major Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 Read a great quote tonight by Henri Nouwen: Without solitude it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life. We do not take the spiritual life seriously if we do not set aside some time to be with god and listen to him. Got me thinking about how little of my time is just with God listening to him. Do any of you practice solitude with God on a regular basis? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowery4 Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 I meditate. Not to into this god character though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazed and Amuzed Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 (edited) Read a great quote tonight by Henri Nouwen: Without solitude it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life. We do not take the spiritual life seriously if we do not set aside some time to be with god and listen to him. Got me thinking about how little of my time is just with God listening to him. Do any of you practice solitude with God on a regular basis? Yes, and it's helped my life immensely. Someone once told me that praying was talking to God and meditating was listening to God. My schedule is insane and it's hard to find time to sit and meditate, so I find ways to mediate during my everyday activities. Wether it be when I'm lifting, running or even when I'm training on the mat. Sometimes I can find God when I'm doing things like cooking or driving. Again, it's made a huge difference in my life over the last 3 years that I've been doing it. Just for the record, I'm not even the slightest bit religious and I don't believe God is a man in the sky judging me. I just believe in something greater than myself. Edited August 11, 2013 by Hazed and Amuzed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 Read a great quote tonight by Henri Nouwen: Without solitude it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life. We do not take the spiritual life seriously if we do not set aside some time to be with god and listen to him. Got me thinking about how little of my time is just with God listening to him. Do any of you practice solitude with God on a regular basis? I have not been taking the time, and have been paying dearly for it.........Really like what Dazed has to say, and believe pretty much as he does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Just for the record, I'm not even the slightest bit religious and I don't believe God is a man in the sky judging me. I just believe in something greater than myself. SDS? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WotAGuy Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Do any of you practice solitude with God on a regular basis? At a 12-step retreat last spring, I found out about something called the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. It is a 30-week retreat to bring us closer to God and be more spiritual. We met as a group of 8 participants every week, led by 4 prayer guides and a Jesuit priest. We were given scripture readings to pray and meditate on each day. The goal was to work up to one hour of continuous prayer/meditation each day. It took me about a month to work up to an hour each day, and even though the Exercises ended in May, I continue to do my hour of prayer and meditation each day now. I break it into 20-minute segments that I track by playing timed meditation music or nature sounds followed by a Tibetan gong sound to end the segment. The first 20 minutes is spent focusing on all the things in my life that I am grateful for - and thanking God for giving me those blessings. The second 20 minutes is reading through the Divine Office and some "Bible in One Year" websites and finding several one or two-line verses that strike me as particularly meaningful that day. The third 20 minutes is spent meditating on those passages, how they relate to me and how they can be put to use in my life. This process has done so much to improve my serenity and faith! The time spent focusing on gratitude helps keep me grounded and aware that I am not responsible for anything in my life - it all comes from a power greater than me. The time spent reading scripture has given me a daily dose of guidance that I really need in my life. And the time spent focusing on that guidance helps me to see where I am and where I'm going in life on a daily basis. I'm 54, was raised Catholic, and have practiced it almost all my life. But I have never really felt close to God, and stopped going to Mass a year or so before I started the Exercises. I need a belief in a Higher Power, who I choose to call God, and this process has given me a personal relationship with God for the first time in my life. I have found developing faith requires me to practice it on a daily basis. I do my prayer and meditation in solitude, but with a great deal of awareness and interactive thought. It's been rewarding and comforting.....a truly awesome experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boyst Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 I'm athiest. I do spend my time enjoying moments of life, both good and bad, simple and complex, thankful and angry, all things in between embracing this dash between the numbers every moment I can. I do not fret over God listening or answering my calls. I do not ask for a greater power to step in or guide me. My greatest gift is that which I can give myself. My best moments are earned, not given. If there was a God, I am pretty sure he'd be happy with the way I lead my life but he'd slap the piss out of me for just being so much better looking then him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 At a 12-step retreat last spring, I found out about something called the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. It is a 30-week retreat to bring us closer to God and be more spiritual. We met as a group of 8 participants every week, led by 4 prayer guides and a Jesuit priest. We were given scripture readings to pray and meditate on each day. The goal was to work up to one hour of continuous prayer/meditation each day. It took me about a month to work up to an hour each day, and even though the Exercises ended in May, I continue to do my hour of prayer and meditation each day now. I break it into 20-minute segments that I track by playing timed meditation music or nature sounds followed by a Tibetan gong sound to end the segment. The first 20 minutes is spent focusing on all the things in my life that I am grateful for - and thanking God for giving me those blessings. The second 20 minutes is reading through the Divine Office and some "Bible in One Year" websites and finding several one or two-line verses that strike me as particularly meaningful that day. The third 20 minutes is spent meditating on those passages, how they relate to me and how they can be put to use in my life. This process has done so much to improve my serenity and faith! The time spent focusing on gratitude helps keep me grounded and aware that I am not responsible for anything in my life - it all comes from a power greater than me. The time spent reading scripture has given me a daily dose of guidance that I really need in my life. And the time spent focusing on that guidance helps me to see where I am and where I'm going in life on a daily basis. I'm 54, was raised Catholic, and have practiced it almost all my life. But I have never really felt close to God, and stopped going to Mass a year or so before I started the Exercises. I need a belief in a Higher Power, who I choose to call God, and this process has given me a personal relationship with God for the first time in my life. I have found developing faith requires me to practice it on a daily basis. I do my prayer and meditation in solitude, but with a great deal of awareness and interactive thought. It's been rewarding and comforting.....a truly awesome experience. Very cool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chandler#81 Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 I thought I may be agnostic, but I didn't believe it.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talley56 Posted August 21, 2013 Share Posted August 21, 2013 (edited) I find it nice to have solitude with God during walks. I try to have solitude daily with God and the walks are something I have been trying to do here and there through out the summer. I would encourage anyone to give it a try. Edited August 21, 2013 by Talley56 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted August 21, 2013 Share Posted August 21, 2013 Read a great quote tonight by Henri Nouwen: Without solitude it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life. We do not take the spiritual life seriously if we do not set aside some time to be with god and listen to him. Got me thinking about how little of my time is just with God listening to him. Do any of you practice solitude with God on a regular basis? Funny you should ask... I'm a Catholic, but not a very good one...I haven't been to church in years. But one of the coolest things I ever learned (from a buddy of mine, no less) was about some of the Catholic prayers. There are times such as when the Rosary is said, or when a Catholic is given their penance following confession, where the prayers are very repetitive. Of course, as a child it always felt like a chore. But a friend of mine who is a very devout Catholic gave me another perspective. He explained that the idea was to know the prayer well enough where you can repeat it over and over almost like a mantra in Buddhism. You get to the point where you are not having to think about the words, you just know them. At that point you can sort of enter into a meditative/reflective state and really get down to business. I do this from time to time in addition to my regular prayer life, and I find it very effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 (edited) While on vacation I sat on a boulder on a beach and thought about that rock...how old it was and how all of human history is barely a tick on it's internal clock (assuming it had one.) It made me think of George Carlin who said "the Earth will shake off humanity like a dog shakes off a flea." PTR Edited August 22, 2013 by PromoTheRobot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keukasmallies Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 I think Abe Lincoln had the right idea. He said he'd join any religion that JUST believed in God. My own beliefs are either intensely personal, or that's just my excuse for not putting the time into really believing in a higher power. Not sure which. In any event, I just can't stand super religious people. Don't cross yourself more than six or even times in front of me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilsner Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Solitude with God? That's a tough question to answer. What's the definition of God? There seems to be many religions out there with varying views on what God is. Most of my friends in the new area where I've moved to are Christians. I'm open to their viewpoints and willing to listen to a certain degree. I've been an agnostic for a while. I believe in some sort of higher power but I won't follow blindly. I don't need a God for me to be confident in myself or to know I am doing the right thing. I care about people and help them and I don't need a God to aid me in that endeavor. I don't like it when people say they are God fearing. I'd rather them be more at ease and hear them say they are God loving. If God is really fair then there is no need to fear him/it if you are a good person in your own right. I think honestly if you just always try to do the right thing then you'll have a good prosperous life. If you have problems figuring out what the right thing is then well... you just have problems. The Bible has a great deal of good advice about life. I guess some people need that advice more than others, and that's ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICanSleepWhenI'mDead Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 Read a great quote tonight by Henri Nouwen: Without solitude it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life. We do not take the spiritual life seriously if we do not set aside some time to be with god and listen to him. Got me thinking about how little of my time is just with God listening to him. Do any of you practice solitude with God on a regular basis? I figure if God wants me to know something, he's powerful enough to make the message cut through the considerable background noise in my life. But then again, my God's as powerful as, what's the term I'm looking for? Oh yeah, - - - God. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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