I’d like to list some resources from previous Ruminations postings and books that can supplement the teaching and discussions we are having about prayer.

Praying with the Church is Scot McKnight’s excellent survey of the order and set ways believers in biblical and church history prayed.

Martin Luther’s letter to his barber on praying gives practical advice on the use of the Bible and specifically the Lord’s Prayer.

For the Jesus Prayer, I recommend listening to a modern Orthodox teacher, Kallistos Ware, who I had the privilege to meet at a North Park University talk. Available at Ancient Faith Radio here.

The Jesus Prayer is a recent book on the prayer and so much more by Frederica Mathewes-Green that I reviewed previously. There is now a shorter booklet available, in ebook form or packages of 5 from Paraclete Press called Praying the Jesus Prayer.

A Praying Life, by Paul E. Miller is a recent book on prayer that is one of the most honest and practical I know of.

Remember, if we don’t pray somewhere – sometime, we will probably not pray everywhere – all of the time!

B. Kowanz

I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.
Psalm 119:16

We are exploring how to create or develop a “Game Plan” for our lives as Christ-followers; a Rule of Life as it has been called for centuries.  We begin with a Game Plan for “Feeding on the Word.”

In the sermon (listen/download here), I quoted Bonhoeffer, who loved Psalm 119 and started a book of meditations on it. Some of his comments on v. 16:

God gave us the Scriptures to be read and pondered anew every day…
Why do I forget God’s word? Because I cannot yet say as the Psalm says:
“I delight in your statutes.”
I do not forget the things in which I delight!
(Works, Vol. 15, pp. 517-18)

10 times in the great Psalm of the Word – Psalm 119, the word DELIGHT is used to describe the Psalmist’s response to the revealed Teaching of God. E.g.

In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. (v.14)
If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. (v.92)

A Community practice – something we can ALL do together!
As a way of increasing our delight in the Word, let’s all read and meditate on one 8-verse section of Psalm 119 each week-day for the next 4-5 weeks.  We’ll post Facebook and Twitter reminders. Go to the website to follow us.

_____________________

What is a RULE OF LIFE?
Serious Christ-followers have always sought to become “Spiritual Athletes” who, like the Apostle Paul, seek to ‘train themselves in godliness.”

We don’t want to confuse Rule with rules!  ‘Rule’ comes from the root word, Regula, which meant a measuring stick or signpost.  A rule of life lays out spiritual expectations which give structure and form to our spiritual lives, identifies our successes and failures, and provides us with goals to attain, not on our own but with God’s power and the support of the community.

Think of “rule” as a plan for discipline; a “rhythm of life;” a “Curriculum in Christlikeness” (Dallas Willard); or as John Ortberg calls it, a “Game Plan for Morphing” or being transformed!  

Henri Nouwen put it this way:
A Rule of Life offers creative boundaries within which God’s loving presence can be recognized and celebrated.

It does not prescribe, but invites;
It does not force but guides;
It does not instill fear but points to love.
It is a call to freedom: freedom to love,
providing the practical steps to love God and neighbor.

This may be a new exercise, so be sure to be prayerful and  realistic.  This is a practical way to engage in the spiritual disciplines for which you can honestly and truly be held accountable.

A Rule is not about adding onto an already busy life.
The disciplines should bring balance, and help to prioritize and impact your entire way of life, “to take your ordinary life–your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life–and place it before God as an offering.”  (Rom. 12:1, The Message)

Our Game Plans will vary widely, depending on our needs, character, maturity, and life situation. Not only will people choose different disciplines, but how the disciplines are practiced will also vary.

The Rule which you create should include three things:
1. a self-assessment,
2. an explanation of how you will practice various disciplines,
3. and a form of accountability that works for you.

Remember the Goal: to be conformed to the image of Christ for the the glory of God and for sake of others!

Once you have chosen your spiritual disciplines, ask someone to help you be accountable and to pray for you. For this role, consider a friend, a small group, or a spiritual guide.

Each week we will be teaching and providing questions to work through (or discuss with others).  At the end of this series, consolidate everything into one page.  This can be changed and adapted as you discern with the Holy Spirit and with others as we help one another with the question:  How goes your walk with Jesus?

Resources on the Web
. Sermon downloads on our website, Game Plan link
(you can subscribe to the weekly podcast through iTunes)

. Overview of the Bible – Lyle’s online course is on our church website here.

. The Books of the Bible New Testament, audio version.

. Youversion – App with multiple versions available for mobile devices.

Books

. Sacred Rhythms: Arranging OUr Lives for Spiritual Transformation, Ruth Haley Barton

. Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, Adele Ahlberg Calhoun

. The Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster

. Practicing the Way of Jesus, Mark Scandrette

. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, Peter Scazzero

. The Illumined Heart, Frederica Mathewes-Green

[Some of these instructions and guidelines are adapted from Marjorie Thompson, Soul Feast, chap. 9, Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, pp. 35-39, and the Northumbria Community Rule.]

Audio Plan
I’ve just started the 40 day Audio version of Biblica’s Books of the Bible, NT.  Cheryl, our Assoc. Pastor has introduced  the use of this format in a Sunday class and a midweek group.  This unique way of reading or listening to the whole NT without chapter breaks opens up the text in wonderful ways.  Read about it here and download the audio version that can be made into an audio book on iTunes. (This is the NIV – 2011 version)

Apps for Smart Phones/tablets, etc.
The world’s most used Bible app is the YouVersion (Managed by LifeChurch, an Evangelical Covenant church).  In addition to multiple versions – many that can access audio – there are dozens of reading plans available of varying lengths, topics, etc. Look here for an overview.  It is also available on any computer.

Printed Plans 
Of course there are many plans you can print out and have on good ol’ paper!
Robert Murray M’Cheyne was a Scottish pastor whose reading plan has become well known and appreciated.  It is available in many formats here.

The Psalms continue to be a staple of my reading – working through the Psalter monthly in various ways.  The important thing is to ruminate frequently in this great “Prayer Book of the Bible.” One early church saint said that the spirit of acedia (or spiritual apathy) must be cast out, mainly by prayer and psalmody (praying the Psalms as a spiritual exercise)

Our new series called Game Plan will introduce much more on “Intentional Discipleship” including the essential discipline of saturating our minds in the Scriptures!

Christ Church in winter

The Story of God and Man begins with the creation of Adam – the first icon, made in the image and likeness of God. Though designed to walk with God and rule the earth with him, Adam (whose name means ‘humanity’) falls and God immediately begins the great cracked-icon-restoration project with the promise of the serpent’s ‘crushing’ defeat. (Genesis 3:15) The Bible puts great emphasis on Jesus as the Second Adam. Replacing Adam One – the New Humanity has begun!

Patrick Reardon puts it this way, as seen not just from the birth, but from the death and resurrection of Christ.

(Christ) stands in defiance of Adam’s Fall…Adam no longer had the final word about the human expectation. On the contrary, a new order had been introduced; an order in which death was no longer the last chapter of history. Jesus…radically remodeled human iconography and changed the content of man’s inheritance. With respect to our ultimate destiny, Christ replaced Adam. Paul elaborates: “And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam, a life-giving spirit.”
(1 Corinthians 15:45). 

Christmas Eve will mark again, the glorious coming of the Second Adam – our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
With the 5^th  century hymn writer, we can sing:

Bethlehem has opened Eden, come, let us see;
There a virgin has borne a babe
and has quenched at once Adam’s and David’s thirst.
For this, let us hasten to this place where there has been born
a little Child, God before the ages.

Thanks be to God for His indescribable Gift!
Let us Glorify Him!

Lyle

The written version can be downloaded and read.

This Kontakion is the work of the 6th century poet and singer Romanos and is in dialog form involving Mary and the Magi. This text document has all the biblical references and background to the work.

I love this sermonic and poetic hymn because it is filled with rich biblical imagery and ties the themes of the whole Bible together, especially Christ as the ‘Second Adam,’ which is the theme of my Christmas Eve and Christmas Day sermons.

EnJOY!

ALways rejoice;
ALL the time (without ceasing) pray;
In ALL circumstances, give thanks,
for this (all 3!)  is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

The Greek text puts the “ALL” constructs at the beginning for emphasis. In the teaching on Pray without Ceasing (all sermons  available here on the website) points to God’s goal of our constant communion with Him. Our cell phone, social media world provides an analogy of continual connection that we might not have thought possible a few years ago.  (Sure, we often are more known for what one of my sons called “texting without ceasing”  but it removes our excuse for thinking we can’t continually be in prayer!  (Someone reminded me recently that technology CAN also be used to enhance continual -and prompt- prayer for people all around the world.)

To truly make sense of giving thanks in all circumstances, we need to embrace the will of God, as stated in 1 Thes. 4, as our sanctification or holiness.  The ultimate purpose of God for us is our transformation into the image of Christ! God is in it all – in everything that we experience!  Romans 8:29 in The Message captures the big picture well:

…we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. 

If you would like to listen to the North Park lecture on PRAYER by  Bishop Kallistos Ware that I referenced, it is available on the Ancient Faith Radio site here.

Gloria Dei - host site for The One Event

I believe The One Event and Leader’s Forum on The King Jesus Gospel with Scot McKnight were fruitful and important experiences for the church in our area.

We had a wonderful time with Scot and he was so generous of his time and energy with us.  More of  my thoughts later…

You may be interested in his reflections on the lectures, discussions and sermons, both in Providence and at Gordon College in Mass.

Here is his Jesus Creed blog post.

[Pardon the abundance of 'Mook references' - Stephen and I just happen to be his RI connections!]

(My son, Stephen, got to know McKnight while at North Park and invited him to Providence for November 4th when learning that he was speaking at Gordon College the same week. The Lord, through the generosity of an anonymous donor, is making it happen!)

Scot’s latest book is called The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited.  In it, he challenges the church’s understanding of the Gospel and her all-too common method of sharing the faith.  Our Gospel is often a shrunken version that leads to settling for “decisions” instead of making disciples. There is a lot more!

So here are the details:
** Nov. 4th, Friday evening is The One Event.  (click here for the Facebook page) - a large gathering from churches in Providence and around the state led by Andrew Mook and Scott Axtmann with a team from Sanctuary, Renaissance Church, Christ Church and others.

**The location is Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, with parking in the Providence Place Mall. (Go to the north end mall parking garage nearest the State House and the entrance is directly across from the church.

**Scot McKnight will preach at this unified worship service  which begins at 7 pm.

**Scot has graciously agreed to meet from 4-5:30 pm with pastors and church leaders.  We have designed this session under the title: “The Original Gospel Revisited, Sharing the Good News in Today’s World” – A Discussion with Scot McKnight.  Stephen, Todd Murphy (Sacred Journey Church) and I are coordinating this event with the great help of Cassandra Chavez, staff at Gloria Dei.

**We have room for about 200 at 4 pm and 600-700 at the 7 pm service.  So come on time and be praying for the Holy Spirit to do a wonderful work of unifying and equipping us for greater Kingdom impact in our state and region!

For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, ⁴ but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. ⁵ For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed— God is witness. ⁶ Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. ⁷ But we were gentleamong you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.⁸ So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

 ⁹ For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. ¹⁰ You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. ¹¹ For you know how, like a father with his children,¹² we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

 ¹³ And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you receivedthe word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.  (1 Thessalonians 2:3-13, ESV)

There are so many ways that we can dishonor God by insecure, false, or selfish motives.  We need to do Christ’s work in Christ-like ways.  It means starting with the authority of God’s Word, seeking only His glory, not serving ourselves or making up for deficits in our own lives.  It means having a ‘spiritual parent’ and being a spiritual parent for others in ways that honor God in everything.  It’s a high calling.  It’s the only way to truly ‘make disciples’ modeled for us in Scripture!