Advice to students

            My advice to students, who will be attending spiritual formation in the next semester, is to take it seriously. Listen to the professor in what they are teaching you.  When you do the discipline on the required week, do it whole heartedly so that your life can be transformed closer into God’s image.  Volunteer in class discussions do not be afraid to speak your opinion respectively on a topic that interest you.  Have compassion in what you say, because your peers will have compassion in what they say.  Your opinion on a certain topic taught is of great value.  When you speak boldly about your interest regarding a topic discussed in class, you give others confidence to raise their hands.  This then opens the doors of opportunity to create an atmosphere of unity and support for one another.  The peers will see that you are not afraid, but will see you as a person of confidence and quality, they will then began to ask you questions and get your opinion.  I share this wonderful thing that I observed in spiritual formation class this semester.  A young man in my class that I have other classes with never speaks in class, he is always quiet and observant.  Well, one particular day in spiritual formation class a topic interest him and he spoke for the first time.  I was shocked and thought it was cute, because he never says anything, maybe he was challenging himself to come out of his comfort zone to contribute to one of the spiritual disciplines that were taught.  I say this to say, you have to find a way to have fun in your classes, you must interact with the professor so that they can be able enjoy teaching you.

Give the professors something to look forward to when they come to teach you.  For example when they go home, they can tell their family, that girl Tori always makes me laugh, she is one of the reasons why I teach, because she enjoys what I do and her willingness to learn.

May I say that I enjoyed professor Maddox interaction with the class and her compassion in teaching her student’s?  I am glad that I had the privilege of her teaching us.  It was interesting that I finally got a chance to have her as my professor in my senior year.  It has been an honor.

 

Weakness in students during semester

            The student population area of weakness that I observe was a lack of motivation and procrastination.  In the beginning of the semester every body’s minds were fresh and rejuvenated.  As the semester progressed, students were given homework on top of homework; as soon as they finished one assignment another assignment had to be due the next day, or on the same day.  Depending upon how many classes each student had to take, depended upon the load of assignments. I saw some students becoming overwhelmed with finishing assignments.  Some students became bored of the same routine in classes.   I notice students get bored of having to listen to the professor talk for an hour and half with no interaction with the student.  Shall I say making it fun for the students to learn? 

(Submission) is the discipline that I would suggest to target the area of motivation and procrastination.  Submission causes you to stay (committed) even when thoughts of wanting to quit come.  When you submit, you yield or surrender yourself to the will or authority of another.  As you commit, you perform to do what is required to be successful.  Submission in humbling yourself to perform well, committed to staying in, there is no room for procrastination, because the outcome is of great success.

 

Discipline for a new believer to practice,

            I would suggest to a new believer the discipline of study.  A new believer needs to understand who they are and why God chose them for his kingdom.  God’s word is what is going to keep the new believer clean. Their minds and hearts are still of a new born baby.  They have to fight the devil with the word of God so that they can grow strong as believers.  When believers are knew their hearts and minds are very sensitive, when they pray, their prayers are heard quickly because they are fresh babies.  God wants them to build their faith so as they become stronger in God their Faith increases and God test them with patience in answering their prayers. 

            I would instruct the new believer to not rush through the bible, but to start off taken their time with studying the bible.  I would suggest that they start from the beginning of the bible reading a chapter a day and meditating on that chapter day and night.  I think that the discipline of study is suitable to a new believer, because before they gave their life to the Lord the world had their mind and heart now the word of God needs their heart and mind to be used for the kingdom of God. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Distractions

            I would make up an acronym for this word, but for now I am acronym out.  (LOL)

(LAZY)& (PROCASTRINATION) are the words that I would describe as my distraction.  I was the biggest distraction.  I would set the clock to get up and pray and when it went off I would turn It off and go back to sleep.  By the time I got up it was time for me to get ready for my day.  Being lazy caused me to procrastinate in practicing my spiritual disciplines.  Some days I would practice them and some days I would not.  I did them when I felt like doing them.  (YES) I know how selfish of me.  All the while I was being lazy God kept tugging at my heart to do what was right.  Being double minded was not good and is not good.  I kept going back and forth do right be lazy do right be lazy.  I must have gotten on the Lord’s nerves with this double mindedness, but yet his grace and mercy was sufficient and new for me every morning.  God was long suffering for me.  I choose to address this struggle by asking God to forgive me daily and to give me grace and mercy to do what is right,  I love the discipline of solitude, because it is where I can go to ask God as many questions that I can to help me through life’s struggles.

 

 

Foster says spiritual disciplines are not designed to be ends in themselves, but are intended to facilitate a person’s Journey into greater freedom in living a Christ-like life.

Some of the disciplines that I would like to talk about are the disciplines of prayer, confession, and solitude.  These particular disciplines have helped me trust God more.  I would like to start with solitude it has been my discipline of escape.  Sometimes when I feel like I need to get away from clutter and rambling thoughts.  I go on the Basketball court and shoot around or I go outside on my balcony with a cup of coffee and listen to the birds chirp.  These are my place of solitude. My places of rest where I can just talk to God about decisions that was on my heart.  I would just talk to God and scream inside my inner being.  Those times I enjoyed the most this semester.  Those times of solitude has allowed me to pray and confess my fought and to seek God.  I combine these three because they have been the disciplines that I have practiced the most.  This semester has been long, fun and energy draining, but overall through solitude, confession and prayer my worries have turned into God’s favor on my behalf.  There was a point in my life I would panic, worry and get upset when things did not go the way that I thought it should go.  This beginning of this year coming into this semester, I have learned that if I take a deep breath and say okay Lord I trust you. I know that worrying does not bring you glory, it only makes problems worse; it does not find a solution to the problem.  I constantly say in my head over and over again, Lord I trust you, Lord I trust you, Lord I trust you.  Lord I ask give me the grace and mercy to trust you and not worry. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SOLITUDE

Silence On Learning Intimacy To Understand Divine Excess

 

            Wow! Well I wrote on Submission before Solitude.  I see that solitude and submission go together and just about all the other disciplines that I have learned so far from the Celebration of Discipline. 

Solitude is that moment alone, that quiet time spent with in silence.  I always have this saying that when God is silent that is when he is loud the most.  Sometimes you say more without saying anything at all. I like to talk about early times in the morning when I do make the chose to spend my first time of the day with God, I find peace.  It is as the angels of God are in caped around me even stronger.  I have notice that when I put God first before I start my day.  I command my whole day to be in alignment with God’s word.  I command a blessed day to go before me.  I have notice that when I am working on my job and taking care of my residents and things are not going the way that I think they should I hear God all the time saying calm down relax Fret not.  Ever since I read (John 14) it is stuck in my head.  The scripture stays in my head every day.  (NIV Do not let your hearts be troubled.) 

            My time in solitude is shooting the basketball around to clear my mind from thoughts that I have hand in my mind.  That time when I am just throwing the ball in the basket I am talking to God about decisions that I need to make.  Other times it is going walking to clear my mind and heart.  I thank God for the time he has allowed me to spend with him.  Those moments are refreshing and exuberating.  Solitude with God helps me to respond better in action and in thoughts in given situations.   Solitude to me feels like God’s warm embrace, like a fluffy pillow hugging me.  I say this to say that I would like that experience that experience over and over again each day of my life.  Sometimes when I walk through the halls to check on my geriatric residents, I feel God massaging my heart.  It is like God reaches to my heart and massages and makes it warm to the people that I take care of.  I love it.  This is another example of my moments of solitude.  Sometimes I can walk pass a person or see a person and can know that God truly loves them it is like I can see a special kind of love from God upon them.   I smile in silence at the wonders of God. 

SUBMISSION

Selfless Understandable Being More In twined Spiritually Stand In Obedience

            Let me start off by saying that submission in any given situation is not always an easy thing. Reading celebration of discipline gave me an understanding that there our acts of submission.  We as humans think that because we are in submission to one area we are committed in all.  Well that is not so true.  Our first act of submission should be to God.  You would think that if we are committed to God then all the other acts would just be easy.  The second submission is to the scriptures of God the third is to our own family, the fourth is to our neighbors in the community that we meet every day.  The fifth is to the believing community, the body of Christ, the sixth is to the broken and despised in every culture and the seventh is to the world that we live, the international community. 

            I read seven acts and was absolutely amazed.  I need to exam myself because I have to be honest and say that I have not been in submission to all seven of the acts.  I ask myself this question, is it possible to be in submission to all of the acts just named?  The answer is yes.

(Luke 1:37) says it best. ((For nothing is impossible with God (NIV)).

            I am working on just one submission at the moment and that is submission to the triune God and his scriptures.  Sometimes I am selfish with the time that I am blessed with, because I do not make time for him like I should.  I would set time to get up early, the alarm clock would ring and I would fall right back to sleep.  Shall I say laziness along with selfishness?  I spoke with a pastor from my church and their advice was simple.  They said if not an hour or thirty min a least ten min you have that to spare.  My thoughts were, how can I be so selfish with ten min.  I owe God more than ten min a day.  I use the excuse that I will make up for it by talking to him all day.  I know in my heart I have to set aside time to spend that quiet moment with him.   

            I know when I do the right thing and not be lazy and make time with God I am more refreshed and free in my heart and mind.  The aim is the freedom itself not the discipline (pg110 Foster).  I ask myself if God said Tori if every time you make times for me I would give you a million dollars.  I would not hesitate to get and spend time with him.  I have to see the importance in God with my spiritual eyes not with the natural.  I have to remind myself that submission is a benefit it establishes my life for the greater good of what will prosper me and those whom God has called me to.  I have to remind myself that submission is not just about me and how I feel, it is about other people and their desires and plans becoming important to me, to give up what I want for the rights of others.  I rejoice for their success and have compassion for their short comings.   Submission is discovering that it is far better to serve our neighbors than to way our own way Pg. 112 Foster.  I understand that submission is not always easy and it is not always hard.  I look at it is asking God to prepare my heart and mind to the calling he has put before me and to ask him to show me the benefit of it.  I shall continue to just ask God for the true benefit of each area of submission.  I prayer is Lord help me to understand and not be selfish.