{"id":5593,"date":"2019-08-05T10:47:17","date_gmt":"2019-08-05T18:47:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?p=5593"},"modified":"2019-08-05T10:56:23","modified_gmt":"2019-08-05T18:56:23","slug":"celebration-of-discipline-solitude-preface","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2019\/08\/05\/celebration-of-discipline-solitude-preface","title":{"rendered":"Celebration of Discipline: Solitude & Preface"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Blog read\u00aders: Chi Alpha @ Stan\u00adford is engag\u00ading in our annu\u00adal sum\u00admer read\u00ading project. As we read through Cel\u00ade\u00adbra\u00adtion of Dis\u00adci\u00adpline by Richard Fos\u00adter, I\u2019ll post my thoughts here (which will large\u00adly con\u00adsist of excerpts I found insight\u00adful). They are all tagged <\/em>summer\u2010reading\u2010project\u20102019<\/em><\/a>. The sched\u00adule is <\/em>online<\/em><\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this chap\u00adter, Fos\u00adter invites us to the spir\u00adi\u00adtu\u00adal dis\u00adci\u00adpline of soli\u00adtude: peri\u00adods of phys\u00adi\u00adcal iso\u00adla\u00adtion which make us into peo\u00adple who are con\u00adtent regard\u00adless of the judg\u00adments of oth\u00aders. It is close\u00adly relat\u00aded to remain\u00ading silent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"book<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne rea\u00adson we can hard\u00adly bear to remain silent is that it makes us feel so help\u00adless. We are so accus\u00adtomed to rely\u00ading upon words to man\u00adage and con\u00adtrol oth\u00aders. If we are silent, who will take con\u00adtrol? God will take con\u00adtrol, but we will nev\u00ader let him take con\u00adtrol until we trust him. Silence is inti\u00admate\u00adly relat\u00aded to trust. The tongue is our most pow\u00ader\u00adful weapon of manip\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion. A fran\u00adtic stream of words flows from us because we are in a con\u00adstant process of adjust\u00ading our pub\u00adlic image. We fear so deeply what we think oth\u00ader peo\u00adple see in us that we talk in order to straight\u00aden out their under\u00adstand\u00ading.\u201d<\/p>Richard Fos\u00adter, Cel\u00ade\u00adbra\u00adtion of Dis\u00adci\u00adpline, pages 100\u2013101<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

There are relat\u00aded com\u00adments in the chap\u00adter on study:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we will observe the rela\u00adtion\u00adships that go on between human beings, we will receive a grad\u00adu\u00adate-lev\u00adel edu\u00adca\u00adtion. Watch, for exam\u00adple, how much of our speech is aimed at jus\u00adti\u00adfy\u00ading our actions. We find it almost impos\u00adsi\u00adble to act and allow the act to speak for itself. No, we must explain it, jus\u00adti\u00adfy it, demon\u00adstrate the right\u00adness of it. Why do we feel this com\u00adpul\u00adsion to set the record straight? Because of pride and fear, because our rep\u00adu\u00adta\u00adtions are at stake!\u201d<\/p>Richard Fos\u00adter, Cel\u00ade\u00adbra\u00adtion of Dis\u00adci\u00adpline, page 74<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

When I was in col\u00adlege some\u00adone asked what per\u00adcent\u00adage of my words were devot\u00aded to influ\u00adenc\u00ading how oth\u00aders thought about me. The ques\u00adtion gripped me, and so I tried to keep track for a few days. Every time I said some\u00adthing I asked myself whether or not I had said it most\u00adly to make oth\u00ader peo\u00adple think bet\u00adter of me. The results were shock\u00ading \u2014 it was a HUGE per\u00adcent\u00adage of my con\u00adver\u00adsa\u00adtions. I resolved to strike any\u00adthing from my speech whose pri\u00adma\u00adry pur\u00adpose was either to impress oth\u00aders or to cor\u00adrect a pos\u00adsi\u00adble mis\u00adin\u00adter\u00adpre\u00adta\u00adtion of my motives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In ret\u00adro\u00adspect, I often went too far and made things awk\u00adward for every\u00adone else. Pur\u00adsu\u00ading soli\u00adtude and silence is not an excuse for being rude. We are com\u00admand\u00aded to love God and peo\u00adple, so if your spir\u00adi\u00adtu\u00adal prac\u00adtices make you act in less lov\u00ading ways then you\u2019re doing them wrong. You will like\u00adly make mis\u00adtakes as you exper\u00adi\u00adment in this area. Don\u2019t beat your\u00adself up over them, just apol\u00ado\u00adgize and recal\u00adi\u00adbrate as nec\u00ades\u00adsary. If you resolve not to speak for a day and some\u00adone asks you for direc\u00adtions, give them any\u00adway. If you decide to spend the next Sat\u00adur\u00adday in soli\u00adtude and an elder\u00adly neigh\u00adbor asks you to help them move some stuff, resched\u00adule your soli\u00adtude. If you want to avoid jus\u00adti\u00adfy\u00ading your\u00adself but some\u00adone asks you a point-blank ques\u00adtion about your motives, answer hon\u00adest\u00adly and sim\u00adply. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, don\u2019t make your plans in this area vows to the Lord. Vows to God are potent things and should be made rarely, yet I often speak with stu\u00addents who have made a promise to God to do (or not do) some\u00adthing. In almost all cas\u00ades the vow was an unnec\u00ades\u00adsary add-on meant to give their plan more oomph, and now they are in dan\u00adger of break\u00ading a vow to God. If you are con\u00adsid\u00ader\u00ading mak\u00ading a vow, first med\u00adi\u00adtate on Eccle\u00adsi\u00adastes 5:4\u20136, Deuteron\u00ado\u00admy 23:21\u201323, Matthew 5:33\u201337, and James 5:12.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My per\u00adson\u00adal prac\u00adtice of soli\u00adtude cur\u00adrent\u00adly looks like this. When I wake in the morn\u00ading I come down\u00adstairs and put my phone where I can\u00adnot eas\u00adi\u00adly get to it. I pre\u00adpare my break\u00adfast and begin read\u00ading a spir\u00adi\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly ben\u00ade\u00adfi\u00adcial book. After a bit (usu\u00adal\u00adly a few chap\u00adters), I boot up my lap\u00adtop, open a word proces\u00adsor, and write some\u00adthing that will be help\u00adful to oth\u00aders. I don\u2019t check my email or any social media while I\u2019m doing this. Once I\u2019ve writ\u00adten enough, I retrieve my phone to check for any text mes\u00adsages that may have come in overnight and also open my brows\u00ader to check my email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My habit is sim\u00adi\u00adlar to the thir\u00adty-minute absten\u00adtion from tech\u00adnol\u00ado\u00adgy Fos\u00adter describes in the pref\u00adace. His pre\u00adscrip\u00adtion reminds me of an old-school say\u00ading: \u201cNo Bible, no break\u00adfast.\u201d In oth\u00ader words, we must remem\u00adber to nour\u00adish our spir\u00adi\u00adtu\u00adal life before we nour\u00adish our phys\u00adi\u00adcal life. Per\u00adhaps a mod\u00adern par\u00adal\u00adlel is \u201cNo Spir\u00adit, no screens.\u201d Don\u2019t check your email until you\u2019ve checked in with God. Leave your text mes\u00adsages unread until you\u2019ve read the Word. This is not an absolute rule, for there are sea\u00adsons of life when it might be unwise or even wicked to cut your\u00adself off from com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adtion. Are you a sur\u00adgeon on call? Turn your ringer up to max vol\u00adume!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you do engage in a dai\u00adly prac\u00adtice of soli\u00adtude you will even\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly find your\u00adself want\u00adi\u00adng some\u00adthing more. Remem\u00adber that you can always dri\u00adve over to Fast\u00ading Prayer Moun\u00adtain of the World for a per\u00adson\u00adal day-long (or even overnight) retreat. More info at https:\/\/www.fpmw-sv.com\/about-us<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Blog read\u00aders: Chi Alpha @ Stan\u00adford is engag\u00ading in our annu\u00adal sum\u00admer read\u00ading project. As we read through Cel\u00ade\u00adbra\u00adtion of Dis\u00adci\u00adpline by Richard Fos\u00adter, I\u2019ll post my thoughts here (which will large\u00adly con\u00adsist of excerpts I found insight\u00adful). They are all tagged summer\u2010reading\u2010project\u20102019. The sched\u00adule is online. In this chap\u00adter, Fos\u00adter invites us to the \u2026 Con\u00adtin\u00adue read\u00ading \u201cCel\u00ade\u00adbra\u00adtion of Dis\u00adci\u00adpline: Soli\u00adtude & Pref\u00adace\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Some thoughts inspired by Celebration of Discipline's chapter on solitude.","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[8],"tags":[264,263],"class_list":["post-5593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-resources-reviews","tag-celebration-of-discipline","tag-summer-reading-project-2019"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Ded-1sd","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5593"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5593\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5603,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5593\/revisions\/5603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}