 FINDING OUR WAY AGAIN The Return of the Ancient Practices By Brian McLaren
A 13 week, small group, study and practicum in “The Way of Jesus”
Wednesdays beginning September 17th through December 10th 2008.
Morning session at 9:30-11 & evenings at 7-8:30 each lead by Pastor Rody
There are ancient ways that can teach us to practice peace, joy, self-mastery, and justice. The old disciplines—fasting, contemplative prayer, simplicity, spiritual reading, meditation, solitude, silence, observing the holy days—do for our souls what exercise does for our bodies or study does for our minds. These ancient practices are the ways that we prepare for grace to surprise us. They are the habits by which our souls grow weighty; actions of mind, body, and will that close the gap between the character we want and the character we currently have.
Finding Our Way Again is a guidebook to these ancient paths. In its pages, author Brian McLaren explains faith as the way we learn by practice. With him, we discover why these practices are indispensable, not only for our individual lives, but also for the health of our society.
“The future of the world,” he writes, “depends on people like you and me finding the ancient way, living it, and inviting others to join us.” Most of us suffer from spiritual disorientation. Our souls are untended. And in this fragmented world, a soul left untended quickly loses direction. It forgets itself and becomes an insubstantial thing, disoriented and unavailable to the truth.
That is why a growing number of Christians are turning to early spiritual practices as a means of tending their souls. FINDING OUR WAY serves as a guide to a wide variety of these disciplines, showing how they form character, awaken us to life, and help us to experience God, and each other in new and fresh ways. WHAT YOU NEED TO DO Purchase your study book at Amazon.com, Cokesbury or your local book store.
- Pick up A copy of the study guide and supplemental readings at the church office after September 7th. We ask a donation of $5 to help cover the copying costs.
Register by eMailing your contact information and your preference for the morning or evening session in the following form:
| Learn, absorb, and apply AUMC Adult Education | | # | Date | Reading | Spiritual Exercise Focus | | 1 | Sep 17 | Chapter 1 ; “North Country” and “Hum” by Oliver; and “A Blessing” by Wright. | Do the chart described in question 1 on pg. 6-7 so you have it to share in some form. We will give attention to the other questions as time allows. | | 2 | Sep 24 | Chapters 2 & 3; “The Journey” by Oliver; article, “Prayer for the hurried, the undisciplined and the disorganized” by Wagley. | What does the poem, “Journey” mean to you? Reflect on questions on pp 19-20…especially how you are “shallowing” and “sleep walking” in your life. What it the article on prayer is helpful/not helpful to you. Extra Bible focus: Get a good concordance ( or find on on-line) and look up “journey” in the New Testament. | | | 3 | Oct 01 | No class. Rody is at The Church of the Resurrection in KCity. | 4 | Oct 08 | Chapter 4; “Tree” by Hirsfield; article, “Not Servants but Friends” by Taylor & story by Levine. | Look carefully at the first two questions on p. 38. How do you talk about “Jesus and You?” How do you understand “Kingdom,” “Yoke” and “path?” What is your understanding of the Hirsfield poem? What is Taylor’s main argument? Do you agree or disagree?
Extra Bible Focus: Read John 14:6 in light of the story by Amy Levine. How does her story change or not change your understanding of the famous gospel text? Get a good concordance and look up “kingdom of God” & “kingdom of heaven” in the New Testament. What did you learn? | | 5 | Oct 15 | Chapter 5: poem, “Love” by George Herbert and article by Dorothy Day, “Room for Christ.” | One of Rody’s teachers said: “When you read anything in the Bible you need to ‘put on your Jesus spectacles.’ What do you think he meant? Review first three questions. What parts of 1 Cor. 13 present a challenge to you and show you places to work on your “Christ-like character?
Extra Bible focus: Read 1 Corinthians 13 every day this week and try to memorize it. | | 6 | Oct 22 | Chapters 6 & 7 with primary focus on Chapter 7; read poem “Why I Wake Early,” by Oliver. Review notes titled, “Practicing The Presence of God.” Rody will do a teaching about this in class. They are an outline of the classic prayer manual by Brother Lawrence. | Try rising an hour earlier than you usually do and using the Oliver poem to set the tone for your day. Try doing suggestions in questions 1 & 2 on pages 65-66.
Extra Bible focus: Look carefully at The Lord’s Prayer. Use it every day this week. Ask the Spirit to speak and teach you something/many things new through it. Write out your learnings. | | 7 | Oct 29 | Chapter 8: Articles: “Beam Me Up Theology,” “What to Say about Hell.” Review: “Heaven Explained,” by Placher; Poem, “The Peace of Wild Things” by Berry. | This life…the afterlife…heaven & hell? Well, what do you believe? Does it matter which “ladder you lean your life against?” (pg.69). Be ready with some meaningful, personal thoughts to question 1 on pg. 75
Extra Bible focus: Read all four resurrection stories and write down thoughts, “ah-ahs” and questions. | | 8 | Nov 05 | Chapters 9, 10 & 11; Article, “Go Fast and Live” by Buchanan & song, “I Hunger and Thirst for You.” | Try fasting even one meal and reflect on how you do with this? Review the practices in chapter 10 on pg. 95 and reflect using question 2 on pg. 97. For chapter 11 give extra attention to questions 1, 4 & 5.
Extra Bible focus: Using a concordance trace fasting in the Old and New Testaments… what seems to be its purposes.
| | 9 | Nov 12 | Chapters 15 & 16. Fifteen is the intro. to this very important section—focus on 16. Story of the “Two Wolves” and poem “Love After Love,” by Walcott.
| How is it with your soul? Which of the big three do you struggle with most? Try to honestly answer questions 5-7 on pg. 158. How do you understand the “Two Wolves” story in relation to your life?
Extra Bible focus: Read the 23rd Psalm this week and commit it to memory
| | 10 | Nov 19 | Chapter 17. Article on “Praying the Scripture” by Brown Poem, “Sunday of the Blind”, by Ursu.
| Consider all the questions on pg. 168. We will listen to the music selections suggested in class. Do prayer walks this week.
Extra Bible focus: After reading about Lectio Divina try it with “light” passages like Genesis 1 and John 1. | | | 11 | Nov 26 | No class because of Thanksgiving Holiday. | | 12 | Dec 03 | Chapter 18: Pascal’s poem, “Fire”, Cockburn’s text of a song, “Mystery” and sermon notes for, “And If I Die Before I Wake.” | Questions on pg. 179 & reflect on your own death using guide and sermon notes.
Extra Bible focus: look up and reflect on scripture cited in “And If I Die Before I Wake” | | 13 | Dec 10 | Chapter 19 & 20; poem by Sexton, “Welcome Morning” and notes on “A Breathe Prayer.” | What does “Faithing Our Practices” mean to you? Reflect on question 4 on pg. 189. Think about what your Breathe Prayer” might be and try your hand at writing a few.
Extra Bible Focus: Read Jesus’ Farewell prayer in John 17—to be one | |
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