Practicing spiritual disciplines on the Interstate, perhaps

In my Formation and Mission class we have formed small groups to be apart of to complete 4 projects throughout the semester. This is something completely different than anything I've been involved in before as far as group work in a class setting is concerned. It is very refreshing to be involved in this kind of context with my classmates. This is what community is all about and it is so important, even the field of seminary study. It is so encouraging to know that we will be praying for one another and checking in on eachothers lives throughout the semester. We are all coming from various backgrounds and stages in life and ministry so we all come with a different perspective. One of my groupmates, who is a youth pastor at a Korean church, his wife just had a baby last Monday night so he wasn't in class. He shared the excitement that he is feeling at this time but I was just amazed at the things that are on his plate outside of the classroom.

Our first project that our small group is to work on is that of Spiritual Disciplines. We had to come up with 2 disciplines that we as a group could work on to implement in our lives and practice them for 4 weeks and then come together to debrief our experience. The disciplines that we chose to practice are: simplicity and solitude. Fleshing out our disciplines are going to look a little different for each person but we basically are focusing on using money that we would spend to rent a movie, or a coffee at Starbucks, or whatever, and using that to bless or give to somebody else who is of need. We also are going to go through our closests to basically clean house of those nice shirts and slacks that we wear but once or twice a year, and then give away to somebody else. Solitude is going to look a little different as well but the purpose of it is to connect and listen to the heart of God, which then will spring up in us a compassion and desire to serve in the area of simplicity. I can already see my time sitting in traffic on I-76 or I-476 as a great way to sit quietly and focus on the Lord!!!! (Lord, I need your grace).

Though these disciplines are being done for an assignment, it is my prayer that the Lord will use this to instill these disciplines in my life as a daily adventure. I would invoke your prayers in this endeavor and maybe you can take on a discipline or two also.