A Conversation about Spiritual Disciplines
A spiritual discipline is an ancient path that leads to a meeting with God. The disciplines in themselves are not the end. When driven from a delightful devotion, they lead us to godliness and an intimate walk with Christ. This morning, Pastor Alex taught us about the discipline of silence and solitude. In our culture, silence is most often viewed as a passive act of laziness. Fortunately, we can gain our strength and hope from silence – a dynamic act that helps us hear from the Holy Spirit (Psalm 62:1-7)

Why spend time in silence and solitude?
1. The example of Christ – Luke 5:16, Luke 6, Mark 1 Silence facilitates the other disciplines.
2. It physically and spiritually restores us. “Come away with Him to a desolate place and rest awhile.” Isaiah 30:15
3. Great time to clearly hear the voice of God.

Why don’t we do it?
1. It’s all we’ve ever known
2. We want tangible results, and we see silence as passive
3. We don’t want to be called lazy
4. We are afraid of what we may hear. (You can trust the HS. He wants what is best for you!)
5. It’s just plain hard. (Satan is quite aware of the power of silence…)

Practical Ways to Create Sacred Spaces
1. Choose a quiet commute.
2. Turn off the television.
3. Schedule a date with the Lord, and put it in your calendar.
4. Plan a regular get-away of silence.

David Runcorn said, “Punctuation is a helpful way of thinking about Jesus’ relationship with silence and solitude. Jesus punctuated his life with silence and solitude. His times alone were comas, pauses and full stops in the story of his life. They gave the rest of his life its structure, direction and balance. His words and works were born out of those hours of silent waiting upon God.” Carmel, it would serve us well to follow Christ’s example…

To discuss today
1. When is the last time you spent 30 minutes in silence? What do you remember about that time?

2. What are the “things” that are in your control that can help foster times of silence and solitude?

3. Do you have a “date with the Lord”, and do you keep it? If not, when are you going to schedule that this week?

4. When is the last time you heard the Holy Spirit speak to you? What did He say?

Prayer
Father, thank you for being patient with me as I try to tune out the noise of this world. I confess that I let my own feelings of accomplishment get in the way of what you want to say to me. Help me to find the time and courage to be still and silent with you alone. I trust you and want to hear from you, but too many times I let the distraction of ___________________ get in the way. I know I need this discipline in my life to point me towards your goodness.