An Experiential Seminar

Introduction Session: The Door to Liberation

1) At age 7, where were you living and how many were in your household? 2) At age 7, what do you remember about your house and neighborhood? 3) At age 7, what was the center of warmth in your life (person, place, thing…)? 4) When did God become more than a name to you? 5) When you think of the word ‘discipline’, what comes to mind?

What if this… is as good as it gets?

TO BE A DISCIPLE…

“His divine power had given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of us, and may become participants of the divine nature. 2 Peter 1:3-4

For this very reason, you must take up every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. For if these things are yours and are increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:5-8

 Train  Exercise  Gymnastics

“His divine power had given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of us, and may become participants of the divine nature.” 2 Peter 1:3-4

“He (Jesus) learned obedience through what he suffered…” Hebrews 5:8b

INWARDMeditationPrayerFastingStudy OUTWARDSimplicitySolitude/SilenceSubmissionService CORPORATEConfessionWorshipGuidanceCelebration

“In and of themselves they [the Spiritual Disciplines] are of no value whatsoever. They have value only as a means of setting us before God so that he can give us the liberation we seek. The liberation is the end; the Disciplines are merely the means.” “Law-bound Disciplines breathe death. Jesus teaches that we must go beyond the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees (Matt. 5:20). Yet we need to see that their righteousness was no small thing. They were committed to following in God in a way that many of us are not prepared to do.”

 Listen actively & let others finish  Value differences  Look for your own learning  Participate in the exercises & reflect  Silence is acceptable  Respect the confidentiality of what is shared  Feel free to have fun!

“The life that is pleasing to God is not a series of religious duties. We have only one thing to do, namely, to experience a life of relationship and intimacy with God.” “God, you see, will not enter many areas of our life uninvited. So we invite God to enter every experience of life.”

“As thou are in church or cell, that same frame of mind carry out into the world; into its turmoil and its fitfulness.” Deep within us all there is an amazing inner sanctuary of the soul, a holy place, a Divine Center, a speaking Voice, to which we may continuously return. Eternity is at our hearts, pressing upon our time-torn lives, warning us with intimations of an astounding destiny, calling us home unto Itself.