Category: Spiritual Formation
Wonder of All Wonders
“Too much of our time is spent trying to chart God on a grid, and too little is spent allowing our hearts to feel awe. By reducing Christian spirituality to formula, we deprive our hearts of wonder.” Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz, p. 205 In our longing to know God and walk in his ways, ...
Going Deep
While I recover from my motorcycle accident (minor injuries) I thought I’d let Gordon MacDonald fill in for me. While his article, “Going Deep” (which appeared on-line in “Leadership Journal” yesterday, 6/27/11) is geared toward those in leadership, it speaks to all Christians in regards to the need for living deeply in God. It is, after ...
Final Thoughts on Solitude
There is so much more to say about the practice of silence and solitude but I will finalize my thoughts today. But lest I give the impression that silence and solitude are the only means by which we encounter God, let me proclaim an emphatic “No!” Silence and solitude are just one of the many environments ...
Practicing Solitude
I’ve posted for several days now on the spiritual practices of silence and solitude...and we are coming soon to an end. The danger, of course, with any Biblical teaching is that it remains in our head as a cherished belief and not actually practiced in our lives. Thinking about solitude is not the same as closing the ...
A Quiet Transformation
“Mom! He’s in our lane!” Even before my daughter screamed the words, I saw him coming, crossing over into my lane of traffic. We were traveling the 60 miles an hour speed limit on a two-lane country road. “I know, I see him,” were all the words I could get out. The mind is an ...
A Portable Sanctuary
As we continue in our practice of silence and solitude, over time we begin to discover even our solitude begins to be transformed. In solitude where we create space to attune our hearts to the voice of God, where we confront our driven souls, and stay present to the work of the Holy Spirit in ...
Thoughts on Solitude
Today I thought I'd post what others have to say about the practice of solitude: “The invitation to solitude and silence is just that. It is an invitation to enter more deeply into the intimacy of relationship with the One who waits just outside the noise and busyness of our lives. It is an invitation ...
The Surprising Rewards of Silence
I continue my thoughts on the spiritual practices of silence and solitude. Today's post comes from an article written for NavPress by Tim Stafford. I thought he said it better than I could. The Surprising Rewards of Silence Why are we afraid to be quiet before God? By Tim Stafford Ever stop to think why ...
The Art of Being Lost
“They needed 40 years in the wilderness to learn the ‘holy art of being lost’.” Barbara Brown Taylor "Obviously she is talking about the Israelites. 40 years. Slow learners? It might be easy for us to say yes to that question but really – aren’t we all slow learners when it comes to the ‘holy ...
I Love the Church
(This is a blog post from a fellow student, Robert Rife, at SAU who graduates this May.) "I love the Church. But it makes me sad as well. I believe that we have abdicated our role as “God’s skin in the world” (see “The Holy Longing” by Ronald Rolheiser). Our mad dash toward relevance has squeezed ...
Gail Johnsen 