Theological Journal – November 9 Andy Crouch: A Spiritual Examen
Some pertinent questions we might usefully employ in matters private and personal/interpersonal.
Spiritual Practices: An
Examen
- I do this
consistently.
- I do this
inconsistently but want to do it consistently.
- I do this
rarely (or not at all) but want to do it consistently.
- I do not believe
this is appropriate for me.
Place a
1,2,3, or 4 in the blank space after each item.
Private
Solitude,
Silence, Fasting
- I am alone
(without interactive devices) for at least (a) an hour once a week or (b)
this frequency: _____________.
- I am silent
(without interactive devices, or reading or writing material) for at least
(a) an hour once a week or (b) this frequency: _____________.
- I fast
(abstain from food, with modifications for health as appropriate) for at
least one mealtime at least (a) once a week or (b) this frequency:
________.
Physical
Exercise
- I train for
strength and endurance, with modifications for health as appropriate, at
least three times a week.
- I get
physical exercise for at least thirty minutes every day.
Sabbath
- I begin and
end the day free of devices and notifications.
- I do no work
one day a week, and make the same possible for others in my sphere of
influence.
- I have a
regular annual extended absence from email and other work correspondence.
- I have a
plan for extended (at least three-month) sabbaticals where I do no paid
work.
Personal/Interpersonal
Friendship
- I maintain
meaningful friendships with people (family and/or friends) who have known
me since adolescence or early adulthood.
- I have
friends with whom there is an explicit commitment to maintain our
friendship until we are parted by death or incapacity.
Accountability
- There is
someone to whom I am accountable for my income and pattern of spending,
saving, and giving.
- There is
someone who regularly helps me evaluate my travel, decisions about
invitations to public events, and overall work patterns.
- There is
someone (in addition to a spouse) who knows the details of those
friendships and working relationships that could pose a temptation to
inappropriate intimacy.
Prayer
Support
- There is an
identified group of people with spiritual maturity whom I can contact for
prayer at urgent moments.
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