Tuesday, I attended the Puget Sound Baptist Association Annual Meeting. Prior to the evening meeting a leadership conference led by Jeff Iorg, president of the Gateway Seminary and our former NW Baptist Convention Executive. The topic was "Maintaining Spiritual Vitality in Cultural Chaos."
I found this topic interesting. We do live in chaotic times and according to the Bible, things will get worse. Culturally living in the Pacific Northwest is vastly different than many parts of the country. We seem to have our own unique culture and all the chaos it brings into our lives.
Dr. Iorg shared one of the main ways to maintain our spiritual vitality is to maintain our spiritual disciples. Spiritual Disciplines are those things we do daily to grow in Christ and to nourish ourselves spiritually. He gave us four core disciplines to practice, though there are others.
Here's the four: Bible reading, Prayer, Worship, and Rest. It is so easy for us to make excuses and let these slide. Excuses include, "Life's too demanding," "I have enough from my past study," or "I go to church and get all I need." Those are just myths that our enemy has gotten us to believe. Don't let him win!
Follow a reading plan daily and if you miss a day just go to the next day. Pray daily by praying as you go to work, clean the house, ride the bus, or in a corner all by yourself drinking coffee. Worship not just on Sunday, but every day as you realize all God of riches, He blessed you with in your life. Lastly, rest. Slow down and "smell the roses." Get away with no phone, computer, or work but with your family and just enjoy God's creation.
These disciplines will allow to hold up under the pressure of the chaotic world we live in today!
Living in a Chaotic World
Tuesday, I attended the Puget Sound Baptist Association Annual Meeting. Prior to the evening meeting a leadership conference led by Jeff Iorg, president of the Gateway Seminary and our former NW Baptist Convention Executive. The topic was "Maintaining Spiritual Vitality in Cultural Chaos."
I found this topic interesting. We do live in chaotic times and according to the Bible, things will get worse. Culturally living in the Pacific Northwest is vastly different than many parts of the country. We seem to have our own unique culture and all the chaos it brings into our lives.
Dr. Iorg shared one of the main ways to maintain our spiritual vitality is to maintain our spiritual disciples. Spiritual Disciplines are those things we do daily to grow in Christ and to nourish ourselves spiritually. He gave us four core disciplines to practice, though there are others.
Here's the four: Bible reading, Prayer, Worship, and Rest. It is so easy for us to make excuses and let these slide. Excuses include, "Life's too demanding," "I have enough from my past study," or "I go to church and get all I need." Those are just myths that our enemy has gotten us to believe. Don't let him win!
Follow a reading plan daily and if you miss a day just go to the next day. Pray daily by praying as you go to work, clean the house, ride the bus, or in a corner all by yourself drinking coffee. Worship not just on Sunday, but every day as you realize all God of riches, He blessed you with in your life. Lastly, rest. Slow down and "smell the roses." Get away with no phone, computer, or work but with your family and just enjoy God's creation.
These disciplines will allow to hold up under the pressure of the chaotic world we live in today!
Onward and Upward!