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Posts Tagged ‘prayer’

Slowing Down

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on September 9, 2025| 1 Comment »

Much has happened since day 10 of my journey on the Camino (my last post here). I did complete the walk on day 13 and walked into the city of Santiago de Compostela, out onto the plaza of the Cathedral and took in the sights. The experience of joining the multitude of pilgrims who have made this journey before me was part of what overwhelmed me. It has been much to process (and will continue to be). The last three days of the journey were a mixture of gratitude, pain, tears, prayer and effort. So at the end of each day, there was just too much to put into words.

In the coming days, I will share from those days as I have continued to think through all God did there and continues to do in me.

One of the fears I have had in the return to “regular life,” is that things would return to “normal.” Some may think, but don’t we want normal? For me, God has worked in me over the past several weeks – particularly through the experience of the Camino – and shown me that there are some changes I need to implement in my life. Thus, my anxiety on returning to “regular life,” and not following through with the needed changes.

I journaled each day of my walk and have continued that discipline regularly. At the beginning of my sabbatic leave, I ran across a journaling activity that helped me re-launch into this practice. A question was given to meditate on and I did my best to do so. The question was this: If the last three months of your life were a headline, what would that headline be?

As I thought about that question and my life leading up to my time away, my headline emerged: Something’s Got To Give. That was the headline for the three months leading up to my sabbatical. I was tired, burned out and desperately looking for renewal. I am happy to say, God is in the process of that renewal even now. My new headline has become: Slow Down and Simplify.

So moving forward, my prayer is that I can live out this new headline. Being a very task oriented person, it is easy for me to push myself to be overly busy, leaving little time for margin. I have known for years that where there is no margin, there cannot be creativity. But knowing that has not helped me actually create margin to this point. But my prayer is that God will grant me the grace and courage to slow down and simplify.

How about you? Do you push yourself to do more and more in hopes of being productive or successful? An amazing truth we all need to remember is that God is more concerned about who you become than what you do. He wants your heart more than your activity.

Slow down today and simply spend time with Him.

¡Buen Camino!

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What To Do With All This Space

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on April 16, 2025| Leave a Comment »

In continuing the idea of slowing down and making space for God to work in our lives, one question that always arises is, “What do I do during this time?” As I mentioned in the previous post, God grants the growth, but we must do our part. Our part is to create space in our schedules as well as our hearts. We must put ourselves in a position to be shaped by God.

So, as odd as it sounds as an answer to the question above, one of the first things you must do is nothing. Most of us have a hard time with doing nothing. The drive to produce and perform compels us to make the most of every minute of the day. A full calendar suggests we are winning. But we need to adjust the scorecard. Busyness is not necessarily productivity. Sometimes, the most productive time is the time spent in being still and simply reflecting on the goodness of God.

But moving beyond doing nothing, the use of the liminal space (the space between the now and not yet) we create when we set aside time and attention is best filled with spiritual practices. There are volumes written on spiritual disciplines – the ancient practices that connect us to God – practices like silence and solitude, prayer and scripture reading, fasting and serving. While the list is much more extensive, the point is to find those practices that fit you where you are.

So often we decide we are going to intentionally work at growing in our faith and overnight we strive to do it all. Then, in a few short days or weeks, we begin to slip and before we know it, we are back to where we started with the added element of guilt for not following through. My encouragement is to start small.

Set aside 15 minutes per day for four days of the week to practice one of the disciplines. Alternate those disciplines throughout the week. An example might be on Monday, spend time simply reading scripture and reflecting on it. Then on Wednesday, spend time in prayer – both talking and listening. On Friday, fast from something to remind yourself of your need for God. Or find ways to serve others in some capacity. On Sunday, spend time in community at church worshipping God and learning from His word.

These are just examples. The primary focus is being intentional about opening yourself to God. Consistency is also important. We often shy away from the word discipline, but that is exactly what it takes to be consistent.

Today, start small. Find 15 minutes in your schedule and slowly read Psalm 1. Reflect on it and then read it again. Pay specific attention to what God says to you. Then resolve to take what He says and act on it.

Leave a comment to let me know about your experience as we grow in faith together.

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Take Time To Be Still

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on April 14, 2025| 1 Comment »

Yesterday, my wife was not feeling well. When I wrapped up things after the services at church, I headed home. I stopped and picked up some lunch for the two of us along the way and continued my journey to the house. But along the way, I encountered the worst traffic I have encountered in quite some time. The interruption to my plan was frustrating. The normal 25 minute trip home became a 45 minute experience in waiting.

It was a reminder that I don’t like waiting. I am sure many of you share my disdain. But as I sat waiting to inch up in the line, I was reminded that so often, following Jesus requires waiting.

In the last post, we began thinking about the restoration of our souls. As I said in that post, we do not bring the restoration but we must do our part – we must make ourselves available. Often, waiting is a part of that. We must be intentional to take time to make moments with Jesus. This, more times than not, is facilitated by slowing down and being still.

What I find when I sit still, is that even though my body is inactive, my mind continues to race. Being still physically does not mean that we are being still before the Father. We need to learn to still our thoughts and minds. I have found the use of breath prayers to be helpful in this effort.

One such prayer has historically been called The Jesus Prayer. There are different variations of this prayer but most carry the same thought: “Lord Jesus, Son of the living God, have mercy on me a sinner.” The practice involves repeating this prayer in rhythm with your breathing – praying the first half of the prayer as you breathe in and the second half of the prayer as you exhale.

What I have found is that taking time to focus my thoughts on Jesus and be still has led to more meaningful time in scripture reading, prayer and listening. I encourage you to give it a try.

Set aside 15 minutes today to simply be still and wait on the Lord. Even brief moments in time can be powerful tools for Jesus to do His work in you. I often say, we take moments to spend with Jesus and as we do this regularly, habits are formed. It is through these habits that Jesus shapes and forms us.

Take time to be still today.

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