Vineyard Covington

Jesus invites us to come be with him so we can learn to live a life of love. Abiding practices train us in a posture of receiving and expressing his love to the people around us. We can’t give away what we haven’t received.

Which aspects of abiding have stuck with you the most? Where do you need to focus on practicing right now? Keep going to find sustainable, healthy rhythms because this part of our way of life following Jesus together.

Sabbath should be a day we look forward to all week and get filled with energy for the week to come. It's a day set apart for rest and worship. The Hebrew word shabbat means "to stop" but can also be translated "to delight." It takes some time thinking and planning to figure this out and find a rhythm, but it is absolutely worth it. Keep practicing, have patience and give yourself grace establishing this for whatever season of life you're in right now.

This week, stop working and delight in the wonder of life and creation with God. Think it through in advance. What are the things that fill you with joy and restore your soul? Do them! Guilt free.

We were created to do meaningful work and be fruitful, but we weren't meant to become slaves to work and productivity. Our world of hurry never stops, but we can develop a counter-habit of stopping each week to rest in the goodness of God's creation together.

Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word, Shabbat, which means "to stop." 

This week set aside a day or specific time to stop working, unplug and enjoy rest with God and community. Try starting with a meal to kickoff Sabbath. Light a candle, say a prayer, bless your kids or friends and pour some wine!

There’s a way of reading the Bible for relationship rather than information. We can encounter the living God through his word and allow ourselves to be formed through it. Remember we’re practicing abiding in the love of Jesus — that means relational connection and intimacy, not just gathering facts. Let's practice slowing down as we read to become steeped in the word drawing out the full flavor of God in us.

This week, practice meditating on a passage of scripture to encounter the goodness of God. 

Check out the Lectio 365 app as a helpful tool in this practice:

Apple - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/lectio-...​

Android - https://play.google.com/store/apps/de...

Fasting is emptying ourselves of the things we crave and replacing them with more of Jesus. It's designed to reveal our dependence and remind us that we are apprenticing to Jesus with our whole selves, including our bodies. In these practices we’re cutting things out to create more room for God to fill and meet us in a deeper way.

This week we're fasting together! Pick a day or other length of time, and choose a meal, specific food or something else to cut out as we fast (and pray).

Remember, fasting without prayer is just a diet, so allow this practice and those feelings of hunger to turn you to God in prayer as we continue abiding.

What do I do now that I’m quiet? It’s not just about creating a vibe; we really want to engage with God. Centering prayer is an intentional way to develop an inner reflex of turning our attention back to God over and over again. We learn to pray not just from our heads but our hearts and experience a deeper way of knowing God.

THIS WEEK: Practice centering prayer with us. Choose a word to center you on God, set a timer for 5-10 minutes (or more), and just be still with God. As thoughts pop up let them go by, say your word, and return to the center with God.

Big thanks to Dan Henry for joining us for this conversation! Learn more about him at www.pilgrimheart.io.

Getting quiet and alone with God helps us turn our attention to the father’s voice of truth and love. In that space our hearts are open and we face the fears and lies that can so often control us.

Keep practicing silence & solitude with us this week! Find a time and place to turn off the external noises and tend to your heart and mind with God.

You need a break from the constant noise and chaos of this world.

We're practicing a rhythm that creates space to silence the other voices so we can clarify and turn up the volume on the loving voice of the father in our lives.

This week be intentional about creating space to turn off the noise and withdraw from other voices to connect with God. It's simple, but not easy!

Put your phone in another room, find a quiet place, or maybe get outside for a walk. And then just be present to God and to yourself. No agenda. What do you hear? What do you feel?

Jesus invites us to learn a new way of living life with him, in constant connection with his love for us. That's where all the good fruit comes from, but it's easy to miss, get distracted, and move on.

What are the ways you make space for staying connected to Jesus?

What are the ways throughout your days where you find yourself wandering off from the love of God?

***Thanks to the amazing Jon Pauly for creating this hopeful song!

When I look at you I see...

As we go about a life of mission with Jesus, the Holy Spirit often gives us words for people that reveal the heart of God for them and how the Father sees who they really are. Sharing these encouraging words and calling out the gold we see in others can lead to powerful moments of encounter with Jesus.

This week pray for the people in your life who don’t yet have relationship with Jesus, and ask the Father to give you something encouraging to share with them. An easy prompt to get you started is, “When I look at you I see…”.