Five More Things We Can Learn From A Monastery

As promised I continue what I began in yesterday's blog with "Five More Things We Can Learn From A Monastery", excerpted from Chapter 5 of Randy Harris' book, Soul Work: Confessions of  a Part-Time Monk (Leafwood Press, Abilene, TX, 2011). These chapters are based on a book called Finding Sanctuary, written by the abbot of a monastery.

In the words of Randy Harris:

"(The book) argues for getting a saner life by adopting monastic values. I want to offer ten monastic values that you don't have to go to a monastery to practice, that will help bring a sanity and sanctuary to our lives."

Here are the second five of those values, along with excerpts from Randy Harris' book. We will discuss these values over the next two Sundays in the Ocheltree Shepherding Group.

6. Fearless Hope: "Optimism depends on human beings and hope depends on God.
     "One of the things I notice in all the churches I go to is that Christian leaders have become deeply afraid. They're making decisions out of fear instead of hope. It's as if they've forgotten whose side God is on. Hope creates fearlessness in us, giving us leverage on the most difficult times in our lives when the powers of darkness seem to have won. We know that God will now allow that outrage to stand.
     "Many of you have seen books describing what young outsiders think about Christians. It is unfortunate that one of the words that doesn't quickly come to their minds is the word "hope." Whatever else you think about Christians, they should be the most hopeful people in the world." (pp. 66,67)

7.  Liberating Simplicity: "I have one suggestion for simplifying our lives. Two words: do something. That's all I want to suggest. You choose, but just do some little something to simplify your life. I'm absolutely convinced that I could get rid of twenty percent of my stuff with absolutely no sacrifice. I wouldn't even notice most of it is gone except I'm not stepping over it anymore. How do you get rid of that much stuff without even starting to make a sacrifice? That would improve my life." (p. 70)

8. Committed Stability: "One of the things that's impressive about the monastic life is how it has been able to sustain itself over time. But one of the things that we experience in the twenty-first century is a lack of stability, that is, things change so rapidly that it's hard for us to feel as if anything is stable in our lives. One of the better ways to experience stability is to make commitments over the long haul. It seems to me that we have cultivated an ADD culture. We don't have the ability to focus or concentrate on anything for any great length of time." (p. 71)

9. Healthy Balance: "We're trying to make an appeal to the world for the kingdom of God and I think the world would often say to us, 'Why would I want to trade in my sort of craziness for yours? I don't see much difference. You're as driven and as unbalanced and as crazy as I am. It's just I go to the club and you go to church.' So maybe it's time for us to try to find that balance in our lives, to believe that there is plenty of time to do everything God has called us to do." (p. 74)

10. Welcoming Hospitality: "I've been thinking about the way Jesus had of welcoming everybody into his presence. Little children and sinners and prostitutes and the poor and Nicodemus would run to Jesus. He seemed to have this way of creating space for everybody, making them feel welcome in his presence, and I can only figure out one way he did that. They were welcome in his presence. You can't fake this. You either want people there or they'll know you don't. (p. 78)

--Posted by Mama O.