Fall Series: Begin Building Spiritual Rhythms
There’s something about a new season that brings on a great feeling of relief. All of a sudden, there’s space to rethink, restructure, or review.
With the opportunity to start anew, we may ask: Does my life reflect the things I value? Do I have things in place to help me create the life I want?
Like we have all probably experienced in life, structure can help us get to where we want to go. The discipline of working out can help us reach our strength goals. The discipline of doing our homework can help us reach our goal of passing a grade (and learning more). The discipline of healthy eating can help us reach our health and wellness goals.
The same thing applies to our internal peace, purpose, and intimacy with God.
In a recent article on living abundant life, James Pereira says, “[A]bundant life sounds wonderful. The problem with it is that the initial energy and romanticism that occur in the first stages of following Jesus become insufficient as we come face to face with our lived reality.”
He goes onto to talk about beliefs that we have about Jesus that need to be debunked.
“The first myth is that personal relationship with Jesus is the answer to the abundant life. If you’re not experiencing it, you just need to deepen your relationship. The issue with this theory is that it’s mostly true. Personal relationship with Jesus is essential and non-negotiable. How can you follow someone you do not know?
In Luke chapter 4, Jesus visits His hometown of Nazareth. He preaches and reveals that the Scriptures have been fulfilled. Immediately the people of Nazareth, who have known Jesus for almost 30 years, were filled with rage and tried to hurl Him from a cliff. They had personal relationship with Jesus but they did not follow Him.
If we look at this story through the lenses of our everyday relationships, we can find similar parallels. It’s absolutely possible to be in a romantic relationship with another person but to not live out the practices that make a relationship healthy.”
For those who want to step into the fall with a fresh start, we’ve put together some resources to help. We encourage you to start with small goals, and read this article (referenced above) to see how others have added simple but transformative disciplines to their life.
Resources to Help You Build Rhythms:
Prayer
How to Start (and Sustain) a New Prayer Practice
Historically, I have never had much of a prayer practice. I was accustomed to reciting prayers at mealtimes and seeking God’s support for special intentions. But outside of that, I had never...
Book: Six Daily Habits for Spiritual Resiliency
I encountered my own deconstruction a few years ago. I grew up in an exciting, charismatic, evangelistic environment full of mountaintop moments and so when I found myself for the first time...Community
How To Build a Small Group Right Now
Wanting deep relationships is something built into us but it’s not always easy. It’s hard to get past surface-level conversations or find the courage to be vulnerable. But just imagine: How great...
Building Meaningful Friendships As Adults
Have you ever found that the older we get the more difficult it can be to develop friendships—real meaningful friendship? It was the Spring of 2011 when I nervously arrived at a downtown...Sabbath
How Resting On Sunday Can Transform Your Perspective
There is nothing more satisfying than putting a checkmark next to an item on my to-do list. As nerdy as it sounds, it’s a thrill. I often feel this thrill at work when I get to create something...
Learning How To Sabbath
“The Sabbath is a twenty-four hour time period set aside to stop, rest, delight, and worship. It is the best day of the week. In our era of chronic exhaustion, emotional unhealth, and spiritual...Mission
From Christendom to Apostolic Mission - Proclaim Podcast
In this episode, Eric Chow is joined by The Most Reverent J. Michael Miller, CSB, and returning guest, Brett Powell. They discuss the Archbishop’s keynote at the Upper Room 2021 Conference, the...
Who Might You Invite to Alpha?
You want to start running Alpha. You are ready to open your home as a place to do mission. But you're stuck on one question—who can I invite if all my friends are from my parish? Often when we...Bible Reading
Where To Start Reading the Bible
I remember trying to start reading the Bible several times in high school. Even when my life was very out of alignment with God, IE a selfish, wayward teenager, I still felt like there was...