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Christlife Posture: Submitting to God's Love and Leading

Topic: Submitting to God through Spiritual Discipline

 

Suggested Approach: Choose 1 thing from each of the three boxes

OR Choose 1 from Media or Reflection + 1 from Scripture 

Media Excursions (Watch/read/listen and be ready to discuss Q's)

Still Image/Paintings

  • Girl reading in a sunlit room (Carl Holsoe) What do you like about this picture? Do you wait for the “ideal” conditions before engaging in spiritual practices?  If the room in this picture were dark or cluttered, could you still imagine this young woman diligently reading? What makes waiting for ideal conditions counterproductive when thinking of what a “discipline” is?

  • Treasurefield #3 (J. Janknegt) This painting plays with the biblical story about a person digging in a field to find the treasure hidden there (Matthew 13:34).  What is this artist saying is our true treasure?  How much effort are you willing to expend to find that kind of treasure?

Video Clips

  • This School Sends Kids to Meditation… (Unworthy) Though this clip is not specifically about a Christian practice (although it can be done with a focus on Christ), what does it make you think regarding the ability of spiritual disciplines to increase our ability to submit to God’s ways or plans for us?

  • Skit: Trash (onetime blind) What are the things that cause you to “distance” yourself from God? How does that get in the way of developing spiritual discipline?

Sound

  • A New Liturgy (Aaron Niequist) There are several practices at this website, including The Examen and a meditation on the goodness of God at this website.  Experiment with doing one or more of them.  

Article 

  • The 12 Spiritual Disciplines: Essential Tools for Spiritual Growth (Nathan Hale) This is a summary article based on Richard Foster’s book on spiritual disciplines.  Which of these practices are already a part of your life? Are there any you have not tried? Which one of the “examples” is most motivating for you in attempting to be more spiritually disciplined?  

  • Article and Podcast: Consistent Spiritual Discipline is Not Legalism (John Piper) What do you think the distinctions are between being legalistic and being disciplined? How does Daniel's example encourage you?

Video Teaching

  • Neuroplasticity and Spiritual Disciplines (Biola) What does this information mean to you about the learning curve or the “I don’t get anything out of it” aspect of practicing spiritual disciplines? What do you think this means for you practically if you tried to make a habit of this in your daily life?

  • The Heart of Spiritual Discipline (Steve Childers) Do you feel like you know the "why" behind the spiritual disciplines you practice? What would you like it to be?

Reflection Options  

Journal  (Reflect on one or more of these questions)

  • How has using the practice of journaling enhanced or hindered you from developing spiritual disciplines?

  • Reflect on a person who think is really good at being spiritually disciplined.  Ask that person what their spiritual discipline practices are and how well they follow them. Journal about any surprises or encouragement you get from their answer.

  • Often we think that Jesus’ spiritual discipline was prayer, and it definitely was one of them.  Write down as many other spiritual disciplines you can remember him practicing (feel free to look in the gospels to find out).  It may help to look at the article on the 12 spiritual disciplines in the Media section above.

Quote Interaction (Agree, disagree or otherwise engage with the quote/quotes)

  • “Gratitude goes beyond the 'mine' and 'thine' and claims the truth that all of life is a pure gift. In the past I always thought of gratitude as a spontaneous response to the awareness of gifts received, but now I realize that gratitude can also be lived as a discipline. The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy.”  Henri J.M. Nouwen

  • "We can all see God in exceptional things, but it requires the culture of spiritual discipline to see God in every detail." Oswald Chambers

  • "Spirituality is about being ready. All the spiritual disciplines of your life - prayer, study, meditation or ritual, religious vows - are there so you can break through to the eternal. Spirituality is about awakening the eyes, the ears, the heart so you can see what's always happening right in front of you."  Richard Rohr

  • “As a rule of thumb: if it is easy for us to engage in a certain discipline, we probably don't need to practice it. The disciplines we need to practice are precisely the ones we are not 'good at' and hence do not enjoy."  Dallas Willard

Reading & Reflection from the book, Shaping The Journey of Emerging Adults

  • Read “Spiritual Hydration” (pp. 64, 65)  How does the metaphor of hydration connect to spiritual discipline?  What is the link between “spiritual hydration” and dependence?

  • Mentor: Read “Strategies for Effective Reflection” (pp. 104-105). Several of these options could be considered spiritual disciplines.  Think through how you might practice them on behalf of this relationship.  Try the last one (fasting something) and talk to the young adult about what you were fasting about and how the Lord met you in it.

  • Mentor: Use the section “Ask questions that allow you to assess movement” (pp. 139-140). First answer them for yourself (your own growth).  Share that with the young adult and then explore their answers to the same or similar questions.

 Explore Scripture

Meditate on one or more of the following passages. Always look them up in context.  Take some time to really explore the verse in relation to this topic.  Note spiritual disciplines practiced, how they were practiced, or encouragements to practice them.  Make a note of what you discover to share later.  See "Learn More About Ways to Study Scripture" below for help in getting the most out of the verse.

  • Mark 1:35

  • Mark 6:45-46

  • Luke 14:27-30

  • John 8:28-29

  • 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

  • Galatians 5:16

  • 1 Timothy 4:7-8

  • 2 Timothy 1:7

  • 1 Peter 1:13, 2:11

  • Hebrews 12:1

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