Spiritual Disciplines Part 2

About 2 weeks ago I was talking with Whitney Salisbury about something in class from the day before. I had also talked about that specific subject with a friend from home and I told her how it is so much more concreted in my mind since I've talked about it. I was finding myself applying what I'd learned that one day. We came to the conclusion that we both learn better if we teach it or at least talk to somebody about it. We discussed maybe making a point to talk to each other every day about what we'd learned in class, but between her busy schedule and just a lack of desire to display any discipline in my life we let it drop after that late night talk. It's been on my mind a lot since. I don't retain stuff when I just hear it, write it, or read it. I have to actually talk about it; one of the reasons why Chris Darland's method of verbally reviewing earlier lessons at the beginning of the class does so much for me. I think I've determined that part of my frustration is the planning to meet with the same person at a certain time; it's too scheduled for me. My solution is to plan to talk with someone for at least 15 minutes each day that I've heard or read or learned in my daily devotions, class, chapel or stirring conversation. When I wake up in the morning I'll look at my day and decide who and when, and then during class I will have a focus in my listening. I hope I'll be impacted in such a way this week that I'll find a way to make a permanent part of my spiritual life. I also hope that the Lord will show me clearly what spiritual discipline I should work on next for I hope to duplicate this later with other disciplines. It was a hard choice to just choose one.



It's my first day and I'm about to go through my notes and remember back to what struck me today. Lord, show me, bring to mind, those things you wish to impress on my heart or clarify to my mind. I am going to spend a couple hours with Conni and chose to take this opportunity as someone who has gone through these classes already.


I just jumped back in my room from being at Conni's house. That was such an encouraging conversation, even if I think maybe it was too easy to choose to have this first conversation with Conni. We had been planning this date night since last week, and I knew the type of questions and topics we'd be covering. I figured it would give me an easy first day that would help with me knowing how it is that I want to be thinking during classes tomorrow before my date tomorrow with Cara.

Before I went I walked over I went through my notes trying to remember all the things I thought during classes and throughout the day (note for tomorrow, carry around a notebook). I walked over to her house not sure what to expect. I went upstairs and we sat on the couch and we just started talking. She would ask a question and I'd give a super long answer then we'd make our way back to what we asked in the first place. Finally there was a lull in a REALLY good challenging conversation for me to pull out my notebook. I started by talking to her about feeling like the same things are being hammered over and over in theology and I feel like I get it already. She encouraged me to go talk to Rich Bruce about that tomorrow. Then I got to my exciting fun stuff that I wanted to share. Life of Christ today was amazing. The first hour was about the unpardonable sin, which has haunted my Bible studies since I first read that passage. Mike Sullivan explained it in a way that made so much sense. Then he brought up two sides to certain parts of it that are great food for thought. In the second hour of class he touched on the Parable of the Sower and the Soils and brought up a controversy that I didn't know even existed. Conni and I discussed that and where we stood on it. All of the class stuff has been twirling in my brain since I verbalized it with Conni, and she got me to think deeper into a verse on my homework that I've been having a problem with. All in all I feel like I set this day up so well that it couldn't help but be amazing. I'm scared that tomorrow might fade in expectation and by the end of the week I'll be talking just to talk. Lord, bring this conversation to mind as I go throughout my days!