Creature of Habit

Two weeks into the new year, I've managed to keep 3 of my 4 resolutions so far. Snow and OWU's gym being closed for break conspired to make it difficult for me to run last week, but I'm back at it this week.

The other difficulty I'm having with all of these resolutions is that they are making me change my routine. Bread baking makes me plan ahead. Running forces me to carve 45 minutes to an hour out of my day. Hardest of all though, has been taking part in a group exploration of spiritual disciplines. We're focusing on a different one each month, and January's is meditation. This has required me to spend - or try to spend - 15 to 30 minutes a day sitting in silence with God.

This is really hard for me to do. The first challenge is just to set aside a period of time to do it. I've only even gotten that far about half of the days that I've wanted to. Then there is the actual meditation. It's hard to sit for even 5 minutes without my thoughts wondering all over the place. I'll keep at it though.

I was surprised to discover how attached I am to my routine and how hard it has been to make these changes. I'm hoping that I will soon settle in to a new routine, one that makes it easier for me to do all of these new things I'm striving for.

What about you and your routines? Do they make it easier or harder for you to do the things you really want to be about? Any ideas on breaking out of old routines and developing new ones?

Exercises unto Godliness

"Exercise yourself unto godliness. For bodily exercise profits little—but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." ~ 1 Timothy 4:7, 8

I'm starting the new year in a way I've never done before - with new year's resolutions. Here they are:

1) Study and practice one spiritual discipline each month with a small group. One thing I've already learned is that spiritual disciplines are practice. I've never understood the idea of spiritual disciplines very well until now. They are practice. Just like lifting weights is practice for football players, "exercises unto strength" if you will, the disciplines are "exercises unto godliness. They are practice for real life situations when we need to take a stand in our faith, either by taking action or by resisting the temptation to act wrongly. As Dallas Willard puts it "If you want to do what Jesus did you have to do what Jesus did," meaning if you want to do what Jesus did in the moments when all eyes were on him, then you have to do what he did in the days and weeks when no eyes were on him.

January's discipline is meditation. Find out more about this year of Blogging the Disciplines.

This resolution is an umbrella over all the others. As I list them I'll explain how they fit in.

2) Julia and I plan to bake all of our own bread this year rather than buying it from the grocery store. This is part of a larger effort we are making to eat more healthy, local, and unprocessed foods. Aided by our new bread machine, we are off to a good start. Bread baking is a way to practice the discipline of frugality. That is sacrificing something non-essential - store bought bread - in order to free resources - money - for a better use - giving to ministry or saving. (Remember disciplines are practice; what's important is that we learn to make choices based on how we can best put our resources as God's disposal rather than on convenience, comfort, or cost.)

3) Run at least 5 days a week. I'm doing this primarily to maintain fitness. The discipline is "overcoming laziness." I just invented the name, and I doubt you'll find it on any conventional list of spiritual disciplines. The spiritual value of running regularly in good or bad weather, on days I feel like doing it, and on days I'd rather stay in bed, is that it will prepare me to make the extra effort, to "go the second mile" rather than take the easy way out.

4) Update this blog at least twice a month. Check back every few weeks to see if I'm successful at this one, cultivating the discipline of fellowship.