The first contemplative exercise in The Spiritual Formation Workbook is this: "Set aside five to ten minutes each day for prayer" (Smith and Graybeal 35). My goal is to try each exercise for a week and afterwards, to reflect on the experience.
Day Three: Last night,I went to Universalis Today. I love praying through the Psalms, and the Office of Hours is full of Psalms! When I'm tired and I don't know what to say, the Office of Hours reminds and guides me. If I'm without the Internet and can't get to Universalis Today, I can open my Bible to any psalm, and discover the heart of God.
Maybe it's a little weird that I worship at a Baptist church but visit a Catholic website and read Catholic books on prayer. However, I tend to consider myself a follower of Jesus rather than a Protestant or Baptist or ________ (fill in the blank). Sometimes, I tell people that I'm a spiritual tourist, because I really do want do know what other people think about God, and how they worship.
If God is real, omnipresent and powerful, don't you think we should see evidence of God's work in many different times and places? If we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, spiritual truths ought to be stronger than denominational lines. We won't agree on every point, but you'd expect us to agree on a great many issues.
For me, seeing something from a different perspective helps me to understand and learn. I like being a spiritual tourist because it challenges me to think and to grow, and it forces me to know what I believe and why.
(Journal, Jan. 6, 2012)
Smith, James Bryan and Lynda Graybeal. A Spiritual Formation Wookbook: Small-Group Resources for Nurturing Christian Growth. New York: HarperCollins, 1993.
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