Posts Tagged ‘spiritual discipline’

1 Dec

Advent Day 4

Posted by Kerri Hefner in devotional. Tagged: , , .

Advent Day 4:  Scripture

As a pastor, I often hear two complaints about reading the Bible. 

One:  “I tried this daily Bible reading program, but I stopped at _______.”

Two:  “I try reading the Bible, but I have no idea what some of the stuff in there means.”

If either of those statements apply to you, consider yourself free from guilt today.  It is hard to read a bunch of words day after day if you aren’t connecting with them.  It makes you feel even worse if you think you are supposed to have a grand revelation every time you open your Bible.

Try going at it a different way.  The method I’ll outline today is easy on the surface, but can lead you to deeper study if you so choose.  It goes by different names, but “Reporter’s Bible Study” is a good name.  You can read about this and other methods in Prayer and Temperament (see info on my “Resources” page.)

First, choose a passage that is more like a story (poetic or instructional passages don’t work as well with this method.)  Try Genesis, Exodus, Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John.  A great passage for trying this method is John 8:2-11.

Then, after reading the passage, answer the following questions:

  1. Who is in the passage?  Is anyone unnamed or silent?  (In the John passage, the woman doesn’t have a name.)
  2. Where (2a) and when (2b) are the events happening?
  3. What is happening in the passage?
  4. How are the events described in the passage playing out?  How are the events being presented to you, the reader?  For example, this passage in John is very brief, and so many details are unknown.  Another “how” question:  is there an image or word that appears more than once in the passage, and if so, what might that mean?
  5. Why do you think things happened the way they did?  There is no right answer here.

If you choose to dig a little deeper after looking at these five questions, head to a library and look for a Bible dictionary.  In a Bible dictionary, you can look up words like “stone” and read all about the punishment the woman in John 8 was facing (death by stoning.)  You can look this stuff up on Wikipedia or in an online Bible dictionary, but keep in mind that Wikipedia doesn’t always have complete information, and many of the online Bible dictionaries are written by people who want to prove a point.  You’d be better off with the print versions published by Eerdmans or HarperCollins.  And while you’re at it, ask the librarian for more books with background information about the Bible.  (Sometimes the good stuff is a little old-fashioned…)

Today’s daily Scripture readings from the PC(USA):  http://gamc.pcusa.org/devotion/daily/2010/12/1/

30 Nov

Advent Day 3

Posted by Kerri Hefner in devotional. Tagged: , , , .

Advent Day 3:  Prayer

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host,  praising God and saying,
   “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
   and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”   (Luke 1:14)  

Ah, the dreaded outline.  Did you ever have to make an outline for a class:  an outline of a paper, or of a chapter you read in your textbook?  Boring, huh? 

Yet I think the opposite can be true for prayer.  Sometimes we just have no idea what to say to God.  If you’ve ever experienced a lack of words (or if you think your words are getting in the way), try “outlining” your prayer.   It may feel fake at first, but after a while it may help you guide your thoughts.  Here are some suggested outlines, and you can make up your own.

“ACTS” outline:  this contains all the elements of the Lord’s Prayer, by the way.  I’ll write more about the Lord’s Prayer in a later post.

Adoration:   praising God.  Begin your prayer by reflecting on what’s great about God.  My experience using this outline is that this is the most difficult step.  What can I say that doesn’t sound cheesy, or hasn’t been said better by someone else?  Sometimes for this step I just sit and enjoy God’s presence, to help me stop worrying about what to say and to put me in the right frame of mind for prayer.  Or, I repeat the words to a hymn or praise song.

Confession:  letting go of whatever you did wrong and asking for forgiveness and restoration.

Thanksgiving:  just like what it says.  Give thanks to God.

Supplication:  this means asking for things.  It’s OK to ask for healing for sick people, and guidance for confused people, for world peace, and so on.  I don’t think supplication is about asking God for magic tricks.  Instead, sometimes as we pray over and over for something, we begin to see the world through God’s eyes, and we see how God is already answering our prayers.  Also, sometimes through supplication God helps us accomplish what we pray for.  Those who pray for peace may learn over time how to become peacemakers, for example.

“Breath Prayer” outline.  You can do this in one of two ways. 

First, you can say a word such as “ask” when you breathe out, and “receive” when you breathe in.  Other useful words:  peace, love, hope, Spirit, shalom, I, Thou, one, many.

Second, you can stretch the prayer out, spending some time looking inward and then considering the world around you.  I used to do this in a particular place I would walk every morning:  on the first half of the walk I would lift up whatever was going on in my life to God, and on the second half I would ask God for direction on how I would be a servant in God’s world that day.

May your prayers be like the breath of life.  (see Genesis 2.)

Today’s daily Scripture reading from the PC(USA):  http://gamc.pcusa.org/devotion/daily/2010/11/30/

28 Nov

Advent Day 1

Posted by Kerri Hefner in devotional. Tagged: , , .

Advent Day 1 :  Prepare the Way

A voice cries out:
In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.  (Isaiah 40:3)

If you go to church this morning (depending on the church), you may hear some things you aren’t expecting to hear:  in particular, Advent music. What in the world is Advent music?   And where did my Christmas carols go?

Generally, Advent Scripture readings and music draw heavily from the prophets of the Bible and from Jesus’ own words about his return.  During the four Sundays of Advent, we’ll hear from people who preached about God’s plans for the world:  plans that included a baby and so much more.  We’ll hear from people who said, “Prepare the way!  God is getting ready to do tremendous things.”  Each year, pastors like me hope that by focusing on Advent, we will reawaken ourselves to the many ways God reaches out to us and dwells with us.

By the way, Christians who observe Advent aren’t necessarily anti-Christmas!  It’s just that we know we have some serious things to think about before Christmas comes.  After all, Christians claim that the little baby Jesus really is the Son of God, and that’s not a statement we can make lightly!  We ought to spend some time thinking about what it means for God to take up residence here on earth.

So today’s spiritual discipline is “getting ready” or “preparing the way.” Here’s an exercise for today:

Pretend that you live in a very small dorm room or apartment (perhaps you already do!)  You are notified that on Christmas morning, an important person will show up to stay at your home.  What do you need to do in order to get ready?  What needs to be cleaned or fixed?  How can you make your small space welcoming and inviting?  What food will you serve to your guest?  What would you like to talk about with him or her?  Apply these same questions to Christ.  How will you welcome him and serve him, though you may feel “small” in your spiritual life?  What will you talk about with Jesus?  What do you hope will happen during his stay?

Write these things in a journal and revisit your thoughts as Advent continues.

Today’s PC(USA) online Scripture readings:  http://gamc.pcusa.org/devotion/daily/2010/11/28/

23 Feb

I am counting on Christ

Posted by Kerri Hefner in Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , .

“Christ is counting on you.”

“And I am counting on Christ.”

This short liturgy is part of our annual commissioning service for college students going on a mission trip. Near the end of the service, the leaders pass out simple wooden crosses, and the words are recited by the giver and receiver as each cross is handed out.

Over the last few years, it has been relatively easy to say these words as I gave or received a cross. In my five short years of campus ministry experience I’ve traveled to places that challenged me. And, as someone who’s both a pastor and a woman, I have an extra layer of challenge when I visit new places and need to explain who I am. On those trips, I instinctively knew I needed to count on Christ.

This year our mission trip destination is Santa Fe, New Mexico. As we passed around the crosses at our service this weekend, I felt a little weird saying the words. After all, Santa Fe is a beautiful American city. There has been no natural disaster recently, I know of no recent crisis apart from the recession, and I wonder a little bit what the challenge will be.

To be sure, there are needs in Santa Fe, and we will spend time in service helping to meet those needs. I think the challenge, and the need to count on Christ, will emerge more within the group. We have made some covenants with each other about how to live during the week, and living out those covenants may be tough.

Here’s what we have promised each other so far:

  • To go to the grocery store only once during the week.
  • To re-use materials, such as plastic sandwich bags, water bottles, and cloth lunch bags.
  • To memorize a verse from Scripture.
  • To let everyone in the group have a chance to talk before anyone gets a second turn.
  • To spend time in silent retreat at a monastery (Christ in the Desert) and working with a spiritual director near the end of the trip.

These are simple practices and probably none of this will radically change the world. But the week of practicing these disciplines could change us.

I think I will be challenged by several of these promises, particularly the re-using of materials.  I’m always in a rush and it is so easy to get water, coffee, lunch, or anything in a disposable container.  To make it through the week, to avoid falling back into old patterns of consumption and clatter, we will all need to count on Christ.  I hope that when we return we’ll be more attentive to how much we use and how much noise we make in our daily lives.

Our commissioning service also included reading Philippians 4:10-13 (” I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”)  Paul writes in chapter 4 about having experience with plenty and with want.  The Scripture just happened to be a daily Scripture reading on the Presbyterian Church (USA) daily reading site.  It was truly one of those moments when everything comes together.  I love that I’m taking a journey during Lent, and that I, a person with so much stuff, will make the choice to make do.  Furthermore, in the spirit of the letter to the Philippians, I’ll be challenged in the knowledge that everything depends on God instead of on me.

I am counting on Christ.

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