McGill Group

Open Prayer

Share openly with God. Feel free to use this time for confession, a need in your life, or simply share about yourself. Write it down below if you would like.  (30 minutes)

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Spiritual Disciplines #6 – Solitude

Developed by Kevin McGill and Tim Pike. Written by Kevin McGill.

As a Christian, what is my place in today's culture?

Me, Myself and the World I

Answering where the culture ends, and where I begin is very difficult because that’s exactly the problem. As a Christian I don’t know where culture begins and I end. My counselor actually presented a nice snapshot of me. Evidently, I grew up in a dysfunctional home. None of you can relate I’m sure. Chaos was the rule of my home. People didn’t always say nice things to me. My inner-Kevin or “Little Kevin” has been hurt, and refuses to grow up. So I have been visiting a counselor for about 3 months. One thing she mentioned was this word, “enmeshment”. Typically, people-pleasers struggle with this. They are so enmeshed with people around them, that one doesn’t know where “I” end, and another person begins. They continue to adapt to the values of everyone else around them. So I like what everyone else likes. I hate what everyone else hates. For me, it comes out most when I’m near people of substantial authority. My personality changes. I become the person I think they want me to be. And so I am on an emotional rollercoaster, always shifting my mind, opinion, mood to my environment. This is exactly where most of us are when it comes to culture. While you might not be diagnosed with an “enmeshment” disorder, you have been under pressure to adapt, and lose your personality to The Culture around you since junior high. And so every life decision is made by North Park Mall. And the culture’s voice asks you a thousand questions: “Why aren’t you married? When are you going to buy that car? Why don’t you have the guts to ask for a raise? What’s wrong with your career? About time you buy that house.” then it just starts telling you: “Don’t wear that. Don’t say that. Feel nervous around those people. Lie to her. Sleep with him. Cheat on her. Hate him. Abuse her. Ignore them.” and our emotions and values are enmeshed to In touch, CNN news, and the opinion of my guy friends. “I” is lost to the world, and I become a neurotic, self-indulging, love-starved person who doesn’t even know what to believe anymore.

Psalm 46:10 rushes through your God-starved soul, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Cultural Detox I

Dallas Willard in his book, “The Spirit of the Disciplines”, says that because our lives are so public, “…even our secular existence withers from lack of a hidden life. Conversation degenerates into mere gossip and those we meet can only talk of what they heard from someone else.” We cannot talk about our inner-person, because we don’t know who that is. It is no wonder that our pop culture has degenerated to gossip magazines that make public, the things that should be private, forcing the celebrities to scream for some form of private experience. The human existence is inhumane when it is forever defined by the public eye. In the practice of Solitude, we are not shutting ourselves from noise, we are shutting ourselves off from the human voice. We are turning ourselves from one voice, so that we can finally hear the true Voice. Christ tells us the True Voice was the Spirit. And it is the still small Voice of God that we crave desperately.  

Honestly, why don’t we seek the Voice of God?

 Soul Intervention I

Now, I have to warn you, these times of solitude will be rough, especially for some of us. Yet, that’s exactly what we need – to let these anxieties and fears rise to the surface so that you and God can face them together. Christ was led by the Spirit into the wilderness for solitude and fasting. In this time of solitude, it says in Luke 7 that he was tempted by the devil. What is interesting is that Jesus wasn’t tempted by Satan until the end of the forty days. It says in verse 2 that at the end of 40 days, then the devil approached Him. Luke tells us that Jesus didn’t go into the wilderness to be tempted, rather for a time with the Spirit. It was very common for Jesus to take these times of solitude, to re-energize and prepare for his next time in ministry. – see Mark 1:35; 3:13; 6:31; 46.  He even invited his disciples for a time of solitude in Mark 6:30-32. But in these times of solitude, the very things that you need to be separated from, will become the greatest temptation. The weaknesses in your flesh will be quickly exposed.  I believe that Satan knew the best time to attack Jesus was when his flesh was weakened. First, Satan tempted Jesus with the physical security of the world - food (v3). Then he tempted him with personal glory (verse 8), and then he tempted Jesus with self-glory, trying to get Jesus to remind himself how powerful He is.  Above all else, Satan, through the means of culture, wants to be the source. In your time, you will be wholly distracted by all of these and maybe other things.  You will wrestle and struggle with all of these temptations, as you begin to detox from a culture that you have become enmeshed in. Your flesh will want to hear the human voice, its reassurance and its direction, but once you overcome that, the end result will be a greater depth of confidence in God’s Word, his Power, and our confidence in self.

The final result will be that when you return back into culture, you will have enough self-respect to differentiate where you end, and this world begins. This is what I love about the way of Jesus! He would nose-dive into the thick of culture. Drinking with prostitutes and robbers, and thieves and CEO execs (tax collectors). Jesus even said about himself, “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds." (Matt 7:19). But then he ran out into the wilderness and disconnected at the first chance he could get so that He was in tune with the Spirit. You can stand confidently in the world, but not be of it (John 17:14-21). You can reach out and love, with certainty, with confidence because you know you are complete in Christ. You don’t have to build bunkers, nor do you have to lose yourself, rather take time away with Jesus, communing and resting with Him.

Further Reasons  for Solitude I

 Know the Voice of God – It is hard to differentiate the voice of God from the voice within, because we have spent too much time absorbing the human voice (Psalm 1 Kings 19:11-13; Galatians 1:17).

The Way of Jesus – What better reason than the fact that Jesus did it? If the God of the universe needed to get away to re-energize and listen to the Spirit while he was on earth, than how much more do we need this time of solitude (Matthew 14:23; Luke 4:42)!

The Mirror of Solitude – Who we are is exposed. Louise Bouyer said: “Solitude is a terrible trial, for it serves to crack open and burst apart the shell of our superficial securities. It opens to us the unknown abyss that we all carry within us…and discloses the fact that these abysses are haunted.

Seek The Will of God – Jesus spent all night praying in solitude to hear God’s will regarding as he chose the twelve disciples. I wonder how much time in solitude we should spend making a decision about work, spouse, or other significant decisions.

Discussion Questions I

1.       Take 15 minutes and find as much of a solitary place as possible in the house or outside. You can sit in silence, or review a key verse – I would recommend Psalm 64:10. When the alarm goes off, take another 5 minutes and record your experience here: What did you feel, what where your thoughts? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2.       Share with the group your 15 minute experience. Be as honest with the group your experience as possible – no masks! J

3.       What voice of our culture is the most distractive element in your life today (career, money, relationships, etc)?

4.       What area of your life could you use some real clarity and peace (just say “Serenity now!” three times. That should do the trick.) ?

5.       For some, it’s hard to believe that all of this effort will result the “Centered” Christian. Read Psalm 112:1, 5-9. What is encouraging for you in your walk with Christ after hearing this passage? Do you struggle accepting this verse as reality? Share with the group.

6.       Close in prayer.

Exercise for this week:

I am going to send out an email tonight, asking if you want to receive this email for the next 7 days with the question below. Reply if you want an email with this question below for the next 7 days. If you don’t want the email but want to still do the exercise, then write this out and put it in a place where you can receive it readily. 

How am I being lead by the voice of this culture?

Announcements I

§  We will discuss options to help Habitat for Humanity or Exodus Ministries next week. Melissa De leon is willing to visit our group in two weeks.

1-3 "Shout! A full-throated shout! Hold nothing back—a trumpet-blast shout!

Tell my people what's wrong with their lives,

   face my family Jacob with their sins!

They're busy, busy, busy at worship,

   and love studying all about me.

To all appearances they're a nation of right-living people—

   law-abiding, God-honoring.

They ask me, 'What's the right thing to do?'

   and love having me on their side.

But they also complain,

   'Why do we fast and you don't look our way?

   Why do we humble ourselves and you don't even notice?'

 3-5"Well, here's why:

   "The bottom line on your 'fast days' is profit.

   You drive your employees much too hard.

You fast, but at the same time you bicker and fight.

   You fast, but you swing a mean fist.

The kind of fasting you do

   won't get your prayers off the ground.

Do you think this is the kind of fast day I'm after:

   a day to show off humility?

To put on a pious long face

   and parade around solemnly in black?

Do you call that fasting,

   a fast day that I, God, would like?

 6-9"This is the kind of fast day I'm after:

   to break the chains of injustice,

   get rid of exploitation in the workplace,

   free the oppressed,

   cancel debts.

What I'm interested in seeing you do is:

   sharing your food with the hungry,

   inviting the homeless poor into your homes,

   putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,

   being available to your own families.

Do this and the lights will turn on,

   and your lives will turn around at once.

Your righteousness will pave your way.

   The God of glory will secure your passage.

Then when you pray, God will answer.

   You'll call out for help and I'll say, 'Here I am.'

A Full Life in the Emptiest of Places

 9-12"If you get rid of unfair practices,

   quit blaming victims,

   quit gossiping about other people's sins,

If you are generous with the hungry

   and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,

Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,

   your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.

I will always show you where to go.

   I'll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—

   firm muscles, strong bones.

You'll be like a well-watered garden,

   a gurgling spring that never runs dry.

You'll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,

   rebuild the foundations from out of your past.

You'll be known as those who can fix anything,

   restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,

   make the community livable again.

 13-14"If you watch your step on the Sabbath

   and don't use my holy day for personal advantage,

If you treat the Sabbath as a day of joy,

   God's holy day as a celebration,

If you honor it by refusing 'business as usual,'

   making money, running here and there—

Then you'll be free to enjoy God!

   Oh, I'll make you ride high and soar above it all.

I'll make you feast on the inheritance of your ancestor Jacob."

   Yes! God says so!

Spiritual Disciplines #4 – Fasting

Developed by Kevin McGill and Tim Pike. Written by Kevin McGill.

God as middle-management I

Most do not take career jobs to retire as middle-management. No one has ever marched into their bosses office, and demanded to be made an intern again. A friend of mine left his military career because he was tired of the petty officers under him becoming his lieutenant. We do not like to be passed over for the same reason we continue to put the created over the Creator. I want to win. I want the glory. In fact, God serves me, and my needs and my interest. We see God as middle-management. We expect Him to protect my bank account, provide the perfect spouse, and go to bat for me during my annual job review. God didn’t make man in his image and say, “it was good”. A Jeannie in a bottle made man in his image, and said, “master, how may I serve you?” We all love a good promotion, even if we’ve promoted ourselves above the Creator of the universe.  

But love doesn’t seek self-promotion (1 Corinthians 13), rather promotes others.  And that is the ultimate purpose of this series. To release that which keeps us from fulfilling the greatest commandment: Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself. And that’s just something we’re not good at: loving God and loving others. Though, I truly believe we want to love, to live a greater life, yet something keeps holding us back. The poet Stephen Spender shared this angst: "Humankind aspires to beauty and power, to purity and dignity, to knowledge and endless love. And yet we are wandering heaps of protoplasm-bits of "portable plumbing". We have talked a good deal about the flesh up until now. We needed to expose the culprit of our inability to grow as Christ-followers. We recognized that our flesh was messing everything up because it was out of control. But as we begin the spiritual disciplines, it is time to recognize the truest goal for this series, it is the cultivation of love – it is heart change. By the end of this spiritual disciplines series, we hope that having set aside our flesh, we are given freedom to love God the way we were made to love God. And when we accomplish this, then we learn that our greatness is not marked by how well I promote myself, but how well I have promoted others.

The Difference Five Days Can Make I

Now, other-promotion isn’t much fun. It isn’t glamorous. I find it interesting how the world responded to the death of princess Di. For princess Diana, they pulled out the stops. Not only was she on the front cover of every magazine, but her funeral was celebrated worldwide. Princess Diana died Aug 31, 1997. Now only 5 days later,  Sep 5, another influential person died, but the response  from the world paled in comparison - Mother Teresa. The world esteems those who live a life of self-promotion over self-demotion. And yet, I really want to die, having loved like Mother Teresa.

God made Nutter Butter I

Fasting is a very practical way to promote God, to remember once again, who is Creator, and who is the created (1 Cor 6:12-14). But how? Hunger is a very good reminder of the nature of food, and who made it. And when you have to do without food or shelter, something primal inside all of us begins to rise up. And what is a common response to a time of lacking? We cry to God, knowing that he is the source of it all. In this, fasting promotes and repositions God back to His role. He is Creator, we are created, and we are sustained by, find our pleasure in and gather community around food because of Him. Food, and material wealth is not the source of life, God is. God even made Nutter Butter, and that’s something to thank Him for! In an age of over-consumerism, this is exactly what we need to hear. If I were to assign a spiritual discipline to the US culture, it would be fasting. The richest countries in the world, which is about 20% of the world, are responsible for 86% of consumed resources. We consume 58% of all total energy - the poorest fifth consume only 5%.  Now this is where I really struggle, US is majority Christian. Probably not 80% as some have said. But still a lot. This country is the worst when it comes to consumerism. It seems to me that Christians should be really good at community, really good at love, and really good at taking care of our earth, which we are not.  

21 Days Later I

Daniel is a great example of how to fast. Turn to Daniel 9. Daniel had been living in a foreign country, and all of Israel was in ruins – both southern and northern kingdom. He read the book of Jeremiah, and recognized that Jerusalem would be restored sometime soon. Daniel was anxious as to when this would take place, because he saw his people’s culture disintegrate as they continued to stay in Babylon. The promise given to Abraham seemed all but lost. For the love of his people and his God, he fasts 21 days, asking God to show him when the Jewish people would be freed. 21 days! And in his fasting he had the perfect attitude. Turn with me to Daniel 9:18:  18 “O my God, lean down and listen to me. Open your eyes and see our despair. See how your city—the city that bears your name—lies in ruins. We make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of your mercy.” Let’s imagine all of the different reasons to fast. Maybe we fast for the refugees from Uganda? Maybe we fast for a friend on drugs, or our brother who can’t seem to get a date! The reasons are endless. But in fasting, we come before our Father with a humble and ready heart, with a true need, whether for ourselves or for someone else.  

Next Week: “Fasting – How and When” I

Discussion Questions_______________________________________________

1.       Take a moment to connect with your visitors.

2.       In Daniel 9, Daniel was concerned about two objects, one was God, who was the other? Scan Daniel 9.

3.       Consider the sacrifice Daniel made in this act of love. What does that say about a man who would take 21 days to fast because of his love for people and for God?

4.       Is there a possession or career position in your life that you use to promote yourself? Share with the group at your comfort level.

5.       In the next 30 days, what area could you promote God from servant to Lord?

6.       Close in prayer.

Takeaway Truth: Fasting reminds us that God is the source of everything, and we are dependent on Him for our needs.

Exercise for this week:

I am going to send out an email tonight, asking if you want to receive this email for the next 7 days with the question below. Reply if you want an email with this question below for the next 7 days. If you don’t want the email but want to still do the exercise, then write this out and put it in a place where you can receive it readily.  

How do I promote myself above people and God?

Announcements I

§  Small group moves to 4805 Swiss Ave, Dallas TX 75204 March 26^th – next week!!

§  Famine and Feast Dinner – Saturday March 29^th – Evite to come.

Spiritual Disciplines #2 – Prayer

Developed by Kevin McGill and Tim Pike. Written by Kevin McGill.

Talking to Yourself I

Why is prayer hard?

Next to reading the Bible, Christians report that prayer is one of the most difficult things to do. It feels odd to close our eyes, fold our hands, and begin to say words that no one can hear, and ask for things in which you never get a verbal response. Some might consider this delusional, and if psychiatrists had it their way, we’d be encouraged to continue our prayers in a padded cell. Yes, prayer is hard because for most people, we never hear a response. Now, if I did actually hear a response, I wouldn’t be frustrated, I’d be scared. But prayer is also hard because we don’t know what to say, and why we’re saying it. And the bible doesn’t really give us a script for prayer, though it does promise that the Spirit will help us with what to say (Romans 8:26).

Texting God I

Prayer is not a connection into the metaphysical world in which you channel your ancient spirit. It is not supposed to lead into convulsions and raptures of the soul, trying to conjure up some god because you think he might be sleeping or on the pot (1 kings 18:27). What is prayer? How do you talk to your friend, or girlfriend, or parents? Prayer is a conversation. Prayer is actually very easy. It’s like any other form of communication: writing, emailing, texting. If we have the capacity to hold a conversation and relationship, we have the capacity to talk to God.

So, it’s not about talking, its about answering the question, “who are you talking to?” That is our greatest challenge. We have no clue who we are talking to, so our conversation is odd, distorted, using flowery language that I would never use with someone.

Who are you talking to? I

Who is David talking to in Psalms 129 and 130?

He is talking to a Father. David has a Father-son relationship that Jesus even supports. In Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus teaches them what to say, but the words are not as important as the position of the heart. In order to talk to God, you need to understand him as a Father.

What is the role of the Father – what roles do you see?

Attributes of a Fatherly Relationship according to Matthew 6:9-13.

§  True Father – God is the definitive Father. He provides for us, instructs us, and cares for us.

§  The God – Our Father is God. He isn’t an appointed heavenly being – he is God, and there are no others like him.

§  The Final Authority of Heaven and Earth – He is the final authority over the universe and all human kind. He was both the Creator (Gen 1-3) and final authority (Malachi 2:10).

§  The Provider – God provides even our daily bread. In a rich society, where we have maintained ourselves, we have forgotten that. That’s why saying grace is so difficult at dinner.  

§  The Forgiver – He is the great forgiver. The hardest thing for a relationship with our earthly father is that he still brings up the past. You still see that flash of disappointment in his eyes.

§  The Savior – In Psalms, this is the way David sees his Father, as a savior. The bible considers a savior as one who has saved us from our mortal sins. Only God could be capable of such a feat.

 If you do not see God as a Father, it will be very difficult to talk to him, and pray a prayer like Matthew 6:9. If my prayer life is difficult, then I would say that first, I need to see him as a Father again. But, if you had a very difficult relationship with your own father, this might be a little more of a challenge. That is why God is the definitive Father. He gets fatherhood right every time. For example, the number 1 issue of my Dad is that he didn’t really listen. When I talked, I never felt that he understood me. John 11:41 says that the Father always listens, and understands. This father is not distracted by the football game or a call from work.

 I don’t want us to lose reverence of God. I don’t want to make him so likeable, that’s its like the buddy Jesus from Dogma. But here is the great tension of the Bible. The same God that made the heavens and the earth, and physics, and DNA and the ocean tide, and the human brain, this God wants you to feel safe in his holiness. And that should be our feeling when we’re praying to God – Safe in the Father’s holiness.

Philippians 4:6 I

When do you pray?

Pray anytime. Talk to God any time. And sometimes, the best time to turn to him is in times of fear, and humility as we saw in Philippians 4:6. Now, if you want to set up a meeting or dinner with him, do so. But do not treat that time as some sacred time that if you do not do it, evil things will happen to you. Do it because committed times with anyone is important.   

Discussion Questions _________________________________________

1.       Take a few minutes to connect, introduce yourself to new visitors.

2.       Take a few minutes, and underline which attribute of God as Father is the most difficult for you to accept, then share with the group which one you circled and why:

True Father  -  God -  Final Authority – Provider – Forgiver – Savior

3.       Some people have a hard time relating to God as a Father, because of their own relationship with their own father. Is this true for you? Explain.

4.       John 11:41 says that the Father always hears you, and that He always understands. Read the passage out loud. Discuss as a group the importance of talking to a Father who drops everything to hear your request.

5.       Open up in prayer. Share about your week, and what you learned in the study.

Takeaway Truth: Discover God as Father, then praying/talking to Him will become as natural as any other relationship.

Weekly Exercise I

Do you remember which character of The Father was the hardest for you to accept. Look up the verse that gives us further explanation of his character and include it in your Prayer Exercise.

Father Verse  

a.       True Father – Malachi 2:10

b.      God – John 4:23

c.       Final Authority – 1 Corinthians 15:24

d.      Provider – Matthew 6:14, James 1:17

e.      Forgiver – Luke 23:34

f.        Savior – John 3:16

Prayer Exercise

§  Thursday: Read your Father Verse, then take 10 minutes and tell him about yourself.

§  Friday: Read your Father Verse, then take 10 minutes and tell him about your problems.

§  Sunday: Read your Father Verse, then take 10 minutes and tell Him what he means to you.

§  Monday: Read your Father Verse, then take 10 minutes and ask him for something you need.

§  Tuesday: Read your Father Verse, then take 10 minutes and ask Him what He needs from you.

Feel free to repeat these exercises every week, as long as it helps you to seek Him. Just don’t do it once it becomes more of a tradition than life-growth.

Updated Calendar

ü  § Session #1 February 27: Introduction to The Series I Meet and Greet

ü  Session #2 March 5: Prayer

ü  Session #3 March 12: Prayer Revisited

ü  § Session #4 March 19: Fasting

ü  Feast of Fasting March 26 (Saturday group fast and evening feast) 

ü  Session #5 April 2: *Praxis of Fasting

ü  § Session #6 April 9: Solitude

ü  Session #7 April 16: Praxis of Solitude

ü  § Session #8 April 23: Silence

ü  Session #9 April 30: Praxis of Silence

ü  § Session #10 May 7: Giving

ü  Session #11 May 14: Praxis of Giving

ü  § Session #12 May 21: Reflections

ü  Session #13 May 28: Reflections

The McGill Group is open once again to visitors. Come check us out. Give me a call if you want to know more about our group! 214-606-7067.

Kevin McGill 

Developed by Kevin McGill and Tim Pike

Written By Kevin McGill

Death. From childhood to adulthood, we avoid it at all costs. It’s buried in the instinct of a baby's cry for food and touch. 50 something-year-old men run from it when they buy their second house and second wife. 40 something-year-old women spend hours avoiding it through push-ups and face-lifts and up-does and anti-aging cream. They call it anti-aging because the marketing department just couldn’t get behind anti-dying. And sometimes it finds us out before we expect it. The 2-year-old’s coffin is closed by parents who never thought they would see their life’s blood buried six-feet under. The 18-year-old touches his face carved by the scalpel of cancer, knowing that next Friday is his last. But we don’t have an alternative for this final dissolution, so we become selfish, self-protective, and inwardly focused. Whether we know it or not, our first instinct in every situation, is survival. So, torn from the pages of The Lord of the Flies, we are prada-wearing-barbarians, undercutting, and undervaluing everyone around us that we might rise to the top. But secretly, we fear the inevitability of the black suits, black veils and silky white interior of the mahogany box.

We weren’t made to live like this. Really, we weren’t made to live like this (Genesis 1-2).

What if we could live without the fear of death? What if we could live selflessly, always in love with God and man? See, we were made for eternality. In the garden, we were made to live in perfect harmony with ourselves, and each other because there was never an “inevitable”.

What is stopping us? Death stepped in the garden of Eden and raised up our flesh (Genesis 1:16-17). All those questions of “Why do I act like that on a date?” “Why can’t I stop lying?” “How come I walk into a crowd of people and this fear overwhelms me?” “Why do I take every good situation in life and hit the self-destruct button?” “How come I’m hateful and spiteful, and bitter??” Your flesh. The flesh is always self-serving, always protecting, always hiding the true you. See, I believe your flesh has one job, and one job only – and because of that job, I have actually named my flesh: Kevin-Warrior-King. Kevin-Warrior-King’s number one job is to defend me from all things death. It tells me to amass possessions, lose myself in shallow relationships, win every argument, steal from everyone and everything, and most of all, look out for number one. Because of this impending death, my flesh says take all you can get from life (Galatians 5:19-23).

And I have no capacity to love, to my own demise. Love is the number one component to life. In fact, it was so important that Jesus told us that this was the greatest commandment: To love God, and then to love others*(Matthew 22:37-38).

What is stopping me from living a life of love?

Kevin-Warrior-King.

My flesh, my Kevin-Warrior-King stands in the way every time - hating, loathing, resenting anyone who gets in my way, especially on Woodall Rogers. The problem is that I cannot both love my God and hate my brother. (1 John 5:20).

TrueFaced revealed to me how unloving I truly am. When I started to pull my mask away, I began to see the true me. I’ve been carrying past sins around like dead weight. I have stockpiled bitterness, anger, and selfish ambition in my heart. My flesh, my little Kevin-Warrior-King won’t let me forget. It drags around my guilt and shame. Living in the flesh doesn’t make life get any better. In fact, the great paradox is that while we live in the flesh because in defense against death, it is actually our flesh that brings death (Romans 8:6). Though I have life, I still live as if I have death. You and I are in the Garden of Eden, but our hearts are still in the slums.

I have to kill my flesh (Romans 8:13).

What is the best way to kill your flesh? To do exactly what it hates – give away our stuff, sacrifice ourselves, stop looking out for number one.

This is what our spiritual disciplines series is about. It is learning how to stop feeding the flesh. The flesh hates to be alone, it hates to be quiet, it hates to spend time with God, it hates to go without food and possessions and everything else that makes you feel protected. So, that’s exactly what we are going to do. Over the next 2 months, we are going to learn how to strip the flesh bare, so that we can learn how to live a life of love again.

We are going to bury our flesh in a government compound, and seal all entrances.

I Curriculum Calendar I

ü  § Session #1 February 27: Introduction to The Series I Meet and Greet

ü  Session #2 March 5: Prayer

ü  Session #3 March 12: Prayer Revisited

ü  § Session #4 March 19: Fasting

ü  Feast of Fasting March 21-22 (Saturday group fast and evening feast) 

ü  Session #5 March 26: *Praxis of Fasting

ü  § Session #6 April 2: Solitude

ü  Session #7 April 9: Praxis of Solitude

Break

ü  § Session #8 April 23: Silence

ü  Session #9 April 30: Praxis of Silence

ü  § Session #10 April 7: Giving

ü  Session #11 May 14: Praxis of Giving

ü  § Session #12 May 28: Reflections

ü  Session #13 June 4: Reflections

* To read more about the greatest commandment, check out Scot McKnight’s book called “The Jesus Creed”. It rocks!

* Praxis is from the medieval Latin meaning established practice, habitual.

"You root for the underdog, they lose. You root for the winner, they lose. I'm gonna just root for myself." - Kevin McGill

Madalyn - Just another Party with the Peeps!

Christopher - He wore the wrong short.

Kristen and Evie

Kevin and Christopher

Deb and Ramon