Supporting the Podcast and Enhancing Community Engagement

Episode 019 – How Abiding is Possible

Jesus told us to live connected to the vine. We often refer to that as the Abiding Life. If you grew up in the churh you probably heard about that a lot.

Well, I wonder… Do you have an ongoing sense of Jesus’ presence in your life? Do you even believe that’s possible? Would you think I’m crazy if I suggest that we really can have a persistent sense of the Divine in our lives?

And what if I suggested this had to do with your mental habits?

Show Notes

Show notes will not be a transcript. At least not now. You’ll find a few key bullet points, any scriptures references, as well as any other books or resources referenced.

• This is Episode 1 of the Anchor Prayer series.
• The anchor we need to hold us steady in a chaotic world is abiding in Christ. But what does that even mean?
  • Jesus taught this principle in the Upper Room in John 15.
  • Theology (intellectual ideas) is not enough to provide us with a solid anchor in a chaotic life.
  • Trying to force ourselves to think about God a lot is also not a good enough anchor to keep us steady.
• The key to abiding has to do with our mental habits. Mental habits are patterns of thought and emotion that we have practices over and over. As a result, they become easier, more natural, even second nature.
• We often practice a kind of mental liturgy when we worry. Repeating our worries over and over, we focus our minds on those worrying concerns, and they grow larger in our mental experience. This is almost like a prayer, only the focus is our worries rather than God.
• The more often we engage in this “liturgy” the easier it becomes for us.
• If we are going to really experience abiding in Christ, we are going to need different mental habits.

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