Fast from all food, and to the extent safe, fluids during daylight hours. Today marks the first full day of Ramadan. One way that Christians can journey with Muslims in this period of seeking submission to God is to follow the daily fast which extends from sunrise to sunset each day. Other key practices of Ramadan that would be helpful for Christians are the offering of charity and reading through the Koran, a particularly helpful practice for Christians unfamiliar with... Read more
Who is weeping in your neighborhood? What is the source of their sorrow? Whoever they are, whatever the reason, go and pray with them. Pray that God will guide you to those whose sorrows God would like to enter with love. Read more
Sit in a straight backed chair and imagine Christ before you. Place your palms down and give all of your thoughts, your worries, your hopes, your whole self to Christ. Place your palms up and receive from Christ love, hope, peace, patience, humility, and Christ’s very person. Read more
We need practices that help us embody the kinds of virtues to which Christ calls us. Farming is one hands-on practice through which we can gain these virtues because farming calls us to recognize our limits and our most basic dependence on God. Today, be a farmer. You don’t have to have fifty acres or even one. Instead, commit to growing one plant for food and nurturing it until it flourishes and fruits. Pumpkins and winter squash are an excellent... Read more
Read Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 aloud to your self, pausing on any word or phrase that stands out to you. Then read the passage again silently. Again, if there is a word or phrase that stands out to you, repeat it to yourself and think about its meaning. Abide with the passage. Ask yourself why you heard what you heard in the passage? What is it in your life that made you hear what you heard? What might God be telling you? For... Read more
Pleasure can be a difficult thing. Often we distract ourselves from true, deep pleasures by flitting from one small pleasure to the next. For instance I love to buy books or look through them rather than enjoying the deeper, more difficult pleasure of actually sitting down to read. The Sabbath was given as an invitation to take the time for true, deep pleasure. So take today to truly enjoy the pleasures with which God has filled creation. Read more
It is helpful, in practicing the Sabbath, to follow the Jewish tradition of marking the beginning of the day with sundown. The Christian Sabbath would then begin on Saturday night. At sun down, welcome the rest of God and enter the darkness with a full sense of God’s presence. Light candles to mark the presence of God. Read more
Jesus told us to “give to those who ask.” Many of us solve this problem by avoiding those who might ask something of us. We see a homeless person and we look the other way, making sure we don’t make eye contact. Today, make yourself available to those who might ask. Go to someone who might need help and ask if they need it. Somewhere along the way you might find Christ or at least a new friend. Read more
Monastics have a practice called statio that they use as a tool to be mindful and attentive in everything they do. Statio is simply stopping one thing before beginning another. In its negative formulation, this means no multitasking. Each task, each conversation, each dish washed is completed as a singular event. One key to practicing statio is to pause for a moment after each task. For instance, if you are checking Facebook, pause for a moment after you’ve finished and then... Read more
Today we celebrate the feast day of St. Benedict of Nursia. St. Benedict’s most enduring legacy is his rule of life, which has recently been paraphrased beautifully by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove. Central to Benedict’s wisdom is living in moderation and balance as we pursue Christlikeness. For Benedict this includes a daily rhythm of prayer, community life, and work. In honor of St. Benedict’s feast, try to incorporate a Benedictine rhythm into your day. Wake up, pray (include others if possible), spend... Read more
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