Confession  What do you think of when you hear or see the word “confession”?  An attempt to define Helps one live into the truth of being God’s new creation Opens oneself to God for transformation Views oneself and one’s community first as a fellowship of sinners and then as a fellowship of saints

Confession  Why should disciples practice confession? To replace sinful habits with healthy habits To examine one’s “sin network,” resulting from broken relationships, unhealthy patterns, and besetting weaknesses, in order to experience transformation To deepen relationships within the community through honesty and insight

Confession  “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (James 5:16).  The discipline of confession Spiritual Classics (241-2, 248) Spiritual Disciplines (93-94) Confession as a response to the 10 commandments

Worship  What is worship?  An attempt to define Cherishing and valuing God above all else Knowing, feeling, and experiencing the resurrected Christ in the midst of the gathered community Responding to the overtures of love from the heart of the Father

Worship  Why should disciples worship? To seek first God’s kingdom To be in the presence of Jesus To delight in the Lord To respond to God’s truth and direction in order to practice a life of obedience To learn how to sacrifice body, mind, and soul to the will of God

Worship  “ To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God” –William Temple  “The tendency of all worship to decline from adoration to demand, and from the supernatural to the ethical, shows how strong a pull is needed to neutralize the anthropocentric trend of the human mind” –Evelyn Underhill

Worship  The discipline of worship Spiritual Classics (254, 262 discussion #2) Spiritual Practices (46)

Guidance  What is guidance?  An attempt to define guidance: Listening for and recognizing the voice and pattern of God’s direction, individually and corporately Living under the immediate rule of the Holy Spirit Trusting in God’s good intentions

Guidance  Why should disciples practice the discipline of guidance? To take time to listen To bring head and heart into alignment with God’s will To seek the Guide rather than a map for one’s life To rest

Guidance  “When the vessel is ready, the precious liquid is poured in. There is no more precious vessel than a loving soul and no more beneficial drink than the grace of God”—John Ruusbroec

Guidance  The discipline of guidance - Celebration of Discipline (181-4)

Conditions for Communal Discernment Common Purpose Resolve to Decide Together Mutual Regard and Acceptance Clearly Framed Matter for Discernment Good information and Good Research

The meeting to discern Discussion toward Resolution Moderator asks for comments and observations that have arisen out of prayer A “sense” may emerge that there is more agreement among the group than originally thought possible Prayer and Silent Reflection Meeting for ClearnessExtended time of listening prayer Open Discussion Threshing Meeting Issues, concerns, observations, and perspectives are freely expressed

Celebration  What comes to mind when you hear the word “celebration”?  An attempt to define follows: Taking joyful, passionate pleasure in God and in the radically glorious nature of God’s people, Word, world, and purposes Engaging in actions that orient the spirit toward worship, praise, and thanksgiving, delighting in the never-changing presence of the Godhead

Celebration  Why should disciples celebrate? To live from a mentality of abundance rather than of scarcity To rejoice always in the One who rejoices over the beloved To enjoy the good and perfect gifts of God To cultivate a spirit of gladness To take oneself less seriously To live out the joy of salvation

Celebration  “The Christian should be an alleluia from head to foot”—Augustine of Hippo  “Celebration is central to all of the disciplines. Without a joyful spirit of festivity, the disciplines become dull, death-breathing tools in the hands of modern Pharisees”—Richard Foster

Celebration  The discipline of celebration Spiritual Classics (315) Spiritual Practices (28 and Gratitude Journal)