Six Ways to Enhance your Spiritual Life this Summer!

“It is the unseen and the spiritual in people that determines the outside and the actual.” (Oswald Chambers)

         Even though we are super blessed to have wonderful weather year round in Sonoma County, summertime is a perfect time to slow down and focus on enhancing our spiritual lives. So let's use these next few months to intentionally enhance our relationship to God in creative ways. Here are six ways to enhance your spiritual life and lift up your soul:

1.   Try Tai Chi. We have a free class every Saturday morning at 10:30am in Bowen Hall. Tai Chi is good for your balance, and strengthens your body, mind, and spirit with a slow flowing martial art exercise regime. A study in Portland showed that elderly individuals who practiced Tai Chi showed significant improvement in all measures of functional balance, physical performance, and reduced fear of falling after practicing it twice a week for 6 months. 250 million people around the world (2.5 million in the U.S.) practice Tail Chi. Our instructor, David Chung, teaches a meditative form of Tai Chi to help the mind feel peaceful. Peaceful feelings improve health in body, mind, and spirit.

2.   Get outside. Nature is God's workshop. The sky is God’s resume. You want to know who God is? See what God has created. Nature is healing. Walk through the forest or around the lakes at Spring Lake and Howarth park. Go to Bodega and watch the waves crash onto the shore. Sit outside in the night air and listen to the crickets. Listen for God’s message to your soul through nature.

3.   Feed your soul with uplifting spirit enhancing books. Here are a few suggestions: The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth By M. Scott Peck 

“To proceed very far through the desert, you must be willing to meet existential suffering and work it through. In order to do this, the attitude toward pain has to change.….everything that happens to us has been designed for our spiritual growth.”                                     

The Art of Happiness, A Handbook for Living. Psychiatrist Howard Cutler interviews the Dalai Lama to ask him life’s deepest questions. Learn the answers to timeless questions such as: Why is there so much suffering in the world? “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive."
Another recommended book is: Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado. “There’s a lot of wisdom in the phrase: “No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.” It’s when we try to do everything, that’s when we get overwhelmed. When we do nothing, that’s when we get bitter. But if we can find that one thing we do, that one unique assignment in our hometown or around the world, that’s the way we keep sanity in a difficult culture.” 

4.   Memorize to boost your spiritual brain! Many of us have favorite hymns we sing to ourselves or Psalms memorized that remind us of God’s presence. If you haven’t memorized Psalm 23 and Psalm 100, I recommend starting there. Psalm 139 also reminds us that God’s Holy Spirit will go with you wherever you may go. You can also memorize the words to favorite hymns like: How Great Thou Art!, Precious Lord, Take my Hand, What a Friend We Have in Jesus, and Just a Closer Walk with Thee. Memorize these hymns to keep pondering their reassuring words. Your brain and soul will be uplifted!

5.   Take a fast from drama. Watching brain-draining gossipy shows on TV, feeding into the latest gossip at coffee hour, dwelling on the annoying things our family members do, all cause us to feel depressed and stressed. Get yourself away from negative people and negative critical comments. Find people and activities that uplift not drag you down. Marie Curie said, “Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas.” Psalm 34:13 says: “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.”

6.   Pray in a new way. The Presbytery of the Redwoods leadership cohorts are planning to pray in our meetings using the ancient form of prayer called Centering Prayer. Father Thomas Keating has promoted this form of prayer for many years. I taught Centering prayer in my resilience project for my Doctorate of Ministry in Science and Theology. Research proves that this contemplative form of prayer, if done on a regular basis, will enhance your resilience status. For training on how to do Centering prayer read: Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening by Cynthia Bourgeault. For a training video see: https://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/category/category/centering-prayer

Receive this blessing as you enhance and uplift your soul this summer:

“May God bless you and keep you, May God smile on you and be gracious unto you, May God look you full in the face and help you prosper and be peaceful from this day on and forevermore.” (Numbers 6, 24-26, The Message)

Making Summer a Time of Rejuvenation

“The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.”

(Psalm 29:11 NIV)

When we think of summer we may think only those who get to lounge on the shore or go on a tour of some exotic place are truly enjoying summertime and having a summer vacation. Sadly church attendance tends to slump in the summer because of this expectation that one needs to “get away” or “take a break.” But there are many ways to take “mini-vacations” right here that can rejuvenate your body, mind, and spirit – in healthier ways without having to go away.

Hebrews 10: 24-25 tells us to keep coming to church even in the summertime: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another —and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

I suggest approaching summer differently this year, with healthy Christian living that can rejuvenate and give you rest without having to go anywhere and spend money. Then donate the money you saved to a good cause like our PCM Outreach programs. By doing so you will be helping others rejuvenate through food, clothing, or by participating in mission trips like the Foundation for Peace trip serving those in the Dominican Republic.

We are instructed to: “Have no anxiety about ANYTHING but in everything through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.” (from Philippians 4:8-7) 

When I am stressed I consider the passage above as a command from God. The scripture doesn’t say, “Maybe if you pray you will feel less stressed.” It says first to have no anxiety about anything. This is stated as if it is a sin to be anxious. We are told to give up everything to God gratefully. And the Peace of God “will” (it doesn’t say “possibly”) we are guaranteed that God’s peace will guard our hearts and our minds as we follow the ways of Jesus. John 10: 10 also reminds us that Jesus came so we can have life abundantly. His ways show us how to be healthy in our living in community with others and in our relationship with God. 

A summertime rejuvenation plan is: 1. Keep coming to church. 2.To prevent feeling stressed, take “mini-vacations” (even in the car or plane) and Pray, Pray, Pray. Learn the Centering Prayer method used in the study of resiliency last Advent. (Nearly 100% of our PCM study participants improved their Resiliency status with just 20 minutes of “resting in God” each day for six weeks!) 3. Learn the ways of Jesus for faith and health. And feel God’s peace rejuvenate your body, mind, and spirit. May you have a blessed summertime! See you at church! 

Centering Prayer and Resiliency Study

Centering Prayer and Resiliency Study

December 7 - January 16, 2012

“But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.” (Matt.6:6)

Purpose: This 6 week program will study the influence of regular daily centering prayer on self-evaluations of resiliency.

Process: Participants complete a confidential survey prior to beginning and again after 6 weeks of daily 20 minute centered prayer. A daily journal is kept with brief comments on the experience of prayer each day.

Participants agree to follow these guidelines for the centering prayer project:

1.   Practice centering prayer daily for 20 minutes at a regular time of day for 6 weeks.

2.   Journal a brief description after each prayer time. (There may be no obvious “fruits of the prayer” but jot down a few thoughts.)

3.   Fill out a survey that measures resilience before and after the 6 weeks of daily centering prayer.

4.   The centering prayer practice is simple:

a.   Choose a sacred word or two as the symbol of your invitation for God to be present to you.

b.   Sit upright comfortably in a quiet place with eyes closed. Be attentive to your breath and breathe slowly deeply.

c.   Silently begin the prayer with your sacred word. If your mind distracts, gently return to your word to focus back on prayer.

d.   Open and unclutter your mind to “rest in God.”

e.   At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a few minutes as you re-engage with your surroundings.

For more information about participating in this study, please email: calloway@pcmorristown.org or call -- 973-538-1776.