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

  1. I do this consistently.
  2. I do this inconsistently but want to do it consistently.
  3. I do this rarely (or not at all) but want to do it consistently.
  4. 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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