I have a confession to make. I don't do daily devotions. You know, those little booklet thingies with a short bible passage, a shorter message, & a brief prayer like Our Daily Bread or... I dunno. I don't do them. Not ever. They drive me to distraction.Now if they're your thing, that's great. Terrific. Be blessed & all that but they aren't mine & it's a problem. Christians are always offering me these things. Do you read...? Oh but you must. I have a spare...
And sometimes, to keep the peace & get these lovely, well meaning people off my back I take the thing hoping that they never check because I bin the thing as soon as they're out of sight.
Mostly there's this slightly shocked expression when I refuse that gets bewildered as I gently try to explain I don't read them. The wheels in their brains go round & round & I can almost hear the But..but you're a pastor...But you teach...but...yep, but I don't read daily devotionals.
I used to homeschool, you know. It is a very useful thing for a preacher. It teaches you about how you learn best. It teaches you that the way you learn may not be how someone else learns so I know things about me & the way I learn best.
I know I'm a big picture thinker. I know I'm visual ... non~sequential...language orientated...complex & so when I study I don't look for a quick 2 minute time filler. I start opening windows on my computer: Mounce's interlineal; Biblehub; biblegateway; Hebrew roots...I may, depending on my topic, listen to or read others opinions & interpretations. I consult with the Holy Spirit. I am liable to think about my topic on & off all week. I get excited & when I get excited enough I have a sermon.
Now, no~one in the congregation wants to wade through the bru~ha~ha with me. That's what they have me for. Equally, I can't afford to expend my time & energy on milk~sop because that's what I would dish up & that's not a healthy diet. Not everyone is going to get everything all the time ~ but that's ok.
The thing is, my brain works in a certain way. It has been trained in a certain way. Now I am at that time of life when it is much harder to change the habits of a lifetime. When I feed I feed deep. I gorge myself. I coalesce way more information than I can possibly use but it's there & I know it's there. Then, like a sated bear, I hibernate.
And at some point [just ask my kids] someone will ask the pertinent question & all that information will erupt. Which doesn't happen with those daily devotional things. So now you know. Love them & keep them but please, don't pass them along to me!
I try to keep consistent with daily devotionals with the Princess when we are homeschooling, because it sets the mood of the day and I prefer teenager compliance to teenager defiance when it comes to assignments and chores.
ReplyDeleteI like everything Dallas Willard ever put effort into so we have been going through one he put together called Hearing God Through the Year. What I like about Willard's writings, even these short ones, is that he does pull in you to dig deeply and grow in discipleship. I tried My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers several times throughout the years, but I always would end up feeling completely unworthy and in tears, which kind of defeated the purpose of growing closer to my Lord. However, most of the ones we have have tried are just as you say, milk for the babies, and not worth the time for me either.
I don't know Dallas Willard so can't comment. I think we tried scripture union notes for a while but I am much more likely to hear the Spirit say:*Read 2nd Kings* out of the blue than to
ReplyDeleteget anything at all from notes. PS: still working through 2nd Kings. ☺
You are missing out with Dallas Willard. One of my clients, many years ago, was testing my responses to his questions (to see if I REALLY was a Christian, I guess) and he told me that I have mostly the same thoughts as Dallas Willard and that I should read his books. Professor Willard passed away not that long ago, but I loved his writings right off. Although I must say he wrote on a college reading level. "Divine Conspiracy" is one of the books that I have to read one small section at a time and have time to really think it over, plus I usually have to look up the definition of a few words now and then, but then I love to be stretched spiritually and intellectually when I read such in depth writings.
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