From the Director’s Desk
What I Learned This Week
A Spiritual Discipline of Action/Reflection
Friday, February 5, 2021
Last week I neglected to follow through on this task I have set for myself as Director of the Center for Continuous Learning: to model the spiritual discipline of action-reflection. Yet, the very fact that I “failed” to complete my self-assigned discipline is, in itself, an action worthy of reflection.
My misstep (only 4 weeks along this new vocational path) reminded me that in the Christian tradition of spiritual formation, the women and men who were considered masters would talk about practices. And they used that word meaningfully.
The disciplines of spiritual formation are practices not merely in the sense that they are behaviors we act out. The term also acknowledges that what we are doing in spiritual formation is perpetual rehearsal for being made in Christ’s likeness and in following his example. We practice these disciplines, recognizing that we need the practice! We are practicing toward the aspiration of perfecting—completing—our performance.
Now may the God of peace, … make you complete in everything good so that you may do his will, working among us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (Heb 13:20-21, NRSV)
*Learn more about the principles of action reflection learning here.
Photo by Jonathan Chng on Unsplash
From the Director’s Desk
What I Learned This Week
A Spiritual Discipline of Action/Reflection
Friday, February 5, 2021
Last week I neglected to follow through on this task I have set for myself as Director of the Center for Continuous Learning: to model the spiritual discipline of action-reflection. Yet, the very fact that I “failed” to complete my self-assigned discipline is, in itself, an action worthy of reflection.
My misstep (only 4 weeks along this new vocational path) reminded me that in the Christian tradition of spiritual formation, the women and men who were considered masters would talk about practices. And they used that word meaningfully.
The disciplines of spiritual formation are practices not merely in the sense that they are behaviors we act out. The term also acknowledges that what we are doing in spiritual formation is perpetual rehearsal for being made in Christ’s likeness and in following his example. We practice these disciplines, recognizing that we need the practice! We are practicing toward the aspiration of perfecting—completing—our performance.
Now may the God of peace, … make you complete in everything good so that you may do his will, working among us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (Heb 13:20-21, NRSV)
*Learn more about the principles of action reflection learning here.
Photo by Jonathan Chng on Unsplash