Spiritual Disciplines
It may be an old fashioned kind of name to give to one of our delve blog categories, but sometimes the old names are the best names! Spiritual disciplines are simply things we can do in our daily lives that can help deepen our relationship with God and help transform our lives for the better. Prayer and bible reading will probably come to your mind first, but we are sure you will be surprised by what else is on the list!
Monday, 14 January 2008 01:00 | and posted in Spiritual Disciplines
If, when I say "Celebrations," you immediately think of an almost empty tub of chocolates with all the Bounties and Snickers still sitting in the bottom, you are not alone. It's even possible you may be a Christian!
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that salvation is to be found in sweeties or that nuts are inherently evil, what I'm saying is that generally Church-world is not known for its celebrations and that, as a consequence, Christians themselves don't tend to be very good at celebrating.
Monday, 07 January 2008 01:00 | and posted in Spiritual Disciplines
What has happened?
Yesterday, we had seemed so close. Yesterday, he spoke to me, not just demanding things, but lovingly telling me what he thought about me, apologising for things that have not gone right in our relationship, talking about his concerns - I could tell he trusted me. And he not only spoke, he listened as I whispered words of love, answered his questions, made new suggestions that he hadn't even thought about. Yesterday, we were enjoying spending time in each other's company. I was so full of love for him and I felt his love for me growing as we communicated.
Monday, 10 December 2007 01:00 | and posted in Spiritual Disciplines
If you are at home look up for a moment - can you see any Bible verses anywhere? A post-it note with a verse on the side of the monitor? No? What about a fridge magnet, a poster, a calendar, eh...your mum's apron? No? Oh well, you just failed the Deuteronomy chapter 6 test (and you didn't even know you were sitting it - harsh!) In this chapter Moses encourages the people of Israel to regularly talk about God's Word, and all He has done for them. He tells them to put it where it couldn't be missed - write it on doorframes, mark it on your clothes...he wanted them to take it seriously. (Don't use marker pens on the doorframes or your clothes without the permission of your parents!)
Monday, 19 November 2007 01:00 | and posted in Spiritual Disciplines
I reckon one of the things that interests us most is what other people think of us.
A friend organised a group to go on a bike ride. Everyone was waiting patiently for the last few to arrive except for one lad who was anxiously looking out for his mates. He spotted them in the distance. What do you reckon he did when he noticed that neither of them was wearing a helmet? You got it; he slipped his helmet off and stuffed it in his bag before they reached him.
Monday, 12 November 2007 01:00 | and posted in Spiritual Disciplines
Jesus was incredibly busy!
Sometimes I think His life must have been similar to being a leader on an SU holiday - "Help I've lost my money", "I miss my Mum.", "I think I've broken my ankle", "When are we going swimming?"
He didn't get asked these questions, in fact the questions he got asked were even more demanding. "How many times should I forgive my brother?", "Please heal my son.", "Who will we be married to in heaven?", "Whose fault is it that this man is blind?"
Monday, 29 October 2007 01:00 | and posted in Spiritual Disciplines
"Do I have to?" (our Glasgow readers, may recognise this phrase more readily as, "D'a hufti?") Did you know that the average child in Scotland uses that phrase (in a whiney voice) on average 3,680 times before they are 16 years old? Actually I just made that up, but it can't be far away from the truth. Just listen in to my normal school morning conversations with my kids. Can you get your lunch box out of your bag please? Do I have to? Can you switch that back to BBC news? Do I have to? Wait for your sister - she's getting her shoes on. Do I have to?
Monday, 15 October 2007 01:00 | and posted in Spiritual Disciplines
Discipline. Now there's a word to make you shudder. Anyone else got an image of a starchy collared Victorian school teacher looking sternly over steel rimmed spectacles? I guess that for most of us "discipline," is not a word that makes us think, "Yay, lets do that!" So what do the words spiritual and discipline together mean for a Christian? Does it mean God is thwacking a big cane against a table every time we get something wrong? Well, guess what - I don't think that's quite how it is.
Monday, 15 October 2007 01:00 | and posted in Spiritual Disciplines
The Bible tells us that the joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
Have you ever stopped to think about what this verse means?
Let me rephrase it for you: the absence of joy will create weakness.