Practices

Practices
Classic spiritual practices provide a proven way to care for the soul—by becoming aware of the soul and deliberately placing it solidly in God’s care. Because we live such scattered and often self-oriented lives, great human effort is typically required to increase our awareness of God’s presence and responsiveness to His work in us. The chief aim of a spiritual practice, then, is to increase the soul’s openness to God. Over time, the openness cultivated in times of focused effort spills over into all our ordinary moments as our God-awareness becomes truer to life itself: he is with us always, and we sense it.

Journaling:
With the aid of a journal, we can become quiet and focused--reflecting on the condition of our souls, expressing the truest parts of who we are, and inclining our hearts towards God even in the midst of an often chaotic life.

Spiritual Friendship: God never intended us to handle the demands of life in isolation. Walking through life with a few soul friends provides not only the joys of companionship, but also an unexpected source of spiritual transformation.

Prayer: The language of our relationship with God.
Because he is spirit, we do not always use words: thoughts, feelings—even groans–are all part of our interaction (Psalm 38:8–9; Romans 8:26). As we grow close to him, we also hear back from him—authoritatively through Scripture, and personally through inner promptings and leadings. As we deepen our prayer life, the confidence, humility, and love we find with God spill over into all of life.

Use of Scripture: Meeting with God in the pages of the Bible.
Unlike any other book, the Bible is “living and active” (Hebrews 4:12) and a variety of ways exist to study, read, meditate on, and be shaped by the truths. We do not want merely to know the principles it contains: we want to connect with the Person it proclaims. We can rely on it, take comfort in it, be corrected by it, find hope and direction though it.

Solitude: Time devoted to being alone with God.
Solitude causes us to get beneath the exterior “scaffolding” that surrounds the soul and see what is there behind the clutter of our activities. In the quiet, we discover our own thoughts and what God might be whispering. Solitude helps us identify and overcome unhealthy tendencies towards approval-seeking, chronic busyness, and self-centeredness. It provides a deeper sense of connection with God. (Mark 1:35-37)

Self-Examination: An honest look inside, guided by the Holy Spirit.
Socrates observed that the unexamined life is not worth living. How very true. But an honest look inside takes both time and effort. This practice helps uncover hidden motives as well as inner longings. We move beyond superficiality, and live awake, aware and full of clarity. Our faults don’t blind-side us because we are in touch with them; our progress encourages us, because we notice it. (Psalm 139:23-24)

Simplicity: Living from an integrated center – centered in God.
Simplicity means taking action to align one’s exterior world with one’s interior values and commitment to God. The obvious fruit of simplicity is a reduction of clutter on many levels: materially, emotionally, in our schedules, or in our closets. Through simplicity, we become consistent. We live out the values we profess; we discard what doesn’t serve us. We feel complete—not pulled in many directions but rather resolutely pursuing the one that really matters (2 Corinthians 4:18).