Ministry Musings: Discernment–Intro

I wrote the book Talking in the Dark: Praying When Life Doesn’t Make Sense, precisely to address the place of prayer when we inevitably confront the mysteries, challenges, and inequities of life.

Doing so, led me to consider the role of prayer “in the light”—the place and practice of prayer when we are living through our ordinary routines and our regular practices.  In that regard, I believe the relationship between prayer and discernment is obvious and important.

How do we go about finding and following God’s will?  That’s not just a question for times of darkness, but also for times of light—for the times when we are simply called to proceed as usual.  But proceed how?  Prayer is both about “talking in the dark” and also about “walking in the light.”  Discernment addresses the second dimension, and it will be the focus of this weekly posting for a while to come.

If you think this will be of interest to others, now is a good time to invite them on the Oboedire journey—at least the step we’ll be taking each Thursday for a while.

I also welcome some folks who explored Discernment with me at the recent Upper Room Academy of Spiritual Formation in Florida.  You have helped me to give shape and substance to these upcoming weekly posts.  Thank you.  I invite you to revisit with me some of the things we talked about the week we were together, and I know that in doing so we will move beyond the Academy seminar into new areas as well.

That’s what the weekly “Ministry Musings” is about—an opportunity for some folks to dig deeper after an actual ministry time we’ve shared, and the opportunity for the rest of the Oboedire family to explore something important relative to Spiritual Formation.  Discernment is surely one of them.

To everyone—welcome aboard!