Chris Altrock is an author, spiritual director and preacher, serving as the Senior Minister at the Stamford Church of Christ. He and his wife Kendra are parents to Jordan and Jacob.
This summer I’m preaching through the ten conflicts which Mark records between Jesus and religious leaders: Ten Conflicts Between Jesus and Religious Leaders Source of… Read More »Jesus v Religion (3): The Conflict Over Authority
In his book Why Christian Character Matters, N. T. Wright says character matters for three basic reasons: First, character solves the question of “What am I… Read More »Why Character Counts (After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters – N. T. Wright)
For nearly a year, my daily exercise routine was the same every day of the week. I’d spend 30 minutes doing cardio followed by 30 minutes of weight lifting. Four to five days a week, it was the same thing every day—30 minutes of cardio followed by 30 minutes of weights. But after 52 weeks of this daily routine, my body and mind began to go numb. I lost motivation. I’d wake up and not even want to exercise. So, I recently changed things up. Now, Mondays are spent running. Tuesdays are spent lifting weights. Wednesdays are spent swimming. On Thursdays I return to the weights. And on Fridays I walk or ride my bike (OK, sometimes I don’t do anything on Fridays, but if I do, I walk or ride my bike).
Sometimes we experience something similar in our relationship with Jesus. We earnestly engage in the same spiritual practices day after day after day in an effort to grow closer to Jesus and become more like Jesus. But after months or years of the same spiritual practices day after day after day, our souls and hearts go numb. We lose motivation. And sometimes what we need is to change things up.
In her Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, Adele Calhoun describes 62 spiritual disciplines. Some of these disciplines are familiar to and likely practiced by many Christians. Some of the more common practices in Calhoun’s list include Bible study (learning what the Bible says and how it intersects our lives), community (investing in and journeying with others in our spiritual life), and intercessory prayer (praying to God about the needs of others). But other disciplines in Calhoun’s list of 62 are unfamiliar and new to contemporary Christians (though they’ve long been common in older Christian traditions). This Sunday night series takes up 10 of the most uncommon disciplines from Calhoun’s list. Adding these unusual spiritual disciplines into your life may breathe freshness and newness into your heart and soul.
#2 – Celebration
This particular discipline has roots in Paul’s description of the fruit of the Spirit: “22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Gal. 5:22-23 ESV).
Read More »Refresh: Connecting With Christ Through Celebration