Great article Daniel! The part that demonstrated that you have your head in the right place: "I'm going to spend this next week focusing on prayer, meditation, making sure my home-life and work-life are in proper order" - Peco and I find this essential and will also dial back this month to ensure that we actually live what we write about.
Thank you, Ruth! As I take the week off from writing I do plan on reading your most recent long form essay! I’m excited to dig into that. And yes it is so necessary to pull back at times. This essay in particular was very challenging. I’m not sure if it was because the topic of prayer is just so vast and daunting or if I’m just a tired man with a family and a job, but I definitely need some rest. And perhaps preparation as the next topic, fasting, is also daunting. But I’m so excited about it. I am loving the dive Into these disciplines.
Prayer is being in communication with God. When you love someone, you want to talk to them nonstop, and get to know them. It makes then for us to pray, in order to grow in love of God.
I'm glad you're seeing the fruit of your prayer, that's such a great consolation. What I have been trying to do lately is to come up with a resolution at the end of my prayer. A small actionable with a timeframe. I.e., today I will call that friend I haven't talked to in a while.
This is good stuff, Daniel! Let's keep each other in prayer!
Just wanting to let you know I have not forgotten about these links or the conversation I plan on picking up on the integration of the mind, body, and spirit. I’m going to do my best to read these articles soon and hopefully we can have a fruitful discussion about this topic!
This is absolutely wonderful Daniel. As "twinning" usually goes, I too have been focusing on prayer and taking actionable steps. I've started a routine of waking up before the girls (usually 4 a.m.) and spending time in scripture, prayer, and physical exercise. This is nothing short of tremendous.
On the prayer side, I've been repeating the Lord's Prayer and the Jesus prayer at the beginning of my "prayer sessions" for some time now and they've truly been great for reining in my focus. And our pal James Dietz gifted me a link to a talk about mental prayer that I highly recommend listening to. It's a bit intimidating if I'm being honest but I gave it a shot early this morning (after the baby's bottle) and I'll just say that it was surprisingly emotional but heartwarming.
I will take away two practical steps from your article today. My phone will find its "landline" location once again as I try to implement another round of strict digital detoxing and I will sit down to make a substantial plan for a few things in my life. Our Georgia homestead isn't going to start itself!
And here is the link to the video James shared with me.
Man I am so glad you have found the discipline it takes to wake up early and get after it with prayer, scripture and exercise!!! That’s amazing! I need to get back on the exercise train. That whole routine sounds amazing. I cannot wait to listen to the link you’ve shared. I should have some time this afternoon. And yes man, make some plans!!!
"This means that if you want true wisdom, health, and well-being you need not rely on the things of this world, but rather on God. To learn to rely on Him, we must learn to pray."
Yeah, but when you have a broken leg you don't pray for God to heal it, you go to the hospital and rely on all the advancements achieved by the medicine developed in this so-called evil modernity to get your problem fixed.
Treating modernity with contempt and condescention does nothing to make people take Christianity seriously.
Thank you for reading and being willing to engage!
I would say that when someone has a broken leg to pray and go get medical help from doctors. They aren’t mutually exclusive. I believe God has provided doctors and other medical professionals to help heal us. Whether the individual doctors or nurses themselves actually believe they are being used by God is one thing, but I believe God provides those people for our benefit and for our good, and ultimately for His good purpose.
“All of this technology and comfort is indeed tremendous and our standard of living is far higher than our ancestors.”
I tried to give some credit and positivity here about modernity. I know it’s one sentence in a much longer piece but I tried. I will keep in mind to do a better job of communicating positive aspects of modernity.
I will agree that Christians, myself included obviously, probably do criticize modernity a bit too much without recognizing God is allowing it for a reason. We could do a better job of thoughtfully criticizing without the contempt or condescension. That’s a fair point.
But I disagree that it doesn’t nothing to help people take Christianity seriously. There are plenty of non-Christians who have issues with modernity or maybe more specifically how we are living within modernity and Christianity has been made more appealing to them when they realize we don’t just accept all the ways of the world. I don’t have number or statistics for you on that but I know that has happened.
If you don’t mind my asking, has hostility and anger been part of your experience in the past when trying to dialogue and critique Christians or comments from Christians?
Yeah, I do notice a lot of anger and resentment against modernity within Christian circles (I don't know about the Protestant ones, I'm talking from what I see about Catholics on the internet).
I'm not saying we live in the best times ever conceived on earth, and I do understand that this resentment is a very simmetrical response to the way Christians have been criticized by the Left for years and years. But this attitude of idealizing a past where everyone was a good Christian boy/girl and because of (oh!) filthy modernity and progressivism we strayed from the "right way" and now God is pissed at everyone is just, well, false. And many religious people poisoned by this REJECT MODERNITY mentality (while making shitposts about it through their iPhones and embracing notions of privacy and traditional family that are very modern themselves) forget that God causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
For a religion that is supposed to be joyful and lighten the burden we carry, the average "Christian" on the internet (and his God) is very dense for sure.
Yeah, resentment of modernity seems to be ubiquitous throughout all Christian sects. I think individuals hold more extreme positions against it than denominations as a whole though. I think there are also plenty if Christians who don’t think twice about modernity. That’s okay. It’s not required haha
It’s interesting that you tie it together with the criticism received from the left over the years. I hadn’t thought of that and you may be onto something. I will say thought that most of the Christians I read on substack frankly stay away from politics. I’m sure they all have their opinions and would even venture to say most of them are probably right of center, but have never explicitly read anyone who blames the left for anything. I’m sure someone has, I just haven’t read it and frankly wouldn’t care to read that.
The Christian’s who I read on here who reject modernity do not idealize the past because they think everyone was a perfect boy/girl. They recognize that our problems come from sin, which obviously pre-dates modernity by a long shot.
The best writers whom I have come across aren’t so much as rejecting modernity as much as they are trying to embrace humanity because they love people like God loves people and they want the best for them. Many of us struggle with the fact that our modern way of living separates human to human interaction and we are here working out ways to once again connect with our brothers and sisters on a human level rather than only over the internet.
Many of us recognize and laugh at ourselves about the fact that we critique modernity and technology yet post about it with our phones on Substack. Trust me, that irony is not lost on us haha. But we try nonetheless to encourage people to disconnect from the internet and their devices every once in a while and just be present where they are and to spend time with their loved one.
I agree that there are far too many Christians online and in person who behave so poorly, show no love, and hurt the Christian message. That bothers me far more than modernity does. I hope our interaction here shows it is possible to disagree slightly, remain calm, and show love!
Conrado, I won’t belabor a lengthy response here at the risk of repeating everything my brother has said here. We twins have a tendency to do that haha. But I want to thank you for being here. There is small-ish Christian community here on Substack that has become pretty interactive with each other. While I can’t literally speak for all of them, I dare say that we welcome you with any questions or comments you care to bring. You will fine no hostility from me and I doubt you will find it from the others my brother tagged in his comments.
You don’t need to express to us where you stand in your faith or anything like that. But I promise and I pray that if you engage with us here we’ll be glad to have you around and will more than likely end up at least as online friends, as much as one can. I believe we probably have way more in common than not and we’re all better when we’re open and honest in our interactions with each other.
I agree, it is all interconnected! Mind, body, spirit -living with integrity = integrating them. And I believe that happens best when we have our foundation, rootedness, security in the life of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Romans 11:16
This makes me wonder how many of us are truly on the path to having an intimate organic relationship with our Heavenly Father such that we come to adore him genuinely from our hearts and love to talk to him moment by moment as we live our lives.
I’m not sure how many of us there are. But I know I need growth in mt prayer life. It would be prudent that we pray for others to grow in their prayer lives as well. Such moment-by-moment can be achieved and should be strived for so long as we have air in our lungs.
I love Alvin Vandergriend's definition of prayer: The conversation part of the greatest love relationship in your life, your relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Great article Daniel! The part that demonstrated that you have your head in the right place: "I'm going to spend this next week focusing on prayer, meditation, making sure my home-life and work-life are in proper order" - Peco and I find this essential and will also dial back this month to ensure that we actually live what we write about.
Thank you, Ruth! As I take the week off from writing I do plan on reading your most recent long form essay! I’m excited to dig into that. And yes it is so necessary to pull back at times. This essay in particular was very challenging. I’m not sure if it was because the topic of prayer is just so vast and daunting or if I’m just a tired man with a family and a job, but I definitely need some rest. And perhaps preparation as the next topic, fasting, is also daunting. But I’m so excited about it. I am loving the dive Into these disciplines.
Prayer is being in communication with God. When you love someone, you want to talk to them nonstop, and get to know them. It makes then for us to pray, in order to grow in love of God.
I'm glad you're seeing the fruit of your prayer, that's such a great consolation. What I have been trying to do lately is to come up with a resolution at the end of my prayer. A small actionable with a timeframe. I.e., today I will call that friend I haven't talked to in a while.
This is good stuff, Daniel! Let's keep each other in prayer!
That is a great idea!! I will follow your lead in that and take actionable steps! Thank you, Walther!
Brother, another great article. I would love your thoughts on how you see that integration of mind, body, and spirit.
Here are a couple of mine and one from someone else’s which I like. Integration is key!
(1) https://www.thecompletecatholic.com/post/your-intellect-will-and-heart-and-what-each-one-wants-part-i
(2) https://www.thecompletecatholic.com/post/bodily-emotions-and-spiritual-affections
(3) https://www.thecompletecatholic.com/post/wellness-of-the-mind-body-spirit
I’ll check all of these out over the next few days and get back to you! Thank you! Cannot wait for further discussion on this!
Just wanting to let you know I have not forgotten about these links or the conversation I plan on picking up on the integration of the mind, body, and spirit. I’m going to do my best to read these articles soon and hopefully we can have a fruitful discussion about this topic!
Excellent post, Daniel. Thank you. A great reminder that prayer need not be complicated.
"Call unto me, and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not." - Jeremiah 33:3
This is absolutely wonderful Daniel. As "twinning" usually goes, I too have been focusing on prayer and taking actionable steps. I've started a routine of waking up before the girls (usually 4 a.m.) and spending time in scripture, prayer, and physical exercise. This is nothing short of tremendous.
On the prayer side, I've been repeating the Lord's Prayer and the Jesus prayer at the beginning of my "prayer sessions" for some time now and they've truly been great for reining in my focus. And our pal James Dietz gifted me a link to a talk about mental prayer that I highly recommend listening to. It's a bit intimidating if I'm being honest but I gave it a shot early this morning (after the baby's bottle) and I'll just say that it was surprisingly emotional but heartwarming.
I will take away two practical steps from your article today. My phone will find its "landline" location once again as I try to implement another round of strict digital detoxing and I will sit down to make a substantial plan for a few things in my life. Our Georgia homestead isn't going to start itself!
And here is the link to the video James shared with me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVOn4oYCtmY
Man I am so glad you have found the discipline it takes to wake up early and get after it with prayer, scripture and exercise!!! That’s amazing! I need to get back on the exercise train. That whole routine sounds amazing. I cannot wait to listen to the link you’ve shared. I should have some time this afternoon. And yes man, make some plans!!!
"This means that if you want true wisdom, health, and well-being you need not rely on the things of this world, but rather on God. To learn to rely on Him, we must learn to pray."
Yeah, but when you have a broken leg you don't pray for God to heal it, you go to the hospital and rely on all the advancements achieved by the medicine developed in this so-called evil modernity to get your problem fixed.
Treating modernity with contempt and condescention does nothing to make people take Christianity seriously.
Thank you for reading and being willing to engage!
I would say that when someone has a broken leg to pray and go get medical help from doctors. They aren’t mutually exclusive. I believe God has provided doctors and other medical professionals to help heal us. Whether the individual doctors or nurses themselves actually believe they are being used by God is one thing, but I believe God provides those people for our benefit and for our good, and ultimately for His good purpose.
“All of this technology and comfort is indeed tremendous and our standard of living is far higher than our ancestors.”
I tried to give some credit and positivity here about modernity. I know it’s one sentence in a much longer piece but I tried. I will keep in mind to do a better job of communicating positive aspects of modernity.
I will agree that Christians, myself included obviously, probably do criticize modernity a bit too much without recognizing God is allowing it for a reason. We could do a better job of thoughtfully criticizing without the contempt or condescension. That’s a fair point.
But I disagree that it doesn’t nothing to help people take Christianity seriously. There are plenty of non-Christians who have issues with modernity or maybe more specifically how we are living within modernity and Christianity has been made more appealing to them when they realize we don’t just accept all the ways of the world. I don’t have number or statistics for you on that but I know that has happened.
Wow... Thank you for your kind response! Wasnt expecting that.
Of course! No animosity here my friend. Thank you for your comments. It’s healthy to get some kind push back and think through what we believe.
If you don’t mind my asking, has hostility and anger been part of your experience in the past when trying to dialogue and critique Christians or comments from Christians?
Yeah, I do notice a lot of anger and resentment against modernity within Christian circles (I don't know about the Protestant ones, I'm talking from what I see about Catholics on the internet).
I'm not saying we live in the best times ever conceived on earth, and I do understand that this resentment is a very simmetrical response to the way Christians have been criticized by the Left for years and years. But this attitude of idealizing a past where everyone was a good Christian boy/girl and because of (oh!) filthy modernity and progressivism we strayed from the "right way" and now God is pissed at everyone is just, well, false. And many religious people poisoned by this REJECT MODERNITY mentality (while making shitposts about it through their iPhones and embracing notions of privacy and traditional family that are very modern themselves) forget that God causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
For a religion that is supposed to be joyful and lighten the burden we carry, the average "Christian" on the internet (and his God) is very dense for sure.
Yeah, resentment of modernity seems to be ubiquitous throughout all Christian sects. I think individuals hold more extreme positions against it than denominations as a whole though. I think there are also plenty if Christians who don’t think twice about modernity. That’s okay. It’s not required haha
It’s interesting that you tie it together with the criticism received from the left over the years. I hadn’t thought of that and you may be onto something. I will say thought that most of the Christians I read on substack frankly stay away from politics. I’m sure they all have their opinions and would even venture to say most of them are probably right of center, but have never explicitly read anyone who blames the left for anything. I’m sure someone has, I just haven’t read it and frankly wouldn’t care to read that.
The Christian’s who I read on here who reject modernity do not idealize the past because they think everyone was a perfect boy/girl. They recognize that our problems come from sin, which obviously pre-dates modernity by a long shot.
The best writers whom I have come across aren’t so much as rejecting modernity as much as they are trying to embrace humanity because they love people like God loves people and they want the best for them. Many of us struggle with the fact that our modern way of living separates human to human interaction and we are here working out ways to once again connect with our brothers and sisters on a human level rather than only over the internet.
Many of us recognize and laugh at ourselves about the fact that we critique modernity and technology yet post about it with our phones on Substack. Trust me, that irony is not lost on us haha. But we try nonetheless to encourage people to disconnect from the internet and their devices every once in a while and just be present where they are and to spend time with their loved one.
I agree that there are far too many Christians online and in person who behave so poorly, show no love, and hurt the Christian message. That bothers me far more than modernity does. I hope our interaction here shows it is possible to disagree slightly, remain calm, and show love!
Well said, Daniel. I would second all that you said here.
Thank you for your response, Daniel.
Conrado, I won’t belabor a lengthy response here at the risk of repeating everything my brother has said here. We twins have a tendency to do that haha. But I want to thank you for being here. There is small-ish Christian community here on Substack that has become pretty interactive with each other. While I can’t literally speak for all of them, I dare say that we welcome you with any questions or comments you care to bring. You will fine no hostility from me and I doubt you will find it from the others my brother tagged in his comments.
You don’t need to express to us where you stand in your faith or anything like that. But I promise and I pray that if you engage with us here we’ll be glad to have you around and will more than likely end up at least as online friends, as much as one can. I believe we probably have way more in common than not and we’re all better when we’re open and honest in our interactions with each other.
I agree, it is all interconnected! Mind, body, spirit -living with integrity = integrating them. And I believe that happens best when we have our foundation, rootedness, security in the life of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Romans 11:16
The song is hauntingly beautiful, thank you.
This makes me wonder how many of us are truly on the path to having an intimate organic relationship with our Heavenly Father such that we come to adore him genuinely from our hearts and love to talk to him moment by moment as we live our lives.
I’m not sure how many of us there are. But I know I need growth in mt prayer life. It would be prudent that we pray for others to grow in their prayer lives as well. Such moment-by-moment can be achieved and should be strived for so long as we have air in our lungs.
So many excellent thoughts. I applaud your discipline and the prioritizing of important things in your life. I look forward to the fasting post.
I love Alvin Vandergriend's definition of prayer: The conversation part of the greatest love relationship in your life, your relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.