Deep Breathing for the Soul

On Wednesday I will be teaching a class on “How to use the Bible devotionally in small groups”–part of a series for a class at Willow Creek, my home church.

I’ll be talking about listening to God through his Word, about reading for “formation” rather than just “information.”

Our culture also puts emphasis on individual reading and study. But the New Testament letters were never studied individually at the time they were written. They were read aloud to the church, in a corporate setting, and immediately discussed. What if we were to do that in our small groups?

I wonder how many small groups turn to books about Christian living, or about relationships, rather than the Bible itself. I lead a small group, and I have to admit, it’s sometimes hard to draw applications and make the ancient texts relevant.

But that’s why I said yes to teaching this class. I think study is an important foundation, but true transformation occurs when we let the text touch our hearts. So I’m excited about not only sharing this with the leaders who will gather for the class, I’m inspired to put it into practice in my own group. The class will be available on-line after I teach it, I’ll post the link.

Are you in a small group? Do you study the Bible, or another book? Would you say your approach is more analytical, or devotional?

My monthly For Your Soul column is up on the Today’s Children’s Ministry website.

Click here to read “Never Stop Growing”

Let me know what you think of it by leaving a comment here.

I love finding great quotes—thought provoking, interesting nuggets, wise and concise. I’ll often underline and flag them in books, or just find them in random spots—perhaps even in collections of quotations.

            Lately, I’ve been getting some flak for quoting certain authors. My critics make a completely illogical leap: they assume that because I quote someone, I am giving blanket endorsement to everything else that person has ever said or written.

            It’s possible that I don’t even know what else the person I’m quoting has written! When I quote someone, I’m not saying I agree with them on everything. I may not even agree with what they say in that quote—I’m merely saying it’s an interesting thought.

            I assume that you, my dear readers, have enough discernment to know that. I know that you may not agree with everything I write here, and I wouldn’t want you to. I want this blog to be a place where we can share and discuss ideas, think about how to apply our faith to our lives.

            That said, let’s share some of our favorite quotes. What wise words do you have taped to the mirror or wall? After we get a few comments I’ll share a few of mine.

            Side note: The Christianity Today “Gifted for Leadership” blog is running part two of my article “the Rested Leader” now. Click here to read part one, and part two.

            Also, author Judith Couchman (who was a mentor and encourager to me when I first started writing books) is featuring my newsletter article on her new “Starting Over” blog. Please go over and leave a comment!

We are living in times more financially difficult than anyone under the age of 70 or so can probably remember. It seems every week we hear about another company going out of business or laying off thousands of workers. Upwards of 25 percent of U.S. homeowners are “upside down” on their mortgages—meaning they owe more than the house is worth. Our lives feel uncertain. Anxiety has become normal.

Ordinarily, I’m an optimist…. (Read more)

(Today’s post is from the February issue of Connecting with Keri Wyatt Kent. You can subscribe for free on my website)

Do you ever feel your creativity is “blocked”? That you are not reaching your full potential? That it’s been so long since you pursued your dreams that you aren’t really sure what your dreams are anymore?

 If you aspire to be a writer or any other kind of artist, or if you want to take that creative endeavor to the next level, I recommend Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way. (Caution—it’s a little artsy and pop psychology-ish. If that sort of thing bothers you, don’t read it. Your loss).
 One of the “tools” she recommends for unblocking your creativity is the artist date. Cameron writes: “An artist date is a block of time, perhaps two hours weekly, especially set aside and committed to nurturing your creative consciousness, your inner artist. In its most primary form, the artist date is an excursion, a play date that you preplan and defend against all interlopers. You do not take anyone on this artist date but you and your inner artist, a.k.a. your creative child.”
 I’ve made a habit of taking time for “artist dates” pretty regularly for the past several years. I’ve gone various places, but I always try to find something beautiful to look at on my excursion. This is no small challenge in Chicago in winter.

 Today, though, God gave Chicago a 65 degree day, smack in the middle of February. For me, that’s like a hand-engraved education to set aside my work and take my inner artist to lunch.
 I took more than just two hours—since it had been a few weeks since I’d done this, I figured I had the time coming to me. I drove to the Cumberland Ave. CTA station and took the el into the city.
 I got off at Damen and had lunch at Penny’s Noodles, a cute little Thai/Vietnamese fusion place with two walls of windows, that look out at the el tracks, an old building, and plenty of people walking by. I’d seen the restaurant on-line and wanted to check it out. It was great, inexpensive and very cool.

 After lunch I took a walk down Milwaukee Avenue, window shopping at eclectic thrift shops. I saw a used bookstore I want to go back to explore on a subsequent artist date.
 I jumped back on the el, and took it to the Loop. On the train and during lunch, I read, journaled. I watched the people, let my mind make up stories about them. When I wasn’t thinking about it, I got some ideas for future projects, so I just took notes on what my inner artist had to say.
 Downtown, I walked around the Loop, watching people, making my way over to Michigan Avenue. I went to the Art Institute for a little while, chose not to go look at the Monet room again—I’ve been there too many times. I wandered a different direction and saw a painting I’d never noticed before. I sat and looked at it for quite a while. After about 40 minutes in the museum (I saw only a few paintings), I wanted to get back out in the sunshine.

looking north up Michigan Ave. from Art Institute steps

 I strolled up Michigan Avenue to Millennium Park, where the ice rink was still open—although perhaps a bit slushy. While it’s not as beautiful in winter, there were a lot of people out walking, students sitting on benches studying, winter-weary Chicagoans just blinking at the unexpected sunshine and warmth. Piles of snow, defeated but still lying there, provided odd contrast to people in shirt sleeves (and one brave soul in shorts).

Millennium Park ice rink

 I took photos, sat in the sunshine and wrote in my journal, drank in the vibrant beauty and energy of the city.
 I walked back to the el station and caught a train back to the burbs. And that was it. But it is amazing how wandering the city (and on other days, walking in the woods) can revive my soul, and boost my creative energy.
 You can do an artist date anywhere—the city, the country, the woods. Poke around an antique shop, visit a gallery or museum. Expose yourself to beauty, but do it alone (even alone in a crowd). Learn to enjoy the solitude.
 Self-care, soul care, is not a luxury. It is a necessity, especially if you want to be a writer. My excursion was not expensive—the el is cheap, as is Vietnamese food. I have a membership at the Art Institute, but even if you don’t—it’s free the whole month of February so you have no excuse not to visit if you live anywhere near Chicago.
 Even if you are not a writer or artist, it will not hurt you to get unblocked creatively. Any job we do, from mothering to management, we can do better if we let our creativity flow.

Question: What do you do to nurture your soul, to fuel your creativity? have you ever tried an artist date? What happened?

In the past month, I’ve presented nine talks, in three states, been interviewed on six radio programs and one television show. I’ve put about 650 miles on the mini-van, traveling through the snow to speaking gigs and interviews. This is what happens in the month a book comes out—my focus tends to be on launching that book well. I’ve also been furiously working on another book, and two magazine articles. As a result, I have sometimes used this blog to update you on blog tours, events, and so on. My more reflective posts have been rarer this month.

        I got a comment today that called me to task about this. As tempted as I was to not approve the comment, which began, “Keri in all honesty I think you should re name your blog,” I thought it might start an interesting discussion.

               This dear reader accused me of using the blog simply to sell my books (even though you can’t buy the books anywhere on my website). (you can read her whole comment here). She signed her note “A sister in Christ,” and threw in a bible verse to boot.

               Why do people think that they can be mean, as long as they paper it with Scripture and claims of sisterhood?

               Here’s the deal: my blog is a way for me to keep in touch with readers. It is a place where I can share what I’m thinking about, and what God is up to in my life. It’s a place people who have not read my books to learn about them. And this month, my life has been about launching a book that I believe has an important message. But for those of you that agree with this reader, you can expect a return to the more contemplative topics very soon. I’ll take the grain of truth in her note, but I wish she could have found a kinder way to express her concerns.

               Blogging and writing books puts you at risk for criticism, I know. But thankfully, the positive comments usually outnumber the harsh ones. Yesterday, for example, I got an e-mail from another person. She also began with “Can I be honest?” and ended with “You sis in Christ.”

               Thankfully, this letter, from a pastor named Lisa, was the exact opposite of the blog comment.  (although it didn’t seem that way when I read the first line)

            She wrote:

               “Keri, can I be honest? When I first read your works about a Sabbath day I thought you were crazy. How in the world do you have a true Sabbath day I thought? There’s so much to do and even after ministering on Sunday, I’d come home and do laundry because it needed to be done. But after an illness and hospital stay I’ve learned that running at warp speed all the time is not a good thing. Rest is mandatory. This has opened up a whole new way of living for me. I now choose to walk in the joy and peace He promised. And I’m learning how to rest. Yes laundry still needs to be done but I’m not neglecting my well-being and time alone with Him to do it!

               “I discovered your book about a year and a half ago and am just now realizing and living a life of rest and peace. I fall sometimes but I’m adamant about this new way of being.

               “I don’t think you’re crazy anymore!

               Your sis in Christ,

               Pastor Lisa A.”

Which of these readers do you agree with or relate to most? Let’s talk about it!