Year One Prospectus Spiritual Formation: Drawing Near to God
This nine month program welcomes persons who notice a desire for a deepening journey with God and to cooperate with God’s intentions for their lives.
Spiritual practices (sometimes referred to as spiritual disciplines) help us attend to the work of grace in our lives and help us consciously develop the spiritual aspects of our lives. This program focuses on developing certain life patterns, habits, and commitments in order to grow spiritually.
Themes for the Year One Kairos Class
How do we understand our story in relationship to not only the biblical story, but those who have walked the contemplative life before us? What kind of questions did they wrestle with? In our search for answers, can we gain assistance by examining and experiencing their prayer practices since they have stood the test of time?
Various prayer forms such as praying with scripture, using imagery in prayer, and the prayer of quiet receptiveness are a means of communicating with God. Practical guidelines are offered for incorporating these prayer forms into personal prayer times. These prayer practices are not only for individual enrichment but to strengthen the community. Thus, some of these prayer forms are shared within the context of the larger Kairos community.
Passages of the spiritual life focuses on the journey to wholeness. The developmental stages of life are paralleled by spiritual stages. How have past experiences contributed to the spiritual life I am seeking? How can I find wholeness in those experiences?
The desert mothers and fathers of the 4th century address our compulsions, nonstop activity, and our wordy world by showing us the value of solitude, silence, and prayer. They show us how to stand firm, to speak words of salvation, and to approach the new millennium with hope, courage, and confidence. (Henri Nouwen) The way of the heart invites us beyond having our minds filled with ideas about God to a simple being present to God.
What does God desire for my life? How do I listen for and notice God's gracious guidance in the daily decisions, big and small? How can I tune my heart closely to God so that I can find my way in complex and intense life experiences? These and other resources help retreatants explore the issue of discernment.
Recognizing that scripture has been a wellspring for the church throughout history, how can I continue to draw inspiration and instruction from it for nurturing my soul? What fresh encounter with God might I experience as I hear its words as if for the first time?
Class members are invited to prayerfully consider how their contemplative hearts will engage the world ss the nine month program concludes. What does living in our wonderful world with an ear bent to justice and a heart touching its pain look like?
All weekends include gentle rhythms of input, group interaction and faith sharing, as well as generous amounts of time for personal silence, reflection, and prayer.