Ancient Body Practices
Physical things we can do with our bodies to bring balance to our lives in the midst of a culture of consumption. Scroll down to practice fasting, silence, the rosary, and the sign of the cross.
Fasting (Centering on God & Limiting Reliance on Self):
-Give up food for an entire day (praying for a certain person or issue whenever you feel hunger pains).
-Give up food and water for an entire day.
-Have an extended fast for a few days (or a week) with just bread and water.
-Give up something for a day, a week, or a month. Examples: driving, television, movies, music, coffee, desserts, video games, sports, magazines, makeup, shopping.
Resting:
-Take time out of your day or week to rest in God. Stop yourself for a morning, afternoon, or even a full day or weekend. Take time to meditate, pray, or even involve yourself with God through his creation. Go for a hike alone.
-Take time at breakfast, lunch, dinner, or during a break to sit in a park for a half hour and watch the creation. Look at the grass, trees, and even other people. Focus on giving grace and not judgment. Let your spirit settle and focus on your soul.
Silence:
Turn everything off in your life for a short time. No friends, family, television, internet, i-pod, or any other distraction. Just let silence permeate your soul for a time.
The Rosary:
Often used by Catholics to pray to the Virgin Mary. We utilize a type of rosary to pray to God specifically about various issues. There are many types of prayer beads used. One example is a prayer bead that has five different colors that we utilize to pray for others in the world:
Red – thanks
Clear – mercy
Blue – peace
Green – healing
Black – justice
Go over each of these with your fingers and as you touch them, pray for these things in your life and for your ability to bring these things to the world all around you.
The Sign of The Cross (A Constant Reminder of Christ & the Trinity)
Crossing ourselves is a pious act, a declaration of our faith and our pride in the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ who allowed Himself to be crucified for our sake and for our salvation. So making the Sign of the Cross is a reminder of the life of Christ, His divinity and His living presence in ourselves who believe and call on His name.
The Sign of the Cross for followers of Christ is made in this way: The thumb, the index and the middle fingers of the right hand are held together, while the remaining two fingers (the ring finger and the little finger) are bent and touching the palm of the hand. The three fingers joined together symbolize the One God in three Persons–the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The two fingers bent to the palm of the hand, signify the union of the two natures in Christ, that is God and man, the divine and the human.
Followers of Christ make the sign of the cross by using their right hand to touch the forehead, then the middle of the breast, then the left shoulder, and finally the right shoulder. As they do this, they say, “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.” This one complete gesture makes a cross, an intersection of a vertical line from forehead to breast and a horizontal line from left to right shoulder.
Most importantly, the sign of the cross symbolically reaffirms two essential Christian doctrines: The Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and humankind’s gift of grace through the cross of Christ.
Ancient Life Practices
These are sacred practices you can do in your every day life that will bring God’s sacred nature out of the culture in which we live. Scroll down to participate in the ancient life practices of Spirituality and Culture (music, film, creation/environment, and art) and Simplicity.
We believe that the sacred world and the secular world come together under Christ. Any thing or place can be made sacred. We believe that the culture around us, including music, movies, and art are all opportunities to see God at work. Below are some suggested questions to ask when attempting to see the sacred in the world around us.
MUSIC:
What is stirred within me as I listen to this song?
Do I see God in this?
Does the positive or profane say something about life and my place?
What emotions do I feel during and after the song?
Are there changes to be made in my life?
Do I believe I am supposed to wait for the world to change? Or do I believe I am to be a catalyst for change in this world?
Can I help others through this song?
Can I simply appreciate the creativity within the art?
Can I sense my soul being nudged in a particular direction?
FILM:
What is stirred within me as I watched this movie?
Do I see God in this story?
Does the positive or profane say something about life and my place?
Are there things that made me cringe (specific parts of the story, violence, sexuality, language)? Why?
What would God ask of my community in light of this story?
Am I being called to action to participate in God’s world in some way?
Can I help others through this song?
Can I simply appreciate the creativity within the art?
Can I sense my soul being nudged in a particular direction?
CREATION/ENVIRONMENT:
How do I define beauty?
What in creation brings me joy? Am I doing that?
When I see the creation of God, what is my response?
When I walk around the world, where do I see God in the natural environment?
How am I participating in God’s call to tend and care for the world (Genesis 2:15)
What attitude do I have toward my place in this web of life? Do I see myself as one thread in it as a human?
In what ways do I see my own actions affecting the environment?
Am I caring for the environment or are my actions destroying it?
Do I do the simple things like recycle and conserve energy?
What do I want the earth to like in 2200?
FINE ART QUESTIONS:
What is the first emotion I feel when looking at the image or sculpture?
This emotion, does it trigger any ideas or memories, positive or negative?
Do these ideas/memories and emotions together, place me into a way of thinking or understanding that I previously had not encountered?
Are there aspects in the piece that offend me or make me uncomfortable? (violence, nudity, dark iconography?) What is bringing this emotion?
Is the imagery literally religious iconography or secular? Does it matter?
Does the image bring my thoughts into a spiritual realm thinking about God?
How does this piece affects me, what insight can I bring to my being that can affect my way of viewing the world and relationships around me?
How can I use this understanding to make a positive affect on the lives around me?
Simplicity: Simplicity can change our view of life
Our Use of Time:
- Slow down–we are always in a hurry
- Shut off the white noise of life (pop culture; our own minds)
- Do what you enjoy more often (I loved to ____________ in the past, but haven’t done it
in a long time)
Financial Benefits of Simple Living:
- Simple living puts money into perspective (giving produces giving)
(Buy things for a reason. If it is not relational in some way, then do not buy it.)
- Simple living allows us to give good gifts.
- Simple living protects creation (what we use and how we use it)
- Simple living reminds us that all we have is God’s (money & stuff)
- Simple living produces freedom (life is not so complicated and we find real joy)
Things to Consider in Looking at Your Money:
- The Ancient Spiritual Practice of Tithing (not a forced gift to the church, but a way to
begin seeing your money as something more than just about you and what you want.
- Put together a budget (simple or complex–check Counseling Contacts for help)
- A Simple Plan: 10% Ancient Spiritual Practice of Tithing; 10% Savings; 80% for life
- The Journey is going to combat the negativity and destructive cycle that our culture offers with a Kingdom view of money
Sacred Meals:
Why don’t we do meals any more?:
- We don't have time (complicated lives)
- We worry that people will not want to participate in life with us
- We don't have money to pay for it
- Our lives are cluttered
Consider Doing Some Things:
- Invite someone over from The Journey you don’t know well
(try it once-a-month–just pizza and beer or everyone bring something)
- Invite friends over for deeper relationships (nothing specia)
- Don’t buy something each month in order to have money to pay for people coming over.
(Here is where simplicity matters–we stop buying & open life up for relationships.)
- Have celebrations around meals (birthdays, jobs, fun, etc.)
- At the very least, invite someone to lunch, coffee, ice cream, etc. (set money aside.)
Ancient Spirit Practices
Internal practices we can do in order to tune our hearts and minds to God and things of a spiritual nature. Scroll down to practice the Centering Prayer, Prayer of Forgiveness (Breath Prayers), Breathing Exercises, Confession, and Lectio Divina (Sacred Reading).
Centering Prayer (done in silence):
1) Sit still with your eyes closed and allow yourself time to settle down. Let go of all the thoughts, tensions, and sensations you may feel and begin to rest in the love of God who dwells within.
2) Effortlessly, choose a word to remind yourself of God and his presence. Let the word be present within your heart and mind. The word should be simple, one syllable or two, and should communicate God’s love to you at this time.
*Examples: love, change, joy, peace, justice, hope, forgive
3) When you become aware of thoughts or as internal sensations arise, take this as your signal to gently return to the word, and once again rest in God’s presence, centering your mind.
4) Rest in the stillness. When you find your mind wandering and your thoughts going to other places, go back to the word and let its presence fill your heart and mind once again.
5) As you come out of the prayer, take a moment to thank God for his love. Some internally recite the Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
The Centering Prayer is a long prayer often recommended to be 20 minutes at a sitting. However, as you begin, try to do it for a couple of minutes at a time and increase as you feel the need.
Prayer of Forgiveness (Breath Prayers):
Many of us at some point in our lives feel the need to be forgiven and to forgive ourselves. Yet it is easy to feel trapped, unable to get past mistakes we have made and the scars they leave with us and others. The heart of being a Christ follower is forgiveness, forgiveness from God and God’s help in allowing us to forgive ourselves and to change. This exercise uses our breathing to help us to accept God’s forgiveness and to forgive ourselves.
Breathing Exercise:
Find a quiet place where you can sit and relax. Take a moment to quiet yourself and to breathe deeply. You may find it helpful to light a candle to
remind you of the presence of God. Begin to take notice of your breathing, as you breathe in and as you breathe out. Focus on the issue which you feel is burdening you. And then as you slowly breathe in and out pray these prayers. Think of the burden when you breathe out and God’s forgiveness and acceptance of you when you breathe in.
Breathe in love
Breath out hate
Breathe in acceptance
Breathe out separation
Breathe in forgiveness
Breathe out blame
Breathe in peace
Breathe out anxiety
Breathe in life
Breathe out death
Breathe in gentleness
Breathe tension
Breathe in God’s presence
Breathe in God’s acceptance and forgiveness
Confession (3 types)
CONFESSION #1: You to God
If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling
ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the
other hand, if we admit our sin, make a clean break
of them, he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself.
He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing.
-I John 1:8-9
We are all ministers and can go to Christ on our own any time.
We do not need an intermediary to help us speak to God.
CONFESSION #2: You to God (through others)
Formalized Confession offers three advantages:
1) It is Reality Therapy–you are actually saying out loud what
your pride and selfish acts are.
2) There is an actual word of forgiveness given
(not a silent God, but someone reminds you of God’s grace)
3) Given time to pause and consider the whole of your life.
Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.
-James 5:16
CONFESSION #3: You to Others
We have damaged, and even broken, relationships with others.
Reconciliation vs. Forgiveness:
Forgiving someone does not mean to reconcile with them. We may need to cleanse our soul through forgiveness, but some people are toxic and/or abusive and we need to set boundaries up so we will not be hurt again. However, if there is not a toxic or abusive situation, reconciliation is the ultimate goal of forgiveness.
Confession Exercises:
Set aside some time for confession and self-examination.
Follow these steps:
1) Ask God to break down your defenses
2) Ask yourself, “Who have I injured recently through insensitivity neglect or even anger”?
3) As people come to mind, confess your feelings about these people
4) Ask God for forgiveness and grace to forgive them.
5) Write an apology, make a phone call, or confess out loud to the person and attempt to reconcile the relationship.
How in touch do you feel with your own sin?
If you feel out of touch with your sin, honestly consider where some of the following sins show up in your life: envy, lust, greed, gluttony, deceit, lying, exaggerating, envy, anger, pretense, avoidance of responsibility.
What do you see about yourself?
How do you want to deal with God on these things?
Maybe use these as a springboard for confession.
Begin to notice strong emotions. When do you feel yourself getting hot, defensive, angry, withdrawn? What is motivating your emotion?
What behavior stems from your emotion? As you attend to this internal world, ask God to make you alert to what triggers strong emotional reactions. Confess any sin relating to these reactions. Practice noticing your internal world, and begin to develop a habit of immediate confession.
Read Psalm 32 or Psalm 51.
Utilize these passages to bring your own pride before God.
How does God meet you in these confessions of David?
Sin that has been spoken and confessed has lost all of its power.
The sinner has been relieved of sins burden. Now the sinner stands in the
community of sinners who live by the grace of God in the cross of Christ.
Now one is allowed to be a sinner and still enjoy the grace of God.
We can admit our sins and in this very act find community for the first time
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Lectio Divina (Sacred Reading):
1) Quiet Your Surroundings (solitude, turn everything off, ignore the pressures of the day)
2) Pick a passage and practice:
- Lectio: Read slowly 3 times (once out loud if possible)
- Meditate: What are the values in the passage?
What emotions are coming out of me as I read it?
Where do I see my life in this?
- Bring God in: Ask the Holy Spirit to be there. Hear God through the Bible.
- Contemplate the practical: allow the passage to become a part of your soul, and thus, a part of your life.
POSSIBLE PASSAGES:
Psalm 1-150; Proverbs; Isaiah 43:1-7; Isaiah 58; Matthew 5 – 7; Luke 22 – 24; John 15; John 20: 19-29; Romans 5:1-11; Romans 6; Romans 8; Romans 12; 2 Corinthians 4 & 5; Philippians 2:1-11; Philippians 2:12-18; Philippians 3; Ephesians 5:15-33; Colossians 2:6-23; James; I, II, and III John;
Possible Bibles to use: “The Message” by Eugene Peterson (Get Old & New Testament version) “The Voice New Testament” (Thomas Nelson Publisher)