Ch. 1-- The Way of Surrender

THE MAGNIFICENT JOURNEY by James Bryan Smith

Chapter 1—The Way of Surrender

1.  Opening Prayer in a position of full pardon, full acceptance

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost
2.  The Two Roads
            What are they?
            Which one do you usually follow?
            Where are you most likely to find God?
3.  Looking Within
            Why do we resist looking within?
            What do emotions have to do with spirituality?  What have we been taught?
            The pendular swing that happens in all systems
4. Let It Be
            What do we need before embarking on an inward journey with God?
            What is “the narrow gate”?
            Self-absorption vs. Surrender
            What is there to lose?
5.  The Cost of Nondiscipleship
            Counting the cost—Luke 14: 25-28
            Discipleship vs. Apprenticeship
            Grace Adolphsen Brame:  “This yes is an inner assent of the will.  It is a             willingness to receive the grace and the guidance of God. It can be so deep and        far-reaching as to cause a real conversion of life, a real repentance, a turning   
            around to go in a completely new direction.”
            Self-denial vs. Surrender—John Wesley and the Covenant Prayer p. 16
6.  The Imperfect Way
            We are travelers on a road few know, yet we are not alone.
            We need the Body to encourage each other along the way.
            Surrender to Christ is the only way to life deep in the kingdom of God.
7.  Hymns to encourage us:  Blessed Assurance; In the Garden 

8.  Soul Training Exercise, pp 20-21

9.  Closing Prayer

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Journey-- A Study In Spiritual Formation

We are beginning a Journey to the heart of God this year, using 2 resources: I nvitation to a Journey~ A Road Map for Spiritual Formation by M. Robert Mulholland and notes from my certificate course at the Institute for Spiritual Formation, Biola University . We invite you to join us by attending the study at Trinity Presbyterian Church of Camarillo on Thursday mornings, 10 am to 11:30 am OR by following this blog.  I will post my lesson here, as well as any attachments we use in class.  Please give us feedback through the blog--it could be a lively discussion as we invite the Holy Spirit to probe our hearts and continue to fill us with Himself. Week 1 The Journey Invitation to a Journey ~ A Road Map to Spiritual Formation M. Robert Mulholland & Ruth Haley Barton plus Notes and wiritings on Spiritual Formation from the Institute for Spiritual Formation, Biola University 1.   Welcome.   Let’s go on a Journey together.   We...
Read more

Beneath the Cross of Jesus...

Image
Come and sit with me at the foot of the Cross for a few minutes.  It's a peaceful place-- a place where we come to realize that there was never anything to worry about in the first place.  We can sit here with Jesus amidst the weeds of our lives and just ... be.  And it's ok. This next week is a week of remembering Jesus' path to the Cross.  We remember His resolute journey.  Luke says, "He turned His face to Jerusalem".  He knew where He was going and why, and He did not turn away.   Jesus calls us to not "turn away" from ourselves.  Just has He had to deal with fear and dread as He walked obediently toward His death, He calls us to continue, unflinching, in our quest for the whole self He made us to be. Last week we talked about the Shadow Self in each of us--the hidden parts of our hearts represented by the low scores on our Myers Briggs tests.  I have been meditating on my hidden places.  None of them is as extreme as my i...
Read more
This Advent, more than any in recent times, we need courage to go forward and meet the challenges that face us as individuals and as the Church.  Mental illness, as in the cases of many mass shooters, is an issue that is still virtually unaddressed in terms of the average family being able to deal with it.  No simple change to health care is going to to solve it, nor is the prison system.  NAMI is making inroads.  But the spiritual state of our nation is badly damaged, and there needs to be major restoration of the heart of the gospel in our churches.  There needs to be prayer--real prayer.  There needs to be comfort--a taking in of the wounded and the weak--by a church transformed by the Holy Spirit.  Otherwise we are helpless. (John 15:5) I am reposting this Advent blog from the Transforming Center in Illinois. It gave me hope today.  God bless you all this week. Cindy Advent 3: A Time for Courage Posted on December 10th, 2012 by Adele...
Read more