Two Practices for Spiritual Growth:
Two Practices for Spiritual Growth:
Turning Ideas into Everyday Practice
Practice #1: A Prayer Challenge: Prayer for Pastors for 30 Sundays
This is Sunday #2 of a great challenge: to pray for a pastor/s for the next 30 Sundays. Start today, the first Sunday of November, 2024. This challenge will end the last Sunday of May, 2025. We’ll see where this leads after May.
Here is what you need to know about your pastor: your pastor is probably discouraged. That is no bold statement. It’s ground in the real-life world of pastors. We know that pastors are resigning in record numbers and walking away from their ministry calling. But for those who are remaining in ministry, there are a host of issues contributing to the discouragement. One issue, according to Erik Raymond, is that pastors are suffering from insomnia. Here is a some of what he says:
Many pastors aren’t sleeping. Burdened with the weight of current decisions, the regret of past decisions, difficult counseling situations, fear over the future, guilt over personal sin, and the compounding broken heart from people walking away from Christ or his church—they feel like they’re sleeping on a bed of thorns. Being exhausted and unable to sleep takes its toll. It fuels a cycle of discouragement. (You can read more HERE.)
Here is how you can pray for your discouraged pastor:
Pray that he would not be discouraged by Satan’s accusations of his sins and failures, but trust in the atoning work of Jesus.
Pray he would fall deeper in love with his Lord and Saviour.
Most pastors do not earn a high salary. They live simple lives and often struggle to make ends meet at home. Pray that their trust in God, who promises to supply all their needs, will increase.
Pray that he will be overwhelmed by the goodness and power of the gospel of God and be filled with desire to give himself once again to the work of the gospel.
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Practice #2: Eucharist-O
The Background of the Word and Practice
Background: The action of giving thanks—the practice of the idea of thankfulness—comes from the Greek word that Jesus used at his Passover Meal with his disciples the evening of his arrest by political and religious leaders who would, within a few hours, kill him by crucifixion. The word that Luke used to tell us about that moment, when transliterated into English, is “eucharisteo.” This is where it found in Luke 22:19:Then taking bread and giving thanks [eucharisteo] he broke it and gave it to them…” You will likely recognize the ritual and practice that grew from this moment: the Eucharist, or the ritual of communion.
THE PRACTICE: I am creating and offering a brief respite from busy, crowded days to encourage us to retrieve the practice of giving thanks. I’m inventing a word — Eucharist-O — with no disrespect to Eucharist lovers intended — to give this practice a name. The rhythm and practice that I’m offering are simple and will only take a few minutes:
First, a centering word about thankfulness and gratefulness
Second, a centering scripture
Third, an invitation to be still for a few moments before returning to the day’s activities.
The Eucharist-O for Sunday, November 10, 2024
First: A Centering Word
What to do: read Nouwen’s sentence three or four times. Pause and breath between each reading. Pay attention to what draws your attention. What are you seeing? What are you believing? What are you doubting?
Next: Read Luke 15:24
What to do: Read the scripture words three or four times. Read slowly. Pause between reading. Pay attention to what is stirring inside of you. What are you seeing? What are you believing? What are you doubting? What are you feeling? What questions are being raised?
Next: Be Still
What to do: Before returning to your full day, sit in stillness for a few moments. Your soul and imagination were possibly drawn to a word by Herbert or by the author of Hebrews. Perhaps you were drawn to a moment in your life where you regret not being thankful. Maybe you were drawn to a situation that seemed too hard for you. Wherever you were drawn, be there for a few moments. Pay attention to the stirrings deep within, the questions that are forming, the words that want to be spoken. Give your soul the gift of a few moments of stillness to let memories, questions, words, and prayers form.
Before returning to your day, let what is stirring inside become a conversation with God. The conversation, whatever its mood, is a form of prayer and communication with God who has been waiting for this moment all day.