By Bill Gaultiere © 2004-2012
Spiritual disciplines are ways we open ourselves to God. They facilitate honesty, grace, and soul transformation. Jesus modeled living in a “rhythm of life“, using spiritual practices to cultivate his intimacy with the Father. The Apostles, the Psalmists, and all our Bible heroes model the importance of using spiritual exercises to “grow in grace” (2 Peter 3:18).
Dallas Willard teaches that it’s important to balance our use of disciplines of abstinence and disciplines of engagement. The rhythm of the spiritual life is cross and resurrection: put off the old self and put on the new self, deny yourself and follow Christ. Self-denial practices make space for us to embrace and live out the life of Christ.
Kristi and I practice a “rhythm of life” that includes a variety of soul training practices. In our Soul Shepherding ministry we invite pastors, ministry leaders, and all Christ followers to participate with us in ways of contemplative prayer and Scripture meditation. We do this in seminars, retreats, spiritual mentoring, and psychotherapy.
Contact us if we can provide spiritual mentoring for you, your small group, or your organization.
There is no complete list of spiritual disciplines, but here are some tried and true Spiritual Disciplines for your Soul.
Disciplines for Self-Denial
Follow Jesus on the Stations of the Cross
Secrecy (Doing good deeds for God alone)
Disciplines for God-Embracing
Examen of Consciousness (Cultivating Awareness of God’s Presence)
Lectio Divina (Meditation on Scripture)
Play (Yes! Play is Essential for Spiritual Growth)
Praying a Psalm in its Nature Setting
Reading the Classics of Devotion
Stability (Staying in Community)
For more Soul Shepherding articles…
Soul Shepherding Blog (Posts on home page)
It’s people like you who support the ministry of Soul Shepherding, which includes resources like these. Perhaps you would like to invest in the renewal of pastors, missionaries, leaders, and care-givers? Even small donations given with prayer in Jesus’ name add up to make Soul Shepherding’s ministry possible.Thank you!
Bill & KristiWilliam Gaultiere, Ph.D. & Kristi Gaultiere, Psy.D. ~ http://www.soulshepherding.org
