The
following Blog is written by New Testament Scholar Scot McKnight
Ah,
those spiritual disciplines. What are they? What do they accomplish? Which
ones are most important? What are we to expect from the spiritual disciplines?
Barry
Jones just might capture the whole picture in these words from his book Dwell:
Life with God for the World, and
I have reformatted these into “teaching points” (pp. 102-103):
Whether
we live in a remote monastery, the heart of a large city or anywhere in between,
we need a set of practices and patterns for living—a rule of life—
1.
that will shape and sustain our life with God for the world.
2.
We need practices that nurture our souls and enable us to increasingly inhabit
the vision of God in the places where we dwell to live into the story of the
Bible, the story of God’s personal presence, just reign and perfect peace.
3.
These will be practices that demand things of us. They will require our
disciplined attention and engagement.
4.
These will be practices that connect us to one another. They will help us live
life together as a contrast community, against the world for the sake of the
world.
5.
These practices will connect us to a tradition. They will have a rich heritage
from the Christian past, having shaped and sustained the people of God for a
long time.
6.
Finally, these will be practices that orient us toward the future. They will
help us inhabit the vision of God in the particular places where we dwell.
Is
it fair to say that most discussions of spiritual disciplines focus on #2? (That
is, on the inner personal development? Not on the church body or the world?)
What
would you add or subtract from this list? What do you expect from spiritual
disciplines?
And
Barry Jones sees five elements of the saints and sinners who have done spiritual
disciplines well:
1.
Attentiveness.
2. Receptivity
3. Embodiment
4. Community
5. Rhythm
2. Receptivity
3. Embodiment
4. Community
5. Rhythm
For
more:
follow on Twitter @jefflampl
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