For me, I find that busyness is usually married with distraction: I’m busy, but in those moments where I do have a spare minute I often use it to check in with my Instagram feed rather than my heavenly Father.

I didn’t really gain much from the discussion of worship, but liked the phrasing which suggested that worship forms are the “wineskin” or vessels for us to receive the presence of God (p. At times I found myself wondering exactly what he meant, and in turn wondering whether I would agree with him if I discovered exactly what he meant.Quoted works are cited (informally) and follow fair use laws (including public domain and less than 10%/500 words).

For years I had followed traditional Christian writings and practices, growing ever more disenchanted with the hollowness of the experience. If not, we look for the "block"; perhaps we are praying wrongly, perhaps something within us needs changing, perhaps there are new principles of prayer to be learned, perhaps patience and persistence are needed. This week, we're talking Prophet Song, Paul Lynch, Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus, and "Rabbit Test", Samantha Mills.We begin prayer for others by first quieting our fleshly activity and listening to the silent thunder of the Lord of hosts …. Many are having a deep and profound experience of an Emmanuel of the Spirit--God with us; a knowledge that in the power of the Spirit Jesus has come to guide his people himself; an experience of his leading that is as definite and as immediate as the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night.

Celebration of Discipline will help motivate Christians everywhere to embark on a journey of prayer and spiritual growth. These practices in themselves will not transform us to look like Jesus (only Jesus himself can do that) but what they can do is to bring us in front of Jesus. Awarded Christianity Today's Book of the Year award and the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association's Gold Medallion award, Prayer continues to receive widespread acclaim as one of the most thorough and insightful treatments of this central spiritual practice.

Adevarata evlavie nu ii indeparteaza pe oameni de lume, ci ii ajuta sa traiasca mai bine in ea, indemnandu-i sa-si dea toata silinta ca sa o indrepte. However, if what we have we believe we have gotten, and if what we have we believe we must hold onto, and if what we have is not available to others, then we will live in anxiety. But from what I can tell the heart of his message has remained the same, and he has stayed true to the quiet voice that knocked me on the floor those many years ago. To read successfully we need the extrinsic aids of experience, other books, and live discussion” (p68). Maybe you’re the woman at the well, or a child that Jesus engages with, perhaps a by stander to a miracle.

I like the idea of emptying myself through meditation and then allowing myself to be filled with God's love. What I mean by that is I am delighted to go a few days or weeks without much interaction in the relationship.In this landmark work, Foster examines the foundations of Christian experience, growth, and renewal found in six historical movements: contemplative, holiness, charismatic, social justice, evangelical, and incarnational. In an era in which many Christians consider Jesus a beloved but remote savior, Willard argues compellingly for the relevance of God to every aspect of our existence. Perhaps, like me, when you think of meditation you imagine some tradition originating from the Far East. Foster displays in this book that in his best moments he can say something obvious and plain; however, most of the time he is simply confused or downright wrong. The most difficult problem is not finding time but convincing myself that this is important enough to set aside the time.