Notes from Kentucky

Son Ray with his children Kendal holding Barron
Olaf, Jordan holding Bella Rose.


I’ve always thought of spiritual disciplines as the development of a Christ-like character growth - an imploring of the Creator to do a work in me that was dreadfully needed, not accomplishable by my own strength.

Dallas Willard adds a spiritual discipline dimension in “Rejuvenation of the Heart” that is inspiring. A major role of spiritual disciplines is to cause the duplicity and malice to surface and be dealt with. Disciplines of solitude, fasting, worship and service make room for the Word and the Spirit to work in us, and to permit destructive feelings - feelings that are easily veiled by standard practices and circumstances and by long accepted rationalizations- to be perceived and dealt with for what they are: our will and not God’s will

Those feelings are normally clothed in layer upon layer of habitual self-deception and rationalization. Typically they will have enslaved the will, and it in turn coerced the mind to conceal or rationalize what is really going on.

For example, it was during solitude that I was confronted with a depth of selfishness with which I was unaware. “Buy an RV, take a year to travel to be with your kids and grandkids. Focus your energies on building relationships with extended family - especially with grandkids. A Grandparenting Ministry.

My initial response: “Hey that will take me out of my comfort zone. More stress means more Parkinson’s fallout. That also means giving up my weekly band of brothers - leaving my church and friends. Leaving my comfortable home. My shop where I create wonderful wood things. And my Solstice convertible. And besides I was never grandparented. Why do I need to be inconvenienced. They will do just fine without me.”

Can you believe that came out of me?
Ya shore. You betcha! Guilty as charged. Duplicity exposed. A benefit of the spiritual discipline of solitude.