Hendrickson Publishers - Silence: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life

Everyday life today is busier and more distracting than it has ever been before. While cell phones and texting make it easier to keep track of children and each other, they also make it harder to get away from the demands that overwhelm us. Time, it seems, is a shrinking commodity. But God, the Creator of time, has given us the keys to leading a life that may be challenging but not overwhelming. In fact, he offers us tools to do what seems impossible and come away refreshed and renewed. These tools are called spiritual practices, or spiritual disciplines.

Spiritual practices are holy habits. They are rooted in Gods word, and they go back to creation itself. God has hardwired us to thrive when we obey him, even when it seems like his instructions defy our common sense. When we engage in the holy habits that God has ordained, time takes on a new dimension. What seems impossible is actually easy; its easy because we are tapping into Gods resources.

The holy habits that we call spiritual practices are all geared to position us in a place where we can allow the Holy Spirit to work in us and through us, to grant us power and strength to do the things we cant do on our own. They take us to a place where we can become intimate with God.

While holy habits and everyday life may sound like opposites, they really arent. As you learn to incorporate spiritual practices into your life, youll find that everyday life is easier. At the same time, you will draw closer to God and come to a place where you can luxuriate in his rich blessings. Here is a simple example. Elizabeth Collings hated running household errands. Picking up dry cleaning, doing the grocery shopping, and chauffeuring her kids felt like a never-ending litany of menial chores. One day she had a simple realization that changed her life. That day she began to use her chore time as a time of prayer and fellowship with God.

Whenever Elizabeth walked the aisle of the supermarket, she prayed for each person who would eat the item of food she selected. On her way to pick up her children, she would lay their lives out before God, asking him to be there for them even when she couldnt. Each errand became an opportunity for fellowship with God. The chore that had been so tedious became a precious part of her routine that she cherished.

The purpose of these study guides is to help you use spiritual practices to make your own life richer, fuller, and deeper. The series includes twenty-four spiritual practices that are the building blocks of Christian spiritual formation. Each practice is a holy habit that has been modeled for us in the Bible. The practices are acceptance, Bible study and meditation, celebration, community, confession, contemplation, faith, fasting, forgiveness, gratitude, hospitality, justice, mentoring, outreach, prayer, reconciliation, Sabbath and rest, service, silence, simplicity, solitude, stewardship, submission, and worship.

As you move through the practices that you select, remember Christs promise in Matthew 11:2830:

Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.

Introduction

to the Practice of Silence

Silence. The very word itself soothes, quiets, calms. It conjures visions of the beach at sunset, a mother caressing her sleeping child, a little boy sitting on a rock with his fishing rod waiting for a catch. Seems like another world, doesnt it?

Life has never been more stressful or fast-paced than it is today. With the great changes in technology that weve seen over the last two decades, life is utterly different today. The Internet has turned the world into a global village. Between Facebook, cell phones, texting and e-mail, you are always connectedperhaps more than youd like.

As a society, America is on sensory overload. A simple evening dinner with the family is often something that has to be arranged in advance. For most people, a quiet walk includes using an iPod. And even a drive to the grocery store is no guarantee of a few minutes just to be. Cell phones and texting make it possible to be in conversation every minute of the day! It seems like silence is quickly becoming as obsolete as phone booths and Walkmans.

So what does the Bible say about this phenomenon? Is there any value in silence? In these chapters on silence, you will experience what Jesus meant when he suggested that he and his disciples go off by ourselves to find a quiet place. Sometimes the noise we experience doesnt come from the outside; it is the noise in our minds that has no volume control. This, too, is addressed in the Word, and as you explore the experience of Elijah, you will learn how God wants us to deal with distractions, inside and out.

Tis the gift to be simple, tis the gift to be free; tis the gift to come down where we ought to be, says the old Shaker song. As you read, ponder, pray, and learn about silence, may the Lord bring you closer to where you want to be and where he wants you to be.

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