Where else in American culture do people sing together than in church? This is a unique aspect of our way of being in the world. Singing may well have preceded speech in human history by some accounts–singing is almost certainly our first language with God. It is a fundamental practice of devotion. Today find a song of worship and sing it. It could be a hymn, a psalm, or something more contemporary. If you can, gather others to sing with you. Read more
Go bird watching, or bug watching, or learn to identify the plants in your yard–learn how to really pay attention to what has always been around you. Thanks to Phil Kenneson for reminding me of this important practice at the Ekklesia Project gathering this past week. Read more
Don’t do anything that might be work. Don’t wash a dish, don’t clean a thing, don’t read for any purpose other than pleasure. Don’t even exercise. Take today to luxuriate in the goodness God has provided. Read more
Go for a long walk and pray to God while you’re walking. Carry on a conversation with God as though you were walking with a friend. Cognitive research shows that when walking we think better and are at our most creative–give God this time. Read more
Friday is a traditional fast day for Christians, but fasting from food isn’t always the hardest thing to do. Sometimes we must fast from looking at our smart phones or checking Facebook. Today, fast from all media, social or otherwise. Open up space to listen to quieter voices. Read more
Whether lifting weights or training for a marathon, rest is critical to physical exercise. Why would the same not be true of spiritual exercise? Take a day to not worry about keeping up with your prayers and meditations, with keeping feasts or fasts, and just rest. If you end up praying or reflecting, fine, but just keep from striving for anything. Read more
Spend 10 to 20 minutes on this meditation adapted from The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Imagine an earthly ruler who is good and capable, working for the good of all, yet exercising justice. Spend some time thinking about what this ruler would be like. Then imagine that this ruler calls on you to come and work for him or her. What kinds of missions might this king or president or prime minister send you on? Imagine the... Read more
What is the worst enemy of concrete? It isn’t the grand machines of destruction–it is small seeds of grass that get into the cracks and grow. We’ve all seen something strong destroyed by small, fragile grasses. This is in some ways how the kingdom of God enters the world–like grass breaking up the concrete. What is it in your neighborhood, your church, your office that is not as it would be in the fullness of the Kingdom of God? Find... Read more
The “Game with Minutes” is a way to practice God’s presence developed by Frank Laubach. The goal of the game is to think of Christ one second for every minute of a given period of time. Eventually, the hope is to work to every minute of the day, but to start we can try it for an hour or even for twenty minutes. Pick one period of the day and attempt to play the Game with Minutes. It could... Read more
Give it a rest. Whatever it is you’ve been holding onto–your pride, your prejudices, your irritations, your ideas, your job, your wants–give it a rest. Let go for one day and just glory in God’s goodness and delight. Do it on the Sabbath and it may be easier to give it a rest the next day and the next. Read more
Word + Flesh
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In