Looking for a simple and free tool to help you in your devotional time? Check out the new website examen.me

This tool leads you through a devotional time of Scripture and prayer and gives a space to journal your thoughts in response to questions. You choose what kind of “examen” you want to do: Scripture (Old Testament, New Testament, Gospel or Psalm), Prayer (Examen or Centering Out), or you can simply journal on whatever Scripture you choose.

This could be a great resource for someone who may not be used to journaling, but would like to give it a try. Also, it’s helpful in that it gives you some guidance on how to pray and journal (very good since not knowing where to begin is very often the main hurdle for most people). It also saves your entries so you can go back and reflect on past prayer times.

So go check it out!

This entry was written by Paul, posted on June 24 at 5:10 pm, filed under Recommended Resources, website and tagged devotions, examen, prayer.

Here’s a peak at a few things that I hope to read this summer:

Waiting On God

The Three Hardest Words: In the World to Get Right

The Grace Awakening: Believing in Grace Is One Thing. Living it Is Another.

Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading

What’s on your summer reading list?

P.S. - If you need some help finding a book, check out my library. If you live close by, I’ll even loan it to you!

This entry was written by Paul, posted on June 22 at 10:14 am, filed under Books, Recommended Resources and tagged reading, reading list.

We live in a world that is very much against contentment. We are told to be more, buy more and do more. If we don’t buy into this mode of thinking, we are led to believe that something is wrong with us.

allan quatermain and the temple of skulls movie download The Apostle Paul did not buy into this way of thinking. All throughout the book of Philippians Paul’s focus is on Christ.

Consider some of the things Paul writes in Philippians:

• To live is Christ, to die is gain

• Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ

• Do nothing out of selfish ambition, but let your attitude be the same as Christ Jesus

It is near the end of the book of Philippians that Paul makes his case for contentment:

I have learned how to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. - Philippians 4:11-13

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How did Paul capture contentment?

First, Paul realized that everything was a loss compared for the sake of knowing Christ, Philippians 3:7-10

Second, Paul renewed his mind, Romans 12:2

Third, Paul set his heart on things above, Colossians 3:1-2

Fourth, Paul realized that godliness with contentment is great , 1 Timothy 6:6-10

Fifth,

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Paul knew the value of prayer, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Romans 12:12

Paul also knew that Jesus is our model of contentment. Jesus was like us in every way expect for sin. He knows what it is like to be hungry, tired, lonely, disappointed and frustrated. But Jesus also gives us the ability to overcome the problems of everyday life. He is always in intercession for us and has given us His Holy Spirit.

In order to be effective disciples of Jesus, we need to be content with our lives and focus on bringing His kingdom to this world. When we do that, we can be assured that we are in His will and all things will work for our good.

(from faith journey contributor Steve Ryan)

This entry was written by Steve, posted on June 16 at 4:31 pm, filed under Reflections and tagged contentment.

This past Sunday, at Calvary Assembly of God, Pastor Coon preached about sowing to the Spirit so that you can reap a harvest in the Spirit. This comes from Galatians 6:7-9 which says,

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

Here the Apostle Paul is using the analogy of farming to give us an idea of how the spiritual life works. But, how exactly do we “sow to the Spirit”? The answer is to practice what have typically been called Spiritual Disciplines (you can call them exercises, habits, practices, etc. the idea is the same). Spiritual disciplines are the things that we can do (the seeds that we sow) that we offer to God so that he can grow them into something beyond our imagination or capability of growing on our own. We have to remember that the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) are fruit. That is, they are a natural outgrowth. We don’t force the fruit of the Spirit to grow, we sow the right kind of seed so that the fruit will naturally grow. This is where the spiritual disciplines come in. We can’t force the fruit of patience (everyone wants that fruit!), but we can practice particular exercises, such as intentionally slowing down and allowing others to go ahead of us, that will give God a good seed and good soil to begin to grow the fruit of patience in our life.

I’ve written quite a bit about spiritual disciplines here so check it out by clicking here.

If you want to reap a harvest of spiritual fruit, you’ve got to first learn to sow the right kind of seed.

This entry was written by Paul, posted on June 2 at 2:20 pm, filed under Spiritual Disciplines and tagged Spiritual Disciplines.

Today, with the help of the Holy Spirit,

I surrender my life to the mission of Jesus in this world

To be a disciple of Jesus and to help others become disciples of Jesus.

To love God with all of my heart, soul, mind, and body

To love my fellow human being as I love myself.

May everything I do today,

my words and actions,

be done in the name of Jesus

bringing glory to God the Father.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Amen.

What would you add to this daily mission prayer?

What might your own prayer look like?

This entry was written by Paul, posted on May 26 at 2:50 pm, filed under Reflections and tagged prayer.

An interesting study by the Barna Group recently found that a large amount of “churchgoers” were unable to give a clear answer as to what their church expects in terms of spiritual maturity. On top of that, many of those surveyed were unable to give a clear definition of their own as to what spiritual maturity looks like.

So, I’d like to open up some discussion here. How do you define spiritual maturity?

And a second question: Are you content with your level of spiritual maturity?

And why not a third: How do you grow in spiritual maturity?

Click here to read the whole study from Barna

This entry was written by Paul, posted on May 21 at 3:46 pm, filed under Articles, Reflections and tagged spiritual formation, spiritual growth.

In case you didn’t know, our Spring session of the Alpha Course is about to begin on Monday April 27. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend your Monday nights than a great meal and thought provoking discussion with new friends. For more info and to RSVP for the kickoff dinner go to http://www.faith-journey.com/alpha

Hope to see you there!

This entry was written by Paul, posted on April 24 at 8:56 am, filed under Uncategorized and tagged alpha course.

2 Kings 17:15 (NRSV) says “they went after false idols and became false.”

So the question for us is: What am I going after? or What am I worshipping?

Am I going after things (idols) that are false, empty, distorted, counterfeit, insignificant? If so, then I will become just like them. Why is that? Because we are giving value to the things that we go after. When we hold these things up as the things that we are going to devote our life and ambition to, they begin to define us. If these “things” are false then our life becomes false because they define us.

But, if we choose to go after what is true…we become true!

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8

When we go after (worship and give value to) God, we will be defined by God. Only when we go after the One that is True, can we truly discover our true identity - not some false, empty, distorted idea of who we are.

This entry was written by Paul, posted on April 15 at 2:02 pm, filed under Reflections.

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George Mueller wrote that the “vigor of our spiritual life is in direct proportion to the place we hold the Bible in our thoughts.” The ultimate goal of the shaping and transforming is to lead a person into the “life that really is life”. Like other spiritual disciplines, reading Scripture is a means to an end. The “end game” of Scripture is the cultivation of a life that is lived in the Kingdom of God as an, as R. Paul Stevens and Michael Green put it, “ Abba Worshipper”, “Disciple of Jesus”, and “Temple of the Holy Sprit”.

God uses the Scriptures to teach us the way of Life in relationship with the Trinity. In the conversation with Scripture, we are shaped by the images, stories, heart and soul of the message within. The message that we find is ultimately found in Jesus. Jesus is the Word in flesh – the lived expression of the Word of God. In Jesus, we discover what true life is. All Scripture either points to or flows from Jesus. If in our reading the Bible we miss Jesus, we miss the point, and we miss finding life.

To read the Bible is not enough. Reading alone does not lead to life. God uses the Scriptures as a tool for our spiritual formation, but we must properly engage them with mind and heart, with “eye to the will of God” and a “fixed resolution to do” what God speaks to us, for he leads us to true and everlasting life. Perhaps the Psalmist best describes this life, which comes by the Word of God:

Blessed are those
who do not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,

but who delight in the law of the LORD
and meditate on his law day and night.

They are like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.

A Prayer:

Lord, powerful and loving, Abba Father, author and perfector of life, thank you for giving us your holy Scriptures. Please help us to learn how to come them as your living and active Word. Let your Spirit be with us as we read, study, and meditate. Give us a listening ear and willing heart. As you challenge us to change, enable us to be obedient to your Voice knowing that you desire the best for us. In the name of Jesus, the Word made Flesh, amen.

This entry was written by Paul, posted on April 3 at 9:31 am, filed under Reflections and tagged bible, spiritual formation.

To Shape and Transform

Spiritual formation is primarily concerned with the transformation of a person into the image and character of Christ. This transformation process involves the progressive change of a human being becoming like Jesus in their “being” and “doing”; their understanding of identity and the way they live out that identity.

As stated earlier, I believe the primary role of Scripture is to shape and transform the reader in Christ-likeness. Both in terms of personal spirituality as well as leadership, God’s desire is to use the vehicle of Scripture to speak into the life of the reader. Mulholland points out that each one of us are a “word” of God that God wants to shape with his Word. He writes in Shaped by the Word, that the “focal shaping of our “word” into wholeness in the image of Christ comes by allowing our “word” to be shaped by the Word of God” (p. 37).

In Personal Spirituality

In personal spirituality, Scripture acts as a “living and productive scalpel in the loving hands of One who penetrates to the core of our being in order to cleanse and heal our garbled, distorted, debased word and transform it into the word God speaks us forth to be in the world” (Mulholland, p. 41). As we personally interact with God, the Scriptures are used as a primary tool to speak, teach, correct, rebuke, and train us. God speaks through Scripture to each individual in the transforming process.

In Leadership

Our spirituality is not entirely personal in that God moves us outward into community and “speaks us forth to be in the world”. Personal spirituality should naturally bleed into roles of leadership and service as we seek to live for the sake of others. The role of Scripture is primarily the same here. God uses Scripture to shape and transform the life of the leader. The Bible is not just a storehouse of leadership principles to be applied, but is the primary Word that God uses to shape the “word” of the leader. Disciples of Jesus are commanded to pass on the things that they have been taught. I do not believe though that this simply means passing on principles, but to pass on the character that has been shaped by the submissive and humble engagement with the Scriptures. Now, character itself cannot be passed on, it must be formed in each person individually, but the leader is responsible for being a living example of what a life that has been shaped and transformed looks like. As Paul instructed Timothy, “set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”

part 4: Leading to Life

Discussion: How has the Bible shaped and transformed you? How would you like to see it do so in your life?

This entry was written by Paul, posted on April 1 at 9:27 am, filed under Reflections, Spiritual Disciplines and tagged bible, spiritual formation.