This year as we each do the work of crafting a personal rhythm of life, we will continue to explore our deepest desires in our relationship with God, self, others, and the world. Last night, Curtis Miller helped us dive into our relationship with others. He masterfully guided us through our creation in the image of a loving, triune God and helped us understand that we were created to reflect God’s character to the world in loving community.
Our practice for the evening was a Visio Divina with Andrei Rublev’s icon, The Trinity. We asked God to show us what steps we can take to move into deeper, more loving community. We shared our reflections with one another, and then we spoke about Practice Tables.
There are four weeks scheduled between now and June when we will not gather in the chapel, but we will meet in homes to share a meal and our process building a rhythm of life. The first table is February 26th, and we will be sharing the description of the life we long for with one another. Here is a copy of a handout you can use to craft your description, and we will begin sharing some examples of descriptions at practicetribe.com/rhythmoflife.
If you are willing to gather some people together and host a table, please let me know. I would love to support you in any way I can, and I’d like to learn from your experience. You can also let me know if you would like some help getting connected to a table. We don’t want anyone to be left out, so we would love to help you get connected. (You can email me at [email protected])
We have two Kingdom Practices this week. First, let’s continue refining the description of the life we long for in preparation for the first Practice Table on February 26th. As you listened to Curtis, what was stirring in you? Where did you sense the Holy Spirit whispering? How do you desire to reflect God’s loving image in your relationships with others? Our second practice is to take the next steps we identified in the practice time.
Additional Resources:
[amazon text=Spiritual Friendships&asin=0830835105] by Mindy Caliguire is one of the best books you could read about spiritual friendships.
[amazon text=Sacred Companions&asin=083083270X] by David Benner is a comprehensive look at the role spiritual friendships and spiritual directors play in our lives.
[amazon text=Behold the Beauty of the Lord&asin=1594711364] by Henri Nouwen is the book Curtis referenced.
[amazon text=Sacred Rhythms&asin=0830833331] by Ruth Barton casts a beautiful vision for a rhythm of life.
[amazon text=Crafting a Rule of Life&asin=0830835644] by Stephen Macchia is a practical resource for building a rhythm of life.
[amazon text=God in My Everything&asin=0310499259] by Ken Shigematsu is another wonderful book about rhythms of life.
Being Disciples is a short read (and FREE!) about the role of the spiritual disciplines on this journey.
[amazon text=Spiritual Disciplines Handbook&asin=0830846050] by Adele Calhoun is the best and most comprehensive resource for individual disciplines around.