Tag Archives: ancient spiritual paths
On Solitude and The Journey to Oneness
I’m going on a walk. (details). The purpose of the walk is the ancient practice of solitude. It is one of the contemplative practices we talk about that works with the deconstructive process that is part of the Journey to … Continue reading
Posted in The Journey to Oneness
Tagged ancient spiritual paths, oneness, silence, solitude, spiritual journey
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“A Hoary Head:” Navigating the Announcements at NRCC
When I was a kid, I got rewards for memorizing the ancient proverbs. Here’s one that is still stuck in my head… A hoary head is a crown of glory, if it is found on a man or woman who … Continue reading
Posted in Individual Lesson
Tagged ancient spiritual paths, Christian Meditation, community, contemplation, learning, Scripture, service, spiritual community, spiritual disciplines
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Spiritual Friendship: The Skills (1)
Skill #1: Growth.
Stands to reason doesn’t it? If we don’t have a learning and growing posture, we don’t grow into the skills, competencies, and emotional framework to do spiritual friendships well. Look around if you don’t believe me. As a society, we feel deeply alienated, and as a society, our spiritual, emotional, and relational skills are atrophying at alarming rates.
So, we’re talking about rebuilding them. Continue reading
Posted in Community in a Mid-Size Church
Tagged ancient spiritual paths, community, grace, relationships, spiritual disciplines
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Examen of Consciousness
This is such an important practice. I hope you have a listen. When our view of God changes, our view of prayer changes. Many simply stop praying… stop having a devotional habit. But that’s just not good for our souls. Better is to go back through history and find ways of “prayer” that feed us in our newly-emerging way of thinking about God. Examen is one of those ancient ways. Continue reading
Posted in Individual Lesson
Tagged ancient spiritual paths, contemplation, examen of consciousness
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Stirring Up Gratitude: Thanksgiving 2011
Gratitude changes us. It makes us happier, healthier, and better people. In this lesson we cite both the ancient wisdom, and current double-blind studies. You’ll be convinced that gratitude will make your life better. However, it’s not easy work. It’s tough! So, we’ll talk about some practical ways to stir thankfulness in our hearts. Continue reading
Posted in Individual Lesson
Tagged ancient spiritual paths, gratitude, thankfulness, Thanksgiving
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Community Making (2)
1 Timothy 6: 7-10 [Download mp3]
Posted in The Crazy-Making Power of Money
Tagged ancient spiritual paths, community, money
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Community Making (1)
The third ancient practice that helps us defy the crazy-making power of money is community making. The link between community-making and being free of money’s crazy-making power is not immediately obvious, so it requires some background. This lesson may stretch your patience with all this background-laying, and it’s sure to offend people who are both politically Left and Right. I think it’s fascinating stuff, but even so…
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Posted in The Crazy-Making Power of Money
Tagged ancient spiritual paths, community, money
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The Ancient Practice of Giving (2)
Giving as a means to receiving…
Sounds like it misses the point, doesn’t it?
But that’s what we’re saying in this lesson. The proscription of the ancients to be givers has a way of rewiring our instincts; breeding humility and self-forgetfulness, and guiding us, over time, to a deep interior freedom.
It’s counter-intuitive at first, so have a listen. Continue reading
Posted in The Crazy-Making Power of Money
Tagged ancient spiritual paths, generosity, money, simplicity
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The Ancient Practice of Giving (1)
[Download mp3] I’ve heard sermons all my life about giving. It’s one of the better-known spiritual practices. However, I usually heard the sermon in pretty concrete terms. Give and you will receive… in kind. Give money, and you’ll see how … Continue reading
Posted in The Crazy-Making Power of Money
Tagged ancient spiritual paths, generosity, money, simplicity
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The Ancient Practice of Watchfulness (2)
bout 1000 years ago, the Christian Church split into the Eastern Orthodox church and the Western, Latin church. There were a lot of political squabbles behind the split (called The Great Schism), but the main reason had to do with two fundamentally different approaches to spirituality. In simplified terms, the West had a cerebral, philosophical approach to the spiritual journey, while the East had more of a heart approach.
It was a tragic divide, because we need both. It was akin to splitting the human brain into one hemisphere or the other. We need them both!
We in the West need to hear what our Eastern brothers and sisters have to say about spiritual practices… particularly abouthe spiritual discipline we introduced last week; “watchfulness of thoughts.” Continue reading
Posted in The Crazy-Making Power of Money
Tagged ancient spiritual paths, Church history, money, watchfulness of thoughts
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