So, 

This is week two of us talking about spiritual disciplines, or as I have craftily renamed it, spiritual development.

What we are talking about is doing what we need to do to grow our faith, to learn new ways and to remember old ways we have learned about before to grow our relationship with God! 

Yes, you could even think about them as exercises for your spiritual muscles. 

But you could also think about them as adventures or even opportunities, ways and times where you can learn new things, experience new experiences, and become more and more like Jesus.

Calling them disciplines is good. 

I just wonder if thinking of them more like the sunlight, water, and fertilizer our spirits need to grow just might sound more inviting and more positive, maybe even more exciting, perhaps even something I would want to share with my friends and family.

The reality is, no matter what we call them, they are all spiritual growth ideas!

Because growing closer to Jesus, feeling like you are more in tune with what Jesus is thinking and doing in the world - is so cool. 
And we can do that, in lots of different ways, including by doing what you are doing right now - by worshipping with the faith community. 

Remember, Jen D’Esposito last week pointed out that regular worship is a spiritual discipline. 

So is reading the bible, participating in fellowship, going on a mission trip, gathering in a small group bible study, and even things like meditating on one of the many wonderful names the bible uses when talking about God, like Jehovah Jireh, or God the provider. 

Think about that for a while and then think about what the Lord’s prayer says, “Give us this day or daily bread”. There are all kinds of spiritual exercises that can makes our faith stronger.

Because spiritual growth is all about getting spiritually stronger, because we could all use a more robust faith. 

Life is challenging so we need to be ready, strong, and prepared. And spiritual growth can help us meet the challenges that life regularly throws at us. 

Fasting, prayer, listening to God, embracing simplicity, unplugging, and more can also draw us closer to God. 

And, in the process we can become more humble, more caring, more loving, and quite honestly better able to be God’s person in our setting.

So, what do we do? We pray!

Now many of us may think we already now how to pray. But prayer is like so many others things in life. You can know how to cook, or you can know how to cook!

Frying an egg in a pan and making a perfect omelet are not the same things. And as is true for most spiritual disciplines, there is the beginner’s level, and then there is that deeper advanced level.

And I am not talking about praying fancy words but rather  gaining a deeper respect for prayer and for prayer’s power, because over time we have seen how God both hears our prayers and moves in our lives and in our world in amazing and truly powerful ways.

We pray! Because beginner prayers are just as much as a delight to God’s ears as the prayers of God’s most devoted followers.  

We pray. Because prayer, at its essence, it is all about you and I talking to God heart to heart, like a child talking to mom or dad about what is going on in their world. It’ not about fancy flowing words. 

Rather it’s a conversation where we pour out our hearts and let God reveal his own.

Jesus even suggests that when we pray, we do it in private, on our own, just God and you or me. Jesus tells us we should go into a room, close the door, and pour out our hearts. 

We are to tell God what we are rejoicing about and what we are scared about. We are to share with the Lord what hurts we are facing, and what is hurting others you love.

And then, watch and wait, expectant that God will not only answer our prayers, but be ready for God to show us a better way to think about what we are struggling with, or a better way to celebrate all that we are rejoicing in.

Jesus, while talking with his disciples even offered them an example of a wonderful, sincere prayer, telling them, “Pray like this!”

Not so much “pray this” though we do. But rather pray “like” this. 

Pray a prayer that sounds like this, that is warm and familiar and respectful and joyous. Pray a prayer that remembers your responsibilities while at the same time gently reminds God of his promises, or maybe more importantly, reminds you of them.

Pray a prayer that says things you wouldn’t have been afraid to say to your own parents when you were little, while remembering that while God is our Heavenly parent, God is also the creator and sustainer of all that is.

Do as Jesus said, pray, without the need for others to see and then somehow reward you for your faithfulness. 

Instead pray because it makes you stronger and more settled in faith.

Pray, and in doing so, watch your spirit grow!

Pray because you want God’s presence to fill you, all the while remembering that every prayer you pray is also an invitation not only for God to do something, but for you to do something as well!

Pray! Because God is listening. Amen.