Your Personal Pace, Part 3

July 30, 2008

In considering living at the pace of life God has given you, I believe it’s important to include your spiritual disciplines as well. Not in the “make sure you are disciplined spiritually” kind of “including”, but the “find your pace of spiritual disciplines” kind of “including”.

In other words, I think it’s a mistake to assume that because Korean Christians developed a habit of praying at 5:00 am for several hours, you ought to do that too. Brian Jones has a really, ummmm …. actually, I don’t know the right adjective to put on it, but he has a (let’s say) very interesting post here about the issue of how much we pray.

If a leader you admire and respect finds great success and deepening of relationship with God through journaling (ala Wayne Cordeiro), and if it helps you too, then great. Go for it! Just be careful about making it an “ought to” for the people around you.

If what works for you is to find several times a day for at least a few minutes each time to be with God like the ancient Christians did …. “Daily Offices” …. then by all means, have at it! Pete Scazzero believes this is a primary path to slowing down enough to truly connect with God. I personally find great merit in it. But I realize it doesn’t work for everyone.

What’s important for you as a Pastor is not that you spend hours a day reading your Bible, praying, fasting, and parsing the Greek. What is important is that you find the pace that works for you to truly connect with Jesus and His heart.

How many of us (too many, in truth) have “done the duties and disciplines” for the sake of saying we have done them, and yet still find ourselves falling to temptation and lacking transforming connection with our Creator?

What works for you? Be honest with all of us here. The pace you’re living your spiritual disciplines, is it REALLY working for you? Are you living it for Jesus, or for what others expect of you?

Posted by Paul | Filed Under Expectations, Failure, Leadership, Pace of life, Pastor, Personal Pace, Things that add life, Things that drain life 

Comments

7 Responses to “Your Personal Pace, Part 3”

  1. Lauren on July 31st, 2008 8:36 am

    One of the biggest changes I’ve made (along with Kevin) in the area of spiritual disciplines in the last year is to deliberately observe a sabbath every week most often on Fridays. I’m actually surprised at the impact it has had on my relationship with God, my health and the strength of my marriage. The sabbath is an amazing gift that God has offered that I simply hadn’t taken Him up on:) Taking that one day to rest and enjoy God and each other has helped to stop one week from running into the next and effectively slowed down the pace of my life into a manageable one. On the few weeks that we haven’t managed to keep a sabbath I feel it and not in a good way.

    Great question Paul…I’m curious to know what works for you or is that coming in a later post?

  2. Kevin M. on July 31st, 2008 9:34 am

    Lauren beat me to posting so I will share something else. :)

    I can totally relate to this statement: “How many of us (too many, in truth) have “done the duties and disciplines” for the sake of saying we have done them, and yet still find ourselves falling to temptation and lacking transforming connection with our Creator?” This was me for a LONG time. This is still something that I struggle with from time to time. I used to beat myself up when I missed my quiet time – I don’t do this as much anymore (God is still working on me). My goal now is to connect with God regularly and this doesn’t always happen through a formal quiet time. Sometimes it happens when I go for a walk or when I just lay on the bed and rest.

    Thanks for posting this Paul!

  3. Paul on August 1st, 2008 12:36 am

    Lauren …. I try to make sure that however I live out my spiritual disciplines works within the context of my current season of life.

    For instance, with two teenage boys, I struggle to find the time and ways to example to them how to have their own spiritual disciplines without just doing mine with them. Yet, sometimes (most times) our schedules don’t necessarily mesh to make that happen.

    Rather than getting frustrated, or to force my time to work with theirs, I recognize it as a season of life and enjoy the chances we DO get to connect and disciple my kids.

    In general, the current pace of my time with God is usually found in 2-3 slots of the day. I personally connect well with the Lord when I am in the process of waking up. Rather than launching out of bed right away (which doesn’t work well for me physically), I intentionally try to wrap my tired and waking mind around the presence of God, committing my day to Him right away.

    Then, somewhere in the middle of my day, I take some solitude and my Bible, reading through the Psalms, an OT chapter and a NT chapter.

    In the evening, where I used to set up my next day religiously, I use some of that time to connect with God again. I reflect on the day’s events, ask His help to discern what I need to really let go of and what I need to go at again tomorrow, and for His peace to fill my home overnight.

    For me, that pattern builds a more open connection to what God wants to say or do between those times. Instead of “meeting” with God, I get the sense that I am more truly “walking” with God.

    Then, as you mention, Sabbath is huge for me. I also do 2-4 Study Breaks a year where I get most of my more intense Bible Studying done. Not that I don’t do some a couple times a week, but chunks come in those Breaks.

    I could go on with more, but is that helpful?

  4. Lauren on August 4th, 2008 3:02 pm

    Yep, that’s helpful:) I’m enjoying your posts Paul. They’ve prompted some interesting discussions at our house.

  5. Bernie on August 4th, 2008 4:12 pm

    Don’t sacrifice your life for the church and don’t sacrifice the church for your life and limitations.

  6. Jan Owen on August 7th, 2008 6:50 pm

    I am still working on this but one thing I have learned is that when I do things cause I “ought” to, there is little life in that for me. IF there is little life, there is little transformation and little communion with God. So, with that said, I am taking my sabbath on Fridays. I have not “perfected” this but I have found a huge thing for me is that I have SPACE in my life. I don’t have a ritual, but I just am with God and relax. I have found that journaling and being in nature both work for me to help me connect with God. The biggest thing that has kept me on track lately is my spiritual retreats I do quarterly. Again, it’s the space and solitude. So I would say space, solitude, journaling, reading, and connecting with God in worship, the outdoors, and relaxed praying (not with a list, just being) have been big steps for me this year.

  7. Jan Owen on August 7th, 2008 6:52 pm

    Oh I forgot to say that I am no good with a quiet time when I first get up. I am not a morning person. So I get up, check email and just putter on some blogs, then I exercise, THEN I can actually have a meaningful moment with God and read some too…….I tried the other way but I just fell back asleep……

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