In this episode, Justin and Ilona discuss the third characteristic of discipleship, spiritual practices. The conversation explores how spiritual disciplines are relational practices, and highlights five key practices: bible reading, prayer, solitude, community, and sabbath. How do we practice these in our own relationships with God and communally?
Ideas We Highlight:
- Spiritual disciplines are relational practices and our relationship with God is not fundamentally different from any other relationship in our lives
- Bible reading as the relational practice of getting to know who God is
- Prayer as the relational practice of both speaking and listening
- Solitude as the relational practice of distraction-less quality time
- Community as the relational practice of consistently showing up
- Sabbath as the relational practice to rest and celebrate
- We practice these disciplines together on Sundays (through interviews that highlight spiritual practices and intentional moments of silent reflection), in Community Groups (normalizing disciplines by doing them together), and in Icon Groups (through learning about specific practices)
Reflection:
- If you’re part of Icon, we’d encourage you to pick a practice to grow in during this next year. Share it with others and practice it together.
- If you’re not part of Icon, consider whether you’re giving people the tools they need to grow in their discipleship? Where and how are you teaching spiritual disciplines?
