Blogging the Disciplines

[J Ted Voigt]

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to send an open invitation out for you to join me in a new adventure for 2009. I just finished reading (for the 3rd or 4th time) Richard Foster´s book Celebration of Discipline and I am thinking about trying to practice the spiritual disciplines more in the new year. If doing this with a group of like minded Christians would interest you, I would like to invite you to join me in learning, practicing, and writing about one new spiritual discipline each month in the next year, starting with Meditation in January. You can check out the blog here and let me know if you would be interested in participating, and I can add you as an author. Thanks!

J. Ted Voigt

[Kara Maddox]

Hi there! I read your blog page and I think this is a great idea and would love to join you in this! I have not read the book yet but its on my list to buy when i go back to the states next month.

I focused a lot of my time during Advent on meditation. Here are a few of my thoughts:

I learned recently that the Hebrew word hagah is given the meaning "to ponder, imagine, meditate, mourn, speak, study, talk” from Old Testament verses like Genesis 24:63.

Meditation is not all about rest and quiet as most people think. It’s an action. We are to be actively meditating (thinking and studying) over God’s word. I find the ways that I meditate to change often, just like the ways that I worship God. But one thing always stays the same, my focus. If my focus is on God and His teachings (His words) then I am actively meditating. I can meditate (think about) many things throughout my day and not even think twice about it. Why then does it take extra effort for me to plan and carry out time to meditate on God and His word?? For the Christian, meditation is to be solely on the Word of God and what it reveals about God. King David describes the man who is “blessed” as one whose “delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night” This is a constant struggle I deal with daily. But I find the times that I grow the most are the times I am focusing and meditating on Him and practicing spiritual discernment and discipline.

The best time of meditation for me recently was at a Czech ska concert. First, in the past I never would have considered ska real music. Not my style at all. But this particular band was Christian and popular among my youth group students, so I went. Throughout the concert the lead singer would stop during the songs and shout out words of scripture, prayers, and praises to God. I found myself doing the same throughout the concert as well. Praising God through yelling out memorized scriptures, words Jesus had spoken, truths. I felt like I was meditating in a way I had never experienced before and maybe never will again. Standing in the middle of hundreds of Czech teenagers, screaming and jumping around, I felt overcome with God’s presence and His power. Meditation practices come in all different forms and creative ways. Be open to however the Lord directs you. Remembering God’s words and promises can happen in the most unusual ways.


Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."