SESSION 8 (2023)
RESOURCES
SESSION 7 slides to be posted following our gathering
LEG 1 (Monday, 1/23 - Sunday, 2/5)
READING
Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation by Ruth Haley Barton
Introduction
Chapter 1: LONGING FOR MORE - An Invitation to Spiritual Transformation
Chapter 6: SELF-EXAMINATION - Bringing My Whole Self Before God
Chapter 7: DISCERNMENT - Recognizing and Responding to the Presence of God
NOTE: This is reading future groups will do in earlier sessions
REFLECTING
Reflect on the following questions regarding the reading, writing in your journal:
What is one step you can take today to quiet the noise in order to listen more attentively to the voice of Jesus and slow down in order to live more faithfully to the way of Jesus? (EHS-WB, p26)
Fill in the blanks: What I am beginning to realize about God this week is _______. What I am beginning to realize about myself this week is _______. (EHS-WB, p34)
Allow yourself the full realization that you have Jesus’ complete attention (because you do!) and hear his question addressed to you: “What do you want me to do for you?” Answer his question, “God, what I most need / want from you right now is ______.” (SR, p28)
As you practiced Examen at the end of each day, what have you noticed about God’s presence with you? Were there ways God was with you that you would not have noticed if you had not been practicing this Spiritual discipline? (SR, p178)
Are there aspects of your created self that you have been able to celebrate and acknowledge? What difference does this make in the way you view God and the way you view yourself? (SR, p178)
What sins or negative patterns has God shown you in your times of examen? How is it changing you to acknowledge these areas to God and to those who have been affected by these attitudes and behaviors? (SR, p178)
God’s will is generally for us to do more of whatever it is that gives us life (Deuteronomy 30:19, John 10:10). How does this truth change the way you view yourself and your life? (SR, p179)
Describe a recent time (in the last month or so) when you were aware that you were your most authentic self in God, fully open to God. Describe a similar time when were aware of this same authenticity with others. What about those situations do you think led to this increased authenticity? (SR, p179)
How might God be inviting you to incorporate into your life more of that which gives you life and less of that which drains life from you? (SR, p179)
PRACTICING
End each day with the spiritual practice of Examen as provided in the attached EXAMEN GUIDE.
LEG 2 (Monday, 2/6 - Sunday, 2/19)
READING
Good and Beautiful and Kind: Becoming Whole in a Fractured World by Rich Villodas
Introduction
Chapter 1: A Failure to Love
Chapter 2: The Unseen Enemy
Ephesians 6:10-20
Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren
Chapter 1: Walking - Baptism and Learning to Be Loved
Chapter 2: Making the Bed - Liturgy, Ritual, and What Forms a Life
NOTE: This is reading future groups will do in earlier sessions
REFLECTING
Reflect on the following questions regarding the reading, writing in your journal:
What is one step you can take today to quiet the noise in order to listen more attentively to the voice of Jesus and slow down in order to live more faithfully to the way of Jesus? (EHS-WB, p26)
Fill in the blanks: What I am beginning to realize about God this week is _______. What I am beginning to realize about myself this week is _______. (EHS-WB, p34)
How do you understand the concept of “wholeness”? What do you think re the marks of wholeness in a person’s life? How do you see this in your life? (GBK, Intro)
Read the poem “Tired” by Langston Hughes on page xxvii of the Introduction to Good and Beautiful and Kind. Underline any words that stand out to you. What are “worms” in our society that are eating away at our lives as a culture? as a church? you as an individual? What is one step you can begin to address these in your own personal life? (GBK, Intro)
(love)
The “cosmic powers” we wrestle against seek to depersonalize, deceive, and divide. How are you currently experiencing this in your relation with God? your relation with others? How might this be a sign of your false self’s reluctance to trust in and rely on God? (GBK, Ch2)
Rich writes that “Much of our society holds the conviction that if two people disagree on important issues, they must be enemies…The tendency to see people as objects to avoid or attack because of our differences is a testament to our immaturity.” (p35) How are you currently experiencing this? Who are you disagreeing with and viewing as an enemy? How are you currently avoiding them? attacking them (potentially through gossip)? (GBK, CH2)
Rich writes that “Depersonalization is an act of desacralization. When we depersonalize, we stop seeing individuals as sacred creations of God. We begin to see them as an “it.”” (p36) Who (either an individual or group of people) are you currently depersonalizing? How has this led to your treatment of them - in the way you think about them, speak about them, speak to them, or treat them? (GBK, CH2)
On a typical day, what are your first conscious thoughts as you wake up? When do you first look at your phone? How does this shape your day and your life? What practices or changes might help you recall in your first waking moments that you are beloved and a part of God’s people? (LOTO, CH1)
Annie Dillard writes, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” How does this impact the way you think about your days and your Christian life? (LOTO, CH1)
PRACTICING
End each day with the spiritual practice of Examen as provided in the attached EXAMEN GUIDE.
LEG 3 (Monday, 2/20 - Sunday, 3/5)
READING
Good and Beautiful and Kind: Becoming Whole in a Fractured World by Rich Villodas
Chapter 4: The Problem of Prayer
Chapter 5: Beyond the Walls of the False Self
Philippians 2:1-11
The Deeper Journey: The Spirituality of Discovering Your True Self by Robert Mulholland Jr.
Review Chapters 1-3 (previously read in Session 4)
Chapter 4: Hidden with Christ in God - The False Self and the Christ Self
REFLECTING
Reflect on the following questions regarding the reading, writing in your journal:
What is one step you can take today to quiet the noise in order to listen more attentively to the voice of Jesus and slow down in order to live more faithfully to the way of Jesus? (EHS-WB, p26)
Fill in the blanks: What I am beginning to realize about God this week is _______. What I am beginning to realize about myself this week is _______. (EHS-WB, p34)
Contemplative prayer aids us in: facing our false self, being an unanxious presence, and stewarding our words. Which of these three fruits of contemplative prayer calls out to you today and why? (GBK, CH4)
How do you define humility? When are the moments you find it hard to be humble? When do you find it easy(er) to be humble? (GBK, CH5)
Cultivating a life of humility means you have nothing to protect, to prove, or to possess. Which of these three do you have the most difficult time letting go of and why? What is one step you could take in humility of releasing this to God? How might this humility lead to the death of something in your life? (GBK, CH5)
Very few people enjoy receiving correction, even when from a trusted friend. Describe a recent time wen you received correction (or criticizm). What is the internalized message you tell yourself when this happens? What message might God want to replace it with? (GBK, CH5)
“You are a beloved child of God…The primary center of your identity is the heart of God’s love before the foundation of the world.” How has your false self lie to you regarding this truth? How has your true self in Christ led to to you responding to this truth: hopeful? awestruck? humbled? (TDJ, CH4)
In Matthew 16:24, Jesus says, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” How does this relate to the abandonment of your false self? (TDJ, CH4)
What are some doors of the false self? What might be the door or doors in your life? Can you think of past examples from your life when you were able to open a door and let go of your false self? Do you have a possessive or protective grip on any door? (TDJ, CH4)
PRACTICING
End each day with the spiritual practice of Examen as provided in the attached EXAMEN GUIDE.
PUBLISHED: Friday, January 6, 2023, at 4:40PM
UPDATED: Sunday, January 22, 2023, at 1:21PM