Each first friday of the month I have the more serious youth over to the house for what we have called The Journey. I started walking them through various Spiritual Disciplines as found in Richard Foster’s book Celebration of Discipline. If you haven’t read it I highly encourage you to grab a copy (it has become a classic).
So, think about this…I am talking about disciplines in Twenty-Eleven to a group of inner-city youth. This topic would be hard enough to keep the attention of adults, but this group has surprised me. They have enjoyed Lectio Divina (Divine Reading), and opened up and shared each week. We have covered Meditation, How to Study God’s Word, and hit on a few others. This week, though, I am especially stoked. I am talking about Prayer.
Richard Foster says (33):
Of all the Spiritual Disciplines prayer is the most central because it ushers us into perpetual communion with the Father. Meditation introduces us to the inner life, fasting is an accompanying means, study transforms our minds, but it is the Discipline of prayer that brings us into the deepest and highest work of the human spirit.
There is nothing more central to our spiritual life than the communication we have with our Creator. I hope, like the youth I meet with tonight, that you will endeavor on this journey to have a life more fulfilling by making prayer more important. The conversations we have with God are just that, conversations. While I will discuss various types of prayer (i.e. adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication, and intercession), what it boils down to is a life led by the Spirit in constant communication with God. Join us on The Journey!
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