Have you been looking for material to aid you in going deeper in spiritual practices this year? Are you looking to train your soul in the Jesus Way without feeling overwhelmed or unequipped (which usually leads to false guilt and procrastination)? Please allow me to highly recommend a resource:
The Good and Beautiful God
By James Bryan Smith
This book was brought to my attention by the director of Spiritual Formation at Truett (my former boss). During the years of study at Truett, students are places in covenant groups which are meant to help give support through the ups and downs of school and to be a place we were can grow spiritually, in community. This semester students will have the opportunity to go through this book together as a group.
I began reading this week and Ray has joined me in the journey. It is insightful, calm and encouraging. At the end of each of the nine chapters, readers are given a "soul-training" exercise for the week, in which they are encouraged to intentionally look for God in places and through practices. You know what the first "soul-training," exercise is? Sleep. That's right, sleep. James Bryan Smith talks about the importance of rest, how God made it to be a natural part of our worldly rhythm and how we have (over time) begun to neglect this important spiritual practice. Now, that's not scary or daunting. Sleep, rest, be filled with energy and see how that affects you. Simple, yes?
It is highly encouraged by the author to work through these practices and chapters with another person; a spouse or roommate. Yet it can be just as effectively used as an individual.
No matter the material you are using, I pray we all take time today to be still and know The Good and Beautiful God.
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