Scripture
Books
Teachings
LISTENING TO GOD IN SCRIPTURE: LECTIO DIVINA
The Practice | James Bryan Smith
James Bryan Smiths shared his experience with “the jogging monk” and led us in the practice of Lectio Divina. Lectio is such a beautiful way of listening to God in scripture. It moves us as the monk explained to Jim, from examining the text to allowing the text to examine us.
I was also moved when Jim said the experience of hearing from God in Lectio is like sleep. There is nothing we can do to make ourselves sleep. We can only create the right environment for sleep to come. We also cannot make God speak, we can only create an environment and place ourselves in a posture to hear from the Lord. What an incredible metaphor, not just for the practice of Lectio Divina, but also for life with God.
SCRIPTURE
Practicing the Way Archives | John Mark Comer
IS THIS STRANGE, ANCIENT BOOK STILL RELEVANT?
We are all being formed by something. The scripture is a library of writings both divine and human, that tell a unified story, leading us to Jesus. But are the words in this strange, ancient book still relevant? Do they still mean anything to us today? To Jesus, the Bible is trustworthy. To Jesus, the Bible has authority. The scriptures were designed to be read for formation. To shape us into the image of Jesus. In this book, we find life. In this book, we find a new way to be human.
Teachings in this series include the following:
Click on the link below to learn more about this Scripture study and to explore the practice resources.
Podcasts
THE BURNING WORD PODCAST
John Perrine
What if the Bible is actually a burning word, where you were invited to bring the most urgent and pressing questions of your life and discover in your search, a reply from the living God? Through the podcast, and accompanying study, the Burning Word invites you to return to the word. Each series of the podcast will explore a book of the Bible with a burning question, and that offers an opportunity to encounter the living God in his Word again. To go deeper in your bible study. To encounter God again. And to apply ancient truths to your life.
Additional Resources
THE BIBLE PROJECT
Bible Project is a nonprofit animation studio that produces short-form, fully animated Bible videos and other Bible resources to make the biblical story accessible to everyone, everywhere. We create 100% free Bible videos, podcasts, and Bible resources to help people experience the story of the Bible.
Our Bible resources help people experience the Bible in a way that is approachable, engaging, and transformative. We do this by showcasing the literary art of the Scriptures and tracing the themes found in them from beginning to end. Rather than taking the stance of a specific tradition or denomination, we create materials to elevate the Bible for all people and draw our eyes to its unified message.
HOW TO PRAY WITH LECTIO DIVINA
Lectio Divina: Listening with the Heart
Welcome to our Lectio Divina guides. Lectio Divina is a Latin phrase meaning, ‘Godly reading’. It is a simple yet profound method of prayer found in many traditions of Christian spirituality. Sometimes it is called 'meditative reading' or 'spiritual reading', but could perhaps better be described as praying with a listening heart. Below, we provide you with an explanation and a practical guide, to navigate this way of praying.
LECTIO DIVINA: THE SACRED ART OF READING THE WORLD (ONLINE RETREAT)
Abbey of the Arts | Christine Valter Paintner
A companion retreat to the book.
Expanding the ancient practice of sacred reading beyond scriptural texts to include visual art, music, nature and your own sacred stories.
Lectio divina, which means sacred reading, is an ancient contemplative practice of listening deeply to the voice of God in sacred texts. In recent years there has been a reclaiming of the riches of contemplative prayer forms of Western traditions. Through the practice of lectio divina you become present to each moment in a heart-centered way. Gradually, the practice of lectio expands your capacity to sense God’s presence until all of life becomes a cascade of prayer.
Drawing on her own experience as a monk in the world, Christine Valters Paintner breaks open the movements of this spiritual practice. She makes them accessible to the contemporary reader who longs for a more pervasive experience of the holy in the everyday but lives far away from the sanctuary of a monastery.
Click on the link below to learn more about this online retreat.
Cost: $120