Suggested Disciplines
Below are some contemplative disciplines you can use to immerse in your time with God.
Lectio Divina
If using alone - try journaling your responses. If with others respond aloud to others.
Lectio(Read) [read scripture passage twice] Silence 3-5 minutes* - silently repeat a word or phrase that interests you... Sharing aloud (if in group): Simply share the word of phrase that spoke to you. No elaboration.
Meditatio (Reflect) [read once] Silence 3-5 minutes - reflecting on “Where does this scripture touch my life?” Sharing aloud: “I hear, I see, I was struck by…”
Oratio(Respond) [read once] Silence 3-5 minutes - reflecting on “How is God calling me to Respond?” Is there an invitation here for you? This is best if it is specific and timely — “What today is God asking of me?” Sharing aloud: Briefly pray - spontaneously expressing your response to God’s call.
Contemplatio(Rest) [read once] Rest in the Word, in silence 2-3 minutes
The time allotted for each period of silence can vary.
Lectio(Read) [read scripture passage twice] Silence 3-5 minutes* - silently repeat a word or phrase that interests you... Sharing aloud (if in group): Simply share the word of phrase that spoke to you. No elaboration.
Meditatio (Reflect) [read once] Silence 3-5 minutes - reflecting on “Where does this scripture touch my life?” Sharing aloud: “I hear, I see, I was struck by…”
Oratio(Respond) [read once] Silence 3-5 minutes - reflecting on “How is God calling me to Respond?” Is there an invitation here for you? This is best if it is specific and timely — “What today is God asking of me?” Sharing aloud: Briefly pray - spontaneously expressing your response to God’s call.
Contemplatio(Rest) [read once] Rest in the Word, in silence 2-3 minutes
The time allotted for each period of silence can vary.
Centering Prayer
Length – 20 minutes, once or twice a day.
Time of day – early morning or late afternoon.
Place – quiet, no interruptions, consistent location.
Posture – sit upright, comfortable, closed eyes.
Helpful Attitudes
†Humility
*Having the right relationship with God, ourselves, others, and the cosmos.
*Willing to let it be, to let God be God.
†Gratitude
*God invites us into relationship.
*We bring nothing except ourselves, our love and adoration.
*Spending time with God is a precious gift.
“So- thoughts, thoughts, and more thoughts…Let them flow, let them go, go beyond them to the Reality.”
Basil Pennington, Centering Prayer
Time of day – early morning or late afternoon.
Place – quiet, no interruptions, consistent location.
Posture – sit upright, comfortable, closed eyes.
Helpful Attitudes
†Humility
*Having the right relationship with God, ourselves, others, and the cosmos.
*Willing to let it be, to let God be God.
†Gratitude
*God invites us into relationship.
*We bring nothing except ourselves, our love and adoration.
*Spending time with God is a precious gift.
“So- thoughts, thoughts, and more thoughts…Let them flow, let them go, go beyond them to the Reality.”
Basil Pennington, Centering Prayer
Visio Divina
Settling and Shimmering: begin by breathing deeply, centering, bringing your awareness to your center.
Savoring and Stirring: Savor this, whatever it is you have found, or that has found you.
Summoning and Serving: slowly become aware of any shift to an invitation or summoning.
Slowing and Stilling: When you feel as though your walk is complete, stop, return, or sit and rest in silence, allowing the scene to guide you.
Christine W. Paintner, The Soul’s Slow Ripening pp 159-161
Savoring and Stirring: Savor this, whatever it is you have found, or that has found you.
Summoning and Serving: slowly become aware of any shift to an invitation or summoning.
Slowing and Stilling: When you feel as though your walk is complete, stop, return, or sit and rest in silence, allowing the scene to guide you.
Christine W. Paintner, The Soul’s Slow Ripening pp 159-161
Examen
† Thanksgiving
I give thanks for this day in every circumstance — understanding that both joys & sorrow, victories & defeats, illness & health are opportunities for me to grow in self-understanding and in my knowledge of God. Today I was most grateful for the following…
† Encounter
Lord, you have promised “When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart.” As I reflect on this day . . . where have I sought you and where have I encountered you?
† Struggle
Lord, I struggle to keep the faith and to live evermore fully into true discipleship. Today I struggled to respond to your loving invitation by . . .
† Wounding
Lord, I pray to gain the wisdom of the apostle Paul who wrote, “Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.” In what ways, today, have I experienced wounding, weakness, bewilderment, or wandering?
† New Name
Lord, you are always calling us into the sorts of adventures that turn Abram & Sarai into Abraham & Sarah; Jacob into Israel; Saul into Paul; Simon into Peter. Today how will I allow you to lead me into a deeper discipleship which promises transformation?
† Rest in God’s Grace
Relax into God’s mercy knowing that it all does not depend on you.
I give thanks for this day in every circumstance — understanding that both joys & sorrow, victories & defeats, illness & health are opportunities for me to grow in self-understanding and in my knowledge of God. Today I was most grateful for the following…
† Encounter
Lord, you have promised “When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart.” As I reflect on this day . . . where have I sought you and where have I encountered you?
† Struggle
Lord, I struggle to keep the faith and to live evermore fully into true discipleship. Today I struggled to respond to your loving invitation by . . .
† Wounding
Lord, I pray to gain the wisdom of the apostle Paul who wrote, “Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.” In what ways, today, have I experienced wounding, weakness, bewilderment, or wandering?
† New Name
Lord, you are always calling us into the sorts of adventures that turn Abram & Sarai into Abraham & Sarah; Jacob into Israel; Saul into Paul; Simon into Peter. Today how will I allow you to lead me into a deeper discipleship which promises transformation?
† Rest in God’s Grace
Relax into God’s mercy knowing that it all does not depend on you.
Journaling
“The journal helps us take the road inward and so to discover who we really are. As we write, the ambiguity of human experience with its hidden desires and impulses is revealed. Our questions increase and need to be explored, not so much to resolve them as to place them in the context of the mystery at the heart of the universe. We learn to be present in the waiting, the place of not-knowing, and to trust.”
Elizabeth Canham, Journaling with Jeremiah, p. 2-3
Elizabeth Canham, Journaling with Jeremiah, p. 2-3