Quiet times

Interesting blog post about how evangelicals may miss doing what the 'recipe' says. I weighed in with:

Perhaps it may help to remember that historically the pattern you are trying to emulate hasn’t been on the block for long. Only since the invention of movable-type printing some 600 years ago and only really since evangelical piety took hold of the possibilities of this technological advance and combined it with a particular approach to scripture and Christian life made possible by the Enlightenment and -hey presto!- you have the evangelical quiet time. Previously things were more hit-and miss but included things lke going to church on market days, daily mass, wandering preachers, family devotions etc etc -note how many of those things are corporate too …



What may be needed is an audit of where/when/how you do feel most connected to God and also what you sense is the next bit of your growth under God? Then with that tentative understanding can emerge a pattern for relating to God that is intentional and goes with the grain of who you are and what God is actually doing with you at the moment and it may not be the quiet time. Heck -I was called to stop intercessory/petitionary prayer once for a season because God seemed to be saying it was getting in the way of enjoying His presence and grace.



On reflection thsi sounded a bit directive and 'father knows best',

I followed up with.

Just read my comments back -apologies that it may have come over a bit big brotherly! Anyway reacting to the introvert/extrovert thing. I think that’s spot on: we need to recognise it. For me the best Bible reflection is corporate, and I like to build it in regularly when I have the chance [certain kinds of daily office can do this if there is time for reflection out loud given]. Which reminds me that one way to do this can be to take yourself off regularly to an Anglican church, say, and join in regular morning or evening prayer each day.



On the other hand -returning to extraverts etc- we often find that God speaks quite powerfully to us in our least preferred personality dimensions. But it’s less easy to plan for that we need to as a general rule, run with the grain of our personality.



What we need to do really, I suspect, is to have someone help us to take stock of our lives so that we can weave into the fabric of it a strand of explicit converse with God, through scripture and prayer, that actually fits with the pattern of our lives rather than pinned like a badge or broach to it. We may need to be creative: redeem time spent in communting by using an iPod or similar to play scripture, music or daily offices, or reading a book or listening to things in the car. We may need to recognise that we are coporate and build that in [joining morning prayer at a nearby church or a lunchtime communion or somesuch]. It's a kind of life coaching approach: look at the context and the goals and make plans accordingly that are specific and do-able. Then review and readjust according to what we learn about trying it the first time[s].