Incarnate the Love of Christ - Care of the Earth

     The bible makes it clear that we are called to take care of the Earth that God has given us.  In Leviticus chapter 25, God's people are instructed to give both the land and animals a Sabbath.  They recognized the importance to let the land rest so as to restore nutrients and keep it healthy, along with not overworking their animals.  Just because you can endlessly work the land doesn't mean you should.  We tend to neglect the Earth, because it's inconvenient to take care of.  But in all reality, when we don't take proper care, it hurts us in the long run.  I mean, look at all the pollution around us.

     God created us to be stewards in the modern age.  Our position may be slightly different than the people of Israel, because many of us don't own cattle or cultivate the land.  But we are still called to take care of the earth through other means such as recycling or picking up trash.  The root of our desire to care for the Earth comes when we realize that it isn't ours to begin with. Psalm 95:5 states "The sea is His for he made it, and His hands formed the dry land."  It's all for God, not us.

Hear God's Word - Memorization

     What is the point of memorizing scripture in a day and age where we can google anything and have it almost instantly on our computer screen?  Well memorizing isn't about just being able to instantly quote the material.  It isn't even about just knowing a lot of things.  When we purposely memorize something, we are intentionally committing something to our hearts.  Our minds, without memorization, tend to just latch on to the latest attention-grabbing experience.  In most cases, this means we can forget scripture and remember the latest football game.  But when we intentionally memorize scripture, it is forever stored in our heart and cannot be pushed aside by everyday experiences.

     "Memorization is the process of continually remembering the words, truths and images God uses to shape us. memorization provides us with a store of learning, which can be accessed anywhere and anytime." - Spiritual Disciplines Handbook

Hear God's Word - Meditation

     Meditation isn't a discipline that is limited only to Eastern religions, but also rests at the core of Christianity.  It is an invitation to invite God to work in your life.  God is near, and clues to his presence have been seen since creation: "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen..." Romans 1:20. The problem occurs when we don't stop and really see what is going on around us.  God is here, but sometimes we aren't looking.


     To meditate on a passage, slowly read the passage over and over.  Listen to the scripture, asking what God wants you to get out of it, and what is important.  Write down any questions you have.  Sometimes memorizing the passage makes it easier to repeat it in your mind over and over so that it resonates automatically.  Many times I like to find a key verse that sticks out and write down a paragraph about what it means to me.  When I actually write things down, it tends to stick in my memory more  prominently, and sometimes I even write it on a sticky note and put it on my desk so that I can read it every time I sit down.


     "Meditation is a long, ardent gaze at God, his work and his Word.  Slowing down and giving one's undivided attention to God lies at the core of Christian mediation." - Spiritual Disciplines Handbook

Hear God's Word - Devotional Reading

     In the early Church, many believers would have been illiterate, and even many of those who could read didn't have access to bibles.  Because of this, much of the early Church history is characterized by what is known as lectio divina (or devotional reading).  Lectio divina requires learning through means other than reading written words, much like how we understand what wind is because we feel it, or how we begin to comprehend snow by building snowmen and throwing snowballs.  The process of Lectio divina made a way to hear the Word read in church and apply it to their lives through five movements:

      1. Silencio - Simple slow down and become quiet and calm; prepared to hear the Word of God
      2. Lectio - This involved the actual reading of the scripture.  Read slowly and loudly letting the words
                        resonate in your heart, and if something happens to catch your attention, stop and ask God for
                        what he wants to reveal.
      3. Mediatio - Simply, meditate.  While reading the scripture a second time, savor the words.  Reflect on the
                            importance of what sticks out to you.
      4. Oratio - Respond through praying to God.  Enter into a personal dialogue with God after reading a third
                        time.  Talk with God about any feelings that arise from this passage.
      5. Contemplatio - Contemplate and rest.  Allow God to begin working on you in whatever he has shown
                                    through this passage.

Hear God's Word - Bible Study

     Why is bible study important?  Well, first of all, this is one of the ways that we hear from God.  In the word, God has planted his love story for us, and with that his calling on our life.  If we really want to understand who God is, and who he created us to be, what better place to find it then in the word?  "Studying the scripture can equip, guide and reveal how to live in life-giving ways that deepen our friendship with God and others." - Spiritual Disciplines Handbook


     The book, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, lists a few different approaches to studying the bible:
1. Artist method
     - Read a passage of scripture and ask yourself the following three questions:
          i. What speaks to my heart? then draw a heart next to that scripture
          ii. What new thought or idea comes to me?  then draw a lightbulb
          iii. What does Scripture move me to do? then draw a hand
2. Detective method
     - Read a short passage from one of the Gospels, then play "detective"
     - Ask who, when, where and what questions
     - Dig deeper into the passage and really understand what is going on in the minds and words of the writer(s)
3. Treasure-seeker Method
     - This very simply looks at a passage and says: What idea, commandment, or promise can I find?
     - This tends to bring different results to different people, because everyone finds their own meaning to verses.
4. Jesus' apprentice method
     -  Choose one of the Gospels (Mark of Luke) and just follow Jesus' life looking for what seems important
          - How does Christ live His life?
          - What is important to Christ?
          - How can I become more like Him?

Share My Life With Others - Witness

"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

     As I've been working on my research paper this week, I've been reading many accounts of eye-witnesses to the shooting of JFK.  These witnesses share the truth with those who did not get to see this event, or who do not know what happened.  In the same way, we are meant to be witnesses of the Truth that is the love of Christ.  We are called to bring people into knowing Christ by testifying to what we have seen him do in our own lives and in the lives of those around us.  What would be the end result if no witnesses would step forth for a murder? Well the murderer would walk free, and evil would continue to happen by his hands.  I guess when you think of it that way, you have to think about this: What if I don't witness to God's hand in my life?  What will happen to others?...

     Now don't think that it is our job to convert ever single person we meet...if we try to do that, we will burn out..fast.  Our job is to be a living testimony and "plant the seed".  For Paul writes: "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow." in Corinthians 3:6.  You see, God is the one who draws people closer to Him, but he wants us to be involved and be part of that process.  That's why Nazarenes consider it very important to live a holy lifestyle, so that our very lifestyle becomes a witness and testimony to our love for God, and for his greatness.

     "Desire: to reveal the life-changing love of Jesus to others." - Spiritual Disciplines Handbook

Share My Life With Others - Unity

     This is a topic that has always been dear to my heart.  Unity is a HUGE issue in the church today.  I mean how many times have you heard rumors flying around the church?  I know I have.  Even the smallest little bits of gossip can effectively destroy what may have become a very prosperous ministry.  Think about it this way: the Church is the body of Christ.  What good would it be if the hands wanted to do something different than what the eyes were focused on?  It would be almost impossible.  And what if the feet walked in the opposite direction of what the hands were grasping tightly too?  In the same way, disunity in ministry can be disastrous.  We can literally tear apart a beautiful ministry all because we want to do "our thing" or we are sure that we know what is best.

     While all this is important to realize, realize that we are also called into "oneness" or unity with God himself.  When we dive into God's word and His will for our lives, we  "share in God's DNA of love" (Spiritual Disciplines Handbook).  We begin to realize the strength we have when we work in unity with God and his kingdom.  When we bring disruption to the unity God intended for the family of Christ, it grieves Him.  At the same time though, some may argue that the church is divided through denominations and ritualistic differences.  Yea, that's true...but here's the thing...God is bigger than anything.  Our simple divisive attitudes will not stop God from proclaiming his kingdom.  The gates of hell cannot withstand God's might.  But just think, if we were working together as one large Church, or body of Christ, the hands would become more effective, and the feet would know just where to walk.  The body would enter into a time of great productivity, and the Church as a whole would bring many people to know Christ in numbers never before seen.

     "The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind -- Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, So they might be one heart and mind with us. " (John 17:21)

Share My Life With Others - Spiritual Friendship

     "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity" (Proverbs 17:17)

     Spiritual friendship goes beyond just being "friendly."  It isn't about being nice to people, or even about liking them.  It's about genuinely investing yourself in their lives; loving them unconditionally through whatever circumstances life throws their way.  It means being there to encourage them, to support them in their walk.  Jesus had his small group of disciples, but even in this group he had three who were his closest "spiritual friends": Peter, James, and John.  He shared the highest and lowest points of his life with them.  They were the three who accompanied him to the garden in which he was eventually arrested.  Maybe he brought them there to teach them what it means to live as a godly example through adversity, even being condemned to death on a cross.

     "In John 15:13 he says, 'Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.' To die for a friend - that's just not ordinary, everyday friendliness" - Spiritual Disciplines Handbook

Share My Life With Others - Small Group

    When you look at the life of Jesus, he was never a lone ranger.  He was always surrounded by someone: his family, friends, disciples, crowds, etc.  The greatest example of a small group is shown through Jesus and his twelve disciples.  Throughout his three years of ministry, Christ poured out his love and knowledge to the disciples.  They learned everything they knew about God and living a godly life through their time with Christ.  He was the one who modeled disciplines, and helped them experience spiritual transformation.  He worked through them to experience this formation.

     In this day and age, we look to each other to foster spiritual growth.  Just as Christ worked in the lives of his disciples, so do we work in the lives of our friends and colleagues to foster growth.  The discipline of small groups simply means joining a group of believers who are all willing and determined to grow together, not individually in their faith.  Joining a small group means vulnerability, and you must be willing to recognize your own  faults and bring them before the group so that together you can bring it to God.  And for a small group to really be effective in fostering growth in the members, all attending must be willing to listen.  No judging, no pointing finger, no gossiping.  Just listening, loving, and supporting.  That's what it takes to make a great small group.

" Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken" (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

Share My Life With Others - Service

    Serving can be hard.  I mean, after a long day of work or school, I know the last thing I want to do is serve someone.  I mean, come on?  Can't they do something nice for me?  The thing is, though, that is exactly the kind of attitude that has created this materialistic society we live in today.  We want people to do good things for us, but we don't want to have to go out of our way for anyone else.  That is, until you understand our calling as Christians:

"Christians are the very essence of God to others.  We become God's vehicle of blessing on planet earth." - Spiritual Disciplines Handbook

    But the thing is, we can't serve, if we aren't ready.  We need to prepare our hearts for service, because if you are helping someone, but are totally selfish about it, or have a bad attitude, how is that showing God's love?  But even before you are willing to humble yourself and prepare for service, you have to be able to see the need.  A pastor, and good friend of mine once challenged me with this statement, "pray to God 'make what breaks Your heart break mine as well.'"  That's scary!  When you start to pray this prayer, God shows you the needs around you.  It isn't till you can see the world through God's eyes that you can truly serve.  Seeing through God's eyes means looking past economic status', race, gender, beliefs, or shortcomings of others, to look at the need.  Humbly serving and meeting that need shows the love of God to someone who may not know love.

"Everybody can be great because anybody can serve.  You don't have to have a college degree to serve.  You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve.  You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love." - Martin Luther King Jr. 

Share My Life With Others - Mentoring

     Isn't it true, that when we learn what is best for us, our natural tendency is not always to do it.  We tend to stick to old habits, old ways of doing things.  Most of us need examples through relationships and hand-on teachings.  We need mentors.  Mentors help people grow in their walk with Christ.  They believe in the mentee, and in their ability to better themselves, even if the mentee doesn't see their own potential.  Mentors help the mentee equip themselves for success in whatever area of their life is necessary.

     I guess when you think about, mentoring happens everyday to almost anyone.  For example, at school, the students are mentored by teachers.  At home, the children are mentored by adults.  At work, the employee is mentored by the boss or manager.  The spiritual discipline of mentoring doesn't mean that you have to be qualified, or you have to meet certain standards.  All mentoring is about is passing on what you know to someone else.  There are no age restrictions, gender restrictions, race restrictions, etc.  It's all about helping one another in love.

     One of the best examples of mentoring in the bible was when Barnabas mentored Paul.  Paul was rejected by many of the disciples of Christ, because it had been Paul who had persecuted and killed Christians.  But Barnabas knew Paul was changed, and had become a man of God.  Barnabas was willing to risk everything to mentor Paul, and Paul went on to become one of the greatest inspirations for the gospel of all time.  He was a wildcard, no sensible Christian would risk getting close, but Barnabas saw his worth in Christ.

Share My Life With Others - Hospitality

"Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God." - Romans 15:7    

      In a world that is becoming more and more dangerous, hospitality seems to be becoming more and more hard to find.  We sometimes feel vulnerable inside our own homes, and we are afraid when "strangers" come too close.  But we are called to be welcoming, to be the hands and feet of Christ that show his warm and loving heart.  Hospitality at it's core is, "offering the welcome of Jesus to any and all." - Spiritual Disciplines Handbook. Showing hospitality can be one of the best ways to show God's welcoming arms to a scary and hostile world.  But we need to be careful that we are offering our hospitality not to gain favor, or to show off what we have, but only to show God's love to those around us.  And in doing so, being completely humble and giving the glory to God.

     "They [the early church] broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people" - Acts 2:46-47

Share My Life With Others - Discipling

"Discipling is the process of equipping, training, and encouraging another in his or her apprenticeship to Jesus.  It means journeying with and helping another to grow in knowledge as well as in the virtues and character of Christ." - Spiritual Disciplines Handbook

     Discipling goes beyond just "saving a person".  It is an extended commitment to helping the person with their commitment to becoming more mature in Christ.  Discipling, though, can't really happen if the "saved" person doesn't want to grow.  You can't force a person to mature in their faith, they must be wanting and longing for that kind of growth.  Discipling usually occurs when a group of believers convene around the Word and encourage each other with love and kind words.  This usually happens when a older more-mature Christian disciples a younger one, but it can also happen in small groups as they spur each other on in growth.

     I know that I'm called to be a youth pastor.  And I know that along with that come the responsibility of discipling teens.  I'm totally up for that, because I love talking with others and challenging them to grow.  The only problem is that sometimes I forget that I need discipled as well.  I get discipled by my close friends when we get together for small group.  We always challenge each other to better ourselves and talk about what is holding us back.  I think sometimes Christians are really quick to disciple, but are very slow to be willing to get discipled.

Share My Life With Others - Covenant Group

     " A covenant group is composed of people who commit themselves to helping and encouraging one another, as each prayerfully seeks to live out God's will in their lives." - Spiritual Disciplines Handbook

     America is a nation that is constantly changing.  People are switching jobs, leaving their communities, and even switching their relationships.  Some people have no real friends, because all they do is get really good at just "being friendly" in the polite..."oh hey"...kind of way.  Covenant groups are all about creating deep relationships.  The people in your group will be the people who, at two in the morning, are willing to pick you up when your car breaks down.  They care deeply about you, and become TRUE friends.  The kind that never leaves you alone.

     These groups are usually long term, because it takes time to build up trust with one another.  In this time, the group learns how to listen to one another, and grow in Christ in each other's presence.  Covenant groups make a  covenant, whether written or not, to support one another in prayer, encourage each other, challenge each other, and help in any way needed.  For this group to succeed, commitment must be shared to the covenant, OR IT WON'T WORK.

"For as long as it's still God's Today, keep each other on your toes so sin doesn't slow down your reflexes." - Hebrews 3:13

Share My Life With Others - Community

      "¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by^[c] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

 ¹⁵ Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹ If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

 ²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²² On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴ while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

 ²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. ²⁸ And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰ Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues^[d]? Do all interpret? ³¹ Now eagerly desire the greater gifts." - 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

     I know that's a lot, but this passage is really what the spiritual discipline of community is all about.  We, as Christian's, were not  created to live and work as individual, independent units.   We were meant to share in the ministry of proclaiming Christ.  It is all modeled after this passage.  The whole metaphor of the body of Christ points out that each part of the body (each person) has it's (his/her) specific set of gifts or abilities that make them unique.  They are they only ones that can do certain things, or accomplish certain tasks.

     Each part of the body is not also totally dependent.  The feet do not need the nose to walk, or the eyes need hands to see.  Each person does not necessarily put all their backing on every single person in the Christian community.  I mean, could you imagine...A missionary in Africa calls home and says, send me every Christian in the world because I can't do ministry without them.  That's crazy.

    What the body is...is INTERdependent.  The body works together as one cohesive unit.  Let's say the eyes see something they want to grasp and send this to the brain, then the brain tells the hands to pick it up.  The body works together to accomplish the goal.  In the case of the Christian community, the goal is to reach the lost for Christ and to become more like Christ through helping each other.  There is just a subtle difference between interdependence and dependence.   Dependence means no initiative, no individualism, no uniqueness.  But that's not what the scripture says.  We are all a part of the body of Christ, with our own unique gifts that God has blessed us with for the advancement of his kingdom.  The discipline of community means that we recognize our oneness in completing our goal: to become like Christ, and help others do the same.
    

Share My Life With Others - Chastity

     "Healthy chastity is rooted in a deep acceptance of, respect for, and protection of the glorious body God has given me and all other human beings.  Chaste behavior cultivates sexual purity and nourishes trust." - Spiritual Disciplines Handbook

     Chastity isn't virginity.  Don't get them confused.  Virginity is a once and gone kind of deal, but chastity isn't.  This discipline is all about your body and the bodies of others, but it goes way beyond sex.  It goes to the point where you never do anything to disrespect your own body, or disrespect the bodies of others.  The discipline of chastity demands a very high level of commitment, and can be one of the hardest disciplines to practice.  Our culture tells us everywhere we turn that sex is what to look for, that we should have it as early as we can.  Maybe they don't come right out and say it, but through tv, music, and other media, that really is the message.

     Jesus (obviously, as usual) had it all together.  Throughout his ministry, he went through the same temptations, appetites, drives, and hormonal impulses that every man goes through, but he never once let them control him.  Yes, he was God, but he was ALSO human.  He had many intimate relationships with men and women, but never once did he do anything that disrespected his body or the bodies of others.  He was able to go to parties with prostitutes, and have them wash and/or massage his feet because he had total control of his body.

     Jesus wasn't innocent.  Wait, what?  Just hold on... Jesus was pure.  Purity is not the same as innocence, because innocence is the absence of testing.  When a person is tested and perseveres, that is where purity is produced.  This means that purity is not lost, and no matter what the past, purity is always an option.  It is captured with every decision that honors both your body and the bodies of others.  Return to God and ask the Holy Spirit for change; that is the first step to regaining purity.  With this help, there is always an option of purity for those who are willing to stand and fight for chastity.  When you fight and persevere, you are made new in purity.

"You, my brothers were called to be free.  But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.  The entire law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" - Galatians 5:13

Share My Life With Others - Accountability Partners

     We weren't meant to be alone.  From the very beginning of creation, God created us to be a community.  We as Christian's aren't meant to try to live out our faith alone, even though sometimes we feel like we are the only ones.  This is why we gather in buildings on Sunday morning and worship God together in a community; it's part of our very nature as Christian's.  We get it.  We know that we are supposed to go to church with a bunch of other people and sing, listen, and occasionally eat lunch.  But sometimes that's where the community ends.  As soon as it gets personal...we're out.

"Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.  But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.  Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:12)

      This verse is the beginning of what having accountability partners is all about, but not everything.  Sure, one of the most important roles of an accountability partner is for them to help you overcome temptations in your life.    But that's not where the usefulness of an accountability partner stops.  When we carry each other's burdens, we aren't just carrying their temptations, we are committing to a journey with them.  A journey of prayer, mutual discipleship, and learning.  True accountability partners aren't just about getting to a certain maturity in Christ, but spurring each other onward in Him.

"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." (Hebrews 3:13) 

Relinquish the False Self - Submission

     When I think about the word submission, I tend to think of being utterly broken down and cowering beneath someone else's power.  That may be the way the world sees submission, but that's not what the biblical view of submission is all about.  It's more about a willing humbling of ourselves.  It's all about giving up everything that makes us selfish so that we can be totally sold out for God.  It's important to focus on the word "willing."  Submission isn't forced on you by God, and it's not about an abusive relationship in which God makes you do whatever he wants you to.  That's the beauty of biblical submission: it's something you have to want to do.

     "[Jesus] Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death -- even death on a cross!" (Philippians 2:6-8)

     Jesus understood the discipline of submission.  Jesus was completely God, but submitted himself to God.  He wasn't saying that God was any better than Him, because He was God.  He was saying, "God the Father, have your way in me."  Submission to God was just a way of Christ telling his Father that he would follow his will to death, which was where he knew he was headed the entirety of his life on earth.

     "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." (Ephesians 5:21) 

     So what does it mean to submit to each other "out of reverence for Christ"?  Well it's pretty simple.  We are to model his example!  As Christians, we believe that no one is greater than another.  Paul refers to himself as "less than the least of these" because he realized the importance of staying humble.  Paul is saying in Ephesians that the way to live in a Christian community is to submit to each other in love.  No, that does not make one person greater, it just brings about a community that focuses on serving one another in love.  Every person has their own distinct part in this community; no one can be replaced or set aside without the community suffering as a whole.

Relinquish the False Self - Spiritual Direction

   "Spiritual Direction is 'help given by one Christian to another which enables that person to pay attention to God's personal communication to him or her, to respond to this personally communicating God, to grow in intimacy with this God, and to live out the consequences of the relationship." - The Practice of Spiritual Direction 

      This spiritual discipline focuses around one idea: relationship.  More specifically, a relationship between you and someone who acts as your "spiritual director."  For different people that means different things.  For some people it may be your pastor, youth pastor, parents, or maybe an older teen at your youth group or college.  Someone who is mature in Christ and has the ability to teach you what they have learned about Christ.  I guess it could be considered discipleship at its core.

     The bible has many examples of spiritual directors and directees.  One example would be Jesus and his disciples.  I mean who better to be directed by then Jesus himself?  The disciples had the best of the best in that case.  Another example would be Paul to the various churches he writes to.  How about the books of Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians...etc?  These are all examples of books that Paul has written to his directees, and he is challenging them, through his words, to become more Christ-like and to "imitate" him.

     Looking for someone to direct you in your spiritual walk is a pretty big task.  You want to look for someone who is more mature than you, and can really help you.  If you choose a director who is at the same level as you, that's not going to help you grow closer to Christ.  Also, if someone is directing multiple people, it doesn't necessarily mean that the same advice is given to each person.  It doesn't mean that every directee is in the same point in their walk with Christ.  This spiritual discipline is all about the PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP.

Relinquish the False Self - Solitude

     The easiest way to explain the spiritual discipline of solitude is through a relationship.  When you fall in love, there are many times that you just want to be alone with the person that you're in love with.  You don't necessarily do anything important or say anything earth changing.  It's just the fact that you can show your love more completely when you are alone with them.  This shouldn't only hold true for human love, but also for divine love between our heavenly father and ourselves.  Solitude should be a common thing that stems from our desire to have a more intimate relationship with our Creator.

     Jesus, before he even started his ministry, went into the desert in solitude for forty days.  He went there to commune with God.  Many times solitude is used as a place for reflecting and revelation.  When we are alone, away from judgments and interpretations of what we say, we can be totally open.  We begin to find faults in our thoughts, behaviors, and actions.  We also begin to see our strengths, that other people might think as inferior or stupid, but God can use for the building of his kingdom.

     "Let him sit alone in silence for the LORD has laid it on him." (Lamentations 3:28)

     "The practice of solitude involves scheduling enough uninterrupted time in a distraction-free environment that you experience isolation and are alone with God.  Solitude is a 'container discipline' for the practice of other spiritual disciplines." - Spiritual Disciplines Handbook