1) Listen to it
2) Read it
3) Study it
4) Meditate on it
5) Memorize it
6) Journal it
7) Act on it
How many of these seven are a part of your life right now? Which one could you add right now? Each one enhances our discipleship and our relationship with God in a slightly different way. I would encourage you to experiment. These are not the only ways to take in God's Word. Recently, I was a part of a workshop in which we all created art out of the experience of listening to the creation story both read and sung. Paraphrasing the passage through art really helped me slow down and internalize the text in a whole new way and with a depth I didn't anticipate.
Be creative in your approaches. I had a friend who memorize scripture by laminating verses and hanging them in his shower.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
Doing the Do.
One time I was standing in what I would call the "spiritual self-help" section of a seminary bookstore looking for yet another 'how-to prayer' book. As I browsed the numerous options the thought came to me, 'If I applied even ten percent of all of the other books I already have on prayer, then I could probably write my own book. I realized in that moment that I was substituting reading about prayer for praying. I immediately set down whatever book was in my hand and headed for the seminary prayer room. I had a phenomena encounter with God. I realized then how easy it is to talk about God, instead of to God, or to read about prayer, instead of praying.
I am addressing this today because I have added a 'This Week's Recommended Resource' and I now have The Practical Disciple Resource Center as an opportunity for you to purchase resources on spiritual growth. The danger in such resources is that you substitute studying an activity for doing the activity. Little or no growth happens when that is the case. I would encourage you to examine how much you are applying what you learn. Make sure that you are 'doing the do' of whatever area of discipleship you are studying.
So much more learning happens in the doing. Jesus wrapped up the sermon on the mount with a parable that emphasized the need to apply what his listeners heard. He said--
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the stream rose, and the wind blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation upon a rock. But everyone who hears these words of m ine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand, the rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house, and it fell with a great crash." (Matthew 7:24-27)
A nature mentor I know likes to put it this way, "The knowing is in the doing." So be very conscientious about applying what you learn, even if your application occurs in extremely small increments. With that said, what are you going to do our apply once you log off of this blog? What is one important lesson or life principle you have learned recently and how have you applied it? Blessings to you from The Practical Disciple
I am addressing this today because I have added a 'This Week's Recommended Resource' and I now have The Practical Disciple Resource Center as an opportunity for you to purchase resources on spiritual growth. The danger in such resources is that you substitute studying an activity for doing the activity. Little or no growth happens when that is the case. I would encourage you to examine how much you are applying what you learn. Make sure that you are 'doing the do' of whatever area of discipleship you are studying.
So much more learning happens in the doing. Jesus wrapped up the sermon on the mount with a parable that emphasized the need to apply what his listeners heard. He said--
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the stream rose, and the wind blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation upon a rock. But everyone who hears these words of m ine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand, the rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house, and it fell with a great crash." (Matthew 7:24-27)
A nature mentor I know likes to put it this way, "The knowing is in the doing." So be very conscientious about applying what you learn, even if your application occurs in extremely small increments. With that said, what are you going to do our apply once you log off of this blog? What is one important lesson or life principle you have learned recently and how have you applied it? Blessings to you from The Practical Disciple
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Scripture Journaling
Yesterday I shared two approaches to scripture reading--formational and informational reading. To insure a healthy blend of each consider journaling. I have used the following journal model for many years now and it has yielded a constant forward momentum in my discipleship journey. A sample journal based upon the model following that is in bold and italics may look like this---
Date: 6/2/08 Passage: Mark 12:1-12
First Obervation/keywords: vinyard, Son. God goes to any length to care for us, but we don't accept it easily.
Main Idea/meaning: Jesus was explaining to the multitude how great God's love is and how they have rejected it time and time again. Jesus' death is foreshadowed.
This passage make me feel: a need to examine my own life to make sure that I am recognizing Jesus. The multitude rejected him even when they had him physically in their presence and saw many miracles. I wonder how often I push Jesus away.
I don't understand or a question I have is... How we can be so selfish in the face of such overwhelming love.
Right now I believe God wants me to...Be a good steward of the gifts I have so that when his son returns, he will find hospitality and faithfulness rather than hostility and contempt.
Prayer: God, forgive me for the times when I forget that you are the master and I am the servant and that all I have is yours. May i bea great steward. May the Spirit keep me aware of your grace. Amen.
In retrospect, I have come to learn that the questions I have and the completion of the statement "right now I believe God wants me to..." have been the pieces that seem to yield the most fruit in my life. Getting to those pieces without studying or answering the other questions is very limiting.
Date: 6/2/08 Passage: Mark 12:1-12
First Obervation/keywords: vinyard, Son. God goes to any length to care for us, but we don't accept it easily.
Main Idea/meaning: Jesus was explaining to the multitude how great God's love is and how they have rejected it time and time again. Jesus' death is foreshadowed.
This passage make me feel: a need to examine my own life to make sure that I am recognizing Jesus. The multitude rejected him even when they had him physically in their presence and saw many miracles. I wonder how often I push Jesus away.
I don't understand or a question I have is... How we can be so selfish in the face of such overwhelming love.
Right now I believe God wants me to...Be a good steward of the gifts I have so that when his son returns, he will find hospitality and faithfulness rather than hostility and contempt.
Prayer: God, forgive me for the times when I forget that you are the master and I am the servant and that all I have is yours. May i bea great steward. May the Spirit keep me aware of your grace. Amen.
In retrospect, I have come to learn that the questions I have and the completion of the statement "right now I believe God wants me to..." have been the pieces that seem to yield the most fruit in my life. Getting to those pieces without studying or answering the other questions is very limiting.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Getting Started with Studying Scripture
Most approaches to reading scripture can be broadly categorized into essentially two categories, either,"informational" or "formational" reading. You need a healthy mix of both.
When you read scripture "informationally" you are getting to know the text. You are exploring questions like: "What is the story here? Who are the people involved? When and why was it written? Who was the author and what was his concern? Who was the audience? You may dig into historcial questions like "What is a tabernacle?" "What kind offerings did these people do?" "Where is Phillipi?" "What is a samaritan?" Basically, informational reading involves studying the text to get at the story or content. If you have done a good job of informational reading you should be able to confidently put the passage into your own word, share its basic story and structure, and may be answer a few questions about it.
Entering the Bible can be daunting. It can be a bit like visiting a foreign country in which you really don't get the customs. There is a two thousand year gap of history and traditions to overcome as well as cultural differences for most of us. A few guides can be immensely helpful. If you have no study resources, then I highly recommend that the first thing you get after a good Bible is a good Bible dictionary. Two that I use regularly and can recommend without reservation are The New Westminster Dictionary of the Bible edited by Henry Snyder Gehman and The Oxford Companion to the Bible, edited by Bruce Metzger and Michael Coogan. Getting into a Bible Study at a church can also be a very helpful way to engage in informational study.
Formational reading addresses the meaning of the text for your life today. When you are formationally reading you meditate or reflect on God's Word to instruct your daily living. "Informational" reading primarily fills you mind with information about the text; whereas, "Formational" reading shapes or forms who you are as a disciple. These types of reading feed one another and are both crucial. You can see a reflection of formational reading in the Psalmist's words "Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers for I meditate on your statutes." (Psalm 119:97-99.)
Tune back in tomorrow and I will share with you an example of blending informational and formational reading through scripture journaling. Blessings to you from The Practical Disciple.
When you read scripture "informationally" you are getting to know the text. You are exploring questions like: "What is the story here? Who are the people involved? When and why was it written? Who was the author and what was his concern? Who was the audience? You may dig into historcial questions like "What is a tabernacle?" "What kind offerings did these people do?" "Where is Phillipi?" "What is a samaritan?" Basically, informational reading involves studying the text to get at the story or content. If you have done a good job of informational reading you should be able to confidently put the passage into your own word, share its basic story and structure, and may be answer a few questions about it.
Entering the Bible can be daunting. It can be a bit like visiting a foreign country in which you really don't get the customs. There is a two thousand year gap of history and traditions to overcome as well as cultural differences for most of us. A few guides can be immensely helpful. If you have no study resources, then I highly recommend that the first thing you get after a good Bible is a good Bible dictionary. Two that I use regularly and can recommend without reservation are The New Westminster Dictionary of the Bible edited by Henry Snyder Gehman and The Oxford Companion to the Bible, edited by Bruce Metzger and Michael Coogan. Getting into a Bible Study at a church can also be a very helpful way to engage in informational study.
Formational reading addresses the meaning of the text for your life today. When you are formationally reading you meditate or reflect on God's Word to instruct your daily living. "Informational" reading primarily fills you mind with information about the text; whereas, "Formational" reading shapes or forms who you are as a disciple. These types of reading feed one another and are both crucial. You can see a reflection of formational reading in the Psalmist's words "Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers for I meditate on your statutes." (Psalm 119:97-99.)
Tune back in tomorrow and I will share with you an example of blending informational and formational reading through scripture journaling. Blessings to you from The Practical Disciple.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Core Routines of Faith--Getting started on the Word
Hey readers--I am back from a brief blogging hiatus. I followed my own advice and made some margin in my life last week when I was beset by life. Part of that margin meant not blogging for a bit. That season of hurry has past, so here I am again.
Last week someone asked me what spiritual disciplines I felt were important. The core routines that have helped me most in my walk of faith have been: worship, scripture reading, scripture study, devotional reading, intentional acts of kindness and service, tithing, and keeping a sabbath. If you read that list closely you might note a couple of routines that sound repetitive, but are intentionally different. Specifically, scripture reading vs. scripture study and worship vs. maintaining a sabbath. Though used "vs." these are not opposing practices, but I do want to highlight some distinctions around them. For today I will start with scripture.
My background on my relationship to scripture
I recall a large, black leather bound Bible with a gold zipper in our home when I was a child. I don't ever remember anyone reading it. It was just there. I was always intrigued by it, but wasn't sure how to approach reading the Bible. In late high school, I felt a mix of duty, need, and curiousity about reading the whole Bible. I made several failed efforts. The usual routine was to start in Genesis and have a fantastic time until I got to somewhere in Leviticus or Numbers and then I would die a thousand deaths of misunderstanding and boredom.
That changed for me after I read a short little book called "How to Read the Bible for Yourself". There were a couple of practical principles that helped me prevail then and they have sustained me for over twenty years without fail. Here they are:
Have a plan. Use a reading plan. Preferably something that takes you through the Gospels initially so that you can get in a discipline of reading prior to getting to more difficult text to wade through. I recall reading 1st John each day for a week initially to just get myself in a habit. Then I read the Gospel of John twice and the Gospel of Matthew twice. Read either a certain number of chapters or minutes each day. I read four chapters a day and have for years. It is what works for me. Spending 15 minutes or so is a good start. Just be sure to start with something doable and then build on the success. Don't bite off more than you can chew because of your initial inspiration and then find yourself defeated when the reality of sustaining your practice sets in.
Have a no exceptions policy. Always do your reading no matter how much you do or do not want to. No matter how tired you are or overwhelmed. I have had times where I had to walk and read or stretch and read just to stay awake, but I didn't regret it. I found that whenever I miss in any discipline, it becomes a catalyst for the discipline to potentially fall apart.
If you miss, then don't get in a game of trying to play catch-up. Despite your no exception policy you may fail to maintain your discipline at some point. If that happens, just pick-up where you left off or skip on to what is next and get moving again. I have found that most people get snowballed out of commission with assigned reading if they start saying thing like, "I will just read four chapters tomorrow, since I didn't read two today." Forget four, just get back on track.
Read with a pencil in hand. Jot down thoughts and ideas, verses that grab you, underline, circle, put notes in the margin, etc. Using a pencil will automatically engage you in the text more and protect your from just glossing over the words.
Create a coach. Take a moment right now and think about why you want to grow spiritually. Pretend for a moment that you are struggling with consistently getting into God's Word. If a good frien were encouraging you, what would they say. Right thise down right now. Place the paper as a bookmark in your Bible and read it regularly. It will condition your mind toward consistency.
Link your reading to an already established routine. One woman linked her reading to reading the newspaper every morning. Her policy was, "No bad news, unless I have read the Good News." I read at night for me it's "No bible, no bed." You could link yours to a meal, arriving home from work, or whatever is a daily uncompromising activity for you.
Lastly, strive not to complete the Bible but rather to get in a daily routine of reading. If you can establish a daily routine, then you will find yourself reading the Bible numerous times.
If you are already reading daily then consider where you are on a spectrum of learning. First stage being reading. Second, studying. Third, applying. Fourth, scripture is a part of who you are and you are living out of it. We can approach some of these other practices in future blogs.
Blessings to you who are just beginning this journey of daily reading.
Last week someone asked me what spiritual disciplines I felt were important. The core routines that have helped me most in my walk of faith have been: worship, scripture reading, scripture study, devotional reading, intentional acts of kindness and service, tithing, and keeping a sabbath. If you read that list closely you might note a couple of routines that sound repetitive, but are intentionally different. Specifically, scripture reading vs. scripture study and worship vs. maintaining a sabbath. Though used "vs." these are not opposing practices, but I do want to highlight some distinctions around them. For today I will start with scripture.
My background on my relationship to scripture
I recall a large, black leather bound Bible with a gold zipper in our home when I was a child. I don't ever remember anyone reading it. It was just there. I was always intrigued by it, but wasn't sure how to approach reading the Bible. In late high school, I felt a mix of duty, need, and curiousity about reading the whole Bible. I made several failed efforts. The usual routine was to start in Genesis and have a fantastic time until I got to somewhere in Leviticus or Numbers and then I would die a thousand deaths of misunderstanding and boredom.
That changed for me after I read a short little book called "How to Read the Bible for Yourself". There were a couple of practical principles that helped me prevail then and they have sustained me for over twenty years without fail. Here they are:
Have a plan. Use a reading plan. Preferably something that takes you through the Gospels initially so that you can get in a discipline of reading prior to getting to more difficult text to wade through. I recall reading 1st John each day for a week initially to just get myself in a habit. Then I read the Gospel of John twice and the Gospel of Matthew twice. Read either a certain number of chapters or minutes each day. I read four chapters a day and have for years. It is what works for me. Spending 15 minutes or so is a good start. Just be sure to start with something doable and then build on the success. Don't bite off more than you can chew because of your initial inspiration and then find yourself defeated when the reality of sustaining your practice sets in.
Have a no exceptions policy. Always do your reading no matter how much you do or do not want to. No matter how tired you are or overwhelmed. I have had times where I had to walk and read or stretch and read just to stay awake, but I didn't regret it. I found that whenever I miss in any discipline, it becomes a catalyst for the discipline to potentially fall apart.
If you miss, then don't get in a game of trying to play catch-up. Despite your no exception policy you may fail to maintain your discipline at some point. If that happens, just pick-up where you left off or skip on to what is next and get moving again. I have found that most people get snowballed out of commission with assigned reading if they start saying thing like, "I will just read four chapters tomorrow, since I didn't read two today." Forget four, just get back on track.
Read with a pencil in hand. Jot down thoughts and ideas, verses that grab you, underline, circle, put notes in the margin, etc. Using a pencil will automatically engage you in the text more and protect your from just glossing over the words.
Create a coach. Take a moment right now and think about why you want to grow spiritually. Pretend for a moment that you are struggling with consistently getting into God's Word. If a good frien were encouraging you, what would they say. Right thise down right now. Place the paper as a bookmark in your Bible and read it regularly. It will condition your mind toward consistency.
Link your reading to an already established routine. One woman linked her reading to reading the newspaper every morning. Her policy was, "No bad news, unless I have read the Good News." I read at night for me it's "No bible, no bed." You could link yours to a meal, arriving home from work, or whatever is a daily uncompromising activity for you.
Lastly, strive not to complete the Bible but rather to get in a daily routine of reading. If you can establish a daily routine, then you will find yourself reading the Bible numerous times.
If you are already reading daily then consider where you are on a spectrum of learning. First stage being reading. Second, studying. Third, applying. Fourth, scripture is a part of who you are and you are living out of it. We can approach some of these other practices in future blogs.
Blessings to you who are just beginning this journey of daily reading.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Prayer--Finding the Right Words, or Use No Words
This past week I visited a church and asked the congregation about difficulties they have praying. As usually the first answer offered up regarding an inability to focus. Another answer though came up which is not uncommon. Someone mentioned that they have a difficult time finding the right words. First off, I am not so certain there are "right" words to be found. Lovely and profound words lacking in heart or conviction, I rather suspect are like burnt offering offerings without obedience in the Old Testament.
Speaking from the heart with the best honesty you can muster is the best we can hope for. If you examine the Lord's Prayer that Jesus offered, you will noticed that it is neither lengthy are overly eloquent. I always strive to choose my finest words, but trust that sincerity gives them greater weight with God than perhaps any other characteristic.
If you really want to expand your prayer vocabulary, I strongly recommend getting a book of prayers to use devotionally. A classic old favorite of mine is A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie. The book is roughly a month of morning and evening prayers with a blank opposing page for each where you can write your own prayers. I have filled out a couple of these. The language is a bit archaic, but the depth and breadth of prayer which Baillie offers is rather immense. If take mimic the content that he covers in his prayers but in your own personal style. I think you will find that the scope of what you think about in regards to prayer will broaden and deepen.
If you can't find John Baillie's book, I would still recommend finding a devotional resource that will prompt you to think more broadly when you pray. Either way, seek sincerity and honesty in what you lift before God. If you want to challenge yourself even further, consider praying without words. Take some time to just mentally form as full an image as you possibly can of what you are praying about and lift it upto God. Picture in your mind the full outcome if your prayer were to be answered as you hope. For instance, some times when I preach I pray for the congregation in this way. I don't just imagine them sitting there and soaking in a sermon and being wonderfully connecting. Instead, I picture them at home or work applying whatever I addressed. So, if I preach on forgiveness, I hold up to God an image of people going home and calling someone they are disenfanchised with or offering an apology. If I preach about service, then I picture them moved to help someone else. You get the picture (no pun intended).
Praying in pictures has a couple effects upon you as the prayer. First, it makes you really slow down and consider practical what your prayer would mean. Second, praying in pictures usually causes me to spend much more time on individual prayers than usually. Lastly, while I can't necessarily prove or quantify it, I have a strong sense that when i do this my prayers are frankly far more effective.
Give it a try and let me know how it goes. With gratitude for any who read my blog, The Practical Disciple.
Speaking from the heart with the best honesty you can muster is the best we can hope for. If you examine the Lord's Prayer that Jesus offered, you will noticed that it is neither lengthy are overly eloquent. I always strive to choose my finest words, but trust that sincerity gives them greater weight with God than perhaps any other characteristic.
If you really want to expand your prayer vocabulary, I strongly recommend getting a book of prayers to use devotionally. A classic old favorite of mine is A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie. The book is roughly a month of morning and evening prayers with a blank opposing page for each where you can write your own prayers. I have filled out a couple of these. The language is a bit archaic, but the depth and breadth of prayer which Baillie offers is rather immense. If take mimic the content that he covers in his prayers but in your own personal style. I think you will find that the scope of what you think about in regards to prayer will broaden and deepen.
If you can't find John Baillie's book, I would still recommend finding a devotional resource that will prompt you to think more broadly when you pray. Either way, seek sincerity and honesty in what you lift before God. If you want to challenge yourself even further, consider praying without words. Take some time to just mentally form as full an image as you possibly can of what you are praying about and lift it upto God. Picture in your mind the full outcome if your prayer were to be answered as you hope. For instance, some times when I preach I pray for the congregation in this way. I don't just imagine them sitting there and soaking in a sermon and being wonderfully connecting. Instead, I picture them at home or work applying whatever I addressed. So, if I preach on forgiveness, I hold up to God an image of people going home and calling someone they are disenfanchised with or offering an apology. If I preach about service, then I picture them moved to help someone else. You get the picture (no pun intended).
Praying in pictures has a couple effects upon you as the prayer. First, it makes you really slow down and consider practical what your prayer would mean. Second, praying in pictures usually causes me to spend much more time on individual prayers than usually. Lastly, while I can't necessarily prove or quantify it, I have a strong sense that when i do this my prayers are frankly far more effective.
Give it a try and let me know how it goes. With gratitude for any who read my blog, The Practical Disciple.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Jesus and Keeping a Rhythm
P.D. Novice commented on how we find images of Jesus in the Gospels withdrawing from the crowds to be in prayer. Coincidentally, or God-incidentally as I like to call it, my wife's bible study class was examining Mark chapter 6 today and noted how Jesus withdrew from the crowds but then they would come to him and he would "look on them with pity" or some translations say "felt compassion" and he would reengage and respond to them. A really wonderful example of this is Mark 6:30-34 which reads as follows...
"The apostles gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while. (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) They went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves. The people saw them going, and many recognized them and ran there together on foot from all the cities, and got there ahead of them. When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things." (NASB version)
Jesus obviously recognized the need for basic self care as essential to good ministry. He withdrew and sometimes did so by himself. I am convinced that he didn't only do that when at a place of being so burned out or tired that he couldn't do anything else. Jesus had a practice of withdrawing and it seems that he even had at least one particular spot he would go to. In the Gospel of Luke after celebrating the Passover meal with his disciples and before being arrested we are told,
"And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed Him." Luke 22:39.
Apparently, Jesus had done this with some regularity and with the awareness of the disciples. Even God rested, so why should we think that we can avoid a rhythm of restful withdrawal in our lives.
If someone where to look at your life right now and write about it, what text would surround the words, "as was his/her custom?" Would it say, "And he came out from work very late and tried to pray just before sleeping and dozed off as was His custom." Or "And she found herself constantly in a rush while never completing her to do list as was her custom." Or "He slammed more coffee and just kept moving, but could never seem to find any peace or joy as was his custom."
What would it take for someone to write about your lif.e... "And she walked out to the garden to pray as was her custom." Or "And he awoke rested and ready to serve as was his custom." Or "And he simply sat down and took a few breaths to become centered before responding to the request as was his custom."?
Give it some thought and more importantly prayer. We can revisit this again. I look forward to folks comments. Blessing to you as you build good customs for maintaining a Godly rhythm in your life,
The Practical Disciple
"The apostles gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while. (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) They went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves. The people saw them going, and many recognized them and ran there together on foot from all the cities, and got there ahead of them. When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things." (NASB version)
Jesus obviously recognized the need for basic self care as essential to good ministry. He withdrew and sometimes did so by himself. I am convinced that he didn't only do that when at a place of being so burned out or tired that he couldn't do anything else. Jesus had a practice of withdrawing and it seems that he even had at least one particular spot he would go to. In the Gospel of Luke after celebrating the Passover meal with his disciples and before being arrested we are told,
"And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed Him." Luke 22:39.
Apparently, Jesus had done this with some regularity and with the awareness of the disciples. Even God rested, so why should we think that we can avoid a rhythm of restful withdrawal in our lives.
If someone where to look at your life right now and write about it, what text would surround the words, "as was his/her custom?" Would it say, "And he came out from work very late and tried to pray just before sleeping and dozed off as was His custom." Or "And she found herself constantly in a rush while never completing her to do list as was her custom." Or "He slammed more coffee and just kept moving, but could never seem to find any peace or joy as was his custom."
What would it take for someone to write about your lif.e... "And she walked out to the garden to pray as was her custom." Or "And he awoke rested and ready to serve as was his custom." Or "And he simply sat down and took a few breaths to become centered before responding to the request as was his custom."?
Give it some thought and more importantly prayer. We can revisit this again. I look forward to folks comments. Blessing to you as you build good customs for maintaining a Godly rhythm in your life,
The Practical Disciple
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