TweetI haven’t been blogging recently, because I am on my summer study break. So, I thought I’d take a moment to catch up, and maybe pass along a few growth tips. Every year I take six weeks off to start the summer. I use the time to prepare for the next season of preaching. I spend the first five days at the monastery. I pray and seek the Lord for the direction He wants me to go in my preaching. I lay out the passages I will preach from, and the books I will read. Then, I spend the rest of the time off meditating on those passages and reading books, as my family and I wander around doing things, taking day trips, and the like.
When I was working on my Doctorate Degree in preaching at Gordon Conwell, my professor, Dr. Haddon Robinson, made a comment that shaped me. He said there are only about 15 major themes in Scripture. It didn’t really matter if there were 15 or 30. The point was clear to me. If I was going to stay in one place preaching for a long time, the only way I could make it was if I continued to go deeper. This is part of the reason why I take this summer study break, mediate on passages, and read so many books. I have a passion to keep growing, to keep going deeper in intimacy, and in the knowledge of the secrets of the Kingdom of God – a phrase Jesus used with his disciples.
This passion to continue to grow in intimacy, depth, and wisdom is also what motivates me to continually try different practices in my pursuit of God. I read widely, from all kinds of different traditions. I love the classics. If something has survived a few hundred years, chances are it survived because it has some substance to it. I also think our modern society is so busy, and so noisy, it produces a lifestyle that is contrary to depth. I’m reading over 100 books a year these days, and I have discovered in my readings that there aren’t that many books that are pure gold, and that many authors with true depth, so as a result I often return to those books that feed my soul, because the authors have some deep intimate connection with Jesus. So, I have picked up a practice of reading meditation, if you will. I will read a book and discover it has some meat to it, like Corrie Ten Boom’s book, “Tramp for the Lord.” Then, I will buy the audio copy, and I will listen to it a dozen times in the next 12-18 months. I will soak myself in it. It is a form of meditation, really, I try to let it soak over my life. The woman knew God, and a humble, passionate, sincerity that is uncommon today. Try it.
Let me pass along another tip for growth. I try to tap into different traditions. So, for example, this summer I am ‘praying the offices’. It is an ancient practice that the saints tapped into for generations. Read through the Book of Acts and notice how often they were heading to the temple or synagogue ‘at the hour of prayer.’ (e.g., Acts 3) It was a common practice of the early saints (both OT & NT) to pray at certain hours. They would pray in the morning when they got up. They would pray at noon, they would pray before dinner, and again before bed. Some held to 6 different hours of prayer, some to 4, but it was a common practice – until it was thrown out with the Protestant Reformation. Monasteries still practice the hour of prayer, and so I became familiar with it because of my frequent visits there. But, I decided to buy a little app for my iPhone to help me pray more frequently. While for some that may be a common practice, for me, it was unique. And it has been a refreshing approach. I have been praying many Psalms this Summer – often 4-10 Psalms a day. I pray them back to God in my own words, but it has been a rich experience. I’ve also been reading books on “Centering Prayer” and other forms of meditation or contemplation, or practicing God’s presence. And I have tried to tap into the wisdom of the ancients about this form of intimate prayer.
What are you doing to grow? What practices are you engaging in that are fresh for you, and that are drawing you near to God?
