admit that if it were not for the matter of a grade, I should have abstained this week. My heart and mind were not open to what this discipline would or should have taught. This is a very good discipline, but I will share from experience that none of these are good without proper motives and a prepared heart. Expectancy is an important key for spiritual disciplines, and they should not be tried without it. And this is my honest post about what has not worked for me.
Until next time,
Alyssa :)
(Don't worry, this has not discouraged me from honestly trying for the next four weeks!)
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
The Spiritual Discipline of Fasting
I am well aware of the preconceived notions about fasting because I held them as my own prior to this class. I know that our thwarted American view of food and our dietary obsessed culture causes one to worry about someone who decides to give up food. We wonder if they are anorexic, or we are concerned that it might cause serious health complications, or we worry they might starve. And I'm not judging anyone here because those were beliefs that I held too. However, I have now experienced and changed my opinions towards fasting. Here I am to blog about it! (Which means I survived)
Americans especially are subject to our stomachs. Once he or she starts to growl, we are done, we need food immediately. We bow to every whim our stomach demands. We feed it when it wants, what it wants, and how much it wants. We are completely dependent on the demands of our stomach.
But what if we weren't? The reality of our stomach is that we condition it to feel hungry every time we feed it. Our stomach is so not in control of us, we just need to learn to regain the control of it. We were made to control those desires.
Fasting is a direct disobedience to the demands of of our material body, and it is direct obedience to fueling the spiritual being. Fasting can very easily be misused when other benefits become elevated over the spiritual. The sole purpose of fasting needs to be "abstaining from natural foods for a spiritual purposes." (Foster, 48) In fact, Foster defines fasting as "feasting on the Word of God." Fasting is a way to be reminded that we are sustained not by food, but by scripture. It causes us to crave God and His care for us. When we are neglected something that it is so necessary to our survival, it truly elevates God's goodness when He provides for us in our deficit. It is amazing to realize that I can give up something so crucial and still be upheld by the Word of God alone. For me, that is more than enough reason to try fasting. Of course I want to know and experience the goodness of God!
I also want to clarify that fasting can have physical health benefits as well. I know for myself, I eat and drink so much junk, that I am sure my body appreciates a break from that. Fasting for 2 or 7 days gives the body a chance to empty itself of all the impure toxins and start fresh for when you start to eat again. This is also symbolic, because as we are emptying ourselves of all the nasty, we are refilling with all the goodness of the presence of God. Wow! Now who wouldn't try fasting?
DISCLAIMER: This is again for strictly spiritual purposes. Anything else, and it is no longer fasting. It is still not healthy to starve yourself.
I was always curious about fasting, and was actually grateful for this kind of mandatory chance to try it. The way it was described in Foster's book and in class caused me all the more curiosity and desire to try it. But I knew I had to take baby steps. So I decided that I would start at 7 pm Monday night until 7 pm Tuesday night. I figured I could try this once a week and eventually extend it a couple of days until I could do a whole week. I did not give up my coffee on Tuesday morning even though that breaks the rule of a fast. That is my confession for the week.
But other than that, I followed through on my fast. It was such a challenge to avoid the candy in the candy dish, the brownies on the stove, and the snacks in my cupboard. But every time I thought of these temptations, I prayed and took a gulp of water. I used the time that I would normally be in lunch to read my Bible. I read different sections, so I had a well-balanced meal of scripture. What I found, is that I never really felt hungry. I was never overwhelmed with my need to eat something. Looking back, I know that God was providing for me.
Don't get me wrong, I was so grateful to be able to eat dinner on Tuesday night. Eating and snacking is still very important to me, but I did learn that it does not have to control me. Fasting is definitely something I will try again in the near future. I am hoping that it continues to have better and better results and it draws me closer and closer to God. I'm telling you, it sounds scary and radical. I am well aware of that. But the benefits and the results truly make it all okay.
Thank you for reading today!
Many blessings,
Alyssa
Americans especially are subject to our stomachs. Once he or she starts to growl, we are done, we need food immediately. We bow to every whim our stomach demands. We feed it when it wants, what it wants, and how much it wants. We are completely dependent on the demands of our stomach.
But what if we weren't? The reality of our stomach is that we condition it to feel hungry every time we feed it. Our stomach is so not in control of us, we just need to learn to regain the control of it. We were made to control those desires.
Fasting is a direct disobedience to the demands of of our material body, and it is direct obedience to fueling the spiritual being. Fasting can very easily be misused when other benefits become elevated over the spiritual. The sole purpose of fasting needs to be "abstaining from natural foods for a spiritual purposes." (Foster, 48) In fact, Foster defines fasting as "feasting on the Word of God." Fasting is a way to be reminded that we are sustained not by food, but by scripture. It causes us to crave God and His care for us. When we are neglected something that it is so necessary to our survival, it truly elevates God's goodness when He provides for us in our deficit. It is amazing to realize that I can give up something so crucial and still be upheld by the Word of God alone. For me, that is more than enough reason to try fasting. Of course I want to know and experience the goodness of God!
I also want to clarify that fasting can have physical health benefits as well. I know for myself, I eat and drink so much junk, that I am sure my body appreciates a break from that. Fasting for 2 or 7 days gives the body a chance to empty itself of all the impure toxins and start fresh for when you start to eat again. This is also symbolic, because as we are emptying ourselves of all the nasty, we are refilling with all the goodness of the presence of God. Wow! Now who wouldn't try fasting?
DISCLAIMER: This is again for strictly spiritual purposes. Anything else, and it is no longer fasting. It is still not healthy to starve yourself.
I was always curious about fasting, and was actually grateful for this kind of mandatory chance to try it. The way it was described in Foster's book and in class caused me all the more curiosity and desire to try it. But I knew I had to take baby steps. So I decided that I would start at 7 pm Monday night until 7 pm Tuesday night. I figured I could try this once a week and eventually extend it a couple of days until I could do a whole week. I did not give up my coffee on Tuesday morning even though that breaks the rule of a fast. That is my confession for the week.
But other than that, I followed through on my fast. It was such a challenge to avoid the candy in the candy dish, the brownies on the stove, and the snacks in my cupboard. But every time I thought of these temptations, I prayed and took a gulp of water. I used the time that I would normally be in lunch to read my Bible. I read different sections, so I had a well-balanced meal of scripture. What I found, is that I never really felt hungry. I was never overwhelmed with my need to eat something. Looking back, I know that God was providing for me.
Don't get me wrong, I was so grateful to be able to eat dinner on Tuesday night. Eating and snacking is still very important to me, but I did learn that it does not have to control me. Fasting is definitely something I will try again in the near future. I am hoping that it continues to have better and better results and it draws me closer and closer to God. I'm telling you, it sounds scary and radical. I am well aware of that. But the benefits and the results truly make it all okay.
Thank you for reading today!
Many blessings,
Alyssa
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Practicing the Presence of God
The Spiritual Discipline of Prayer
"Of all the spiritual disciplines, prayer is the most central because it ushers us into perpetual communion with the Father."
"To pray is to change. Prayer is the central avenue God uses to transform us. If we are unwilling to change, we will abandon prayer as a noticeable characteristic of our lives."
"Of all the spiritual disciplines, prayer is the most central because it ushers us into perpetual communion with the Father."
"To pray is to change. Prayer is the central avenue God uses to transform us. If we are unwilling to change, we will abandon prayer as a noticeable characteristic of our lives."
- Richard Foster, 33
Prayer is probably one of two or three different practices that Christians deem absolutely necessary to the Christian walk. I bet anyone who reads this blog will agree with that. The problem is, there are several different ways to pray. There is corporate prayer that we bow our heads to in church. There is prayer that we have in small groups where we each pray for a request. There is prayer that we pray around the dinner table to bless our food. And there is silent, personal prayer. And if you are anything like me, the first three are easy. It is the last one that is the challenge.
In my life, I often utter a spontaneous prayer when I sense something to pray for. In that sense, I do have a healthy personal prayer life. As I go throughout the day I am constantly lifting up burdens, praising God, and just talking to my Creator. I truly talk to God as if He walks beside me everywhere I go. And that is because I believe that He does. Prayer is another discipline that practices the presence of God. In the book we are reading for this class, Foster raises the question of our theology. Does our prayer life reflect that we believe God is always present? Do we pose requests to God as if we believe He can do anything? Do we talk to God like He can hear us? Do we wait because we believe He responds to us? Our prayer life should reflect our beliefs in a God who is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. All knowing, all powerful, and always there. If we are talking to God that way, He will respond. If we pray with the expectancy that our prayers will change things because of Who we are praying to, things will change. Prayer is God letting us participate in the course of history.
In that sense, my personal prayer life isn't that healthy. I often talk to God as I am focused on something else. I don't often carve out time to focus on praying to God and inviting His presence into that time. I believe He is always there, but I don't always give that my full attention. So for the practice of discipline this week, I decided to change that. I decided that I would dedicate time twice this week to intercessory prayer. I would pray and only pray with the expectancy that God would respond to my requests. However, it is important in regards to my theology to first pray that my will would align with God's. If I am going to ask God for things, they need to be things that He has already ordained. I can want my requests to be answered with my whole will, but it won't matter if my will is not God's. So I will first life my will and my desires up to God. Guidance before intercession.
There are several things on this campus that need to be prayed for. Two of my very closest friends are having major health crisis, we had a professor in the hospital, student's family members are passing away tragically, we are undergoing staff changes, and several people are feeling the effects of spiritual warfare. I decided to put all of that into my intercessory prayer. And I did. I prayed expectantly twice this week to ask God to heal all of that brokenness. I used the model from Hannah in 1 Samuel 2. She wholeheartedly poured out her requests to the Lord, and they were effective. At this point I am not capable of saying if any of it was "successful." But I do not think that was the point. I do know that I was refreshed, and I do believe prayer has the power to change things. With that combination, I know God was at work in this discipline. Prayer is a pillar of our relationship to God for a reason. It works, and it is our mandate.
So I encourage you to take this one to heart. This one you can and should try at home.
Thank you for reading :)
Many blessings,
Alyssa
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