Sunday, October 25, 2009

SYNC- Connecting w/God by Resting



LISTEN IN: Miss the Sunday teaching conversation? Listen in HERE.

TRY IT: Nurture your health, relationships and soul by building the habit of rest into your life.

  1. Create your own definition of what is “restful”. What would a perfect day of rest look like for you? What activities refresh and relax you? What enables you to connect with the people you love?
  2. Reflect on your current patterns of busyness and rest. Sit down with your calendar. When & how often do you rest? Is it happening enough? What is the reading on your “energy gauge” right now?
  3. Schedule times of rest. Block out times of rest on your calendar for the next month- aiming for at least 1 full day (even if it comes in pieces) every week. Treat these times as sacred.
  4. Rest daily. Make it a goal to get 8 hours of sleep each night this week and do whatever it takes to make that happen: turn off the TV, cut off the caffeine earlier, exercise, etc.
  5. Practice a “Sabbath” day this month. No work, to do lists or difficult conversations allowed. Start the night before with a good dinner. Go to bed asking God to give you rest. Spend the next day doing things that allow you to be refreshed and nourish your relationship with God and connections with others- even if it means not doing much at all.
  6. Identify something in your life that takes a lot of time and energy and rest from it. Ex: No time on the computer at home.

LEARN MORE:

  • “The Rest of God” by Mark Buchanan
  • Sabbath: Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest” by Wayne Muller

Sunday, October 18, 2009

SYNC- Connecting w/God by Reflecting



LISTEN IN: Miss the Sunday teaching conversation? Listen in HERE.

TRY IT: Deepen your connection with God by stopping to dwell on who He is, what He’s said and how He’s moving in your life.

1. Reflect on God’s creation. Get out in nature this week. Take a walk through a park and notice the fall leaves, the cool air, the sound of the birds, etc. What does the art tell you about the Artist? Pay attention to the goodness you see in your everyday life- the kindness of a stranger, the bond between a parent and child, the taste of good food. What do these things teach you about their Maker?

2. Dwell on one word, verse or story in scripture. As you read the Bible, pay attention to something that speaks strongly to you- or that you don’t really understand. Instead of moving on to other passages, think, read and talk to God about this one.

3. Start keeping a journal. Record your questions, thoughts, prayers, experiences and learnings.

4. Review each day or week with God. Carve out some time to reflect on these questions to help you better understand and celebrate your journey with God:

· What am I most grateful for in the past day/week? What am I least grateful for?

· When did I feel most connected to God in the past day/week? When did I feel least connected?

5. Find a simple physical object that will prompt you to think about God throughout your day. Any time you see or touch it, let your thoughts go towards God and remember that He is thinking of you more times than you can count today.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Sync - Connection With God Through Scripture














HEAR IT: If you missed Sunday’s teaching conversation, you can listen to it HERE.


Scriptures: 2 Timothy 3:16, Psalm 119: 10-16, Hebrews 4:12, Romans 12:2, 1 Peter 3:15, John 16:33, James 1:22-25.


Make a point to engage God through the Scriptures each day this week. Below you will find some practical steps to help you with that process.


READ IT: Read through Psalm 119 and write down all the different ways the Psalmist speaks about connecting with God through Scripture. What ways seem appealing to you? What ways seem difficult?


THINK ABOUT IT: (1) How do you typically approach Scripture? (2) Do you find connecting with God through Scripture easy or difficult? Why?


TRY IT: Select one verse from the Bible that God has used to speak into your life. Once you have selected your verse, use it as you practice the following disciplines this week:

  • Memorize it: Rehearse the verse repeatedly until you have committed it to memory.

  • Meditate on it: With an open mind, concentrate on the verse, look over each word, and allow God to reveal His Truth to you.

  • Study it: Dig beneath the surface and answer these three simple questions to help give a bigger picture of the passage: (1) Who is the author? (2) Who is the author writing to? (3) For what purpose is the author writing?

  • Obey it: Take some time to consider how this verse applies to your life and then obey it by putting it into practice.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

SYNC- Connecting w/God by Praying


LISTEN IN: Miss the Sunday teaching conversation? Listen in HERE.

SCRIPTURES: Revelation 8:3-4, 5:8; Romans 8:26-27; Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 23:46, 1:38: John 20:22, 12:; 1 Samuel 3:8-9; Philippians 3:10; Psalms 119:164; Acts 3:1

TRY IT: Expand your prayer life this week by trying one or more of the prayer forms below:

1. Return to the fundamentals by praying the model prayer that Jesus taught us- a.k.a. “the Lord’s Prayer”. You can pray this as a stand-alone prayer, use it to begin or end your conversational prayer times, or use each phrase as an outline to pray from.

“Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

2. Practice the presence of God by finding a breath prayer to pray whenever you think of it throughout the day. Use a scripture (ex. “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection”), a prayer that has been meaningful to other believers throughout history (ex. “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.”), or write your own prayer based on your needs or what God is teaching you right now (ex: “Fill me with Your peace Lord”).

3. Take a stab at Fixed Hour Prayer using “The Divine Hours” (http://www.annarborvineyard.org/tdh/tdh.cfm). See the back of this sheet for an example. Try praying all of the hours for a single day, or praying two of the hours each day for a few days.

WANT TO LEARN MORE?:

· Fixed Hour Prayer: http://www.explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/

· Breath Prayers: http://www.christiansoulcare.com/spiritualdiscipline/spiritualdisciplinebreathprayers.htm