Embracing Spiritual Disciplines for Growth and Joy

Reflecting on the teachings of Dallas Willard, we delved into the concept of spiritual disciplines not as burdensome obligations but as gifts that invite us to be at home with God. These practices are not about adding to our guilt but about experimenting with ways to foster change and growth in our spiritual lives. [00:05:58]

I think a super important thing is um don't try to be heroic, and uh so start with something that's very doable. It's much better to um start with something smaller than you're actually able to do than to try to be heroic with it and be overwhelmed and to give up and feel like it doesn't work. [00:11:32]

If you suffer from joylessness, I was with five of us who went to college together get together for uh about a week every year and it's one of my favorite weeks of the year uh we just wrap that up on Monday. My very good friend Chuck was coming in from Atlanta and his flight got delayed for nine hours. [00:15:25]

I think the most important thing is to recognize actually for example if you have little kids, um you're going to be in a position where you're going to be uh experiencing you're going to be serving a ton and uh that can be deeply forming you're going to be worried about them a ton to be a parent is to be worried. [00:21:46]

God's desire for you is to be rested so however you think about however we think about practices or disciplines if we think about them as one more thing that's going to exhaust fatigue and drain us then somehow we're not looking at it in the way that they did the invitation is you know it just goes back to Jesus. [00:24:56]

I think this question is so important I remember thinking when our kids were little the word quiet and the word time and you want to put those two words together are you kidding me yeah and and one of the things I finally began to form in my mind to tell John is I feel like the pen for writing about spiritual formation. [00:28:03]

I think trying to find a concrete non-legalistic but genuinely life-giving transforming way of life is The Great quest in our day so to feel like as The Fellowship of the withered hand we're trying to do that together and learn together um is deeply meaningful to me so um thanks everybody. [00:33:32]

I think a really good thing is often something might be a spiritual discipline uh or practice in so far as it's a discipline or a practice I do it so that I can be changed so that I can be different yeah um however it can also be worth doing for its own sake even if it didn't bring about change. [00:37:44]

I shall not fall into the falsehood that this day or any day is merely another ambiguous and plotting 24 hours but rather a unique event filled if I so wish with Worthy potentialities I shall not be full enough to suppose that trouble and pain Are Holy evil parentheses in my existence. [00:09:02]

I shall try to live well just now because the only time that exists is now even if I turn out to be wrong I shall bet my life on the assumption that the world is not idiotic neither run by an absentee landlord but that today this very day some stroke is being added to the cosmic canvas. [00:13:18]

I think this will save me from the cynicism expressed by Bertrand Russell before his death when he said there is Darkness without and when I die there shall be Darkness within there is no Splendor no vastness anywhere only triviality for a moment and then nothing Kilby goes on. [00:07:24]

I shall joyfully allow them the mystery of what C.S Lewis calls their Divine magical terrifying and ecstatic existence I shall follow Darwin's advice and turn frequently to imaginative things such as good literature and good music I shall not allow the devilish onrush of this Century to usurp all my energies. [00:19:18]