— from Dallas Willard: 
Every person should have regular periods in life when he or she has nothing to do. Periods of solitude and silence are excellent practices for helping us learn how to do that. The law that God has given for our benefit tells us that one-seventh of our time should be devoted to doing nothing—no work, not by ourselves or any of our family, employees, or animals. That includes, of course, religious work. This is Sabbath.

What do you do in solitude or silence? Well, so far as things to "get done," nothing at all. As long as you are doing "things to get done," you have not broken human contact. So don't go into solitude and silence with a list. Can we enjoy things in solitude and silence? Yes, but don’t try to. Just be there. Don’t try to get God to do anything. Just be there. He will find you.

Even lay aside your ideas as to what solitude and silence are supposed to accomplish in your spiritual growth. You will discover incredibly good things. One is that we have a soul. Another, that God is near and the universe is brimming with goodness. Another, that others aren’t as bad as we often think. But don’t try to discover these, or you won’t. You’ll just be busy and find more of your own doings.

The cure for too-much-to-do is solitude and silence, for there we find that we are safely more than what we do. Thus, the cure of loneliness is solitude and silence, for there we also discover in how many ways we are never alone. When we go into solitude and silence, we need to be relatively comfortable. Don’t be a hero in this or in any spiritual discipline. You will need rest. Sleep until you wake up truly refreshed. And you will need to stay there long enough for the inner being to become different. Muddy water becomes clear only if we let it be still for a while.

You will know that this finding of soul and God is happening by an increased sense of who you are and a lessening of the feeling that you have to do this, that, and the other thing that befalls your lot in life. That harassing, hovering feeling of "have to" largely comes from the vacuum in our soul, where we ought to be at home with our Father in his kingdom. As the vacuum is rightly filled, we will increasingly know that we do not have to do many of those things—not even those we might want to do.

Excerpted from Renewing the Christian Mind: Essays, Interviews, and Talks by Dallas Willard.

...from John Ortberg:

I find it helpful to think about solitude in two categories. We need brief periods of solitude on a regular basis— preferably each day, even at intervals during the day. But we also need, at great intervals, extended periods of solitude — half a day, a day, or a few days.

We may want to begin a particular day by praying over the day’s schedule — meetings to attend, tasks to perform, people we will be with— and placing it in God’s hands. Through the day we could take five-minute breaks if that is possible, close the door to the office, and remind ourselves that one day the office and the building will be gone — but we will still belong to God.

Ortberg, John. The Life You've Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People (p. 87). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” (Mark 6:31)

Jesus is concerned that the disciples might get so caught up in doing good that they would collapse under the weight of responsibility and opportunity. We live in a culture of unparalleled responsibility and opportunity. It seems counterintuitive to slow down or take a break. 

Solitude and silence are ways to take a break to restore our soul. The restored soul makes good choices, and connects well with others.

What quiet place can you find or make today? Let Jesus settle you, and if necessary, redirect you. 

Lord Jesus, there is so much to do! I cannot slow down. Yet not my will, but yours. Lead me to a quiet place today. Amen.

Be still, and know that I am God.  (Psalm 46:10)
Among the practices that can help us attend to soul care at a basic level are solitude and silence. We practice these by finding ways to be alone and away from talk and noise. We rest, we observe, we “smell the roses”—dare we say it?—we do nothing. This discipline can be used of God as a means of grace. In it we may even find another reminder of grace—that we are saved, justified by His redeeming power—not by our strivings and achievements. — Dallas Willard in “Personal Soul Care"

You are back to work today after the Independence Day holiday, or at least back to your routine. Our routines can consume us if we run through them in our own strength alone. Practicing solitude and silence can keep us sane even in the craziest schedule. This is true because of who God is. God is love. Solitude is a way to settle into the presence of God.

When today can you take a break for a few moments do nothing? Doing nothing in God’s presence even for a few moments can re-center us and restore us. 

When this week will you stop your work and do nothing in a time of gratitude to the God of everything? 

​God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
A deep part of what it means to be human is to live with limits. I cannot fly. You cannot change your height. You cannot change the direction of the wind. This prayer is not a self-help way to talk ourselves into trying harder or being better; it asks God to give the gift of being able to live with what is beyond our control. It is thus a prayer that starts with humility, as all praying must.

the courage to change the things I can,
Sometimes it is hard to believe we can make a difference for good in this world. By God’s grace we can. Love and work require courage — doing the right thing, the loving thing, the unselfish thing — so ask!

and the wisdom to know the difference.
Frustrated? You may be trying to change things or people that cannot be changed. Unhappy? You might be wrongly assuming that there is nothing you can do about your situation.  If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (James 1:5)

So talk to God, and then take another look at your day.

At Christchurch this summer we’re trying out various spiritual disciplines (sometimes called spiritual practices) to see which of them God will use to transform our character. The goal of any discipline is not to become excellent in the discipline, but to become excellent in something higher and deeper. You practice your golf swing merely to give you a better looking swing, but to make you a better golfer. Practicing the scales is a means by which you can become a better musician. And better music makes the world a better place. 

This week’s practice is a particular kind of praying — a simple prayer to be prayed again and again. Many people are familiar with “The Serenity Prayer” in its short form. I heartily recommend the longer form found below.  

The purpose of prayer is to connect us to God, to open a two-way channel for him to bless, guide, and correct as he sees fit. The Serenity Prayer is not an end in itself, but a means to a more effective life of loving God and neighbor.  

Pray it morning and night for the rest of the week. Let it begin to shape how you see your world: a place of limits and opportunities which require much wisdom, wisdom which God so freely grants to those who seek him. ​

God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardship as a pathway to peace;
taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;
trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will;
so that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with You forever in the next.
Amen.

How can we have peace when everything is changing?

While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” (Luke 24:36)

The disciples were gathered together discussing the various reports of the empty tomb and the mysterious appearances and disappearances of Jesus. Then he stood there among them.

How unsettling! 

The previous few days had been full of things the disciples would not have chosen: conflict with the Jewish leaders, betrayal, arrest, cowardly reactions to that arrest, the humiliation and death of their beloved Jesus. How overwhelming!

Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem did not bring in a military kingdom to subdue the Roman sword. Jesus’ resurrection did not banish trouble from the disciples’ lives. In some ways, their circumstances got more difficult.  And yet every one of the disciples (except Judas) would tell you it was worth it.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)

Jesus himself was their peace. When he stood there among them, they knew all was not lost. At the end of the 40 days they learned that his physical presence would not always be with them, but God would be with them in a new way. The events that unfold in the book of Acts show that the presence of God in their lives was even more powerful after the coming Holy Spirit. 

Did things settle down after the resurrection? After Jesus’ ascension into heaven? After the coming of the Holy Spirit? No, no, and no.

Over the next several days let’s look at how the lives of the early Christians unfolded after Jesus sent the Holy Spirit. 

Was it peaceful? Hold on to your hat!

For weeks now, we have been giving Psalm 23 a close reading. We find similar themes of security and peace in Philippians 4:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4–7)

Peace and rejoicing! Rejoicing can come as a response to positive circumstances, and it can come as a response to a command. 

Really? We are commanded (exhorted) to be joyful? Really. And we can do it. Here’s how.

Paul gives us reason enough to rejoice: God is near. Think: The LORD is my shepherd. I lack nothing.

God himself is enough. When we don’t feel like God is enough, there is simple action we can take: "present our requests to God.” He is near, he hears, he invites our prayers, he can handle our anxiety.

We pray, and God guards our hearts and minds. He guards our emotions, our hopes, and our habits of thinking.

The Message paraphrase:
Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. (Philippians 4:6–7)

Letting God in our anxieties shapes not only our emotions, but our thinking. When we let him guard our heart, we become able to think more clearly and — importantly — more kindly. God’s care puts us on firm ground, making it possible to love of neighbor, coworker, and family member. Even the difficult ones. Kindness to the unloveable. 

Anxiety begins to drain away; love begins to flow. 

Peace within; peace without.

Lord, I give you my anxious thoughts today. Calm my anxious heart, that I may love like you love. Amen.