Practice

I am not sure if it has anything to do with the fact that New Year's 2012 is now upon us, but I am thinking a lot about “spiritual practice” at the moment.

Practice is an interesting term is it not? It suggests that we must actively work at our spiritual disciplines, repeating them again and again. In other words, it is not enough to simply be spiritual; we have to work at it in order to develop our spiritual giftedness.

The classic work on spiritual practice is the book by Quaker theologian and author Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth. Foster offers guidance about three categories of practice, which he identifies as inward disciplines (meditation, prayer, fasting, study), outward disciplines (simplicity, solitude, submission, service), and corporate disciplines (confession, worship, guidance, celebration). Although this book is now more than 30 years old, it still has a lot to recommend it.

Of course there are more spiritual practices then the twelve outlined by Foster. For example, the practice of music may be of great benefit to many people, whether singing or playing an instrument. While I personally do not enjoy singing the way some others do, I find it a blessing to occasionally include a Taize recording as part of my morning quiet time. The repetition of melodic phrases may either inspire of quiet the soul.

There are benefits to be gained by regular or daily participation in our spiritual disciplines, no matter which ones we choose to practice. For example, much has been written about the practice of meditation in the last few years. Many people have learned to still the mind and discovered the benefits of this activity, including a sense of inner peace and connection with the universe. The benefits go beyond being centred in spiritual peace and tranquility however. People have discovered they are also physically healthier as a result of this (in)activity. Practitioners often find they lower their blood pressure and reduce stress, lessening the likelihood of heart disease, stroke, and other physical ailments.

Spiritual practice has important benefits for congregations as well. Diana Butler Bass, in her helpful book, The Practicing Congregation, notes the following correlation.

One of the lesser-noted findings of the Hartford Institute for Religious Research’s massive Faith Community Today (FACT) study was a link between “personal spiritual practices” and congregational vitality. According to study codirector David Roozen, “The study does confirm that the more emphasis a congregation gives to the values of home and personal religious practices, the higher the congregation’s vitality and the more likely it is to be growing in membership.” (The Practicing Congregation, p67).

Do you have Spiritual disciplines that you practice regularly? Do you find it a blessing? If you do not, let me encourage you to find practices that work for you in the year ahead.

On behalf of the staff and leadership team in the Canada East Mission of Community of Christ, I wish you a very Happy and Blessed New Year.

Posted by Carman

Flaws

Here we are a couple of weeks into the New Year and still talking about our resolutions. It does seem to be a topic the media have a hard time to put down. Radio, tv, newspapers, even facebook continues to offer me ads about fixing my unsuitable tummy. Now I'm not opposed to folks trying to live healthy or improve their habits, be more fit, eat organic...whatever.

My problem is just how much everyone seems to be so focused on their flaws! I mean, really, what happened to our enduring values about the worth of all persons (and that includes ourselves, by the way), our belief that we're all called according to our gifts? And to me that really, seriously implies that we all have gifts.

Yesterday Carman was celebrating a bright new beginning; and Matthew reminded us that we're all at the beginning of something. He's right you know. Our challenge is to see that for ourselves, to imagine ourselves into that new future. There are people ready to help us find a direction and start to plan strategies to get it.

But as long as we're focusing on who we're not or how we're flawed in some way, we're going to have a much harder time imagining that very fine future.

I know I've talked about this with you before. Do you remember this? Whether it's a personal thing or a congregational thing we'll spend lots less time and effort achieving our vision for a bright future if we focus on our gifts and our worth rather than focusing on our flaws. May I count on you?

Posted by Marion

Lunch

Thinking about the Top 10 blog posts I discovered that a word that's appeared multiple times already is lunch! What's that all about anyway?

Yesterday I talked to you about dinner, and it's true, I have been thinking about how our dinner practices shape us, what our potlucks say about us. How do we share our values and our identities at dinner? I'll think on this further I'm sure.

But for today, this last day of the year, I'm back with some of the important concepts I've considered as much or more than any other in the year 2010! Who knew? Lunch!

Over this holiday season I've had the great opportunity to have lunch with some special friends. What a good chance to stay in touch, to see what's happening in lives we care about but don't often take the time to hear about. Oh, we ask--and really mean it--but the responses to "how are you and how's the family?" still most likely evoke the quick answer, the automatic "Fine!"

It takes a slower time together, an hour or two across the lunch table to help you both feel encouraged to share the longer story. If we really want to nurture those deeper relationships, the friendships that will endure, we need to give them some time. And for my money, lunch time works just fine.

One of my friends in particular is very much a "lunch friend." While we may not speak in person for months at a time, we can pick right up where we left off and spend three or four hours at lunch every several months and continue to be the best of friends.

My New Year's resolution this year is not terribly profound. For this year of 2011, the year in which I shall truly retire, my resolve is to do more lunches! Maybe this shall also be part of my retirement practice. I know how important it is to keep these important connections with people I care about. So I shall be doing lunch more often. My list of lunch friends is about to grow longer.

Give me a call sometime; let's do lunch.

Posted by Marion