A Journey Together: A Spiritual Formation Calendar Experience for Global Leaders
Welcome to A Journey Together: A Spiritual Formation Calendar Experience for Global Leaders.
We’re glad you’ve joined the cohort that will be walking through this material over the next year, and we pray you find encouragement as well as practical insights for deepening your relationship with Christ and others through spiritual formation practices.
Through the CAFO “Spiritual Formation Calendar,” participants have journeyed together in small cohorts, exploring one spiritual formation practice each month — from solitude and Sabbath to gratitude, pruning, and generosity. Each month introduces a biblically rooted, practical practice that God uses to give good gifts to His people and shape us into the likeness of Jesus.
Each month, you’ll engage with a brief teaching on the theme. Then, you’ll select an “exploratory exercise” to practice individually over the course of the month. Finally, you’ll gather with your cohort to share reflections and discuss your experiences the next month.
Please print this workbook to use as your journal your thoughts and reflections each month. Reflection questions will be discussed during each month’s cohort.
The Yearly Rhythm of Pilgrim Feast
THEME OVERVIEW
Feasting
Even before they reached the Promised Land, God offered His people a remarkable gift: three unique week-long holidays each year. These “Pilgrim Feasts,” as they were sometimes called, were invitations to step entirely away from normal tasks and burdens. Participants traveled together up to Jerusalem for a matchless time of refreshment, worship, fellowship and feasting. (Lev. 23, Num. 28-29 and Deut. 14:2226; Deut. 16.)
Imagine the journey. You’ve closed up the business and the house … packed the tent, bedrolls and favorite foods … and set off traveling. You walk and talk together with family and close friends, camp side-by-side at night. Laughter and singing abound. As your path rises towards Jerusalem, travelers join together in songs you’ve known since childhood, the Psalms of Ascent. Days in Jerusalem are full of rich fellowship and corporate worship. At night, the hillsides are alive with campfires, singing and the smells of roasting meat. It’s all an experience of rest, worship and enjoyment like nothing else!
Jesus’ parents, Joseph and Mary, embraced this gift at least once every year (Luke 2:41). Jesus did as well, traveling to Jerusalem for Pilgrim Feasts many times during his three years of public ministry (i.e., John 7:14, 8:2, 10:22). Jesus also invited his disciples away from their regular work for other experiences of refreshment, too — to “come away with me…and rest….” (Mark 6:31-33).
Scripture doesn’t require Christians to receive these gifts. But if God invented them and Jesus practiced them, why not consider making Pilgrim Feasts part of your yearly rhythm?
ELEMENTS TO CONSIDER IN A PILGRIM FEAST
The path to a Pilgrim Feast starts with a hearstance: willingness to receive. This isn’t just about time off you’re owed or a vacation you’re planning. It’s not self-care. It’s God care, a sacred gift. He desires to restore your soul — body, mind, relationships and spirit. Our part is to consider how He may invite us to receive this gift.
This approach leaves lots of flexibility as to details. Different personalities, preferences and seasons of life may call for very different plans. But here are some key elements of traditional Pilgrim Feasts that may be worth considering:
• A Special Place. Pilgrim Feast started with getting away from one’s typical spaces and responsibilities. What kind of places help you feel especially “away” and unburdened?
• Relationships. Pilgrim Feasts were rich in fellowship. Which relationships do you especially desire to grow? Family? Old friends? Churchmates? Knowing you can’t cultivate all at the same time, consider which might you want to prioritize and how.
• Time Outdoors. Most of a Pilgrim Feast was experienced outdoors. Both Scripture and science affirm that marvelous gifts come to us through God’s creation — from a deeper sense of God’s character (Rom. 1:20) to boosted health and happiness. What experiences in nature help you feel near to God? How might you weave them into your plans?
• Favorite Foods and Drinks. God directed His people to use money they’d set aside to buy their favorite foods and drinks to celebrate with feasting (Deut. 14:22-26). What are yours?
• Physical Activity. Pilgrim Feasts involved lots of hiking. Whether you prefer marathons or a leisurely stroll, even light exercise makes your body and mind feel better in countless ways. What physical activities might you especially enjoy?
• Music. Singing and worship were core to Pilgrim Feasts. How might you weave music into your time away — bring an instrument … a favorite CD … a new playlist for the road?
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS FOR A MODERN-DAY PILGRIM FEAST:
• Sleep. Unlike traditional cultures, many people today live chronically sleep deprived. Yet sleep measurably increases virtually every aspect of our health and happiness. Might it be worth prioritizing good sleep during your time away?
• Tech Boundaries. Pilgrim Feasts took people away from ordinary tasks and distractions. That’s harder today. Unless you intentionally plan, your phone and other tech will invade your experience. How can you minimize — or avoid altogether — email, social media, news and other stimulants that undermine calm, gratefulness and refreshment?
• Length. Recent research suggests that time away equal to the length of a biblical pilgrim feast may provide the ideal restorative experience for most people — peaking at day 8. So consider aiming for at least one full week, including the weekends on both sides.
EXPLORATORY EXERCISE
Take some time to consider what it might look like to enjoy a Pilgrim Feast in the year ahead. Dream together with your family and/or friends. Pray about it, asking God, “How would You desire to restore my/our soul(s) through a Pilgrim Feast this year?”
Then … JUST DO IT: Map a basic plan and get it on your calendar, even if you need to fill in details later!
START OF THE MONTH QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
• Were you familiar with the idea of Pilgrim Feast? What thoughts/feelings arise as you consider it?
• How might it change your view of a vacation to believe that God invites you into it as an expression of His desire to “restore your soul”? How might you engage that time differently?
• Is there anything that seems especially exciting about planning your own Pilgrim Feast this year? Anything that feels particularly daunting?
• Looking over the list of “Elements to Consider,” which element(s) strike you as especially lifegiving? Do any seem especially challenging?
• If you’re willing to receive this invitation, what will be your first action step towards planning a Pilgrim Feast this year?
END OF THE MONTH QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
• What action steps have you taken to plan your Pilgrim Feast this year?
• Any details you can share about what you’re hoping/planning to do?
• As you’ve considered your Pilgrim Feast this month, reflect back on the “Elements to Consider” that you identified as especially life-giving and especially challenging. Have you resolved how you’d want to incorporate them? If so, how?
• What gift(s) do you most hope to receive from the Lord during this time?
• What further steps are needed in order for you to receive this gift this year?
Sabbath
The Weekly Rhythm of Sabbath
The gift of one day each week for rest, worship, and play.
THEME OVERVIEW
A true vacation is a joyful unburdening from the normal loads of life. Such times can be wonderful but often feel all too rare. Marvelously, God desires to give His people this same experience every week: an entire day set aside entirely for rest, worship and play!
Sabbath has often been viewed merely as Law, a cold requirement. Sadly, it’s sometimes been applied as if it were. But although Sabbath was included in the Law, God gave the gift of Sabbath long before the Law. Significantly, God gave Sabbath even prior to the Fall. He set aside the 7th day for rest before work had become toil. Sabbath was intended not merely as a pragmatic means for recovery, but part of a beautiful rhythm of work and celebration.
Perhaps most remarkable of all, God created Sabbath not only before the Law and the Fall, but also before humans had done any work at all. If we assume God invited Adam and Eve into the original Sabbath with Him, it was their first full day of life. They’d not yet worked a lick! What a portrait of how God’s grace always plays out. Gift comes first, then our response to it. Such is Sabbath; it is never merely a rule or even a necessary recovery, but a joyful gift, pure grace.
THE GIFT
Jesus expressed clearly, Sabbath was made for us. It is one of the prime ways God pours life into His children. Our part is simple but essential: to receive. It is not always easy to receive, especially amidst overloaded lives. A day without work feels like a luxury we cannot afford. We imagine the only path to calm is to get more done. That, of course, is a lie. For we’ll never reach the end of the lists. Rather, as Abraham Heschell puts it, to receive Sabbath is “to rest as if our work were done.”
This requires a sacrifice of productivity, as if on an altar. That is especially painful when our productivity is how we forge our identity and measure our worth. To stop working is an act of faith. It requires confidence that God has called us to stop. It also requires confidence that God is at work, even when we are not.
We trust that even if some things fall through the cracks while we’re away, He has those things in His able hands, too — using even things seemingly lost for more good than our incessant labor would have produced.
But though difficult, when we receive this gift by faith, we marvel at what we find. Week by week, Sabbath steadily remakes us. We see this in three ways in particular:
• First, in Sabbath we discover a refreshment and pleasure found nowhere else. The gift-ness of the time yields an experience of rest and joy like nothing else. We feel remarkably light. Once work is off the table, there is zero “opportunity cost” to rest and play on that day.
• Second, in Sabbath we encounter a fresh reminder of our identity, who we really are. We are not machines, valuable for what we produce. Our value cannot be found on our resume. We are God’s beloved child, never more ourselves than when experiencing His care and love.
• Third, in Sabbath we also come to know God afresh as well — not merely hearing or thinking about Him, but tasting and seeing that He is good. He is not the taskmaster or hard-to-please parent we sometimes imagine. He is the Father who delights to care for His children. As we taste afresh each and every week, He has laid glorious plans for doing so.
HOW DO WE RECEIVE?
To receive the gift of Sabbath requires intentionality, especially at first. It is as if we are creating a walled garden — one wall at the start and one at the end of the time we’ve set apart.
There’s no place for legalism in deciding what a true Sabbath activity is. But given how easy it is to feel pulled into “getting things done,” it helps to develop a clear plan for receiving the rest, worship and play God intends for us. That can start simply by deciding that during our Sabbath, anything on our “to-do list,” whether at work or home, is laid on the altar. We yield those things completely, along with the false sense of identity promised by ceaseless productivity. It is this decision that transforms the experience within the “walled garden” into something truly different than any other time in the week.
Of course, far more important than what we set aside is what we receive. Sabbath is a remembrance of Eden and a foretaste of heaven. Any form of God-honoring rest, worship and play can be part of the gift: a swim or a nap, hammock or hang-glider, singing in a choir or with family around the piano, a gourmet meal or take-n-bake pizza.
Some thoughts that may help as we plan:
• A full Sabbath is 24-hours, but we can experiment with any block of uninterrupted time.
• While most Christians have practiced Sabbath on Sunday, other days can serve as well.
• A simple activity can help us to “enter” Sabbath, such as lighting a candle or reading a Psalm.
• Many people practice Sabbath sundown to sundown, while others experience it on a single day.
• Consider minimizing use of phones and other technology in order to maximize true refreshment.
• Different seasons of life may call for different ways of practicing Sabbath, each with unique blessings.
EXPLORATORY EXERCISE
Plan for and then receive at least some form of Sabbath once a week during this month. If at all possible, enjoy at least one full, 24-hour Sabbath.
START OF THE MONTH QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
• What thoughts or feelings have you associated with the idea of “Sabbath” in the past? What thoughts and/or feelings rise as you consider it now?
• How might it change your view of Sabbath to see it as an expression of God’s desire to “restore your soul” through worship, rest and play?
• If you don’t currently receive the gift of Sabbath on a regular basis, is there anything about doing so that strikes you as especially attractive? Anything that feels particularly daunting?
• What steps will you likely need to take to receive the gift of Sabbath this month?
• What are some expressions of rest, worship and/or play that you’d find especially life-giving on a Sabbath?
END OF THE MONTH QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
• What steps did you take this month to receive the gift of Sabbath?
• Was there anything you found especially life-giving? Especially challenging?
• What further steps are needed in order for you to receive this gift on a regular basis?
• What would you anticipate the consequences would be for your life over the long haul if you were regularly to receive (or not receive) the gift of Sabbath?
• How might your choices impact others if you were to receive (or not receive) the gift of Sabbath regularly — whether family members, co-workers, fellow believers and/or others?
Scripture Memorizing Scripture
THEME OVERVIEW
When we memorize a phrase or passage, something powerful happens. Words sink deeper, penetrate further, percolate longer than ideas we’ve only read or thought about.
That is why all throughout history, the people of God have not only studied Scripture, but also committed it to memory. They “stored up God’s word in their hearts” (Ps. 119:11).
Like other faithful men and women before and since, Jesus almost certainly invested significant time memorizing Scripture. Some of His first recorded words were drawn from this reservoir: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Deut. 3:8). Some of Jesus’ final words on the cross (Matt. 27:46) came from the same well, quoting Psalm 22. Jesus was fully human, so it is safe to assume he had to work at memorizing, just as we do. From first to last, Jesus’ private thoughts and all He expressed publicly were soaked in Scripture that He’d committed to memory. When we follow Jesus in this practice, a deep-down reservoir of Scripture forms in our hearts. From there, through the gentle work of the Holy Spirit, it rises like a spring into all parts of our lives. It seeps into our thoughts throughout the day, coloring how we think and feel. It infuses fresh life not only into our intellect but also into our longings and our loves. Like a vivid dye, it gives new tints and tones to our character.
Given all that modern neuroscience reveals, memorized Scripture no doubt influences the subconscious networks in our brains profoundly also — feeding into our intuitions, dreams and reflexive reactions. Ultimately, it spills out onto the surface, forming the language of our prayers… calming us in anxiety… guiding as we grapple with a difficult decision… and infusing wisdom into the advice we share with a friend.
When we choose to make Scripture a part of our thoughts like this, we soon find that memorized Scripture is steadily remaking us — even when we’re not aware.
BASIC HOW-TO’S
It’s typical for people to say, “I’m just not very good at memorizing.” But the practice of memorization is much like any other capacity. At first, it requires great effort. It may feel impossible. But in small, frequently-repeated practices, our feeble capacity begins to grow. The more we practice, we not only memorize particular verses — we also grow our “memorizing muscles” over time.
A few simple tips for memorizing:
• Get it on paper. Pick the verse or passage you want to memorize and write it by hand on a 3x5 card or other paper.
• Make consistency easy. Keep the card in a place where you’ll encounter it at least once each day at a time when you can practice it — on the bathroom mirror, your car’s dashboard, etc.
• Build little by little. Start with saying just the first phrase or sentence without looking. Go as far as you can, then start again… and again.
• Repetition is key. Use short periods of focused practice — even just a couple of minutes for a verse or a bit longer for an extended passage. Practicing briefly a few times a day will typically be more effective than a single, extended time of practice.
• Enlist other senses, too. Writing out a passage or listening to a recording you’ve made of it can complement other forms of practice.
EXPLORATORY EXERCISE
Pick a verse or passage that you especially love… and memorize it! If you feel up for it, consider pushing yourself to take on an extended passage or entire Psalm or another chapter. You may be surprised at what short stretches of repeated practice — even just once or twice per day — can add up to over the course of a month!
START OF THE MONTH QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
• What thoughts or feelings come to mind as you consider memorizing Scripture?
• What do you think are some of the benefits you might find in memorizing Scripture? Are there any particular gifts that you’d especially hope to receive?
• As you consider memorizing a new passage of Scripture this month, what feels most challenging? What are you most looking forward to?
• Take a few minutes to select a passage. Write it down. Make a plan for where you’ll place it so you can easily see it throughout the day, and how you’ll be reminded to stop and practice memorizing the passage.
END OF THE MONTH QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
• Were you able to make a plan and prioritize memorizing a new passage this month?
• What gift(s) did you receive because of this?
• Was there anything you found especially challenging as you sought to prioritize memorizing a new passage? Anything especially significant and/or life-giving?
• Did you observe any specific ways or things that help you memorize your selected passage?
Fasting
The Gift of Fasting and Lent
“When you fast… your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
Matthew 6:17-18
THEME OVERVIEW
When a person’s sight is cut off, even by blindfolding, their other senses begin to expand. Brain scans show that new neural pathways swiftly begin to form—enhancing sensitivity to sound, touch and other senses. Those other signals were always there, just unnoticed. Much is lost when a person goes without sight, but remarkable gifts can be discovered as well.
Fasting carries similar experiences. To fast is to go without something in hope of receiving something even better. God’s people have engaged this practice across history, from ancient Israel (e.g. Dan. 10:3, Est. 4:16, Joel 2:12), to Jesus himself (Luke 4:2-4), to the early Church (Acts 12:13, 14:23) and believers ever since.
Like any good thing, fasting can become an attempt just to earn God’s favor or impress others (Isa. 58:3-5, Matt. 6:16-18). But even as Jesus condemned these wrong reasons for fasting, He spoke not of whether we should fast, but how. And He promised that whenever we do fast, our Father will reward our earnest pursuit of Him.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF FEAST
When Jesus Himself was fasting, He rebuked Satan with a potent truth: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:4) Bread is not bad, of course. He was simply reminding that God feeds His children in many other ways, too.
We’ve all experienced that it is not only food, but also non-material things like friendship and beauty, that can restore our health and vitality. Yet we easily miss these other forms of nourishment when our bellies are full and minds distracted. Fasting empties us in a way that helps us to see and feel afresh the nourishment God spill into us through His Word.
Let’s explore this further. What exactly is God’s “Word”? Simply put, God’s logos is what goes out from God anytime He communicates. This logos carries not only ideas—it is living and active (Heb. 4:12), pregnant with power and creative energy. When God releases His Word, whole galaxies are born (Gen. 1:14-15). Humans encounter this life-bearing Word in all of Scripture. It is also woven throughout nature (Ps. 19:1-2, Rom. 1:20), inscribed on every human conscience (Rom. 2:14-15) and conveyed by the Holy Spirit (John 16:13, Rom. 8:16). God’s Word is revealed most vividly in Jesus Christ, the logos made flesh (John 1:1).
To “live by” this Word is to receive and be sustained by the life and strength it carries. We are nourished by God’s logos whenever we meditate on Scripture… contemplate Jesus Christ… drink the beauty of a sunrise… or attend to the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit.
We can receive from God’s Word anytime, anywhere. And yet, something remarkable happens when we temporarily cut ourselves off from other things that normally feed us. Much like the way our other senses quicken when our sight is cut off, when we go without some of God’s physical gifts, we grow more attuned to His subtler gifts. We sense and savor things we’d missed. Lacking normal sustenance, we discover afresh the many ways God sustains us not only by bread, but through His Word — the life-giving vitality of His logos poured into us.
HOW DO WE DO IT?
Fasting is not easy, but it is simple. We choose what we’ll give up — food or drink, technology or talking about ourselves, skipping one meal or abstaining from food for days. We also decide what will fill the void fasting creates. For example, if we go without eating, we may wish to use mealtimes to feed on Scripture or prayer or a worshipful walk outdoors.
While fasting is often solitary, God’s people also choose to fast together at times (e.g. Est. 4:16 or Acts 12:13, 14:23). Sometimes, this is in response to a particular need that calls for earnest prayer. At others, it is part of a yearly calendar. The season of Lent has been a period of communal fasting for many branches of the church since the 4th century or before. Particulars have varied, but Lent generally extends from Ash Wednesday to Easter, during which people forgo certain meals or foods or other things. Participating in Lent can be deeply meaningful as an experience of fasting and of fellowship with Christians across time and around the world.
GIFTS RECEIVED IN FASTING
Most things we fast from are good. So fasting is never merely about what we forgo. It’s most of all about what we gain in the absence — gifts we miss when sated and satisfied. These include:
Humility and gratitude. When we lack something, we are swiftly reminded how much we rely on it. That may reveal an unhealthy dependency we need to root out. But often, we’re simply seeing how feeble we are apart from God’s provision. Even short periods without food leave us weak and irritable. Feeling this frailty physically reminds us that God sustains us constantly. This awakens humility and gratitude, rooted in deep dependence upon God’s care.
Focused prayer. Fasting is almost always paired with prayer in Scripture. Of course, fasting doesn’t “obligate” God to give us what we request. But it does help draw our whole being into the asking. Fasting both expresses and cultivates the kind of earnest, wholehearted asking that God delights to answer.
Spiritual Deepening. Many plants and trees, when deprived of water in drought, develop a dramatically higher “root mass ratio.” Their downward growth expands dramatically compared to their above-the-surface parts. The deprivation of fasting can do the same in us, drawing our root-life ever deeper into Christ.
Ultimately, fasting springs from confidence that when we choose to give up something dear for the sake of knowing Him better, God provides not only what we need, but more. Much more! He feeds us meals we simply can’t taste when our mouths are full of bread. As God’s Word pours strength and life into us, fasting nurtures humility and gratitude. It pulls us more fully into prayer. And it draws our roots deeper into the life of God. As Dallas Willard describes, “Fasting is feasting upon God.”
EXPLORATORY EXERCISE
Idea One: Fast from food for a day or another set period of time once or several times during March.
Idea Two: Fast from something that you normally enjoy for the season of Lent — Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday.
For a bit more on fasting during Lent, visit: https://gravityleadership.com/how-to-fast-for-lent/
START OF THE MONTH QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
• What thoughts or feelings have you associated with the idea of fasting in the past? What thoughts and/or feelings rise as you consider it now?
• How might it change your view of fasting to see it as primarily about receiving something even better than what you’ve given up — to be nourished in fresh ways by God’s provision?
• As you consider a period of fasting, what seems most challenging?
• What are some senses you desire to “awaken” during this period? What are some ways you desire to be more attuned to God’s work and good gifts?
• What ideas for fasting — either during Lent or otherwise — might you consider?
END OF THE MONTH QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
• What did your exploration of fasting look like for you this month?
• Was there anything you found especially challenging? Especially significant and/or life-giving?
• Did you observe any ways in which the going without and/or lack experienced in fasting created time for and/or awareness of other gifts?
• Jesus said that God rewards true-hearted fasting. What blessings might you anticipate would come if you were to regularly participate in periods or seasons of fasting? Is there anything you think you might miss out on if you didn’t do this?
• How might your choices impact others if you were to participate (or not) in periods of fasting regularly — whether family, co-workers, fellow believers and/or others?
Nature
Receiving God’s Gifts in Nature
THEME OVERVIEW
God invites His people to a life of daily pouring out in love and service. This is, in fact, the very best life. But long before we pour a single drop out, God pours in. One way He does this is through the goodness and glory of His creation. As extensive research now confirms, time in nature brings healing and health to every part of a human being — body, intellect, emotions, spirit and relationships. God’s creation, quite literally, pours His life into our soul.
THE WHOLE EARTH IS FULL
Scripture tells us that when we experience God’s creation, we’re confronted by more than physical objects alone. Rather, in nature we encounter a profound revelation of God Himself. As Psalm 19 describes, “The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day, they pour forth speech ... .” Romans 1 explains, “For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities — His eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.”
This encounter is more than just “seeing pretty things.” Quite literally, it spills life and health into us, like sunshine poured into trees. It nurtures our relationship with God, to be sure — and also every other dimension of our being as well. Marvelously, a vast array of scientific studies now affirm this age-old biblical truth. For example:
Body. Time in nature restores and strengthens us physically. Many studies find time in a forest reduces heart rate, blood pressure and muscle tension. Sunlight on our skin boosts the immune system and much more. In another study, hospital patients with windows overlooking natural beauty needed less pain medication, healed faster and returned home more quickly.
Intellect. Time in nature boosts cognitive abilities. A 2012 study found that hikers on a backpacking trip were a full 50% more effective at creative, problem-solving tasks than a control group waiting to take the same hike. A 2015 Stanford study found that those taking a walk outdoors scored notably stronger on memory tasks.
Emotions. Time in nature reduces anxiety, depression and other mental health struggles. It also notably increases reported happiness, vitality and well-being. Children who spend significant time in nature have measurably more positive mental health as adults.
Relationships. Time in nature contributes to social health as well. Studies have found that time outdoors made participants more trusting and generous towards others and also more empathetic. Another found that exposure to nature caused participants to value relationships over fame and wealth and to be more openhanded in giving.
Spirit. Nature stirs awe and wonder, gives a freeing sense of our smallness and invites us to thanksgiving and worship. While science will never be able to plumb these depths, researchers increasingly acknowledge what wise people have always known: the beauty and grandeur of nature touches the deepest parts of ourselves and points Godward for all who have eyes to see. These life-giving gifts are everywhere, all around us, all the time. They are there for us in each day’s sunset and every blade of sidewalk grass; a grand mountain scape, a city park and a single living cell. As the cherubim called out to each other in Isaiah’s vision, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, the whole earth is full of His glory!”
HOW DO WE RECEIVE?
These gifts, like all of God’s presents, come with no charge. “Come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters… without money and without cost” (Isa. 55:1). Only one thing is required: we must receive.
This receiving, however, is not automatic. We all know what it’s like to be surrounded by glory and miss it completely. As Elizabeth Barrett Browning described,
“Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God, But only he who sees takes off his shoes; The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.”
How do we see and receive? Like most things in spiritual life, it begins with small choices.
1. We open our hands by entering creation — from a forest or park to a backyard.
2. We notice and name — observing the wonders all around us, hidden in plain sight… and putting them into words, whether in our thoughts or a journal or to a friend.
3. We give thanks — praising the Maker of all things for His good, good gifts.
At first, even these small choices may require significant effort. But oft repeated, they become habits. And over time, habits grow into formed character. Noticing and naming and giving thanks become second nature, both as effortless and as life-giving as breathing.
EXPLORATORY EXERCISE
Choose one or two ways you’ll spend time receiving God’s gifts in creation this month. Consider a daily practice — such as a short walk in the morning before looking at a screen or having a meal each day outdoors. You may also want to consider a longer outdoor activity, like a weekend hike or camping or family picnic. During these times, take moments to intentionally notice, name and give thanks — in a journal or in prayer and/or to another person.
START OF THE MONTH QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
• Take a moment to review and consider the three “steps” in the Theme Overview —
• We open our hands by entering creation — from a forest or park to a backyard.
• We notice and name — observing the wonders all around us, hidden in plain sight… and putting them into words, whether in our thoughts or a journal or to a friend.
• We give thanks — praising the Maker of all things for His good, good gifts.
• What thoughts or feelings come to mind as you consider “receiving God’s gifts in nature” this month? What do you think are some of the benefits you might find in receiving these gifts?
• Is there anything that feels especially challenging as you consider being intentional to receive these gifts? Anything that feels especially life-giving?
• Take a few minutes to choose one or two ways you’ll spend time receiving God’s gifts in creation this month. Consider starting with one small habit that you’ll begin to incorporate daily.
END OF THE MONTH QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
• What one or two things did you intentionally do this month to receive God’s gifts in nature?
• What are some things you noticed, perhaps for the first time? What gift(s) did you receive as you noticed, named and gave thanks to God for His creation?
• Was there anything you found especially challenging as you sought to prioritize receiving God’s gifts in nature? Anything especially significant and/or life-giving?
• Did you observe any specific choices/actions that helped you prioritize receiving in this way? How can you take those practices and embed them as a more regular rhythm in your life?
The Gifts of Solitude & Silence
THEME OVERVIEW
Solitude
From Moses to David to Paul - and all through history - God’s people have sought the gifts found uniquely in solitude. Jesus spent at least one 40-day period in solitude and the gospels tell us “He often withdrew to lonely places” to be alone with God (Luke 5:16). If Jesus needed that, how much more do we? Little wonder wise Christians across the centuries have urged that times of solitude are an essential part of learning to experience the life God desires for His children. In solitude, we step away from the activities and noise that fill most of life. We forgo human interaction, as well as other things that normally engage, stimulate and pacify us.
But solitude is not merely about absence. Solitude is most of all a choice to turn our whole selves towards God. We give full attention to Him, His Word and His world. We pray and praise. We listen, reflect and wait. And in this, we open ourselves to receive.
The gifts of solitude will be different each time we enter. Sometimes, it may include specific guidance we’re seeking. At other times, it may be just the opposite - a deeper sense of God’s presence despite continued uncertainty. We may see things about ourselves we’ve ignored - areas requiring change or strengths we’ve left under-utilized. We may receive a call to a new place or to new contentment in our current situation. We may feel the brevity of life and its opportunities more keenly or the goodness of the blessings hidden in plain sight all around us.
Whatever gifts God has for us, we must know this: we will inevitably miss many of them if our lives remain a blur of activity and noise. We will simply not see or hear. To choose solitude and silence is to open our eyes, ears and heart — confident that as we do, we will receive.
SUGGESTIONS FOR ENTERING SOLITUDE
Solitude will not happen if we do not actively choose it. Plan ahead for a significant block of unbroken time alone. If you can, aim for 24-hours, including an overnight. If that is not possible, that’s okay — just arrange for the largest block feasible for you. Other elements to consider:
• Ideally, choose a place away from your ordinary spaces - a place you’ll enjoy being, with access to God’s creation and beauty, even if just a garden or small park.
• Be as inaccessible as possible. If necessary, arrange a minimally-intrusive way to reach you.
• Solitude’s essence is the quieting of the typical “noise” of our lives so we can be attentive in ways we rarely are. Do your best to cut out any and all distractions, especially technology. (There’s something wonderfully freeing about not handling a phone all day!)
• Fiercely resist the temptation to do a “quick check” of email, social media, news or other things. Even a glimpse will spur thoughts that will overwhelm quiet attentiveness.
• Try to keep meals and logistics simple, enabling you to focus on being present with God.
• Consider also leaving behind all reading materials except Scripture and/or purely devotional content (i.e., poetry or guided prayers).
WHAT DO I DO IN SOLITUDE?
Solitude is not about activity, but there are many things we can do in solitude that help turn our attention to God and open us to receive. Especially if you’re new to solitude, it may help to plan a general flow. You can move lightly from one activity or focus to the next, giving to each the time that feels natural, always open to the Spirit’s leading. This could include:
• Walking or hiking in nature and other ways to bring your whole body into the experience
• Expressing thanks, praise and adoration to God
• Listening in quiet for God’s “still, small voice”
• Journaling and/or other reflection
• Singing, whether acapella or with your own instrument or recorded music
• Taking a refreshing nap
• Praying for your own needs and desires, for others and for God’s work in our world
• Engaging Scripture in diverse ways — from reading a passage out loud to meditating on it
• Using others’ prayers to guide yours — from Scriptures/Psalms to Liturgy of the Ordinary.
• Writing out a prayer or your own Psalm or other poetry
Solitude can be difficult, especially as we step away from lives saturated with stimulants. We may feel anxious or jittery at first, like a smoker trying to quit cigarettes. It may take a long time before the “merrygo-round” of our thoughts slows enough for us to see clearly. We may also struggle as we confront issues and questions normally kept at bay by busyness and diversion.
But as we open our eyes and ears and hearts, we can also trust that… like so many saints who’ve gone before us in this, including Jesus… our Father has good gifts for His children — gifts that we almost certainly would miss if we never opened ourselves to receive in solitude.
EXPLORATORY EXERCISE
Experience an extended time of solitude and silence on CAFO’s Day of Solitude or another day. Make sure to plan in advance to receive fully the gifts of this time.
For further exploration:
• An Invitation to Solitude and Silence, Ruth Haley Barton
• A Celebration of Discipline, (Chapter on Solitude), Richard Foster
START OF THE MONTH QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
• What thoughts or feelings have you associated with the idea of “Solitude” in the past? What thoughts and/or feelings rise as you consider it now?
• How does it change your view of Solitude to see it not just as going without typical activities and noise, but as a time of special receiving from God?
• As you consider planning a period of Solitude this month, what seems most challenging? What feels most exciting to you?
• What steps do you need to take to receive the gift of Solitude this month?
END OF THE MONTH QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
• Were you able to receive the gift of Solitude this month? What did that look like for you?
• Was there anything you found especially challenging or surprising? Anything you found especially significant or life-giving?
• Are there any specific activities or things you’d consider doing differently as you plan towards your next time of Solitude?
• What steps do you need to take in order to receive this gift on a regular basis?
Simple Guide
Planning a Day of Solitude for Your Team
PLANNING AHEAD
1. Pick the Date.
Decide if you’ll use June 16 (the CAFO-wide Day of Solitude) or another day.
2. Invite the Team.
As soon as you’re able, encourage your team to save the date. Sending a calendar invitation is an easy way to get it on everyone’s schedules. (You may wish to allow those with conflicts to use a different day, while still encouraging all who are able to participate on the same designated day to build a sense of solidarity and shared experience).
3. Share the Vision.
Introduce your team to the concept of the practice of solitude.
• Use the introductory video and two-page overview from CAFO, if helpful.
• For a fuller conversation, you can also use CAFO’s suggested discussion questions.
• Explain that this will be an exploratory, learning experience for the whole team. Freely acknowledge if this is new for you, too. Remind also that going for a day without life’s normal activities, noise and other “stimulants” may be uncomfortable — but is well worth it!
4. Plan the Particulars.
Encourage everyone to make plans as soon as possible for their location and the other details of their Day of Solitude.
• A location away from typical work and home life is ideal, especially one with access to a park, trail and/or other ways to access God’s creation. You may want to look into whether there are retreat grounds, camps or other facilities in your area to recommend.
• While many may only be able to do a workday timeframe, some may be able to carve out 24-hours, which can make the experience all the fuller.
• Emphasize the importance (and lightness!) of unplugging from tech for a day. If a person must be reachable, encourage them to plan a way that’s minimally intrusive.
5. Pray for the Team.
Before, during and after the day, earnestly ask God to pour Himself and His good gifts into each person through the experience of solitude however He might choose.
AFTERWARDS: PROCESS IT TOGETHER.
Plan a time to process the experience together while it’s still fresh.
• Feel free to use CAFO’s suggested discussion questions. Encourage people to share aspects that may have felt difficult or disappointing … as well as the things that felt most meaningful.
• If individuals took a particular realization or idea from their time, encourage them to write it down or memorialize it in some way. Pray for them to internalize and act upon it. If appropriate, make a note to gently ask them about those things at a future date.
• Consider how you and the team might engage solitude and silence in the future, perhaps including shorter times on a more regular basis.
Technology Technology Boundaries
THEME OVERVIEW
We live in a technology-saturated age. One of the most important things we can do for the health of our souls — including our intellect, emotions, body, spirit and relationships — is to intentionally choose the place we’ll give that technology in our lives, especially smartphones and other screens. This is not patty cake. Many of the smartest, best-paid minds in the world work daily to draw you into their apps, news feeds, social media and a million other things. And it’s not only human minds. The algorithms and AI capacities that 20+ years ago beat the world’s best chess player at his own game are now devoted to beating you. Their goal? Simply to get just a little bit more of your attention each day. If we do not intentionally set boundaries for our technology, it will have its way with us, pilfering evergreater portions of our time and attention. It will eat away at many other things also — including our calm and emotional well-being, our capacity to be fully present to others and our ability to discern God’s presence and guidance in our lives. In short, we must rule our technology… or it will rule us.
Studies increasingly confirm strong links between elevated screen use and a vast array of ills, from anxiety and depression to diminished relationships to poor sleep. This effect is most dramatic for children and youth and ultimately affects us all. But there’s very good news, too: reducing phone use and/or social media swiftly and significantly boosts well-being, life satisfaction, happiness and more!
EXPLORATORY EXERCISE
Create your own “Tech Rule.” In a time away from distraction, consider the place you want your smartphone and other tech to have in your life. Then, set on paper a simple “Tech Rule”: clear, specific intentions as to the boundaries you desire to set.
• Short article on the idea of a Tech Rule: “Here’s the Best Thing You Can Do…”
• Workshop from CAFO2022: Children, Technology and Health.
START OF THE MONTH QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
• Take a few minutes to reflect on the time throughout your day that is touched by Technology, whether email or Zoom calls… news or social media or a “mindless” game app… background music or TV. As you think about these experiences, how do you feel? Potentially also consider what is gained and what may be lost by each.
• Is there anything that feels especially challenging as you consider limiting the use and intrusion of technology in your daily life? Anything that feels especially freeing or refreshing?
• How might it affect others if you were to reduce the time and/or places of your technology use — family, friends, co-workers, fellow believers and/or others?
• As you think about creating some “technology rules”, consider starting with one or two initial action steps. Try it for a week and re-evaluate how you feel and any additional changes you want to make.
END OF THE MONTH QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
• Take a few minutes to reflect back on your use of technology this month. In seeking to set boundaries for its place, in what ways were you able to stick with your plan/”Tech Rule”?
• In reducing the time and attention given to screens, did you notice any changes in your thoughts? Feelings? The way your physical body felt throughout the day?
• What did you find most challenging about seeking to reduce your technology touchpoints throughout the day? What did you find especially life-giving?
• What changes did you make this month that you’d like to continue on a regular basis? Are there any other changes you’d like to consider making to continue reducing the influence of technology in your day-to-day?
THEME OVERVIEW
Prayer The Gift of Prayer
All of life is spiritually charged. God is at work. So is His Enemy. Our ultimate opponents are never bad people or circumstances, but the spiritual forces behind them (Eph. 6:12).
Scripture gives us only the faintest glimpses of this reality. Thank God for that. If we were to see it all now, we’d likely melt in a puddle of fear or inadequacy. God does not intend for us to obsess about things we cannot understand or control (Ps. 131).
And yet, wonderfully, God invites us to join Him in His work on earth, like children working alongside their father in his fields. He does not need our feeble capacity. But He delights for us to be with Him and to grow more like Him as we labor at His side.
This life alongside God includes work and other outward actions. But at its core is prayer. We can share anything that is on our hearts, both inviting His thoughts and asking His help in it. In prayer, we seek to align our will with God’s and request His action.
Here is a truth both mysterious and marvelous: God limits Himself and His action so that we can join in His work through prayer. He often waits to do until we ask, giving to us a small yet essential part in it all. It’s a bit like a parent or coach holding back in giving aid til asked. Something in the dance of requestand-response may be even more important than what’s given, strengthening connection, teamwork and love.
THE POWER AND COLLATERAL BENEFITS OF PRAYER
Scripture presents prayer as an act pregnant with meaning and power. It alters the course of things in both the physical and spiritual realm. As James 5:16 puts it, “The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.” (MSG)
Meanwhile, as we steadily learn to pray as Jesus did, “Not My will, but Thine be done,” (Luke 22:42) we are profoundly altered as well. Our definition of what is truly good for us and for others shifts to align with God’s.
Scripture promises other benefits alongside this power also. Philippians 4:6-7 describes, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Science will never plumb the depths of this promise, yet fascinating studies highlight some of prayer’s collateral benefits. Prayer increases optimism, boosts emotional regulation and decreases stress response and likelihood of anxiety and anxiety-related disorders, including worry, fear and social anxiety. We may never grasp exactly how this works or when these gifts are a “common grace” (given broadly like sunlight and rain — i.e., Matt. 5:45) or special grace to God’s children. But without doubt, the opportunity to come to God in prayer is not just a command; it is among His most precious gifts to us.
FORMS OF PRAYER
All prayer is communion with God, but it takes many forms. It includes confession of sin and adoration of God, requests for ourselves and for others, expression of thanksgiving, questions and even anguish. We can earnestly speak and quietly listen. We can draw words from Scripture, from prayers of saints who’ve gone before and from the depths of our own heart. We can pray in song and silently, alone or with others, for set periods and all throughout the day. Each way of praying brings unique gifts. Yet in all prayer, we learn the availability of God’s presence and power at any time or place. Prayer is life with God.
EXPLORATORY EXERCISE
There’s no better way to grow in prayer than simply to do it. We can pray in any posture and place. But there’s something in getting down on our knees that helps bring our whole being into the humility and dependence at the heart of prayer.
Option 1: Prayer on knees. Spend at least 5 full minutes each day, ideally in the morning, on your knees in prayer. If possible, pray out loud.
Some of the most important prayer comes, like breath, right in the thick of daily life. As Dallas Willard describes, our goal is not a “prayer life” but a “praying life”. Learning this takes much effort at first, but becomes easier the more we do it.
Option 2: Prayer in Transitions. Seek to form a habit of brief prayers in the transitions of your day. Turn for a moment Godward in each shift — from breakfast to clean up, home to work, a meeting to checking emails, driving to entering a grocery store. At each transition, THANK God for the prior moment/person and BLESS it/them (i.e., request His goodness and grace for them), then look ahead and ASK God to bring good in whatever situation/person comes next
For Further Reading: A Praying Life by Paul Miller
START OF THE MONTH QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
• What thoughts or feelings arise as you think about prayer in general?
• Take a few minutes to consider your current habits surrounding prayer. How might the Lord be inviting you to consider shifting and/or expanding those rhythms?
• As you purpose to take on one of the two exploratory prayer exercises, what seems most challenging? What feels most exciting to you?
• What are 2-3 specific things you want to intentionally pray about and set before the Lord this month? Are there specific outcomes you are hopeful for with each of those things?
END OF THE MONTH QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
• Share about your experience seeking to practice the exploratory exercise you chose. What did that look like for you?
• Was there anything you found especially challenging or surprising? Anything you found especially significant or life-giving?
• Are there any specific habits or rhythms you feel the Lord wants you to continue to incorporate moving forward?
• How did you see the Lord move in the specific things you intentionally brought to Him this month?
Time Time with God
THEME OVERVIEW
All ministry is a pouring out. In any service to others, life and strength spills from us to others — and by God’s grace, brings new health to them. There are few things better than being part of this. But this we must know: if life continues to pour out of us without life pouring in, we will run dry.
That’s the bad news. But here’s the very good news: our Father delights to pour life into us, to restore our soul. And He’s doing that all the time — in every breath of life-giving oxygen, in water that refreshes, in food that sustains, in sleep that renews, in time out in Creation that restores body and mind. God is pouring life into us, everywhere and all the time.
In God’s mercy, these gifts are offered lavishly to all — both “the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matt. 5:45-47). Yet God also invites His children to receive in special ways and consistent opportunities to be restored by Him. It’s a bit like mealtimes: we can eat anytime and often do, but the practice of breakfast, lunch and dinner provide a dependable regularity to our receiving.
As we’ve discussed, we can call these practices rhythms of receiving. They include the yearly rhythm of a “Pilgrim Feast” and the weekly rhythm of Sabbath. But happily, this invitation isn’t only to yearly and weekly receiving. God also invites us into a daily receiving — taking at least a little time each day away from activity and noise to be with Him and receive new life from Him.
THE TESTIMONY OF GOD’S PEOPLE
Psalm 5 describes David’s regular practice, “In the morning, Lord, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait expectantly.” This picture of a daily return to God and focused time with Him — seeking, asking, waiting — has been the consistent practice of faithful believers throughout history.
Jesus himself did this often. The first chapter of Mark describes what must have been an exhausting evening for Jesus. A healing power had poured from him into person after person. Yet the next morning,
while it was still dark, Jesus slipped out to be alone with his Father. He longed for the restoration that time would provide even more than sleep.
Luke tells us that this was a regular practice for Jesus (5:16). If you read the biographies of faithful saints across the centuries, you’ll see the same was true for them also — from St. Augustine to Amy Carmichael, William Wilberforce to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, CS Lewis to Elisabeth Elliot. For most every believer who has lived a vibrant and fruitful life in God, this practice has been lifeblood.
Of course, good things can so easily be distorted. We can imagine God loves us more when we do our daily “quiet time”… or fear that He won’t bless us if we don’t. What rescues us from legalism and other false notions is understanding that this practice — whether we call it “daily devotions” or “quiet time” or anything else — is at its heart about receiving God’s good gifts. In a word, grace — charis, which literally means “a good gift that brings pleasure.” We need His life and health and strength… and He delights to give it. Why wouldn’t we keep a regular practice of receiving?
HOW?
In seeing this daily practice as an invitation to receive, we feel a freedom to receive a bit differently each day:
• We open our hands to receive in myriad ways. We may delve deeply into Scripture — studying or meditating on or memorizing God’s written Word. We can pray earnestly — in supplication or longing or praise. We may sit in stillness or sing out loud or reflect in a journal. We may walk out in God’s creation — talking with Him and thanking Him for the beauty He’s made. Each of these ways of receiving provides distinct and essential “nutrients” that we’ll want — and perhaps need — to seek over time.
• The time can be short or long. (Though we should know that when we give more of ourselves to this, we often receive all the more.)
• We can do it in the morning, at midday or at night. (Though wise saints and age-old Christian practice attest that starting the day with this receiving can be especially precious and life-giving).
EXPLORATORY EXERCISE
It’s pretty simple. Make it your intention to spend at least a little time alone with God each day this month at a regular time — building a “rhythm of receiving” life, health and strength from God. Consider giving the first moments and thoughts of your day to this, before turning to the stressors and stimulants delivered by technology like your phone or computer.
START OF THE MONTH QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
• What thoughts or feelings have you associated with the idea of a daily “Time with God” (or “quiet time” or “devotions”) in the past? What thoughts and/or feelings rise as you consider it now?
• How does it change your view of Time with God to see it as a receiving and filling?
• As you consider intentional Time with God each day this month, what seems most challenging? What feels most exciting to you?
• What steps do you need to take to be intentional about Time with God each day this month?
END OF THE MONTH QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
• Were you able to spend Time with God on most days this month? What did that look like for you?
• Was there anything you found especially challenging or surprising? Anything you found especially significant or life-giving?
• Are there any specific habits or rhythms you feel the Lord wants you to continue to incorporate moving forward?
Pruning
Pruning & Simplicity
“Every branch that bears fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” —John 15:2
Prune (Merriam-Webster):
1. to reduce especially by eliminating superfluous matter; 2. to cut off or cut back parts of for better shape or more fruitful growth.
THEME OVERVIEW
To produce good fruit, a grapevine must be pruned. Pruning means lopping off branches and other growth so that the plant’s finite resources can be re-focused, channeled in fewer directions. Pruning can feel brutal. It cuts out, curtails, ends things that had been growing. It seems to be all loss. But unless a vine is pruned, it will not thrive. An unpruned vine may produce fruit, even lots of it — but that fruit will be small and bitter. Only through the reducing and prioritizing that pruning brings will a vine produce the sweet, luscious fruit that God intends.
Jesus tells us the same is true of the Christian life. We are like branches on a grapevine. We cannot produce fruit just by willing it. We draw life from beyond ourselves. Jesus is that source, the Vine. When we are rooted in Him, we will produce much fruit. Like any branch, however, if we are to produce the best, sweetest fruit, we must be pruned. Shoots and other growth need to be cut back, sometimes starkly, so that limited resources can be re-focused. Only then will we yield the good fruit that we desire and God intends.
If pruning was essential in Jesus’ day, how much more so now? Our era is defined by boundless options — from the supermarket… to online rabbit holes… to boundless activities and involvements. The default mode of life today looks like a grapevine at summer’s end: a riot of branches running everywhere. Without active pruning, we will expend ourselves in every direction. In that state, we may produce a lot of grapes, but they will be small and bitter.
This pruning is God’s work first. But, like most things our Father does, He invites us to participate in it with Him. Even when we cling to things, He may — thankfully! — still cut them from our grasp.
But it is always best and easiest, to join Him in the pruning — thoughtfully, prayerfully cutting back secondary things in order to give ourselves more fully to what matters most.
WHAT ARE THE RESOURCES WE HAVE TO EXPEND?
As we consider where and how God may be inviting us to prune, it’s helpful to consider four primary resources we possess and expend:
Time. Every person, rich or poor, is given 24 hours to steward each day. Some of these expenditures aren’t particularly flexible. But how we invest our negotiable time is among the most important decisions we make.
Energy. We each possess “dynamis” that we can pour into tasks and people — our strength and vitality. This capacity includes both physical and emotional/mental energy. Unlike time, energy can expand or diminish based on things like sleep, exercise and diet. But still, each day’s capacity is finite and precious.
Material assets. Money and other assets represent stored potential. We can expend them to affect things we desire, from meeting our own needs and wants, to bringing good to others.
Attention. This may be the least obvious and most important of our resources. Modern life pulls powerfully toward distraction and “continuous partial attention.” Where we choose to focus our attention is first freedom and will ultimately shape most everything else about us.
HOW DO WE PRUNE?
To prune well we must begin with a sense of the end we seek. The purpose of pruning is not merely a “simple” life — though simplifying carries many benefits. Most of all, pruning is about living into the fullness that God intends for His children, especially to know the deep joy that comes as we see good fruit rising from our endeavors. As we cut back the flow of our time, energy, money and attention to things of secondary value, the most important things in our lives flourish. This includes both fruit within us — love, joy, peace and more — and good fruit we help to bring in the lives of those around us.
Pruning begins with prayer. We ask God to help us to see clearly what matters most in our lives and thus what we need to cut back to cultivate those priorities more fully. Some things we prune may be truly bad — worthless timesucks or even sin. But many will be neutral or even good things. We lay aside not only “the sin that so easily entangles” but also “every weight” that keeps us from giving ourselves fully to God’s best.
As we prune, sometimes we’ll identify where we’ll redirect the resources we’ve saved. For example, instead of afternoon news-checks, we might spend that time and emotional energy checking in on a friend. At other times, we may simply leave the time and/or other resources unallocated, trusting that God will bring good from the openness that pruning has brought.
EXPLORATORY EXERCISE
Prayerfully seek out one or more ways you typically expend time, energy, money and/or attention to prune this month. As you do, take note of what happens in the space created by this pruning.
START OF THE MONTH QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
• When you hear the word “pruning” — what is your first thought or reaction? What thoughts or feelings rise as you consider what this means?
• As we consider what pruning looks like — limiting, focusing and prioritizing — in order to bring good fruit, think through each of the following categories and identify an area (including specific activities) that you may need to consider pruning:
• Time
• Energy
• Money
• Attention
• From the list you identified, pick 1-2 that you want to focus on this month. Ask the Lord to guide you in finding ways to prune, while also seeing the good fruit He brings in it’s absence.
END OF THE MONTH QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
• Think back and reflect on the 1-2 items that you identified for pruning at the start of the month. Were you able to prune? What did that look like for you?
• Was there anything you found especially challenging or surprising in these areas? Anything you found especially significant or life-giving?
• Were there any specific areas you noticed new, good fruit being produced?
• Are there any specific habits or areas of pruning you feel the Lord wants you to continue pruning? Any new areas you feel He wants you to add?
Gift of Gratitude
Gratitude
“Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God, But only he who sees takes off his shoes; The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.”
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
THEME OVERVIEW
The Bible overflows with calls to thanksgiving:
“Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving…” — Psalm 95:2
“Always give thanks to God the Father for everything…” — Ephesians 5:20
“[L]ive your lives in Him… overflowing with thankfulness.” — Colossians 2:6-7
“…Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God…” — I Thes. 5:16-18
This simple, cost-free act is the wellspring of a vibrant Christian life. Every expression of thanks lifts our gaze and our hearts. It raises our focus: from self to God and from all we wish we had to all we’ve been given. It also raises our mood: from thoughtlessness or grumbling to appreciative joy.
When we choose gratitude, things return to their right places, like a hub recentered at the middle of a wheel. We remember that we are small and dependent, yet also cared for and deeply loved. We feel afresh God’s generosity and grandeur.
Gratitude is the one gift that unlocks all the others. Without gratitude, we’ll inevitably miss the good that surrounds us every day. Gratitude opens our eyes and hearts, enabling us to see all gifts and delight in both their goodness and their Giver.
To be clear, thanksgiving does not deny the world’s hurt or our own. The Apostle Paul knew suffering well — from shipwrecks and slander to snakebites and stoning. Yet in virtually every letter he wrote, Paul called God’s people to continually give thanks.
Best of all, he lived what he taught. Think of Paul and Silas in the Philippian prison, their backs lacerated by flogging. Held fast in cruel stocks, they could not stand or lie down, their joints and muscles aching. Yet there in the darkness they sang out thanks and praise to God. As they did, what bound them fell away; gates opened and walls crumbled. Gratitude always does that — within us and sometimes beyond us, too. It frees us from shackles of self-focus and complaint and lets us rise again with glad hearts and a hopeful gaze.
OTHER BENEFITS OF GRATITUDE
Like all that God calls His people to, giving thanks brings remarkable benefits for all of life. This should be no surprise. After all, He made us and knows what we need to thrive. Science now affirms a wide array of powerful effects that come through gratitude — to our mind, heart, body and relationships. This includes:
• Greater happiness and emotional well-being.
• Fewer destructive emotions, like envy, resentment and frustration.
• Increased alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness and energy
• Greater physical health — both in how we feel and, remarkably, in objective measures
• Stronger connections with others, more willingness to help and a happier marriage.
• More willingness to forgive the wrongs of others and less desire for revenge.
• Reduced anxiety, depression, stress and stress hormones.
• Lower blood pressure, bad cholesterol and markers of inflammation.
• Improved sleep quality and duration.
• Increased resilience and greater capacity to overcome trauma.
Remarkably, practices of gratitude that produce outcomes like these are often simple once-a-day or even weekly practices. For example, in one study, when participants were asked to write down five things they were thankful for just once a week, it measurably increased their happiness and reduced physical aches and pains and also (intriguingly) boosted their likelihood of doing exercise. If a medication could do even half of these things, it’d be worth billions! Yet this prescription has no side effects and doesn’t cost a cent!
CHOOSING GRATITUDE
The key ingredients of gratitude are simple: seeing and saying. We first choose to pay attention — noticing God’s good gifts, from green grass to a stranger’s smile, the marvel of a human hand to the wonder of God’s grace. Then, we put it into words — naming the goodness we’ve received and expressing thanks to the Giver in speech or writing or song.
EXPLORATORY EXERCISE
Seeing & Saying. Each day this month, take a few minutes to notice and to express thanks for God’s gifts big and small. Start each time asking God to grow in you a grateful heart. As the poet George Herbert put it in the beautiful poem “Gratefulness,” we desire not a heart that is merely “grateful when it pleaseth me, as if thy gifts had spare days, but such a heart whose pulse may be Thy praise.”
After prayer, write out 5-10 things you’re grateful for. As you do, express to God your gratitude for each. (Bonus: Write a letter or email thanking a person for whom you’re especially grateful).
START OF THE MONTH QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
• What do you observe in yourself — your feelings, outlook on life, attitude towards others — when you choose to focus on and express gratitude? What do you see when this gratitude and giving of thanks is largely absent?
• As you consider taking action to intentionally express gratitude each day this month, what seems most challenging? What feels most exciting to you?
• What steps do you need to take to be intentional about making time each day to feel and express gratitude?
END OF THE MONTH QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
• Were you able to spend time expressing gratitude on most days this month? What did that look like for you?
• Was there anything you found especially challenging or surprising? Anything you found especially significant or life-giving?
• Were there any specific areas you noticed new, good fruit being produced?
• Are there any specific habits or rhythms you feel the Lord wants you to continue to incorporate moving forward?
Generosity & Secrecy
Generosity
“God so loved He gave ... ”
John 3:16
THEME OVERVIEW
In many ways, generosity is the completion of the Christian life, its fullest expression. It fulfills the marvelous cycle of God’s generosity: He pours His good upon us… we receive and delight… and then we go and do likewise. Our generosity springs always from His (i.e., Jas. 1:17, I John 4:19, I Tim. 6:17).
Throughout Scripture, God calls His people to practice generosity:
“ ... Be openhanded and freely lend.” — Deuteronomy 15:8
“ ... Be generous and willing to share.” — I Timothy 6:18
“ ... God loves a cheerful giver.” — 2 Corinthians 9:7
When Christians live in generosity, God’s heart is revealed. And yet, Jesus warned against giving merely to be seen and praised by others. Using a humorous image, he encouraged such secrecy that even your left hand wouldn’t notice what the right hand was doing. The point isn’t that our giving will never be observed. As Jesus said, “A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” But giving in secret not only keeps us from giving for the wrong reasons. It also makes giving an adventure, a lighthearted cloak-and-dagger to escape notice when we’re bringing good to others. When we give in that way, Jesus promises, “Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
WHAT DOES GENEROSITY INCLUDE?
Generosity taps the gifts we’ve been given and spills them forward into the lives of others. It often involves money but also includes sharing other things as well — material goods and other assets, food, hospitality, service, focused attention, opportunities and much more.
Generosity begins with tangible needs of those around us. Romans urges, “Share with God’s people who are in need.” This kind of generosity helped weave the fabric of the early church. Christians regularly sold assets to help care for widows, orphans and the poor (Acts 2:45, 4:37, 6:1) and collections were often taken to aid believers in special need (Acts 11:29, Rom. 15:26, Gal. 2:10, 2 Cor. 8:14). This kind of giving has defined Christians throughout history.
Yet generosity is about more than just filling a lack. Like God Himself, biblical generosity takes delight in bringing delight. Most of all, it longs to see others joy-filled and flourishing. In this, generosity is the glad giving of anything we value in order to bring good to another.
THE GIFTS THAT COME WITH GIVING
A mysterious law is at work when we give: generosity begets generosity. As Proverbs observes, “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” (Prov. 11:25)
Fascinatingly, studies now affirm this reality. Research consistently finds that generosity nurtures health and wellbeing in all parts of a person. One study of 130+ countries worldwide, both rich and poor, found that people who gave more to others were reliably happier. Research also finds that — on average — when a person gives to charity in a given year, their income in the next year rises substantially faster than a similar person who did not (Arthur Brooks, Who Really Cares?)
Jesus described, “Give and it will be given to you in good measure, pressed down and overflowing…” (Luke 6:38) His point was not that our giving somehow obligates God to give us more. Rather, when we live generously, we enter the dance of God’s economy. It is an economy of grace, where mere earning, trade and fairness is continually displaced by underserved bounty.
As we enter the economy of grace, we encounter marvelous gifts. We change as our heart inevitably follows our treasure. Small, self-centered interests that consumed us are replaced by expansive desires for God’s glory and others’ good. We’re more deeply and loyally bound to others and they to us. Jesus was right! “It is more blessed” — joy-filled and healthful and more — “to give than to receive.”
CHOOSING GENEROSITY
When we’re living in the fullness of God’s life, generosity is as natural and easy as the flow of water through a stream — life flowing in, life flowing out. But often our giving is damned up by our fear for the future, habits of clinging or greed. Breaking this blockage can be difficult.
At first we must choose generosity, often with great effort. We look for needs around us and decide to give. We notice other ways we can share blessings, too: a task handled for a neighbor, a thoughtful present, a gift card or meal dropped by, providing young parents with an opportunity for a weekend away.
As we do this, choosing to re-enter the dance of God’s economy again and again, generosity becomes not just easier ... it becomes irresistible. The delight of giving blossoms into one of our greatest joys, one we can hardly imagine living without!
EXPLORATORY EXERCISE
Each morning, pray that God would grow a more generous heart in you and then ask, “How would You invite me to give today?” (It may help to keep this question on a notecard in your Bible or the place where you pray.) Then keep your eyes out for opportunities to give — from a kiss on the cheek to your child or a shoulder massage to your spouse to much larger gifts. At least once, try one of the following:
• Provide a financial gift to a person/family who is in a difficult situation, if possible without them knowing who it is from.
• Identify a non-financial resource that’s valuable to you — whether time or energy… access to a vacation home… a meal you make — and share it with someone to whom it will bring joy.
• With family or friends, form a “Secret Society of Saint Nicholas” — and spend an afternoon or evening secretly delivering small gifts or treats, attempting to knock and speed away before you’re seen.
START OF THE MONTH QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
• Share a time when you’ve keenly felt the goodness of generosity and what it means to experience God’s “economy of grace” — whether in receiving from the generosity of others or in choosing to give something dear to you.
• What kind of generosity in others do you especially admire and/or feel is especially meaningful to you?
• Which of the gifts you’ve received from God — your resources — do you feel God may be inviting you to share generously in this season of life?
• Review the suggested Exploratory Exercise and choose one “generosity experience” to practice this month.
END OF THE MONTH QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
• Were you able to complete a “generosity experience” this month? How did you feel?
• Are there any particular ways you’ve experienced God’s generosity through another person this month? How did that make you feel?
• As you reflect on God’s Word “It is more blessed to give than to receive…” — how might God be asking you to be more intentional in being generous on an on-going basis? What blessings would you anticipate from obedience in this area?
• Are there any particular fears or concerns that arise as you think about how God might be asking you to be generous with your resources?
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