Spirituality
"The Divine Hours" and the "Offices" of Prayer
December 11, 2006, 03:00 PM | Permalink
Tickle modernizes the ancient practice of fixed-hour prayer, as originally practiced by the Jews ("Seven times a day do I praise you" [Psalm 119:164]) and adapted by early Christians in the centuries-old Book of Common Prayer . It is extremely "user-friendly" and the prayers all on the side of thoughtful brevity. This helps create that wonderful atmosphere prescribed by St. Benedict (father of western monasticism who wrote the first manual for observing hourly prayers in 525 AD) who instructs "therefore prayer ought to be short and pure, except when it is occasionally prolonged by the inspiration of Divine Grace." The assigned prayers and scripture readings for each day are very well chosen.
The spiritual discipline of observing canonical hours is maintained by many Christian faith groups around the world and is finding new interest in the evangelical and Anabaptist chuches . I began using Tickle's first volume of the Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime six years ago (2000) when I was writing a guide to accompany our congregation's intercessory prayer ministry, The Epaphras Connection. Since then, I've found praying the hours to be life-transforming and still use this book daily. Since then Tickle has produced two more volumes for the rest of the calendar year. She's also written one for The Night Offices, from sunset to sunrise. Now insomniacs have a tool to help them feel spiritually productive in the middle of the night!
Check it our online! Explore Faith has produced an online, daily version of The Divine Hours. You can check it out here, and chose the time zone you live in.
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Knowing Which Way to Go ...
November 13, 2006, 02:45 PM | Permalink
These are all great questions. I ask them myself and often hear them asked in bible study, Sunday School, or small group discussions. I begin with Philippians 3:15, which assures me that God will reveal unto us the guidance we need for every aspect of our lives. God's like the radar guidance system to a pilot trying to navigate his plane through a thick fog, with no visibility. The pilot can't see far in front of him, but he can stay on course if he relies on his radar, which will warn him if he deviates to the left or the right. So, God has a plan for our lives and He promises to guide us and reveal the steps of that plan to us.
My basis for this assurance lies in the nature of God. It is God's nature to reveal himself and His purposes to man. When God made the world, it was to reveal Himself to those who would eventually live in it. Creation reveals God. Hence, Paul tells us that "the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are mde, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse." (Romans 1:20). When God caused the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be written, this too was to reveal Himself to man. Finally, just as God revealed His power in nature and His purpose in Scripture, so did He reveal His personality in His Son, Jesus Christ. That is why Jeus could properly say, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father." (John 14:9).
God's revelation always involves a disclosure of His will for the individual person. The Bible teaches that if we really want to know God's will, we must be willing to do it even before we know what it is. This is clearly taught in John 7:17: "If any man wants to do His will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." In this verse, although Jesus was speaking literally of the rejection of His doctrine by the Jewish leaders, He was actually teaching the principle that knowing the will of God consists largely in being willing to do it.
None of us naturally want to do God's will. We want our will. For "the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither, indeed, can be" (Romans 8:7). There is a great deal of the carnal mind in all of us. We want our way, not God's way. But we must go through it. We must learn to say, "Father, even though I don not naturally want Your will, nevertheless, I know that it is the best thing for me; and it is necessary for my spiritual training. Lead me in the way I should go." And God will do that. For me to know God's will I must come to the point where I first want to do it.
The second great principle for knowing the will of God is that nothing can be the will of God that is contrary to the Word of God. The God who is leading us now is the God who inspirred the Bible then, and He is not contradictory in His commandments. Consequently, nothing can be the will of God for you or I that is not in accordance with what is taught in His Word.
A third principle to knowing God's will and one that I find helps direct my path in the small, everyday decisions ("should I do this? ... should I do that?") is to follow Philippians 4:8: "whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Psalm 32:8 states it like this: "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which though shall go; I will guide thee with mine eye." If God is to guide me with His eye, then my eyes must be looking to Him regularly throughout the day. I must be prepared for Him to guide me into new ways, too. If there is one thing I have most learned about God's guidance it is that He does not often lead me in old ways. God is creative. He is infinite. He is infinite in His plans for His children. I must place my trust in Him.
I have these words of fellow pilgrim Thomas Merton tucked in my journal and sometimes I pray them:
O Lord, I have no idea where I am going, I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that, if I do this, you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore, I will trust in you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death I will not fear, for you are ever with me and you will never leave me to face my perils along.
Thomas
Merton,
Thoughts in Solitude
Farrar, Straus, and Cudahay, 1958, New York
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America's Different Views of God
October 08, 2006, 10:00 AM | Permalink
31.4% - Those who believe in an "Authoritarian God" who is "angry at humanity's sins and engaged in every creature's life and world affairs".
23% - Those who believe in a "Benevolent God" who is "forgiving and accepting of anyone who repents".
16% - Those who believe in a "Critical God" who "has his judgmental eye on the world, but he's not going to intervene, either to punish or comfort".
24% - Those who believe in a "Distant God" who is more of a "cosmic force that launched the world, then left it spinning on its own".
Source: Cathy Lunn-Grossman, "American's Image of
God Varies,"
USAToday.com (9-11-06)
Which view do you most agree with? Why?
Spiritual Climate of Our Region
April 10, 2006, 02:12 PM | Permalink
What a refreshing idea! The group seemed to instantly connect and I hope this is the beginning of something far greater. Alan talked about "spiritual mapping," where one looks at a region and reflects upon historical and cultural factors which shape and impede the spiritual climate. I've tried to do a little of that for the Buffalo Valley area and it's very insightful.
Something deep in my heart connected with this group of pastors and I'll be blogging about this more in the near future.
