Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Everyday Black Matters

Home
Progressive Christian
Establishing Spiritual Depth – #OneWordUpdate

Establishing Spiritual Depth – #OneWordUpdate

Last updated on: May 6, 2013 at 1:05 pm by Grace Sandra

Establishing Spiritual Depth – #OneWordUpdate 2013-05-06T13:05:50-04:00 Grace Sandra

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

For almost 3 years, I’ve been using the Seeking God’s Face Devotional Prayer Bible as my primary quiet time entry point. I have a 3.5 yr. old son. It’s been a wonderful tool as I’ve weathered the grueling life stage that is raising small children. Ain’t nobody got time to bust out markers & print off manuscripts whilst spending 30 minutes just on observations. (Pre-children, this is what I used to do, people). Wanna know what? I freaking loved that time. I absolutely adore in-depth manuscript Bible study, but I understand it’s not always a reality.

{Goodbye old friend}

I feel my reality shifting a bit. Seeking God’s Face became my new normal. A bit old hat, unfortunately. It hit me the other day: I need to grow in depth in my relationship with the Lord, pronto.

My one word for 2013 is establish. I want to lay the foundations deeper in my relationship with the Lord. These past 3.5 yrs. since Rhysie was born, I needed the quick & dirty quiet time life. I needed the table set out for me. (I.e. Here’s your Psalms, here’s your Proverb, here’s your quiet moment, here’s your daily passage, here’s your prayer requests, here’s your application prayer).

In this last week, I’ve sensed I need something different in my {not nearly} daily times with the Lord. I need to establish some new practices, new books, new guides, new teachers. Yesterday, I raided our overstocked book shelves for some oldies but goodies…

{Hello new, old friends}

Last night, I started reading The Attentive Life by Leighton Ford. Oh my. It was like finding a tall glass of ice water after doing an hour of Zumba on the beach in Miami in late August in sweatpants & ear muffs. I made it to page 12 after a highlighting, underlining frenzy.

Each of us is part of a Greater Story, and behind our stories is a Storyteller calling us home. The deepest longing I have is to come home to my own heart, so in a sense I am writing this book for myself. But it is not just about me, for I believe all our stories are of longing and of looking. ~ Leighton Ford, The Attentive Life

This morning, I opened my quiet time with one of my old fave’s Devotional Classics. Again, with the ice water example. A lot of people who lived between 1500-1800 had some beautifully complex things to say but they’ve yet to make it to make to Amazon’s top 100.

As thou art in church or cell, that same frame of mind carry out into the world; into it’s turmoils and fitfulness. Deep within in all there is an amazing inner sanctuary of the soul, a holy place, a Divine Center, a speaking Voice, to which we may continuously return. Eternity is at our hearts, pressing upon our time-torn lives, warming us with intimations of an astounding destiny, calling us home unto Itself. It is a light within which illumines the face of God and casts new shadows and new glories upon our faces. It is a seed stirring to life if we do not choke it. It is the Shekinah of the soul, the Presence in the midst. Here is the slumbering Christ, stirring to be awakened, to become the soul we clothe in earthly form and action. And hs is within us all. ~ Thomas Kelly, A Testament of Devotion {In the book pictured above, Devotional Classics}

Undoubtedly, this seemingly sudden urge to grow in depth of faith has been spurred by the almost constant nagging fear daily pulling my heart strings.

I find it interesting that, in the year I felt the Lord gave me the word “establish” I would become so emotionally unraveled that I literally have no choice but to establish new habits, new daily commandments, new rules for marriage, not to mention establishing a new company & a new online magazine after a job loss and new income streams in contexts that are all new.

Some may call me crazy. I say all is grace. I must be brave, because the God of Heaven & earth has given me a chance to start over and establish something new. In more ways than I can now say, my old life is gone.

It’s no wonder, I’m pushing hard into my faith, scrambling for good books. I have no illusions of security or certainties! I am literally free falling.

Pardon me God, I’ve just stepped off a very large cliff, so, you’re like, uh, going to catch me right?

Join me in depth? The books listed {affiliate links}:

~~~~

Every 1st Monday of the month, I’ll be taking seriously my One Word for 2013 by joining Kristin, Alyssa, Suzannah, Leigh, Danielle & others to update our one word progress. You can join the OneWord365.com community & use the #onewordupdate hashtag on Twitter to follow along.

The word I chose was Establish.

Here’s my January 2013 update

Here’s my February 2013 update

Here’s my March 2013 update

You’ve just finished my April 2013 #OneWord Update

Previous Post

May 5, 2013

For You, Netizen

Next Post

May 7, 2013 My 1st Published Book! And I'm a Cover Girl, Y'all!

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion Abuse Survivor African Americans Black Campus Ministries Blogging Books Celebrities Depression Detroit Divorce Dreams entrepreneurialista Family Fashion Fashion & Hair Fashion Finds Fashion Tips Fitness & Body Love For You Girly-Girl Giveaways! Goal Setting Hair Adventures Home Human Trafficking Humor & Fun InterVarsity iphone Apps iphoneography Leadership Marriage Memoir Mentoring Movies Music My Faith My Life My Pregnant Life My Weight Watcher's Journey Netizen One Word Opinion Parenting Photography Policy Politics Pop Culture Product Reviews Race & Ethnicity Racism Ransom Rhys Second Marriage Self Leadership Social Justice Social Media Spiritual Disciplines T.V. Uncategorized Western Theological Seminary What I Wore What I Wore Wednesday Writing Writing Tips

Select a Month May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 December 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 April 2016 March 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 July 2015 June 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz