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Rev Jo blogs: Bombarded by Thousands of Thoughts

Man praying in the countryside against a dawn sunrise.

Once we have committed ourselves to spending time in solitude, we develop an attentiveness to God’s voice in us. In the beginning, during the first days, weeks, or even months, we have the feeling that we are simply wasting our time. Time in solitude may at first seem little more than a time in which […]

Rev Jo blogs: Write it in Black and White

Man praying in the countryside against a dawn sunrise.

Five or ten minutes every day may be all we can tolerate. Perhaps we are ready for an hour every day, or an afternoon every week, a day every month, or a week every year. The amount of time will vary for each person according to temperament, age, job, lifestyle, and maturity. But we do […]

Rev Jo blogs: Inner Chaos

Man praying in the countryside against a dawn sunrise.

To bring some solitude into our lives is one of the most necessary but also one of the most difficult disciplines. Even though we may have a deep desire for real solitude, we also experience a certain apprehension as we approach that solitary place and time. As soon as we are alone, without people to […]

Rev Jo blogs: A Time and Space

Man praying in the countryside against a dawn sunrise.

Without solitude it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life. Solitude begins with a time and a place for God, and him alone. If we really believe not only that God exists but also that he is actively present in our lives – healing, teaching and guiding – we need to set aside a […]

Rev Jo blogs: The Concentrated Effort

Man praying in the countryside against a dawn sunrise.

A spiritual discipline, therefore, is a concentrated effort to create some inner and outer space in our lives, where this obedience can be practiced. Through a spiritual discipline we prevent the world from filling our lives to such an extent that there is no place left to listen. A spiritual discipline sets us free to […]

Rev Jo blogs: From an Absurd to an Obedient Life

Man praying in the countryside against a dawn sunrise.

From all that I said about our worries, overfilled lives, it is clear that we are usually surrounded by so much outer noise that it is hard to truly hear our God when he is speaking to us. We have often become deaf, unable to know when God calls us and unable to understand in […]

Rev Jo blogs: The Small, Gentle Voice

Man praying in the countryside against a dawn sunrise.

Here we touch the question of discipline in the spiritual life. A spiritual life without discipline is impossible. Discipline is the other side of discipleship. The practice of a spiritual disciple makes us more sensitive to the small, gentle voice of God. The prophet Elijah did not encounter God in the mighty wind or in […]

Rev Jo blogs: Hard Work

Man praying in the countryside against a dawn sunrise.

Excerpts from Making All things New by Henri Nouwen  (from Devotional Classics, edited by Richard Foster and James Bryan Smith) The spiritual life is a gift. It is the gift of the Holy Spirit, who lifts us up into the kingdom of God’s love. But to say that being lifted up into the kingdom of […]

Rev Jo blogs: Devote yourselves to prayer

Man praying in the countryside against a dawn sunrise.

I was sitting listening to Peter Misselbrook preaching at the 6.30 service in November. It was the end of the series on Paul’s letter to the Colossians, and one verse hit me so hard that I have not been able to get it out of my mind since. “Devote yourselves to prayer, with all thankfulness […]