I was invited by my friend Brianna Wilkerson, a health and wellness coach, to write a guest post on her blog Made Well. Here is an excerpt: A friend of mine asked recently, “How can I have a closer relationship with God?” This friend shared with me her desire to draw closer to God, to experience God more in her daily life, and to learn to walk with God. There was something inside her compelling her to want more in her relationship with God than what she was experiencing. This desire expressed by my friend is something I, and perhaps many of us, resonate with. We long to know God more deeply, we want to experience an intimate relationship with God. The good news for us is that God longs for a closer relationship with us as well. Revelation 3:20 says this, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” God himself is standing at the door, waiting for us to welcome him into our lives. The moment we open the door, we get to enjoy intimate relationship with God. No matter where we are at, no matter where our starting point, we can always go deeper in knowing God. Intimacy and connection with God can grow. Like any relationship, the one we have with God is a two-way street. It takes both God and me to draw nearer to each other. So if God truly is drawing near to me, then what can I do to draw near to him? To read the rest of the post (and get lots of great health resources) head over to Brianna's blog Made Well here: 3 Ways to Deepen Your Relationship With God. Want guidance and inspiration for your spiritual journey delivered to your inbox?
Sign up for my email newsletter Notes From Larissa. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:4-5 What would happen in your life if you spent every day connecting with God for 30 days in a row? How might God change you, your relationships, your purposes, your surroundings? So much of the spiritual journey is pressing forward, moving through barriers, and taking next steps of growth. Jesus gives us the invitation to "abide in him, and he in us." It is an invitation into a life of intimacy and unity with Christ. It is a life of making our home in Christ, and dwelling in him, while he does the same in us. Do you want the abiding life with Christ? I believe that the abiding life first begins with us asking ourselves the question, "Do I want the abiding life with Christ?" In other words, do you desire the relationship and lifestyle he proposes? Take a moment, and be honest with yourself. Do you want the abiding life with Christ? Is that the ultimate vision you have for your life? I want the abiding life. Where do I begin? If you want the abiding life, then you simply start from where you are. Jesus always called people to follow him from where they were standing. So how is he calling you to live? What action step is he inviting you to take in order to follow him? You may have an immediate answer. There may be an action that you know that you need to take right now. If you don't know, ask God. Take a moment right now. Ask him, "God, what next step with you are you inviting me to take?" Sit quietly in his presence, and wait on him to respond to you. Join us for 30 Days of Abiding If you want to take a step further in abiding in Jesus, I invite you to participate in 30 Days of Abiding in November. For 30 days, beginning on November 1st, I am committed to 30 Days of Abiding. A group of us did 30 Days of Abiding in July 2016, and it was a powerful, growthful experience for many. So we're doing it again. Recently, I shared that God has been inviting me to cultivate the practice of gratitude. I will be putting that into practice through 30 days of practicing gratitude. I will be making space every day to practice gratitude by keeping a gratitude journal, as well meditating on Scripture that helps me to worship and thank God. If you want to join me and others in 30 Days of Abiding, check out 30 Days of Abiding for more details on how to participate. I hope you join us! What spiritual rhythm could you practice for 30 days? How do you think your life would change if you encountered God in a small way every single day? Please share in the comments. Want guidance and inspiration for your spiritual journey delivered to your inbox?
Sign up for my email newsletter Notes From Larissa. Today I am excited to launch a new series on the Spiritual Journey blog called "My Spiritual Practices." In this series, a variety of people will be interviewed about their spiritual life and practices. I love learning from other people, and in particular, learning how they live out their faith in daily life. Each person being interviewed is sharing an intimate look at their lives. For that, I am grateful. My hope is that these interviews will offer us a snapshot of how different people experience God in their lives, and that they might inspire and guide us in our own unique spiritual journeys. Adele BooysenAdele Booysen is a freelance writer who currently calls Belize home. The field she’s most passionate writing about is vocational theology--or, as Adele prefers to refer to it-- "serious play,” which comes down to all of life and work being an opportunity for worship. Adele’s research into the field of vocational theology has led her to a variety of work roles in several countries. She is happily single (but open to God bringing a man into her life with whom she can share the adventures). She writes mainly for Gloo+, a personal development app, and is getting ready to resuscitate her personal blog, adelebooysen.com. How do you connect with God? What spiritual practices and rhythms do you have? For me, life is worship, so I try to remain in communication with God throughout my day, pausing to ask him for wisdom or insight as I work, or acknowledging his goodness as I notice something beautiful, whether it’s the sunrise or a hummingbird at my feeder. In the mornings, though, I am intentional about listening for what God is teaching me through his word. For a while now, I’ve been using a book by Jim Branch, simply called The Blue Book to get me started with my reading. But I don’t stick to that religiously. I also like doing a lectio divina reading of the psalms or the gospels. Most days, I capture thoughts in my journal. I find that when I don’t do that, insights get lost in the busyness of the day. I find that if I have one spot where I go to read every morning with a cup of coffee--a comfy chair on my porch--helps me to make a mental transition and be ready to hear God speak. What daily or weekly spiritual practices are most important to you? Daily: intentionally checking in with God first thing in the mornings and last thing at night, often with a prayer of examine. When I allow reading social media or listening to podcasts to take that spot, I find that my day feels off kilter. Weekly: In other places in the world, I’ve always found a church I love and enjoy going to worship with others. I usually also find a Bible study or soul talk group where I can engage deeply. In Belize, that’s been very hard to find, but I still go to church, trying to see where I should connect, and reaching out to the few believers I’ve met to see what might develop into relationships where soulful conversations can happen. Describe the environment that helps you best connect with God. In nature, I feel keenly connected to God. It’s one great thing about living in Belize, where I’m surrounded by trees and water. I love simply being with God as I watch the sunrise or sunset, or do birdwatching etc. Yet the times I feel most connected is during great corporate worship. Since I don’t have access to that in Belize, I make the most of connecting with God through nature. What tools or resources help you connect with God? I’m constantly reading a variety of Christian books, and I try to read widely. I make a point of studying God’s Word. And I often listen to a variety of worship music. When I’m studying, I prefer instrumental worship such as Steve Hampton’s music, not songs that I know words to, else I get distracted by the music. Lately, I’ve also been intentional about incorporating a lot of silence--turning off podcasts, the radio & TV. Every so often, I like to do a study that takes me deep into a topic, like Beth Moore’s studies, but those I like to do with friends. At times, I like using the Pray As You Go app to guide me through the Examen. How have your spiritual practices changed over recent years? They’ve changed significantly, from checking items off a list and me talking to God to looking for God in the distractions of the day and listening much more. On days when your schedule changes, are you able to adapt your spiritual practices to fit in with a different environment? When I travel, I try to maintain the same rhythms, but I’m not always successful, especially insofar as in-depth reading goes. Do you practice the Sabbath or spiritual retreat? If so, what does that look like for you? I make a point of having a day of no work, usually on Sundays. It has made a significant difference in my energy levels insofar as approaching work after a day of rest. On those days, I make a point of doing something special, like eating out, walking on the beach, or indulging in a movie. When I’ve shared spaces with others, I made a point of going on a day-long silent retreat by myself every month or two, but since my life is spent in solitude for much of the time, I don’t do that at this stage. What people or relationships contribute most to your spiritual growth? Until recently, I met monthly with a spiritual director. The monthly connection made a significant impact on me. (We paused due to family needs on her side.) Other than that, I have a handful of friends with whom I engage deeply around issues of faith. What gets in the way of your spiritual growth? Social media can be a huge distraction to me, especially since my life’s been marked by transition and I use social media to stay in touch with good friends...same with seasons when I get lackadaisical, which is often triggered by major change. What do you do when you get spiritually stuck? I try different disciplines, at different times of the day. I journal my prayers. And I talk with close spiritual friends. How do you connect with God through life transitions? My life has been in major transition for a few years now (as in changing jobs, moving countries and continents) and I know I couldn’t go through the changes without God being very close to me, even at times when I don’t feel his presence. (That can easily lead to me being lazy about maintaining spiritual disciplines.) Those are the times when I journal most. And I often learn the most when I look back on those journal entries... What is one particular way you’ve experienced God recently? This may seem random and insignificant, but last week, I was passing through a city in Belize I didn’t know, and I had to run an important errand before leaving that city. But I couldn’t find the office where I needed to go, and no GPS was helping! Before going too far and getting frustrated, I pulled into a gas station to ask if they could point me to the office I was looking for, realizing if it might be on the other side of the city. Turns out, the office I was looking for was upstairs from the gas station! I was parked right in front of the office I was looking for. God totally takes care of me, even in the small things. What bit of wisdom from your own spiritual journey do you want others to know? Over the past few years, especially, I’ve come to appreciate the fact that spiritual practices are just tools. Similar to gardening tools, they can help aerate the soil, or help remove rocks, or dig a hole for a seedling to be planted. The fruit our lives bear isn't dependent on the tools, but on the seeds God scatters about every day, and on the condition of the soil (our souls) to receive and nurture those seeds. The tools aren’t the main thing, but they are important. As Marjorie Thompson says in Soul Feast, these tools “enable us not only to receive but to respond to God’s love, which in turn yields the fruits of the Spirit in our lives.” At times, when it feels like a drought has hit our souls, it’s still good to pause and ask, first, “God, what can I learn about YOU through this that I could not have learned through other circumstances?” Only then, ask, “And what are you teaching me about myself?” Want guidance and inspiration for your spiritual journey delivered to your inbox?
Sign up for my email newsletter Notes From Larissa. |
WELCOMEHi, I'm Larissa. I am an artist and spiritual director on the island of O'ahu in Hawai'i.
SEARCH THE BLOGSUBSCRIBESign up for my email newsletter Notes From Larissa.
TOP POSTSCATEGORIES
All
ARCHIVES
March 2024
|