For my doctor of Ministry project, I’m surveying folks in our ministry with this list of spiritual practices. Please send me the top twenty that interest you most, not necessarily the ones in which you are the best. gmcwherter@verizon.net
| 1 | Accountability Partner—to give a regular and honest account of my choices, priorities and temptations to a godly and wise companion who points me to Christ. |
| 2 | Bible Study—to know what the Bible says and how it intersects with my life. |
| 3 | Blessing Others/Encouragement—to instill courage, confidence and hope through expressing the delight God has in others. |
| 4 | Breath Prayer—to pray a simple, intimate prayer of heartfelt desire before God |
| 5 | Care of the Earth—to honor the Creator by loving, nurturing and stewarding his creation. |
| 6 | Celebration—to take joyful, passionate pleasure in God and the radically glorious nature of God’s people, Word, world and purposes. |
| 7 | Centering Prayer—to quiet the heart and rest in God alone. |
| 8 | Chastity—to revere God by receiving and honoring my body and the bodies of others with purity of thought and action. |
| 9 | Community—to express and reflect the self-donating love of the Trinity by investing in and journeying with others. |
| 10 | Compassion—to become the healing presence of Christ to others. |
| 11 | Confession and Self-Examination—to surrender my weaknesses and faults to the forgiving love of Christ and intentionally desire and embrace practices that lead to transformation. |
| 12 | Contemplation—to wake up to the presence of God in all things. |
| 13 | Contemplative Prayer—to develop an open, restful receptivity to the Trinity that enables me to always be with God just as I am. |
| 14 | Control of the Tongue—to turn the destructive way I use words into authentic, loving and healing speech. |
| 15 | Conversational Prayer—to talk naturally and unself-consciously to God in prayer times with others. |
| 16 | Covenant Group—to enter into authentic, confidential and healing relationships with a committed group of fellow pilgrims. |
| 17 | Detachment—to nurture the spirit of trust that is attached to God alone. |
| 18 | Devotional Reading/Lectio Divina—to prayerfully encounter and surrender to the Living God through attending to Scripture. |
| 19 | Discernment—to delight in and recognize the voice and will of God. |
| 20 | Discipling—to be in a relationship where I am encouraged or where l encourage another to become an apprentice of Jesus |
| 21 | Examen—to reflect on where I was most and least present to God’s love in my day. |
| 22 | Face-to-Face Connection—to connect face to face, in person, below the surface of words and conversation |
| 23 | Fasting—to let go of an appetite in order to seek God on matters of deep concern for others, myself and the world |
| 24 | Fixed-Hour Prayer—to stop my work and pray throughout the day |
| 25 | Forgiveness—to live into Jesus’ forgiving heart and stop the cycle of vengeance |
| 26 | Gratitude—to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s prompting to live with a grateful heart, cognizant of God’s work in my life and my abundant resources |
| 27 | Holy Communion—to be nourished by Christ, tasting the sweet depths of redemption |
| 28 | Hospitality—to be a safe person who offers others the grace, shelter and presence of Jesus |
| 29 | Humility—to become like Jesus in his willingness to choose the hidden way of love rather than the way of power |
| 30 | Iconography—to open myself to knowing God through the visual shorthand of icons that portray the lives of biblical characters, events and seasoned saints |
| 31 | Inner-Healing Prayer—to assist the emotionally broken and wounded as they seek God for the healing only he can give |
| 32 | Intercessory Prayer—to turn my concerns and worries into prayer; to enter God’s heart for the world and then pray from there |
| 33 | Journaling—to be alert to my life through writing and reflecting on God’s presence and activity in, around and through me |
| 34 | Justice—to love others by seeking their good, protection, gain and fair treatment. |
| 35 | Labyrinth Prayer—to make a quiet, listening pilgrimage to God. |
| 36 | Listening Prayer—to quiet the inner and outer noise so I can open my heart and listen for God’s voice. |
| 37 | Liturgical Prayer—to open myself to God through established patterns or traditions of written prayers and readings. |
| 38 | Meditation—to more deeply gaze on God through the written Word and created order. |
| 39 | Memorization—to carry the life-shaping words of God in me at all times and in all places |
| 40 | Mentoring—to accompany and encourage others to grow to their God-given potential |
| 41 | Mindfulness/Attentiveness—to live wholeheartedly in the present moment, alert to God and without judgment |
| 42 | Pilgrimage—to go on an outer journey that will lead me closer to God |
| 43 | Practicing the Presence—to develop a continual openness and awareness of Christ’s presence living in me |
| 44 | Prayer of Lament—to take my complaints, anger, sufferings, frustrations and heart-aches to God |
| 45 | Prayer of Recollection—to rest in God, allowing him to calm and heal my fragmented and distracted self |
| 46 | Prayer Partners—to share the journey of prayer with a trusted companion |
| 47 | Prayer Walking—to align myself with Christ and his intercession for the kingdom to come while walking in particular places |
| 48 | Praying Scripture—to allow God to shape my prayer life through the words of Scripture |
| 49 | Rest—to honor God and my human limitations through restful rhythms |
| 50 | Retreat—to pull back from daily life and spend extended time with God |
| 51 | Rule for Life—to live a sane and holy rhythm that reflects a deep love for God and respect for how he has made me |
| 52 | Sabbath—to set apart one day a week for rest and worship of God |
| 53 | Secrecy—to follow the simple and often hidden way of Christ |
| 54 | Self-Care—to value myself as my heavenly Father values me |
| 55 | Service—to reflect the helping, caring and sharing love of God in the world |
| 56 | Silence—to free myself from the addiction to and distraction of noise so I can be totally present to the Lord; to open myself to God in the place beyond words |
| 57 | Simplicity—to uncomplicate and untangle my life so I can focus on what really matters. |
| 58 | Slowing—to curb my addiction to busyness, hurry and workaholism; to learn to savor the moment. |
| 59 | Small Group—to take my spiritual journey with a community of trusted friends |
| 60 | Sobriety—to live with moderation and full attachment to God–without dependence on substances that are harmful to my life. |
| 61 | Solidarity in Jesus’ Sufferings—to be with Jesus in my pain and with Jesus in his pain. |
| 62 | Solitude—to leave people behind and enter into time alone with God. |
| 63 | Spiritual Direction—to give caring attention to my relationship with God, accompanied by the prayerful presence of someone who helps me listen well toGod. |
| 64 | Spiritual Friendship—to develop a friendship that encourages and challenges me to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. |
| 65 | Stewardship—to live as a steward of God’s resources in all areas of life; to live out of the awareness that nothing I have is my own. |
| 66 | Submission—to have Jesus as the Master of my life in absolutely every way. |
| 67 | Teachability—to remain a lifelong learner who is continually open to the fresh wind of the Holy Spirit. |
| 68 | Truth Telling—to live an authentically truthful life. |
| 69 | Unity—to live in harmony with Christ’s desire for the church to be one; tobe a bridge-builder and peacemaker in the body of Christ. |
| 70 | Unplugging—to be fully present to and uninterrupted in my interactions with God and others. |
| 71 | Visio Divina—to worship God in the beauty of created things. |
| 72 | Waiting—to patiently trust in God’s goodness and timing in the events and relationships of my life. |
| 73 | Welcoming Prayer—to welcome Jesus into every part of my life, body, circumstances and relationships. |
| 74 | Witness—to reveal the life-changing love of Jesus to others. |
| 75 | Worship—to honor and adore the Trinity as the supreme treasure of life. |
This list is from Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adel Ahlberg Calhoun.
– Glen McWherter
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