First Disciplines: Prayer and Solitude

In his book, Willard breaks the spiritual disciplines into two types, Disciplines of Abstinence and Disciplines of Engagement. I am going to start by focusing on one discipline from each camp. It seems to me that prayer is a great place to start anything, so for engagement, I choose prayer. (This feels a bit like deal or no deal). From the abstinence list, there are many that go very well with prayer. I am going to begin with the discipline of solitude. I think I’m drawn to this one first because of how little time I spend now practicing this discipline. Even when I’m alone in the car I have friends on the radio, other drivers on the road, and even the shortest car trip wouldn’t be the same without a cell phone call or two.

Prayer is a rather deep and ever widening practice, and it is surely so much more than a discipline for following Christ. It is at its greatest a “co-laboring with God to accomplish good things and advance his Kingdom purposes,” as Willard puts it. However, as a discipline, and coordinated with the other disciplines, prayer can also be a way of changing our habits. Like any habit, the more we pray, the more we think to pray. I am going to do this, first, in times of solitude. When I pray, I find myself so easily distracted. Even this morning I was praying in the basement of our house, but found myself drifting into uncontrolled thoughts by the movement of my family upstairs. By getting alone, I hope to remove some of the distractions that usually plague my prayer life.

Many of the people reading this blog are friends whose spiritual lives inspire me. If you don’t think that means you, it probably does. One of the reasons I’m making this a public journey is to solicit your advice and wisdom. How do you pray? Do you often seek times of solitude?

Backstory

Before I begin, let me catch you up on where I am beginning from. I do not live a lifestyle abundant with discipline. The last time I was truly in good physical shape was high school football. I avoid vegetables like the plague, hate waking up in the morning, struggle to follow through with anything, and in general have little or no control over the habits in my life. I don't have many "bad" habits, yet I watch between 3 and 5 hours of TV a day. Some would call me lazy, others would call me a dreamer, and while there is no shortage of inspiration and talent in my life, I feel ashamed at how short I seem to fall of my potential. Am I painting a fairly understandable picture?

Enter 2007 - the year of discovery. Over this past year, I have been drawn to my failings with stark contrast between the person I am and the person I want to be. After several failed attempts to change my habits and lifestyle, I have come to realize just how serious these unnoticed habits control me.

I have also discovered much about the spiritual life this year. I decided sometime over the summer that I'm not ok with the "West Omaha" lifestyle many of my friends are so comfortable with. It leads to a strange sense of entitlement both in youth and adults, and I don't believe this is biblically healthy. There is such a strong sense of reliance on worldly securities, and God becomes a weekend activity. Although I began by trying to understand the role of a corporate worship gathering in this kind of community, I stumbled upon something more. I began looking at the lifestyle of a true disciple of Christ, and I realized more and more how far I fall from the mark. The Journey I'm about to engage is somewhat quest-like in that I hope to discover a great truth at the end of it all. I'm optimistic as I look at 2008.

The final influence I'll mention is the book that has become the turning point for me. "The Spirit of the Disciplines" by Dallas Willard has given me a place to start - a theological foundation to build upon. I will post a link to his book on this page. I'm excited to not only experience the lifestyle changes God has in store for me, but also to share this journey with anyone who would like to read about it. If you're a skeptic, an encourager, a watcher, or a co-journeyer, I welcome your presence and comments. Here's to 2008!