bythemethod.com blog

Within the Christian faith there are no set ways of praying. Jesus never gave us a specific formula to use or a structure to stick to. Even when Jesus taught his disciples the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11) he was only giving them something to say when they pray and it was never intended to be the last word on prayer. This means that Christians have great freedom in the way they meditate or pray. In effect we can do what we like as long as we do it in the right frame of mind and heart.

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Few of us will be surprised to learn that our environment can have an effect on your soul. If you have ever taken the time to look at a mountain or been in a Cathedral or perhaps walked in a beautiful garden you will know the way they can speak to your soul. Yet where do you find such places in ordinary life?

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One of those things that Jesus once said and I’ve always found quite a challenge in his advice about time management:

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matt 6:34

It’s not that I’m prone to worrying but that it would be easy to believe Jesus was saying that planning ahead was a bad thing to do. I don’t think that this is what Jesus meant us to believe. Why would Jesus expect us not to make plans or have dreams about the future? Surely this is part of being human and something that is impossible to achieve. What business would every survive without a plan for the future? What family would ever manage without a calender and forward planning?

What I think Jesus meant was for us not to WORRY (e.g. get stressed about for no good reason) about tomorrow because if we take care of today tomorrow is already taken care of. If we do what is right today - if we make our plans and get ourselves organised and give ourselves time for what is important today then there will be no need to worry about tomorrow.

However working out what is right to do today is a big topic that can’t be addressed in just a few words - other than Jesus summation of the task of course - “Love God, Love your neighbour as yourself” (my paraphrase).

So if Jesus were leading a time management seminar He would point out the importance of getting the right things done today while planning for tomorrow so tomorrow takes care of itself.

Spiritual experiences are good for you. They help you gain perspective and appreciate the world around you. But where do you go to get these experiences? They aren’t found on the shelf of the local supermarket so where do you go to get them?

But what is a spiritual experience?

Perhaps you have already had spiritual experiences? What about watching a sunrise/sunset? What about swimming with dolphins? What about climbing a mountain? Or perhaps holding a new born child? I’ve even heard people who describe massage as a spiritual experience. I guess it will vary for us all but ultimately it must be when we experience something that is outside of ourselves, when we touch the divine.

You could seek them in the wisdom of others

This is just what many people do. They seek out the wisdom of ‘holy people’ in an effort to discover where these spiritual experiences are to be found. After all it makes sense that you might tap into the experiences through the wisdom of someone who already has those experiences.

However just listening to others will not bring you a spiritual experience.

Perhaps they might be found in holy places

 People travel for many thousands of miles in search of the ultimate spiritual experience. There are holy places all around the world. It makes sense that if others have had an experience in these places perhaps we can have them too. However many people leave holy places not really feeling anything. They may get a sense of peace or of the occasion but many people feel nothing in these places.

The reality is that these spiritual experiences come from within

It may surprise you to know that those experiences that so many people are searching for actually come from within us. You don’t have to travel any distance at all to get a sense of the divine in your life. You can get it right here and right now. The most incredible spiritual experiences come from simply sitting quietly and reaching out for God.

As a Christian I believe that God is accessible to all who search for Him. Just take some time to pray. You don’t need to travel anywhere (not even to the local church) to have the most profound of spiritual experiences.

So why not stay at home and pray.