My understanding of spiritual disciplines has been exposed as limited in the last few weeks. A thread of three interactions pulled back the curtain.
Depending on who you’ve read or what denomination you’ve participated in, any teaching on spiritual disciplines containing a list most likely included any or all of these:
- meditation
- prayer
- fasting
- study
- simplicity
- solitude
- submission
- service
- confession
- worship
- guidance
- celebration
This list is from Richard Foster. The article where you can find this list includes several more. Seems a lot to master. One could see why many just don’t bother. Daunting.
The first peek behind the curtain came when a lunch conversation mentioned Rob Bell’s teaching that everything is spiritual. I hadn’t heard his name is years and wasn’t familiar with his book by that exact title. I read the Kindle sample and checked out a few videos (here’s one). Bottom line: Goes to reason if everything is spiritual, then all disciplines are spiritual.
Not long after that, Chuck DeGroat pulled the curtain back further when I read this in his book:
Disciplines place us in relationship-with Christ and within a community of wounded healers. The discipline of a disciple is to follow-that is, to walk in the shadow of Christ, to learn his ways, to struggle together when difficulties arise, to laugh and to cry. This is how friendship with God unfolds, as a relationship between two persons deeply committed to each other in covenant love. This relationship cannot be reduced to a mere practice or ritual, but it certainly involves practice and ritual-the give and take required in any relationship.
Toughest People to Love, Chapter 8
These two lead-ins prepared my mind to completely receive the final one. In a conversation on this subject and how to freshen them up, out of nowhere the question was asked, “Have you looked at blogging as a spiritual discipline?”
Fully exposed.
Funny. I wasn’t aware there even was a curtain.
Glad it’s been removed.
John Gregory 