Taking a Look at Different Spiritual Disciplines

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

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.

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.

I believe Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) (2016) describes Intercessory prayer the best as “Intercession is prayer that pleads with God for your needs and the needs of others. But it is also much more than that. Intercession involves taking hold of God's will and refusing to let go until His will comes to pass” (para. 3). As a Christian, this day and time providing intercessory of prayer for your needs or needs of others can be a battle. It is truly a spiritual battle that takes place in our own lives and the lives of others. So many time I personally, get caught up in the events of the day or the worries of the day and I fail to truly apply myself and pray with my whole heart and soul. My prayers all too often seem to be routine daily

The article Discerning Spiritual Discerning, by Dennis J. Horton, is about the idea of how to help someone find his or her purpose in God’s plan is explored. This is one of the greatest, life changing choices for students to make. The role of a counselor can be very beneficial when it comes to assisting a student in making his or her choice. How the student and the counselor view God’s purpose is important. There are three approaches that Horton has; bulls’-eye, wisdom, and relationship-formation. These three approaches are different in how the student views the manner in which he or she sees God’s purpose for him or her.

There are many spiritual assessment tools such as FICT, FACT, HOPE, RCOPE, Stoll’s guidelines etc. According to LaRocca, (2007), healthcare professionals in acute care setting can use another spiritual assessment tool “FACT”. I like this tool because it is short and easy to use. This tool includes a short history with three questions (Faith, Availability, and Coping) plus an outcome (Treatment). A spiritual history provides information about a person’s spiritual life, history, and practices and on how these affect their ability to cope with their present healthcare crisis. It is important to know because faith or spirituality helps patient to cope with a health crisis. Furthermore, it is a fact that a person’s faith or spiritual practice affects

Catholic Missionaries, such as Junipero Serra, made it possible for Catholicism to reach various parts of the world including what is now the United States of America. Although religion tends to play a dominant role within the lives of its members, I did not witness this at the service I attended. Yes, the Bishop encouraged his people to think of Jesus before making certain decisions, but this was also encouraged at the church I went to as a child and just in everyday life in general. One unique practice Catholics participate in is Lent. This practice begins on Ash Wednesday and ends right before Easter Sunday. During this period members sacrifice one thing to God and spiritually reflect on their lives (Kale). Although there is more to this practice than just sacrifice, I highlighted this particular aspect because it is practiced in numerous religions such as, but not limited to: Islam, Methodist, and Eastern Orthodox. Although the name may change, the practice of sacrificing is a mutual aspect amongst these different religious communities. In the Catholic faith, they acknowledge the holy spirit which is interesting because this is also something done within other religions. Hearing the phrase, “in the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit,” reminded me of the lecture in class that talked about the introduction of the Holy Spirit, or ghost, into religious practices. Unlike Pentecostals, at least at

Planet earth has seven different continents. On these continents, there are different countries, within these countries there are several different states and territories. In these territories, there are various cities, and each city or town has its own society and culture. Much has changed over time, heaps of these changes are material changes like technology, transportation, and fashion. Then, there have also been non-materialistic changes such as societal norms (women’s rights, gay marriage, racial equality). One matter which has not changed throughout history is the use of substances and their addictions. The use of different types of substances has increased over time and now there persist numerous different types of addictive drugs from

How I desire to use the knowledge that I have gained from this course is be aware of the client’s lifestyle, past choices, and social environment that impacted their addiction. One technique that can help me with these aspects is the problem and solution sequence. By gaining a visual of the factors that occur before the client uses, I can obtain information on what triggered the client, what were the client’s emotions during the situation, what caused the trigger or emotions, and who else was involved in the situation. An approach that I am hesitant to apply is spirituality. Although, by following with the client’s worldviews and listening to what they have to say can help me in adding their beliefs into my practice. Lastly, what I have learned

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.

The differences between spiritualism, occultism and the supernatural are very slight and subtle but are necessary to be able to distinguish between people’s beliefs. To be able to understand what supernatural is, we first need to establish what natural is. Natural refers to the physical world, where things will happen and plausible and realistic explanations for these things may be given. The occultist world does not refer to magic or actions that happen within the realm of plausibility or affairs that happen as a result of natures laws. Magic tricks created by illusionists, such as Derren Brown or David Blaine, do not count as supernatural magic as the performers themselves say it is just about practicing an art form and fooling an audience. The supernatural refers to anything beyond natural, or the realm of belief. A small feature of this that seems to complicate the situation is that nobody has found a universal definition of what natural is. The word supernatural is quite often used in the same context as paranormal. The difference between spiritualism and occultism is that with spiritualism it is a belief that when people die they become spirits and they can communicate with the living, generally through a medium of some sort. Occultism is to; simply put The New Age Movement has definitely popularised these new systems of belief; the occult is not only the belief system to become increasingly accepted, as we are constantly

I am looking to connect to Jewish heritage outside of temple or academic studies. As a Creative Writing Student, and as a Professor of Creative Writing, I am always looking for opportunities to be inspired. Since being confirmed in temple, I have not had a steady Jewish community. In my writing, I have begun to explore my personal connection to Jewish spiritualism. I am hoping that this trip will inspire me both artistically, and spiritually. I also hope to reconnect to a Jewish community. I have always believed that being Jewish and supporting Israel go hand in hand. After dedicating much of my college life to studying Jewish issues (specifically the Holocaust) I would like to now, see in person, the place that I have spent so much time studying.

According to Hutchison (2013) the biopsychosocial approach used by many social workers is an examination of the biological, psychological, and social systems; all are seen as interconnected. In recent years the spiritual dimension has also gained popularity in research and recognition as being inseparable from other dimensions of personhood. Culture is also seen as a powerful environmental dimension that demands acknowledgment to truly gain insight into a person’s worldview. The following is a brief summary of these dimensions in regards to youths experiencing bullying.

I rated my spiritual wellness as a five , because I truly believe I am that I have a great foundation with my Christianity. It has helped me to grow into a better person and overcome some hardships in my life . Next was my physical wellness as a four . My physical wellness is pretty average , I do a lot to stay in shape and maintain a healthy , well balanced diet. For number 3 , it was my emotional/mental wellness . I am overall a happy-go lucky young women but I do struggle with anxiety from time to time and would truly like to work on that. Second was my social wellness , I am pretty outgoing when it comes to work, friends, and family . I need to work on become more comfortable being in those environments , even though I am outgoing , I still

The nature of the worship facility consisted of communion and prayers of forgiveness and faith.