Celebration of DisciplineBy Richard J. Foster

Almost everything presented in these handouts is taken, in paraphrase, directly from the above mentionedbook and the accompanying workbook, Richard J. Foster’s Study Guide for Celebration of Discipline. From

time to time I will add my own thoughts and additional material that will appear in text boxes.My prayer is that through this study each of you will experience a “with-God” life, resting in the life of

abundance that he has prepared for you. I also pray that your experience will have a viral effect upon othersin our church so that together we may grow in the fullness of God and his desires for our church.

Introduction: The Good LifeIt is one thing to praise discipline, and another to submit to it. – Don Quixote de la Mancha

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One thing we must understand clearly – the Disciplines open us to us The Good Life. Their purpose is toopen up for us a joyful life of abundance. They are not meant to place us in bondage or make usmiserable.

There is confusion about what it means to have a life of abundance. The modern (our contemporaries)version of abundance makes it almost impossible to believe that God is good and that he desires to fillour lives with His Goodness.

Moderns – us – view the Good Life or abundance as: power, wealth, status, success, freedom from allauthority, have what one wants on a whim. (you may think of others). This view contrasts in everyway with how God visions the Good Life and having abundance. In fact they are diametrically opposedto each other.

Modern view of abundance is rooted in and grows out of the culture of the day, ever shifting, rarelyever improving. The biblical view of abundance is rooted in the God of Abraham and in His son Jesus.Both promise the Good Life, but do both deliver?

We will see the Disciplines as a good thing when we understand that they bring us the abundance of theKingdom of God. They are good because we will come to understand how life in God’s Kingdom is trulygood and ultimately fulfilling.

Through them we will come to understand how completely unfulfilling the human invention of the“good life” really is.

Discover that God desires to give us a full life and an abundant life in a combination of three areas inour lives: through provision (not only material), place (not special), and personality.

Provision All things necessary to carry on human life adequately. He intends for us to have enough to care for

ourselves. Christianity is materialistic – in that it takes material things seriously as created goods God has given

us to enjoy and also to use in the expression of our relationship with him

God does not mean for us to take his promises and somehow twist into promises we make to ourselves.We cannot take his provision and turn it into personal peace and prosperity – i.e., prosperity Gospel –“Love Jesus and get rich!”

o Amazingly these get rich gimmicks work for obtaining money/wealth, but never provide for theriches of the Kingdom of God

God’s provision for us is an abundant life of God filled with holiness and free from materialism. God’s provision is a limited good, meaning it can never become our life or define our life. When we do

this, provision is lost as an expression of spiritual grace. We are no longer content with what God in hisabundance is pleased to provide us.

Let’s look at two passages: Duet. 16:15 and Matt. 6:31-34o What do these passages say about God’s provision for his children?o What do they NOT say?

Time is a provision. God has given us an adequate provision (or an allotment) of time to bring aboutHis abundance. Ironically, we as created beings attempt to gain more time by fragmenting it intosmaller portions we can handle. Ultimately, by fragmenting we have less time to cooperate with Godas he seeks to provide the Good Life of His abundance. By fragmenting we eliminate the necessities ofreflection, meditation, rest and conversation, since these practices rarely benefit human definition ofthe Good Life. We fail to live in the Christian grace of simplicity.

Place

Place is a mutually understood and accepted set of personal relationships that give identity to one’slife. It is “mutual” by virtue that everyone involved needs to have the same expectation level of anindividual’s place. “Accepted” means that the place should be viewed as a good things.

Place has a social identity and function. We all need and want “a place – my place” so that ouridentity as a person is verifiable and valuable. Place directly corresponds to care.

Place indicates personal function. We all have our “place” as we exercise giftedness, for instance. We have a place in community as husband/wife, parent/child, slave/master, teacher/pupil, etc. Sadly, scripture that speaks to these places (stations) in life have been misused to manipulate and

control people (we in no way can manipulate scripture; we become manipulated by it when we intendto misuse it and manipulate others)

Our life cannot be abundant if we try to live apart from our place. This does not mean that we allowoppressive places in our life. But we must have (know) our place or places in life. We should have asense of place, role, and function. Submission, service and guidance deal with the place.

Personality

Refers to an inward person, expressed in certain determinate ways or ingrained habits. Habits are a problem for all of us. We acquire habits that defeat us as we seek to live in God’s

abundance. It is our at the point of our “habitual” lives that redemption occurs so far as the transformation of our

lives is concerned.

If we are going to experience the Good Life, then old habits must be redeemed and replaced withdeeply imbedded habits of Spiritual Discipline. Through these the Power of God enters a life anddefeats all that is destructive and establishes all that is required daily to live a with-God life.

“the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” This is not how Jesus intends for us to cope with life, forthis is a perpetual problem of personality and existence. He intends for the spirit and the flesh to bein working harmony with one another so that we may benefactors of the ways of God. But no benefit isachieved when disharmony is the norm.

Repairing habits is an individual exercise that takes place in a community through which God canorchestrate such change. Our personal change has its greatest meaning in community, for now we areable to validate it as valuable. Repairing habits may been thought of as Christian sanctification.

Every church should want to be a “place” for every person. Every person should know thatGod’s family is the social (communal) place for them. It should be actively caring. It shouldverify the value of every human being and validate them as a desired by God. Verification isactivity: cared for the aged, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, develop children, welcomethe refugee from any station of life, etc.

Churches are a set of places ordained by God to validate human existence by offeringhis love and eternal relationship through reconciliation by way of Jesus Christ.

Let’s look at Romans 12:1-2. What does this passage say about habits? What does it say about the unity ofspirit and body?

The Failure of Law and Ritual

Various reactive attempts to achieve God’s Good Life or Abundance end up in legalism and ritual. Wecannot enter into the with-God life under our own devices or power. When we attempt to do so, weturn the most beautiful expressions of our love for God in to trite, insignificant. Worship and gooddeeds and small, personal victories are reduced to godly “merit badges” soon to loose their value andluster. If we are not careful our entire lives become “white-washed tombs”. We try by personal will to“be good”, but personal will cannot overcome the inner conflict of creating something better out ofwhat is already broken and corrupted. Personal Will cannot change the essence of a person. Indeed itonly helps to perpetuate the conflict.

Personal will acts in forming the decision to allow for change that may be achieved through proper actsof discipline that unite spirit and body to enjoy the Good Life of God’s Abundance. When we arewilling to submit the will, then God is able to grant us the gift of righteousness

Readings:

Thursday: The example of Jesus: Read all four Gospels. (at least Mark and John)Friday: The example of Abraham: Genesis 12-25Saturday: The example of Elijah: 1 Kings 17-19; 2 Kings 1-2Sunday: The example of Davie: 1 Samuel 16-27; 2 Samuel 1-12, 22-23:7Monday: The example of Daniel: Daniel 1-12Tuesday: The example of Peter: Peter in the gospels, Acts 1-5, Acts 10-11 (1st and 2nd Peter)Wednesday: The example of Paul: Acts 9, 11-18, Galatians, Colossians

An example of a man who lived a with-God life:

George Müller:Leader in the Plymouth Brethren movement; founder of Christian orphanages.

Among the greatest monuments of what can be accomplished through simple faith in God are the greatorphanages covering thirteen acres of ground on Ashley Downs, Bristol, England. When God put it into the heartof George Muller to build these orphanages, he had only two shillings (50 cents) in his pocket. Without makinghis wants known to any man, but to God alone, over a million, four hundred thousand pounds ($7,000,000)were sent to him for the building and maintaining of these orphan homes. When the writer first visited them,near the time of Mr. Muller's death, there were five immense buildings of solid granite, capable ofaccommodating two thousand orphans. In all the years since the first orphans arrived the Lord had sent food indue time, so that they had never missed a meal for want of food. …More from this articlehttp://www.georgemuller.blogspot.com/

A life of prayer

Müller prayed about everything and expected each prayer to be answered. One example was when one of theorphan house's boiler stopped working; Müller needed to have it fixed. Now this was a problem, because theboiler was bricked up and the weather was worsening with each day. So he prayed for two things; firstly thatthe workers he had hired would have a mind to work throughout the night, and secondly that the weatherwould let up. On the Tuesday before the work was due to commence, a bitter north wind still blew but in themorning, before the workmen arrived, a southerly wind began to blow and it was so mild that no fires wereneeded to heat the buildings. That evening, the foreman of the contracted company attended the site to seehow he might speed things along, and instructed the men to report back first thing in the morning to make anearly resumption of work. The team leader stated that they would prefer to work through the night. The jobwas done in 30 hours.[24]

In 1862, it was discovered that one of the drains was blocked. Being some 11 feet underground, workmen wereunable to find the blockage despite several attempts. Müller prayed about the situation and the workman atonce found the site of the problem.[25][26]

Strong gales in Bristol on Saturday 14 January 1865 caused considerable damage in the area and over twentyholes were opened in the roofs. Around 20 windows were also broken and two frames damaged by falling slates.The glazier and slater normally employed had already committed their staff to other work so nothing could bedone until the Monday. Had the winds continued, with heavy rain, the damage to the orphanage would havebeen much greater. After much prayer, the wind stopped in the afternoon and no rain fell until Wednesday, bywhich time most of the damage had been repaired.[27]

Once, whilst crossing the Atlantic on the SS Sardinian in August 1877, his ship ran into thick fog. He explainedto the captain that he needed to be in Quebec by the following afternoon, but Captain Joseph E Dutton (laterknown as "Holy Joe") said that he was slowing the ship down for safety and Müller's appointment would have tobe missed. Müller asked to use the chartroom to pray for the lifting of the fog. The captain followed him down,claiming it would be a waste of time. After Müller prayed, the captain started to pray, but Müller stopped him;partly because of the captain's unbelief, but mainly because he believed the prayer had already been answered.When the two men went back to the bridge, they found the fog had lifted. The captain became a Christianshortly afterwards.[28]

Müller's faith in God strengthened day by day and he spent hours in daily prayer and Bible reading.- indeed, itwas his practice, in later years, to read through the entire Bible four times a year. …More from this article athttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_M%C3%BCller

The Spiritual Discipline

1. of Meditation 8. of service2. of Prayer 9. of confession3. of Fasting 10. of Worship4. of Study 11. of Guidance5. of Simplicity 12. of Celebration6. of Solitude7. of Submission

As we develop the Spiritual Disciplines, we must guard against some pitfalls – at least seven:

1. The temptation to turn disciplines in the lawa. nothing chokes like legalismb. rigidity does not equal disciplinec. the Disciplined person knows what needs to be done and when it needs to be doned. the Disciplined person lives in the appropriateness of the hour (moment)e. the Disciplined person can respond to the moving of Divine Gracef. Disciplines are perceptions into life NOT regulations for controlling life

2. Failure to understand the social implications of the Disciplines.a. Disciplines are not a set of pious behaviors for the devout, BUT a call to obedient living in a sin

racked worldb. Call us to wage peace in a world obsessed with warc. Call us to plead for justice in a world plagued with inequitiesd. To stand with the poor and disenfranchised who have been forgotten by their neighbors

3. The view that the Disciplines are virtuous in themselvesa. in and of themselves, they have no virtue – possess no righteousness – contain no rectitudeb. The Disciplines place us before God but do not give us “brownie points” with God.

4. The tendency to center on the Disciplines rather than on Christa. Disciplines lead us in realizing a greater good than themselves – Christ himself

i. Christ is the focus of our quest and the goal we seek

5. To isolate and elevate one Discipline to the exclusion or neglect of the others.a. They are like the fruit of the Spirit – they comprise a single reality, a single functionalityb. They are an organic unity, a single, integrated whole.

6. The tendency to think that the 12 practices mentioned above somehow are all encompassing of God’sgrace.

a. The ways and means through which the Spirit acts cannot be limited to a set of humanpractices.

b. These disciplines are a study of historical practices by individuals or groups that demonstratedand acute “with-God life”. Disciplines are about developing and experiential faith

7. THE MOST DANGEROUS – to study the disciplines without practicing thema. A discussion of any spiritual or faith experience in the abstract (with no actual experience)

tends to leave those experiences in the abstract – empty, hollow and meaningless.b. To experience anything – especially anything new – threatens us to our core and brings

profound risk.c. Yet, one must act in order to experience anything.d. We have to face fears, ask questions and then move into this adventurous life of the Spirit.

Daily ReadingsThursday: Longing to go deeper – Psalm 42Friday: The slavery of ingrained habits – Psalm 51Saturday: The slavery of ingrained habits – Romans 7:13-25Sunday: The bankruptcy of outward righteousness – Philippians 3:1-16Monday: Sin in the bodily members – Proverbs 6:16-19Tuesday: Sin in the bodily members – Romans 6:5-14Wednesday: The Victory of Spiritual Discipline – Ephesians 6:10-20

Questions:1. Discuss some indicators in our culture and society that “superficiality is the curse of our age.”2. What influences Christians to be more superficial than Christians were in previous centuries?3. Why would you say that the listed Spiritual Disciplines are considered “classical” or “essential?”4. What would you say is the purpose of Spiritual disciplines?5. What is “disciplined grace?” what is “cheap grace?”

Psalm 421. How do the words, “panting” and “thirsting” describe your heart?2. Where is it that you meet God?3. What is your answer to the question, “where is your God?” when he seems to be absent or unobtainable?4. How are memories important to us in those times when we believe that we have somehow find

ourselves far away from God?5. What is your understanding of vs. 7?6. What does the psalm encourage us to do when we feel down and oppressed?

Brother Lawrence - (ca. 1614 -1691), Carmelite lay brother

Brother Lawrence was born Nicholas Herman in the region of Lorraine, located in modern day easternFrance. He received a revelation of the providence and power of God at the age of 18, but it would beanother six years before he joined the Discalced Carmelite Prior in Paris. In this intervening period hefought in the Thirty Years' War and later served as a valet.

Nicholas entered the priory in Paris as a lay brother, not having the education necessary to become acleric, and took the religious name, "Lawrence of the Resurrection". He spent almost all of the rest of hislife within the walls of the priory, working in the kitchen for most of his life and as a repairer of sandalsin his later years.

Yet despite, or perhaps because of, his somewhat lowly position, his character attracted many to him. Hewas known for his profound peace and many came to seek spiritual guidance from him. The wisdom thathe passed on to them, in conversations and in letters, would later become the basis for the book, ThePractice of the Presence of God. This work was compiled after Brother Lawrence died by one of thosewhom he inspired, Father Joseph de Beaufort, later vicar general to the Archbishop of Paris. It becamepopular among Catholics and Protestants alike, with John Wesley and A. W. Tozer being among those whorecommended it.

As a young man, Herman's poverty forced him into joining the army, and thus he was guaranteed mealsand a small stipend. During this period, Herman had an experience that set him on a unique spiritualjourney; it wasn't, characteristically, a supernatural vision, but a supernatural clarity into a common sight.

In the deep of winter, Herman looked at a barren tree, stripped of leaves and fruit, waiting silently andpatiently for the sure hope of summer abundance. Gazing at the tree, Herman grasped for the first timethe extravagance of God's grace and the unfailing sovereignty of divine providence. Like the tree, hehimself was seemingly dead, but God had life waiting for him, and the turn of seasons would bringfullness. At that moment, he said, that leafless tree "first flashed in upon my soul the fact of God," and alove for God that never after ceased to burn. Sometime later, an injury forced his retirement from the

army, and after a stint as a footman, he sought a place where he could suffer for his failures. He thusentered the Discalced Carmelite monastery in Paris as Brother Lawrence.

He was assigned to the monastery kitchen where, amidst the tedious chores of cooking and cleaning atthe constant bidding of his superiors, he developed his rule of spirituality and work. In his Maxims,Lawrence writes, "Men invent means and methods of coming at God's love, they learn rules and set updevices to remind them of that love, and it seems like a world of trouble to bring oneself into theconsciousness of God's presence. Yet it might be so simple. Is it not quicker and easier just to do ourcommon business wholly for the love of him?"

For Brother Lawrence, "common business," no matter how mundane or routine, was the medium of God'slove. The issue was not the sacredness or worldly status of the task but the motivation behind it. "Nor is itneedful that we should have great things to do. . . We can do little things for God; I turn the cake that isfrying on the pan for love of him, and that done, if there is nothing else to call me, I prostrate myself inworship before him, who has given me grace to work; afterwards I rise happier than a king. It is enoughfor me to pick up but a straw from the ground for the love of God."

Brother Lawrence retreated to a place in his heart where the love of God made every detail of his life ofsurpassing value. "I began to live as if there were no one save God and me in the world." Together, Godand Brother Lawrence cooked meals, ran errands, scrubbed pots, and endured the scorn of the world.

He admitted that the path to this perfect union was not easy. He spent years disciplining his heart andmind to yield to God's presence. "As often as I could, I placed myself as a worshiper before him, fixing mymind upon his holy presence, recalling it when I found it wandering from him. This proved to be anexercise frequently painful, yet I persisted through all difficulties."

Only when he reconciled himself to the thought that this struggle and longing was his destiny did he find anew peace: his soul "had come to its own home and place of rest." There he spent the rest of his 80 years,dying in relative obscurity and pain and perfect joy.

THE INWARD DISCIPLINES

2. The Discipline of Meditation

“True contemplation is no a psychological trick but a theological grace” – Thomas Merton

Our Adversary majors in three things: noise, hurry and crowds. Keeping us occupied bring him satisfaction.Carl Jung: “Hurriedness is not of the Devil; it is the Devil.” Moving beyond superficialities of culture,including the religious, means entering the inner world of contemplation.

Biblical Witness

Listening to God’s word, reflecting on God’s works, rehearsing God’s deeds, remunerating God’ Law andmore. The Bible stresses changed behavior as a result of an encounter with the living God.

Psalm 119; 1 Kings 19:9-18

Hearing and Obeying

Christian meditation, very simply, is the ability to hear God’s voice and obey his word. God desiresfellowship with each person. Moses learned to hear God’s voice and obey his word. The people were notso eager. They wished to maintain spiritual respectability without the attendant risks. (Ex. 20:19)

Jesus demonstrated the realities of the Kingdom and what life could be like in it. (John 5:19, 30; John14:10) What we experience throughout the Book of Acts is God’s people learning to live on the basis ofhearing God’s voice and obeying his word (what they hear) The Gospels and the early church accountprovide for us a model of meditation – Hear the voice of Jesus, alive in the Spirit, and obey!

The church throughout the centuries has been its best when meditation was practiced. Numerousaccounts of meditating believers give witness of joyful and perpetual communion with the Christ. “Livein the presence of uninterrupted fellowship.” – (E.M. Bounds) The witness of scripture and the witness ofthe devotional masters are so rich, so alive with the presence of God that we would be foolish to neglectsuch a gracious invitation to experience, in the words of Madame Guyon, “the depths of Jesus Christ.”

The Purpose of Meditation

“to develop a friendship with Jesus.” _ Thomas a Kempis. This is not some mushy, giddy, buddy-buddyrelationship. (Rev. 1:17). We ought to experience intense intimacy and awful reverence.

What happens in meditation is that we create an emotional and spiritual space which allows Christ toconstruct an inner sanctuary in the heart. (Rev. 3:20) He has a longing for you, a longing just like ours forhim! Inward fellowship transforms the inner personality. Everything that is foreign to his way we willhave to – want to - let go.

Understandable Misconceptions

Meditation attached in our minds to eastern meditation. It is not the same. They wish to empty the mind;we wish to fill it with Christ. They wish to detach from the world and all that we identify with the world.We, Christ-followers, wish to attachment – an inner wholeness necessary to give ourselves to God freely.We attach to God and thus, to the world with him.

Many believe it contemplated and structured. With God, meditation is natural – human in origin – andfree. Many believe it to be impractical and out of touch with Modern (but not so much post-modern)times. There is fear of self-righteousness, piousness, a detachment from reality. Meditation actuallyredirects our lives to live as we are meant – in fellowship with God. Meditation is life at its best! “Truegodliness does not turn men out of the world, but enables them to live better in it and excites theirendeavors to mend it.” – William Penn.

Some mistakenly believe that meditation is some sort of psychological manipulation. It is unscientific andunreasonable. As Marx said (of religion), “it is the opiate of the people.” He would have said as much ofmeditation. Such notions confine us to a totally human experience. Meditation is a divine-humanencounter that allows communication between a loving God and the one he loves.

Desiring the Living Voice of God

Stop walking in shallow water where there is no risk and anyone on the bank may stretch out a hand toguide you and to save you if need be. Go out into the deep water where it is a struggle to swim andwhere only God can stretch out his hand.

Stop letting others pray for you, speak for you, and even listen for you only to digest it down and fill yourstomachs as a bird feeds her young. Desire the voice of God in your life. It is there and he is speaking,

always speaking, always teaching, always hearing. Pray for a desire to hear the voice of God. Ask, forthe grace of meditation. “The contemplation of the saints is fired by the love of the one contemplated:that is, God.” – Albert the Great.

Sanctifying the imagination

Imagination is our greatest tool for meditation. Some people fear the imagination as being easilymanipulated and hijacked by Evil. So can any portion of our fallen natures, even reason or our souls orminds. God has the power and the will to use all aspects of our being to open lines of communication sothat we may hear his voice and obey him. God is able to sanctify the imagination by way of his ownincarnation in us – as we believe is true, since Christ dwells in us. “God so accommodates, so enflesheshimself into our world that he uses the images we know and understand to teach us about the unseenworld of which we know so little and which we find so difficult to understand.

Preparing to Meditate

We learn to meditate by meditating. Hear are some tips or suggestions to help begin meditation.

Give time to it each day, preferable the same time each day – although one may meditate at any time orall the time once the skill of it is mastered. (1Thess. 5:17)Let all the activity of the day prepare you for your appointed time of meditation. One cannot wrong hisneighbor or slander his boss and expect to meditate later. Likewise, responding extravagantly to theneed of another helps prepare for meditation. All of life prepares us for our communion with God.Set aside a place for meditation – a quiet place, free from interruption.Physical Posture reflects our inner or spiritual posture. Center the attentions of the body, the mind,the emotions and the spirit upon “the glory of God in the face of Christ.” (2Cor. 4:6)

Forms of Meditation

Recollection or “centering down”. Become still, enter into recreating silence, and allow thefragmentation of our minds to become centered. (pg 30)Meditation on Scripture. Internalize and personalize the message. Imagine it written just for you. Donot pass over passages. Spend a week on a single text (a single word, verse, paragraph or section) Putyour imagination to work – the scene, tone of voice, colorful images, smells, etc. Participate in the scene;become part of it.Meditate on creation. Allow God to show you something of his Glory by revealing his creation to you. (Ps.19:1). Give attention to the created order.Meditate on human events and seek to perceive their significance. Have the Bible in one hand and thenewspaper in the other. Ask for guidance to be salt and light in the events contemplated.

Daily Scripture Readings

Thursday: The glory of meditation Exodus 24:15-18Friday: The friendship of meditation Exodus 33:11Saturday: The terror of meditation Exodus 20:18-19Sunday: The object of meditation Psalm 1:1-3Monday: The comfort of meditation 1Kings 19:9-18Tuesday: The insights of meditation Acts 10:9-20Wednesday: The ecstasy of meditation 2 Corinthians 12:1-4

Questions:1. What are your first reactions to meditation?2. What things make your life crowded? Do you have a desire to hear God’s voice in the midst of the

“Clutter:” of your life?3. What threatens you most about meditation?4. In what way may dreams play a role in extending your conscious meditation?5. How is using all the forms of meditation, rather than one exclusively, useful to hearing the voice

of God?

The good devout man first makes inner preparation for the actions he has later to perform. His outwardactions do not draw him into lust and vice; rather it is he who bends them into the shape of reason and rightjudgement. Who has a stiffer battle to fight than the man who is striving to conquer himself.

Thomas a Kempis

Who has a harder fight than he who is striving to overcome himself.Thomas a Kempis

First keep the peace within yourself, then you can also bring peace to others.Thomas a Kempis, 1420

Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wishto be.

Thomas a Kempis, Imitation of Christ

The Discipline of Prayer

Prayer is the force (not an act) that propels us into the depths of our spiritual life. Prayer is the doorway to a perpetual communion (fellowship with the purpose of sanctifying (changing) us) To pray is to change – God uses it to transform us. If we are unwilling to change, then prayer is of no use

and we will soon abandon it AND everything it offers us in our relationship to God.Have you experienced change in your life as a result of prayer?

In real prayer we follow the thoughts of God – we think God’s thoughts after him. James 4:3 Giants of prayer:

i. Martin Luther – 3 hours every morningii. John Wesley – 2 hours a dayiii. Adoniram Judson - - 7 times a day

How may you be encouraged by the examples of these “giants of the faith?”

Often we become discouraged in our prayers because we want &expect so much from them and yet wehave not developed through progression of development the ability to speak God’s thoughts to him AND tohear him through the various means that he speaks to us. In short, we cannot pray unless we aredeveloping over time the skills and beliefs necessary to properly pray.

Most of us have been taught that the events that occur in the universe are “closed” – that they cannot be

changed. For them to change, we believe that a miracle must occur. That means that we believe the onlytime God acts in human events are by way of miracles.

Is this the kind of praying that we find in the Bible or taught in the Bible?What difference does it make in our prayer life if we believe in an “open universe?”

We should understand God’s universe as “open” – in which events can change and change readily. Thisdoes not threaten in any way our understanding of God’s complete sovereignty over time and events.

In this way God is active in human events while at the same time enjoying his relationship with his childrenin activity together. 1 Cor. 3:9

We are called to actively participate with God in impacting his universe. The primary way begin with himis in prayer. As a result of our prayers, we may discover that God is putting our hands and feet to work inhis stead to bring about change.

God always acts in the world of human events through relationship We work with God to bring about HIS future events in human history.

Learn to PrayMisconception concerning prayer Prayer is mainly about asking God for things. Prayer must always be a struggle – “getting under the burden of prayer” We live in a closed universe – that everything is fixed. If so, why pray? Our faith will crumble is our prayers are not answered the first time. “Pray once! Any more than that shows a lack of faith.” We learn to pray; it is a process of learning. Learning means we may question, experiment, fail, take risks,

are surprised, disappointed, etc.Why is it important to view prayer as a learning process?

Not “if thy will be done”. Be confident in prayer. “They (those who prayed in the Bible) were soimmersed in the milieu (environment) of the Spirit that when they encountered a specific situation, theyknew what should be done”

They prayers culminated in commands of action – “walk”, “be well”, “stand up”.

But as we pray for guidance we do wish to know what God’s will is. We do want to know “if it be thywill.”

When we pray for guidance we should be automatically ready to replace our will completely with His. Werelinquish our will and thus any conflict with God. Luke 22:42

As we intercede, we pray believing that events/situations can and should change. We do not stop prayingwhen we do not experience the change as though something is wrong with prayer. Either something isbroken in our prayer life or we are not meant to experience the change first-hand. But is never means thatthings cannot change as we cooperate with God to bring about change.

Prayer begins with listening, for through listening we know the purpose and limits/limitless nature of ourprayer construction

The courage to pray is often evidence enough that we should be praying

Putting ourselves in the location of our prayers is extremely rewarding (remember relationship is keyalways!) Our love for them swells up desires for them that are far greater than we ourselves can meet.We know they are only met in prayer.

Prayer begins with open, honest trust – like that of a child – which often allows us to utilize our imaginationto bring “concreteness” to our prayers. It brings faith to a mental and spiritual reality or consciousness.

What is your response to the idea of suing the imagination in the work of prayer?

“Our prayer is to be like a reflex action to God’s prior initiative upon the heart” “Flash Prayers”. Frank Laubach – “to see anybody will be to pray! To hear anybody … may be to pray!” Lean to pray against evil. Prayer is like any work – we don’t pray only when we feel like it. We pray because we must. “It takes no

time, but it occupies all our time”. Thomas KellyWhat should we do when we don’t feel like praying?What does Thomas Kelly’s statement above mean?

Readings:Thursday: The passion of prayer Matt. 6:5-15Friday: The prayer of worship Psalm 103Saturday: The prayer of repentance Psalm 51Sunday: The prayer of Thanksgiving Psalm 150Monday: The prayer of guidance Matt. 26:36-46Tuesday: The prayer of faith James 5:13-18Wednesday: The prayer of command Mark 9:14-29

Suggested Reading:E.M Bounds – The Power of Prayer Frank C. Laubauch – The Mightiest Force in the WorldAndrew Murray – With Christ in the School of Prayer Watchman Nee – The Prayer Ministry of the ChurchTheresa of Avila – The Interior Castle

Souls without prayer are like bodies, palsied and lame, having hands and feet they cannot use.

The soul of the just man is but a paradise, in which, God tells us, He takes His delight. What do you imagine,must that dwelling be in which a King so mighty, so wise, and so pure, containing in Himself all good, candelight to rest? Nothing can be compared to the great beauty and capabilities of a soul; however keen ourintellects may be, they are as unable to comprehend them as to comprehend God, for, as He told us, Hecreated us in his own image and likeness.

True perfection consists in the love of God and our neighbour, and the better we keep both thesecommandments, the more perfect we shall be.

God speaks to souls through words uttered by pious people, by sermons or good books, and in many other suchways. Sometimes he calls souls by means of sickness or troubles, or by some truth He teaches them duringprayer, for tepid as they may be in seeking Him, yet God holds them very dear.

What misery to live in this world! We are like men whose enemies are at the door, who must not lay aside theirarms, even while sleeping or eating, and are always in dread lest the foe should enter the fortress by somebreach in the walls. O my Lord and my all! How canst thou wish us to prize such a wretched existence?

When I think of myself my mind cannot soar to higher things but is like a bird with broken wings.

God, wishing His elect to realize their own misery, often temporarily withdraws His favours: no more is neededto prove to us in a very short time what we really are.

It is encouraging to see that trials which seemed to us impossible to submit to are possible to others, and thatthey bear them sweetly. Their flight makes us try to soar, like nestlings taught by the elder birds, who, thoughthey cannot fly far at first, little by little imitate their parents.

TERESA OF AVILA, The Interior Castle

Fasting

With the decline of the inward reality of the Christian faith, and increasing tendency to stress the onlything left, the outward form, developed.

Modern culture tends to confuse fasting with mortification It is a popular belief that it is a positive virtue to satisfy every human appetite, so as a result fasting is

made to seem obsolete. Contrary to popular belief, fasting can have beneficial physical effects Many of the great people of the Bible and through Christian history practiced the discipline of fasting. The practice of fasting is not limited within the bounds of Judeo-Christian beliefs and practices. Many

of the world religions promote the spiritual value of fasting.

Fasting in the Bible

Fasting refers to abstaining from food for spiritual purposes. In modern times, fasting is motivated byvanity or by the acquisition of power.

In scripture, fasting consists of abstaining from ALL food, solid and liquid, but not from water. A partial fast is a restriction of diet but not all food. An absolute fast is one abstaining from food and water. Fasting is a personal matter between God and the individual, which means we are not to announce or

make known our fasting. In scripture, there are fasts recorded that included the people of Jacob.These were ordered by God or his servants who enjoyed the authority of all the people in matters offamily life as it pertained to their spiritual development or fidelity.

It is beneficial to have a group fast but only when everyone in the group (church) have been educatedand encouraged to fast privately.

The Bible records regular times for fasting – weekly, festival weeks, Day of Atonement, etc. Somefasted so frequently that they only ate 3 days a week – basically a fast every other day. That means atleast every other day was spent contemplating some sort of inward spiritual need or development.

Akin to fasting is “watching”. This pertains to abstaining from sleep in order to attend to prayer orsome other spiritual duty. Col. 2:23

Fasting as a commandment

Sermon on the Mount. Matt. 6:16-18o However, this is not presented as a command. Jesus is giving instruction concerning a common

practice in his day. “When you fast…” Matt. 9:14-15. The most natural interpretation of the “time that will come” for fasting is the current

age of the church. (the age of the “New Wineskins). The days of his absence are the days of this age –from the time he ascended until now. Maybe to be new wineskins, we indeed ought to have themotivation to fast so as to help facilitate the effect of the power of Christ in our inward, spiritual lives.

Jesus expected fasting because it is beneficial to experiencing his purpose and power in us, i.e.intimacy.

o Have we cheapened grace by ignoring the benefits of the fast? Is the demanding call by Jesusto fast too much to ask of today’s believer? To fail to fast is to cheapen our own followshipand discipleship.

Purpose of Fasting

It is not to solicit praise for ourselves or to in some way believe that if we fast we can manipulate Godto act on our behalf!

Fasting must be centered on God – God-initiated and God-ordained. We worship with fasting. (Luke2:37)

We do not fast so that we may obtain something – even for our spiritual life. We fast to glorify Godwith our life, expressing that he is our only provider and controls all of life, even our bodies. We fastto better fix our heart on God – to know the Blessor without having any concern for the blessing.

o Fasting reveals the things that control us.o Fasting reminds us that only God sustains us.

o Fasting helps to regain the balance of life – physical and spiritual

The Practice of Fasting

Fasting should be developed progressively. The most important thing to monitor during a fast is the attitude of the heart

o Outwardly you will do your normal duties of the day but inwardly you will be in prayer andadoration, song and worship. The mundane will become sacramental. Life becomes an endlessprocession of events that allow you to express devotion to God.

Progress from partial 24hr. fast (with fruit juices) to 24hrs without any food, only water. Thenprogress on to a 2-3 day fast. If this is rewarding and you feel as though by entering an extended fastyou might experience God more deeply, progress to a week-long fast. Many people have found theycan fast for as long as a month.

No one should ever know about the fast (your family may have to know). A fast should never in anyway call attention to you. The revelations you receive during a fast should be shared, but only toglorify God. The fast should not be mentioned.

One should give testimony to the benefits that fasting has had on their spiritual life, but not to thepuffed-up details that some are in the habit of sharing concerning their fast.

Fasting can bring spiritual breakthroughs that will happen in no other way. It is a means to experience God’sgrace and blessing that we should not neglect.

Here are some other “fastings” that we may need to develop

From people. Most often, in order to love them more with the love of God, we need a break inrelationship to know that they are not the center of the relationship but God himself. Community isaugmented when a little fasting is observed.

From media. Our souls are polluted by media. We need a fast to cleanse us, to help us know thestrangle hold it has on us and to help us reorder our lives according to God’s promptings.

From communication. Demands via the phone place us at the center of not only our life but in others.Fasting from the phone helps us overcome this, to removed daily static and so better hear the voice ofGod.

From advertising. Kind of obvious, I hope. From our gluttonous culture. We should learn to dispossess ourselves from all of its demands. We need

time to be among God’s favorites: the broken, the dispossessed, the hurting, not to preach to them,but to learn from them and so to better offer them peace and healing.

Readings:

Thursday: The example of Christ Luke 4:1-13Friday: God’s chosen fast Isaiah 58:1-7Saturday: A partial fast Daniel 10:1-14Sunday: A normal fast Nehemiah 1:4-11Monday: An absolute fast Ester 4:12-17Tuesday: The Gentile mission Acts 13:1-3Wednesday: Appointment of elders Acts 14:19-23

http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0408.htm

The Discipline of Study

The Disciplines are to transform the person Study clearly is meant to best accomplish this goal

Romans 12:2Phil. 4:8

Most Christians are in bondage and fear in their Christian Life because they do not take seriously thediscipline of study.

Knowledge is truth that sets us free

John 8:32

False teaching is the cruelest kind of discipleship. Many Christians are in bondage and fear because ofpoor or false teaching.

Matt. 13:15

Why Study? It’s biblical to do so. Duet. 11:18 The direction our mind takes is determined by what we study, whatever that may be. Our thoughts determine the order of things for life. The resources for study are all around us in verbal and non-verbal form

The Four Steps of Study1. Repetition – the constant return to what is wished to be discovered. (In Scripture, what we seek to

discover is rarely fully discovered)2. Concentration – Centering the mind on what is being studied3. Comprehension – the knowledge (knowing with purpose) of the truth sets us free. The difference

between knowing what something says and knowing what it means as it relates to fuller understandingof the complete character and nature of God.

4. Reflection – We define or decide the significance of what we are studying. We know with purposebecause we have considered it from God’s point of view. Reflection allows us to learn about ourselves.

Daily Readings

Thursday: The Call to Study Proverbs 1:1-9; 23:12,23Friday: The Source of Truth James 1:5; Hebrews 4:11-13; 2 Timothy 3:16-17Saturday: What to Study Philippians 4:8-9, Colossians 3:1-17Sunday: The Value of Study Luke 10:38-42Monday: Active Study Ezra 7:10; James 1:19-20Tuesday: Study in the evangelistic Acts 17:1-3, 10-12; 19:8-10

EnterpriseWednesday: Study of the nonverbal book Proverbs 24:30-34

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

The Discipline of Submission

“Nothing can put people into bondage like religion, and nothing in religion has done more to manipulate anddestroy people than a deficient teaching on submission.”

“The purpose and aim of The Disciplines is freedom, not bondage, slavery or control.”

The Freedom of Submission

The freedom that corresponds to submission is the ability to lay down the terrible burden of alwaysneeding to get you own way.

Almost all church fights and splits occur because people do not have the freedom to give in to eachother. Only submission can free us to enable us to distinguish between genuine issues and stubbornself-will.

The biblical teaching on submission focuses on the spirit with which we view other people. Thisconcern for a spirit of consideration toward others pervades the entire New Testament. Christ wantsus – demands for us – to respect one another.

The Touchstone

Mark 8:24o Matt 5:44; 5:39

Self-denial is simply an understanding that we do not have to have our own way. Our happiness is notdependent on getting what we want.

o How did Peter and Paul find their identity in the act of self-denial?

Matt. 10:29; 22:39o Why are self-love and self-denial NOT in conflict?o In what manner are we free to give away to others?o How do we become free from self-indulgence?

THE WAY TO SELF FULFILLMENT IS THROUGH SELF-DENIAL

Subordination taught by Jesus

Mark 9:35; John 13:15; Phil. 2:1-11 Jesus lived a “cross-life” and died a “cross-death”

o He lived in submission to all human beingo He was a servant of allo He “cross-death” was one of conquest by suffering

Eph. 5:21ffo We submit out of reverence for Christ’s submission

Submission gives status to every person. The low are lifted up and the high are made low. In Paul’s teaching, the difficulty of the teachings falls upon the dominant partner in the relationship.

They are to care, encourage and respect. They are the one who no longer chooses or wishes to haethings their own way.

Limits of Submission

There are no door mats in Christianity. Submission has a limit but only one: when it becomesdestructive or allows for destruction.

Acts of Submission

To the Triune God. Take up our cross and follow Mark 8:34 To Scripture. 2 Tim 3:16 To Family Phil. 2:4 To neighbors and those we meet in the courser of our daily lives. To the believing community 1Cor. 12:12ff To the broken and despised James 1:27, Matt 25:31ff To The World (cosmos – environment)

Inappropriate Submission

The Doormat The Pleaser The Dependent The Manipulator

The Discipline of Service

As the cross is the sign of submission, the towel is the sign of service.o John 13:-14-15

Service requires one to experience the many little deaths of going beyond ourselves. Service banishesus to the mundane, the ordinary, the trivial.

Society and culture operates with a “pecking order”. Jesus completely redefined leadership andrearranged the lines of authority. He abolished – destroyed – the pecking order. It shall not be thatway among Christians who live a life and witness to Jesus.

o Matt. 20:25-28

Self-righteous Service True ServiceComes through human effort Comes out of divine promptings and urgingsImpressed with the “big deal” Can’t distinguish between large or small service.

Welcomes every opportunity to serveRequires external rewards Is content in hiddenness.Highly concerned about results Free of need to calculate results. Delights only in

servicePicks and chooses whom to serve Indiscriminate in ministry and service – a servant to allAffected by moods and whims. Serves only whenthere is a “feeling” to serve or feels like serving

Ministers because there is a need. The servicedisciplines the feelings rather than vice versa.

Is insensitive. Insists on helping even though it maybe destructive.

Can withhold service as well as give it. Can serve bywaiting in silence.

Fractures community because it centers on theindividual.

True service builds community. Cares for the needsof others. It draws, binds, heals, builds.

Seeks after some sense of humility Knows one can never gain humility by seeking it

Service and Humility

When we set out on a consciously chosen course of action that accents the good of others and is, forthe most part, a hidden work, a deep change occurs.

Nothing disciplines the inordinate desires of the flesh like service and nothing transforms the desires ofthe flesh like serving in hiddenness.

The result of the daily discipline of the flesh will be the rise of the grace of humility.

The difference between Service and being a Servant

When we choose to serve we are in charge. We make the decisions about who, when and how to serve.We will worry about some one telling us how to go about in our service – fear they will take chargeover us.

When we choose to be a servant we give up the right to be in charge. We become available andvulnerable. We freely give our rights.

If we have freely given up our rights then we are no longer fearful of being stepped upon and hurt.Being stepped upon just may be part of being a servant.

THE CORPORATE DISCIPLINESDiscipline of Confession

At the heart of God is to give and forgive. Jesus knew that by his suffering he could actually absorb allthe evil of humanity and so heal it, forgive it, and redeem it.

It is his work on the cross that makes confession and forgiveness of sins possible. This is salvation andit is both an event and a process (Phil 2:13)

Why is this a Corporate Discipline? 1 Timothy 2:5 James 5:16

Corporate confession is difficult because we see the church as a company of saints rather than ofsinners. To view us as the latter frees us to confess in humility and receive counsel, prayer and lovefrom folks like us. Sinners know that they cannot judge for they have no standing to do so. Sinnerswho have experienced the forgiveness of Christ should only know compassion for their brothers andsisters caught up in the darkness of sin.

Authority to Forgive John 20:23 Bonhoeffer: “Our brother … has been given to us to help us. He hears the confession of our sins in

Christ’s stead and he forgives our sins in Christ’s name. He keeps the secret of our confession as Godkeeps it. When I go to my brother to confess, I am going to God.”

Confession and forgiveness is mercy in the flesh. They allow the personification of God’s love in a waythat nothing else allows.

1 John 1:9

In the Giving of a Confession 1 John 4:9. The evidence of mercy and grace sparks a contrite heart and allows confession to flow. Luke 15:20. God’s greatest delight is to forgive! What do we do to confess? Examine the heart; experience sorrow; determine to avoid sin. The church has the power to “loose sin” and also the power to support the confessor by offering

accountability.

In Receiving a Confession Bonhoeffer quote – pg 154 Living in the Spirit means that we handle people with His character and nature. Confession is not to us – it is to The Lord; we are his visible and vocal presence, offering love and care. We are prayerful, often quiet, looking for opening to reveal the Light of Christ already in them. Always hold before you the Cross – your sin, their sin and God’s forgiveness. Confession always should be bathed in open prayer for the person and their need. Confession is a healing process and so the wound often slow to heal. Offer to follow-up – not for more

confession – but for the purpose of edification and strength.

There is no pretense in confession. Only honesty leads to confession and to hear a confession. In the process,each person is changed more into the likeness of Christ. This can only be a good thing for the life and presenceof the church in the world.

The Discipline of Worship

Worship is to know Life; to know Reality. It is to experience the presence of the Resurrected Christ. Itis to come into the presence of the Shekinah of God. (The glory and radiance of God dwelling with hispeople.)

God seeks us to worship (John 4:23) and so, it is our privilege.

Isaiah 6

Worship has always been corporate in the Bible. Why is this statement true or untrue? We are to approach worship with “holy expectancy.” This opens our heart to the physical response to

Jesus’ promised presence. Because of this, we may experience God at any time with any other persons, no matter how few or how

many.

How should we enter our appointed worship time and space in order for the entire fellowship toexperience the Shekinah of God? How would you prepare your heart? How would you place yourself inthe space? How would you like your worship leaders to lead? What worship environment do you desireto help bring you into the presence of God?

Do you feel as though God has gathered his people for worship; that he has sought us out? Or do youfeel as though we gather accidentally or without a shared sense of expectancy or purpose? In short, isthere such a thing as an imposter in worship?

Christ is the leader of worship

He is the prophet, shepherd, priest, teacher. He is present in all power - over sin and over the domination of sin. He decides on what human instrument we may use in our worship. He gathers us for worship. So why do people not gather with the body for worship?

Avenues into worship

Still all human initiated activity. Renounce yourself. Through the week, we yield to the Master’s promptings upon our life. We determine that our heart will be a symphony of praise to Christ always. We should be free to express worship in physical action. We should have NO FEAR to respond to God

physically.

Steps into worship

Practice the presence of God daily. Have varied experiences of worship. Prepare for the gathered experience of worship Have a willingness to be gathered by Christ into worship. Have a dependency upon God for what will happen in worship. Allow God to overcome any distractions you may encounter. Learn to offer a sacrifice of worship.

Fruits of worship

What should you expect the fruit of worship to be for your life? Isaiah 6:8

The Discipline of Guidance“In our day and age heaven and earth are on tiptoe waiting for the emergence of a Spirit-led, Spirit-intoxicated, Spirit-empowered people. All of creation watches expectantly for the springing up of adisciplined, feely gathered, martyr people who know in this life the life and power of the kingdom of God.”

The church is a people who know that in the power of Spirit, Jesus has come to lead them – to guidethem. And by that same power, they are able to joyfully yield to his guidance. By such guidance theyare able to live a life full and free, knowing life only to be a means of sharing in the great purposes ofGod for his world.

God provides personal guidance, but most often the guidance God provides to us is conveyed andexperienced in fellowship. God does no mean for us to proceed through life alone. In guiding thegroup, we attain personal guidance and vice versa. The guidance God provides the individual is oftenmeant for the family – the body.

Acts 13:1-3 Acts 15

What is our story together of following the guidance of the Spirit in a self-abandoned way, that causesus to rejoice in knowing that Jesus is with us and leading us?

How does a church collectively yield and then act upon the leadership of Christ through His Spirit?What will the resulting behavior look like?How will a church know when it has received the desired purpose of God?

The Spiritual Director Spiritual guidance is in need of a spiritual director – a person who has already discipline his or her life

to listen and look for and then follow the guidance offered by Our Lord. A director is God’s usher who leads souls in God’s way, not his own. He or she does not offer advice

but offers only clarity for what is being sensed as direction from Christ. The Spiritual Guide helps the pilgrim understand that the journey with Christ is holistic, not a

compartmentalized experience known only to the soulful aspects of our life. Spiritual directors are on the same journey and as such must and should be free to share their own

struggles and doubts. This is authenticity which acts as the shoes on our feet as we step sure in thepath upon which our Lord leads us.

Of course, none of what we are describing may be lived without the discipline of unceasing prayer.

The Limits of Corporate Guidance Too often it is manipulated and controlled by leaders. Some people claim to have a greater understanding of the guidance God is providing. Such claims

should only be perceived after much prayer by the group and such status given to the individual as amatter of ordination.

However, manipulative perversion of guidance always results in stifling spiritual vitality which is thesingular mechanism through which God relates his life and purpose to his church.

Jesus came to restore the weak and to not harm them. This includes the spiritually weak. This cannotoccur if human beings are constantly quenching the spiritual guidance occurring in others.

All of this is constricted by the finiteness of this world. We can only perceive so much in our relationship withChrist. We can push the limits of such finitude and always attain more guidance from Christ. But we mustrecognize limits, since it is such limits that usually conflict and broken relationships within the church. In suchcases we should always default to the position of love for one another. Love is the keystone of all guidanceJesus will ever give. We may always fall back on love that never fails, on good that overcomes evil; love thatcauses us to turn a brother away from sin and thus covers a multitude of sins.

The Discipline of Celebration“The Christian should be an alleluia from head to foot” Augustine of Hippo

Joy is the bookends of Christ’s incarnation. Luke 2:10; John 15:11

Jesus began his ministry calling it – or proclaiming - the “year of the Jubilee”. The Christian is to bein a perpetual season of Jubilee – celebrating the social impact of Christ’s presence and the freedomhe brings to all who are in debt or in bondage.

The Jubilee can only bring celebration!o Cancel debts -- Releasing slaves -- Planting no crops -- Returning property to the original owner

God is the one that can be trusted (Lev.25:21) and as such can be celebrated for his graciousness andprovision.

“Freedom from anxiety and care forms the basis for celebration. Because we know he cares for us, wecast our cares on him. God has turned our mourning into dancing!”

Celebration gives strength to life Celebration brings joy and joy brings strength. Without a joyful spirit of festivity the Disciplines become dull and burdensome. Joy should always be

the prime motivating factor in our present Christian experience, for in Joy we may know all of Christ –his life and mission.

The Path of Joy The only path to joy is obedience, period. (Luke 11:27-28) Joy comes through obedience to Christ and joy results from obedience to Christ. Much of church life and worship in many churches is designed to somehow bring joy to those

participating without offering opportunities to help the Christian be obedient to Christ. As a result,the Christian life becomes dull and unfulfilling. It is hollow. They live their daily lives making itimpossible to experience the joy of the Lord and then come to gather with His people – sing, pray, play– and expect joy to somehow come upon them. It cannot without a life of obedience.

When members of the family (the church) are filled with love and compassion and a spirit of service toone another (all necessary for Godly obedience) then that family has reason to celebrate.

When the power that is in Jesus reaches into our work and play and redeems them, there will be joywhere once there was mourning. To overlook this is to miss the meaning of the Incarnation.

We should be carefree in our celebration. No one or nothing should stand in the way of our joyfulexpression of God’s jubilee in us by way of the Incarnation of Christ. This does not mean we celebrateevil, but we may give thanks for it since it is a means of Christ “acting out” his Jubilee in us. (Phil 4:8)

The Benefits of Celebration Relax and enjoy the good things of life Antidote for the periodic sense of sadness that come upon us. Gives perspective on life. Laugh at yourself. Stop taking yourself and your causes so seriously.

Celebrate the weak, lowly and simple things in life. Frees us from a judgmental spirit Leads to more celebration