Christian Disciplines Of The Spiritual Realm

While reading the Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, I did not expect to come across a spiritual discipline that would be a perfect combination of my own idea of spiritual formation, and a wonderful way to connect with the Lord. What I mean by this, is that I was wanting to create a gratitude journal, but I wanted it to be deeper than just a list of things that I was thankful for. That is why I fell in love with the idea of writing responses to the questions that were posed in the Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, but still taking a few minutes to write a list of things that I am grateful for! A journal like this is also a great way for me to see the strong points in my day or week, and the areas where I need improvement. Since journaling has always

The forth pillar of faith is referred to as Sawm. From sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan adult Muslim’s are expected to partake in fasting. This means they mustn’t eat, drink, smoke or have sexual intercourse within the hours of daylight. Instead one should take the time to prayer reflect or meditate. Participating in fasting Muslim’s learns the traits of self-control, sympathy and discipline. These are important qualities for all Muslims to have, as the principal belief of Al-Akhira is that we humans, despite God’s will, have the freedom of choice. This way Muslim’s are able to exercise this belief during fasting. Ramadan is the celebration of the first revelation of the Qur’an given directly through the prophet Muhammad, therefore it is a sacred time of special significance to all Muslim’s. Kutubu’llah is the name given to the principal belief in God’s revelation to humans in holy books. The breaking of the fast is a significant part of Sawm, it is the time after sunset when Muslims can enjoy their achievement in fasting. Gathering together among friends and family they may share and light meal and celebrate their self-control and strength throughout the day. This small act highlights

McMinn unveils the realism of what essentially happens in the counseling office. He dives into the fitting together “Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling”. McMinn explains how “those who enter therapy in the midst of their pain experience a restorative counseling relationship that brings acceptance hope, and meaning into their broken lives” (McMinn, 2011, p. 20). There are various questions surrounding Christian counseling that McMinn faces head on in this book when it comes to the challenges counselors face as it relates to integrating religion and spirituality in their sessions. Life on the frontier as McMinn puts it, is where counselors face six basic challenges. Challenges such as moving from two areas of competence to three, blurred personal-professional distinctions, expanded definitions of training, confronting dominant views of mental health, establishing a scientific base or even defining relevant ethical standards (McMinn, 2011). Personal journey’s that McMinn has taken throughout his career provide him with the knowledge, skills and abilities to depict how we should face these challenges. McMinn talks about how many counselors have a need to interpret studies, have good psychodynamics and figure out which cognitive therapy is right for their counseling. As he states, “Christian counseling is more complex than other forms of counseling because our goal are multifaceted (McMinn, 2011, p.

Jehovah Witnesses believe prayer is extremely important for having a personal relationship with God, but they don’t emphasis fasting as a factor within the relationship with God. However, their members are not discouraged from fasting, as long as they do so out

In the book, Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling, McMinn expands upon the theory of integrating psychology and theology by providing the reader with concrete methods to utilize in counseling. His approach to integration is filled with helpful guidance for any counselor striving to strike the appropriate balance in their sessions. McMinn divulges into how and when to use scripture, prayer, confession and redemption. He advocates for utilizing these methods on a case by cases basis to ensure the client’s best interest. Overall, the book provides a tangible understanding of how to integrate theology and psychology into different counseling sessions.

1. I would have to say my favorite short story is "A Hunger Artist" by R.Crumb. When the story starts off, we look at a character who is fasting as a form of art. Many of the towns people would come out to exhibit him in a cage fasting, and nit pick at him to eat. They would count the days that he last ate and eventually it became a show.

In Night a question arises that creates the debate of whether or not to fast? Yom Kippur is ultimately the most significant holiday of the Jewish year, Jews who do not celebrate other Jewish customs, will take part in this tradition. Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement, Jews traditionally fast for 25 hours to show God that they are sorry for their sins and ask for forgiveness. The Jewish people should fast and stay true to their religion. For the reasons of; they owe their survival to their God’s will, secondly, his faith is the one thing that they result back to find comfort in and ultimately the strength/health of one’s mind is due to one’s beliefs. It is by luck some would say that the Jews of Sighet have survived this long, from the random

Muslims refrain from eating, drinking for thirty days from dawn until sunset. At sunset, every Muslim should break their fast at a special meal called iftar. Many Muslims like to start with the date at iftar time because it was the prophet’s custom.

“Recitation of the Qur’an is thought to have a healing, soothing effect, but can also bring protection, guidance, and knowledge, according to Islamic tradition (Fisher, Mary)”. People can recite the qur’an in the purified states only because Qur’an contains a powerful words and it takes a great responsibility (Fisher, Mary)”. “The verses of the Qur’an are terse (Fisher, Mary)” which makes it harder to translate. One of the unique tradition in Islam are the five pillars. “The basic spiritual practices incumbent on all Muslims are known as the five pillars of Islam (Fisher, Mary)”. The first pillar is believing and professing the unity of god and the messengership of Muhammad. The second pillar is the performance of a continual round of prayers. Muslims perform prayers five times a day “facing mecca, and reciting a series of prayers and passages from the Qur’an, bowing and kneeling (Fisher, Mary)”. The third pillar is Zakat, charity or almsgiving. “Muslims must donate at least two and a half percent of their accumulated wealth to needy Muslims (Fisher, Mary)”. The fourth pillar is fasting. Fasting frequently is recommended in Islam however, fasting during Ramadan is the obligatory (Fisher,

Spirituality and religion hold different values and truths depending on your personal beliefs. Being religious is a belief or practice that contains certain values one should follow. When looking deeper into religion you can find spirituality which is the part of religion that effects our spirit and soul, it is not tangible. “The Sacred within” is spirituality and pertains to God dwelling inside of our heart and soul. When looking at “the sacred within” there are certain senses that we can tap into so, we may obtain that sort of spirituality. Through solitude, silence, imagination, and nature, we can have a better sense of spirituality.

In The Shape of Practical Theology: Empowering Ministry with Theological Praxis, Ray Anderson attempts what he considers a new approach to modern Christianity. Anderson believes that the modern church is plagued by a significant divide between theology and practical Christianity. Many churches approach these two aspects of religion as if they are separate, rather the practical sides of Christianity lacking. Therefore, Anderson's goal in the book is to relate modern practical Christianity directly to theology. He uses theology to tackle some of the major social issues that impact on modern practicing Christians including: preaching, worship, family, therapy, burnout, relationships, social justice, ethics, and homosexuality. Instead of treating these issues as if they are separate from theology, Anderson demonstrates how theology directly interacts with each of these issues.

The fasting is one of the most important practices that help a Christian with his spiritual growth. The first purpose of fasting with prayer is to worship God correctly. In Isaiah 58:1-12 records a message of God which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet. The Lord tells Isaiah in the first few verses to proclaim loudly the sins of the nation. God wanted his people to know that He sees and judges their transgressions. Verse two talks about the outward righteousness of the people as they go to church, obey the Word of God, fast and appear to be eager to know more about God. However, the Lord sees the heart and He is not impressed with their religious acts. And this passage speaks to many Christians today. Is our worship a real obedience under God 's grace, or is it a self centered obedience to give God a favor? Fasting is the complete definition of humility before God of putting aside the desires of the flesh in order to see their weakness. We deprive ourselves from our pleasure to share it to others and for His glory. Thus Isaiah 58:6-8 further explains the purpose of fasting, "Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as

The fourth pillar of the Five Pillars of Islam is fasting during Ramadan. Ramadan is a sacred holiday in the Muslim faith. It falls in the ninth month of the Muslim calendar and is a celebration of Muhammad’s first revelations from God. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn until dusk. This continues until the end of the month, when a celebratory feast

Mysticism is a word we find in many books that relate to religious experiences. Mysticism is interpreted as searching for spiritual truth and wisdom through the unification with the Divine. Many Christians today believe that the words associated with mysticism like meditation and mystic are not coherently related with Christianity, but more with many Eastern religions. Eastern religions are definitely known for their mysticism, but it is believed to not be a part of Christianity. Mysticism is actually a vital part of Christianity in ways that are more spiritual rather than only being engaged with Christian rituals. Mysticism is the faith that spiritual reality is believed to be from human knowledge and their senses. It searches for truth

The final pillar is fasting. Fasting is best when it is done three days a month and during the whole month of Ramadan (HB 2: 274). When someone is ill or on a journey, they can fast the same number of days later when they return or when they are healthy again