This is the last post in a series of eight taken from a presentation on Clergy Wellness that was cancelled in 2021 due to Covid-19 lockdowns. Maybe I'll get to present it live one day, but in the meantime I decided to post some sections of it online. The series as a whole is called Wellness in Ministry and naturally some aspects are specific to vocational ministry. However, much of the content is applicable to anyone concerned to sustain their wellbeing physically, mentally socially and spiritually. Now that we’ve set the scene for Spiritual Wellbeing with the devotional pathways, I want to talk about spiritual practices.
“Practice” means the repeated performance of a task or action regularly over time. A spiritual practice is exactly what the word suggests, a way to be deliberate about matters of the soul. Spiritual practices - and there are heaps of them – are tools for becoming aware of God within our daily life; they bring out the sacred in experiences that could otherwise seem everyday. Down through the centuries, the way of Jesus has been understood as a life that requires deliberate and attentive spiritual practices. Creating space for God can help counter despair and apathy, and help us flourish in a god-shaped life.
For many years, spiritual practices were virtually unknown in Protestant churches. Evangelicals, particularly, tended to frown on activities that seemed like “works,” at odds with the belief that salvation comes by grace alone. But today centuries-old Christian exercises are growing more popular among mainline Protestants. Richard Foster brought them back to our attention with his landmark 1978 book, A Celebration of Discipline. In 2005, Adele Calhoun, a spiritual director and pastor, helpfully described more than sixty spiritual practices in her Spiritual Disciplines Handbook updated in 2015. And in the last ten years Pete Scazzero has changed the landscape again with his integration of the contemplative spiritual practices with emotionally healthy discipleship and church life.
Spiritual practices you will already know of include prayer, praise, confession, meditation, and fasting. But keeping Sabbath, memorising scripture and welcoming guests are too. I’ve recently done some work on Discernment as a spiritual practice and more and more people are thinking of Creation Care as part of our response to God and our world. Think of it as keeping your ears open, in ways and in places and times of day when before you wouldn’t have thought to listen. Attuning yourself to recognize God’s voice will help you regularly, intentionally hear it. Just as with the pathways, think about practices that enable you to feel closest to God – then lean into those activities and consider how you might extend them. Or try something new; if what worked well at the start of our Christian journey is now less satisfying or effective, why not explore fresh ways to connect with God?
Many writers on spiritual practices propose categories in order to help people explore the diversity of options. I find these three categories to be helpful: Prayer, which includes many different ways of drawing near to God: spoken, silent, sung, individual, communal, liturgical, extemporaneous, praise, confession, thankfulness, petition, lament, and so forth. Engaging with the Bible, which includes many options: reading, study, reflection, meditation, memorization, Scripture, songs, and the like. Other includes corporate worship, Sabbath, fasting, journaling, simplicity, retreats, small groups, spiritual direction, stewardship, hospitality, and so on. Note that many options in this category include prayer and the Bible or make space for the option of prayer or Scripture reading.
Author Lynne Baab suggests the word discipline means “the effort to create space in which God can act.” She quotes Henri Nouwen, ”to create that space in which something can happen that you hadn’t planned or counted on.” Lynne says spiritual practices enable us to respond to two of the great themes of the New Testament: God is present with us, and God calls us to be transformed. These ideas are interconnected in worship, preaching, sacrament, and pastoral care, but some practices target one more that the other. Calhoun’s book is a great resource for learning how to be faithful to God. Over time, as we read Scripture, confess our sins, pray for guidance, and engage in hospitality, we “keep company with Jesus,” and our faith is nurtured. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.(Romans 12: 2)
Richard Baxter, a seventeenth-century English Puritan, tells people in ministry: “Take heed to yourself.” I’ve picked up four reminders about that from Lynne’s book Nurturing Hope:
Rooted in Love
Lynne’s book is about ways Christian pastoral carers who understand and engage in spiritual practices can, themselves, pray and use the Bible wisely in pastoral care settings. She makes the point that we as ministers need a sense of God’s empowering, rooted in God’s love, in order to provide pastoral care with a uniquely Christian tone. And conversely she notes that serving others will transform us more and more into the image of the Servant Christ. When we make space to walk with Jesus, in ancient or modern spiritual practices, we receive his love and are strengthened to serve others. God’s love is a reservoir that replenishes our gifts and calling. (Romans 11: 29) Gentle on Yourself
Few of us are satisfied with our prayer life or the extent to which we know and live the Scriptures. But we need to be gentle with ourselves in assessing our spiritual practices. We will be no good to others if we are inwardly beating ourselves up about not praying or reading the Bible enough. “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Ps 145:8). If we come into a pastoral care conversation filled with shame about our own relationship with Jesus, we will find it difficult to convey God’s presence and love. Spiritual health is not about attaining perfection; rather by receiving God’s unconditional love and acceptance ourselves, we imperfect humans are enabled to offer his care to the people we lead.
Deep Self-Awareness
Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves (Romans 12: 3). The link between emotional health and spiritual maturity has been explored well by Pete Scazzero and his Emotionally Healthy Resources. As church leaders we need to take care that our words and actions are not coming from unhealthy places within ourselves, such as unmet needs from childhood or an ego-centric hunger for attention and power. It is hard to maintain integrity when we are driven by our own expectations/projections and those of others. So we need a deep spirituality that nurtures our personal identity and calling. Lynne Baab says its a challenge to let go of the inner messages that encourage us to be busy every minute, or to serve until all needs are met. The post about Time Wisdom addresses that. We need to embrace rhythms, such as Sabbath – not just the traditional day of rest and recreation – but also the stop and breathe kind of minisabbaths that Peter Scazzero introduces; just recently there has been an ad on TV teaching kids to Pause, Breathe and Smile as they struggle in the pandemic. Spiritual practices that make room for self-reflection can help us avoid self-deceit and unloving behaviour. So can finding places and people to provide encouragement and opportunities to grow. I’ve already mentioned supervision but spiritual direction can also help us face the challenges of ministry in a prayerful way. Not all about Work
We in ministry positions must pray and study the Bible for the purpose of our work, praying with people in need or with other leaders, and exploring Scripture to preach, lead a study, or offer a devotional. Baab recommends that we find at least two spiritual disciplines – one prayer practice and one way of engaging with the Bible - that have nothing to do with helping others. This affirms that our own journey with God matters just for itself, and that we do indeed want to be transformed into Christ’s image. (2 Cor 3: 18) We can nurture resilience by rhythms of walking, hiking, exercising at the gym, gardening, reading, crafting, meals with friends or family members, and many other forms of re-creative activities. She says “listen to your body when it tells you to stop and rest. And also to God’s call to fun and play as well as to service and caring.”
To Consider: What two spiritual disciplines, other than those required for your daily work, can you identify for yourself? Remember that doing something for 21 days in a row enables new pathways in the brain to be formed. How will you allow Christ to form you as his healthy servant, with physical, mental, social and spiritual dimensions of wellbeing helping you to develop your own unique version of the godshapedlife?
These eight articles were planned as a one hour presentation - but as you have seen, each theme has more depth and breadth that could be explored. I encourage you to find relevant ways go deeper with Christ. My blog series from 2019 called Practices for Mission is a start.
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