Start off the September with…

The 5 Minute Faith Depth Charge Challenge

In my sermon on August 23rd I invited (challenged?) anyone interested to participate in a simple 5 Minutes a day Faith Depth Charge Challenge.  Some of you were curious enough to want to have access to all the possible options to choose from that I mentioned in the sermon.  So, after reiterating the Basics, I’ll give you the list of Options!

BASICS

The basic idea originated from my pondering the “Tithe for a Month” challenge that we tried several years ago.  It transformed for many of us the way we looked at and went about giving and stewardship!

So, for the month of September I invite you to go deeper with faith by:
Incorporating just one new daily spiritual practice for just 5 minutes each day (you can of course go longer if you like and have the time).

This would be something NEW, added to whatever you are already doing.

OPTIONS

Obvious examples are daily devotional reading, or read a Bible chapter or story, pray for 5 minutes, take a meditation walk, or a nature walk)

By all means, you can alternate practices, but at least one per day that you haven’t already been doing regularly.  And I encourage that you try out different practices to find those that resonate with you, that really do seem to make a difference in your faith, in your daily life.

Traditional examples to try:  fasting, silence, visual meditation (ikons, works of art), listening to music (whatever genre speaks to you), chanting, drumming, meditative walking, reading poetry, reflecting on song and hymn lyrics.

Less obvious possibilities: listen to a radio or online preacher/teacher (yes, even for just 5 minutes:  you won’t get the whole story, but ANY of it that reaches you is worth it!)  Several in our church get a lot from David Jeremiah and his daily Turning Point broadcast.  I have benefited from the online weekly program, Dark Wood Brew, led by my UCC colleague, Eric Elnes from Omaha, Nebraska (who by the way is coming to speak in NH on Oct. 4-5 in Manchester).

Luckily for us, Christians have been always working on going deeper throughout the millennia, so there are many, many good options we can choose to incorporate.

Mentors (prayer partner part of Unbinding, Mentors from Confirmation, importance to me of Spiritual Director).  But have someone you can check in with daily about how your practices are going.  (You could even email a friend or – what a concept – ME, your pastor!)

Pick 1 key Biblical character to read and KNOW their relationship with God
Choose from:  Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua and Caleb, Gideon, Samuel, David, Isaiah, Ezra, Nehemiah, Daniel, Esther, John the Baptist, Simon Peter, (from the early church) Stephen, Barnabas, Timothy, and Paul

Key players from the history of the Christian movement:  St. Francis of Assisi, Mary Slessor, William & Catherine Booth, John & Charles Wesley, St. Patrick, Martin Luther, Jonathan & Sarah Edwards, William Wilberforce, William Carey, and George Mueller.

Prayer (this is crucial, for there is nothing equal to spending time with the divine)
Spiritual Journal – just the act of writing down questions, insights, quotes, thoughts in response to your day – not just your spiritual practices – deepens your faith.

Especially for me:  Prayer partners, devotional reading, nature nurture, prayer, music (lyrics and quotes) and worship;  these are the practices that have been most nurturing.

I’d love to know if you decide to accept the challenge, and any outcomes from it!
You can tell me in person or via phone or email (pastor@pembrokechurch.org)

Thanks and Good Luck!
Rev. Jim