Spiritual Disciplines

Tonight we have the inaugural meeting of a group which doesn't yet have a name... and its purpose is, at the moment, a little foggy! I guess the best description so far is 'networking'. We're meeting together to see what people are doing, who they are, why they're doing what they're doing... etc. I'm still excited.

I've been asking myself recently, "If I was applying for officership, what would the people considering the applications want to see me doing?" In other words... what can I be doing better in my life, and in the life of my church? It's not that I'm aspiring to be an officer right now, or any time soon, but I suppose it's more about becoming more committed to my soldiership vow. Well duh, that's a resource I never thought of consulting - the Orders and Regs for Soldiers!

So, I'm thinking that not only should I be thinking about this, but I should be seeking answers from others. This includes books (I bought a couple of bags worth from Koorong on the weekend), but also those around me. My husband, for example. The leader and leadership team of our church. People who know me well enough to recognise my faults, and hopefully have enough perspective to pick out the important things that're holding me back from deeper relationship with God. Hmmm... now that I've written that down, I'm going to have to actually follow through on asking people. Darn. Hassle me if I don't report back, OK?

One of the books that I bought on the weekend is about prayer. I bought it because while it offered some formulas, it seemed most focused on the idea of looking to God and being open to experiencing His presence in different ways. It offers a number of different prayer styles to look at and try. I've decided to read a chapter a week and try the prayer(s) explained in each one every day for that week. For example, these are this week's prayers:

Lord, encircle me:
Keep faith within,
Keep pride without.

Lord, encircle me:
Keep hope within,
Keep despair without.

Lord, encircle me:
Keep love within,
Keep fear without.

and,

Love, light up this mortal frame,
So others may catch the living flame.
(said with a focus on faith (that God can and will do it), hope (that it can make a difference in people's lives) and love (that God loves me, and others))

They're very meditative, relaxing prayers. Are they 'enough' on their own? In a sense, perhaps... they acknowledge God's sovereignty and express a desire and willingness to his working in one's heart. But they do lack specificity (is that a word?), and I think there's a danger in that. So I'm not relying on this book for my entire prayer life, but using it as an addition which might just help me listen to God and open my heart up to him, better than before.

(Can you tell I'm wary of how-to books?)

Another book I bought is the classic My Utmost for His Highest. I've given in. If something will challenge me and goad me to give more of me to God, I'll consult it - no matter what pain I foresee. So far, it's been challenging. But unless I daily meet that challenge with action... what's the point in being challenged?