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Spiritual Disciplines

Ten Minute Mystic: Practice the Examen

Just ten minutes of spiritual practice won’t make you a mystic any more than just ten minutes of running will make you a track star.  However, a handful of brief spiritual habits, engaged in throughout the day, can make a remarkable difference.

One of those brief habits is The Examen.  It comes from Ignatius Loyola and his “Society of Jesus,” also known as the Jesuits.  And the heart of Jesuit spirituality lay in two practices: Spiritual Exercises and The Examen.  The Examen is a structured form of prayer and meditation.  It consists of five steps.  In about ten minutes you can move easily through the five steps.  Loyola urged people to practice The Examen twice daily.  I strive to engage in The Examen at lunchtime and during my drive home.

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A Quiet Pause

A Place of Weakness

David often had moments in life when he came to a place of weakness.  A point of panic.  A time of terror.  An area of anxiety.  Goliath may be the most famous incarnation of one of those instances.  But there were others.  Many others.

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Refresh: Connecting with Christ Through Detachment

The Three Most Important Relationships

Imagine that you are sitting in a chapel and a memorial service has just started.[i] There are faces in the crowd you recognize.  Coworkers.  Former classmates.  Friends.  Family members.  Neighbors.  A minister strides to the podium and reads the eulogy.  Suddenly you realize this isn’t just any funeral—it’s your funeral.  The minister indicates that several will be sharing thoughts about you this morning: a family member, a close friend, a coworker, and someone you worshipped with.  What would you want them to say about you?  What would you have hoped to accomplish in life?  It’s likely that your hopes, regrets, or thoughts will revolve around these three areas: the quality of your relationship with others, the depth and authenticity of your relationship with God, and a perspective on material things which enabled you to be generous toward others.

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