SYNC- Connecting w/God by Finding A Rhythm of Life

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

TRY IT: Start making spiritual habits regular parts of your life.

· Confessing- Speaking about who Jesus is in our lives- both to ourselves and before others.

· Unplugging- Stepping away from the constant stream of noise and people to be quiet and listen to God.

· Praying- Talking regularly with God through different payer forms (Ex. The Lord’s, Breath, Fixed Hour, Conversational).

· Engaging the Scripture- Allowing God to speak into our lives by reading the Bible, letting it read us, and doing what God says.

· Reflecting- Taking time to ponder and appreciate what God has been doing in our lives. (Ex. Journaling).

· Resting- Exercising our faith in God and creating space for Him to restore us by stopping from our work and busyness.

· Food- Using daily meals and occasional feasts/fasts to help us be grateful to God, celebrate His abundance and seek God more.

· Worshipping- Offering ourselves to God- both when we gather with other believers and as we live each day.

1. Review the spiritual habits we’ve discussed so far (see above) and reflect: Which of these habits: Speak most to what you need from God? Do you feel most prompted to make a part of your life? Would increase your awareness of, desire for and dependence on God?

2. Start developing a plan to incorporate these habits into your rhythm of life. See below.

3. Continue learning about spiritual habits with these (or other) resources:

· The Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun

· The Sacred Ways, by Tony Jones

· An Ordinary Day with Jesus, by John Ortberg & Ruth Haley Barton

· Sacred Pathways, by Gary L. Thomas

Find a friend(s) who also wants to learn more about living daily with God and share this journey together.

MY RHYTHM OF LIFE

I feel led by God to incorporate the following spiritual habits into my life:

DAILY: (ex. Blessings at meals, read Bible, prayer)

WEEKLY: (ex. Review week & journal, hang w/church & small group, rest)

MONTHLY: (ex. Read 1 spiritual book, secret service, meet w/spiritual mentor)

QTRLY: (ex. Day of solitude, service to the poor)

EVERY 6 MONTHS: (ex. Sacrificial offering, take class to study scripture in depth)

ANNUALLY: (ex. Vacation, fast @ Lent, retreat)

BEYOND THAT: (ex. Missions trip every 2 yrs, silent retreat @ monastery every 5yrs)

SYNC- Connecting w/God Through Worship

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

TRY IT: Offer every part of your life as a sacrifice to God this week.

1. Don’t limit musical worship to your time at church. Check out Colossians 3:16 and Ephesians 5:18-19 and listen to/sing along with some of your favorite worship music.

2. Read/Memorize Romans 12:1-2. Ask God to continue to change and expand your thinking about what constitutes worship.

3. Start each day with this question/prayer: “What sacrifice can I bring to You today God?”

4. Intentionally choose to pay attention to others as an act of worship to their Creator. Sacrifice your own need to be heard and validated and just listen to someone else today.

5. Don’t wait until next Sunday to praise God. Stop and thank God (audibly, silently, with pen & paper, etc.) each time you catch a glimpse of His glory or recognize His goodness this week.

6. Think about how God gets worshipped with your finances. Are you happy with the way you are stewarding the money God helps you earn? With the amount you are giving away to bless others and expand His Kingdom? With your openness to giving this part of your life to God? What is standing in your way of growing in your ability to worship God with your resources? What can you do about it?

LEARN MORE:

· The Air I Breathe, by Louie Giglio

· Praise Habit: Finding God in Sunsets & Sushi, by David Crowder

SYNC- Connecting w/God Through Food

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

TRY IT: Use your meals and food choices to help you connect with God.

1. Wait to eat until you are hungry. Eat healthy, fresh food and savor each bite. Allow your stomach, taste buds and food to point you towards their Creator. What does your meal teach you about God?

2. Pray and give thanks at each meal. Bless God for the provision of your food, and receive your food as a blessing from God’s hand.

3. Plan a feast to celebrate God’s abundance and the goodness of life. Cook special food or go to a special occasion restaurant and let the richness of the food speak to you about the majesty of God.

4. Choose to forgo some food to help you seek God more. Skip a regular component of your diet (ex. Meat, coffee) for a few days or a week. Choose to miss a meal and use the time to pray instead. Work up to a day or more of fasting. (Note: Check with your doctor if you have health issues.)

5. Use food to help you identify with the poor. Eat a basic meal (ex: rice and beans) and spend some time praying for those who are hungry and oppressed. Donate the money you would have spent on better food- or going out- to a ministry that feeds the hungry.

6. Grab some bread and wine or juice and celebrate communion with your dinner this week. Read Matthew 26:26-29 and thank God for the Bread of Life who loved us and sacrificed His life for us.

LEARN MORE:

· Celebration of Discipline, chapter 4, by Richard Foster

· Soul Feast, chapter 5, by Marjorie Thompson