NINE

Introducing our NINE Spiritual Practices…

Our spiritual practices are not about trying to earn God’s favour or improve ourselves, but about making ourselves available to God and cooperating with the Spirit’s work of transformation.

‘God has given us the Disciplines of the spiritual life as a means of receiving his grace. The Disciplines allow us to place ourselves before God so that he can transform us.

A farmer is helpless to grow grain; all he can do is provide the right conditions for the growing of grain. He cultivates the ground, he plants the seed, he waters the plants, and then the natural forces of the earth take over and up comes the grain…This is the way it is with the Spiritual Disciplines – they are a way of sowing to the Spirit… By themselves the Spiritual Disciplines can do nothing; they can only get us to the place where something can be done.’

• Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth

 

ROOTS – CENTRING PRACTICES

We grow in peace as we anchor ourselves in these practices.

Prayer: I choose to abide in Christ; present to God’s presence.

Scripture: I choose to dive deep into God’s Word.

Solitude: I choose to make space to be alone with Jesus.

TRUNK – COMMUNAL PRACTICES

We grow in grace as we share in these practices together.

Worship: I choose to respond to ‘Who God is’ with ‘all I am and have’.

Reconciliation: I choose to listen first and speak life.

Sabbath: I choose to eat well, play well and rest well.

BRANCHES – MISSIONAL PRACTICES

We grow in love as we live these practices in the world.

Justice: I choose to stand up, speak out and act justly.

Work: I choose to ‘show up’ and play my God-given role.

Blessing: I choose to share blessing as I have been blessed.