Buckets

So this upcoming semester I will be working with FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) on the UOP (University of Pacific) campus as an employee of FBC (First Baptist Church). I like to call it the collision of the initials: FCA/UOP/FBC

We will be looking at the Spiritual Disciplines during the fall semester. I’m trying to get a grasp on exactly what the disciplines are. I’ve read about them, heard about them and used them in conversations. What I’ve been trying to work through the past couple weeks is an image that captures what they are and a definition that captures how the disciplines operate in our lives. What’s interesting is that I’ve read through about 3-4 books now on the disciplines and the word-picture that sticks in my mind most clearly came from a friend…buckets.

He said that the disciplines are things that we do to enlarge our capacity to hear (relational capacity) and obey (response capacity) God. They are not “will power” things that turn us into good people but they create “pull power” where we are changed from the inside out because we have interacted with the living God. He said that the disciplines are like buckets in the rain. While we cannot make it rain, we can do as much as possible to catch what is falling.

At this point I have several books that I have been going through that have been helpful. I’ll be posting some of their thoughts on the disciplines soon:

Into the Depths – Calvin Miller
Spirit of the Disciplines – Dallas Willard
Celebration of the Disciplines – Richard Foster
Finding Our Way Again – Brian McLaren
The Holy Longing – Ronald Rolheiser
The Imitation of Christ – Thomas a Kempis
The Practice of the Presence of God – Brother Lawrence

For now, this is the template that I’m using for the study this fall. I grabbed this list from Foster’s book and I’m sure their will be some adjustments!

The Inward Disciplines
-Meditation
-Prayer
-Fasting
-Study

The Outward Disciplines
-Simplicity
-Solitude
-Submission
-Service

The Corporate Disciplines
-Confessions
-Worship
-Guidance
-Celebration