Weekly Practice 11/11/25

Hey, all. Especially this week, try to process the practice with others.

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Scripture

Proverbs 12:26, 18:24, 27:6, 27:9, 27:17 ESV

One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, 

but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

A man of many companions may come to ruin, 

but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Faithful are the wounds of a friend; 

profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

Oil and perfume make the heart glad, 

and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.

Iron sharpens iron, 

and one man sharpens another.

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Practice

Spiritual Friendship

Spiritual friendship is an unforced and genuine relationship among a few people who share a commitment to the love of God and the love of others. They are the handful of people with whom we can be vulnerable and fully ourselves. Unfortunately, friendship is hard for many of us, let alone spiritual friendship. It takes time and trust and, frankly, God. Maybe you have these people already. Maybe you don’t. Maybe God has new people he is inviting to befriend.

This week, prayerfully consider these questions:

• Who do I truly share my life with? With whom do I allow myself to be intimate and vulnerable?

• With whom might I cultivate spiritual friendship? Whom might God be inviting me to pursue in friendship?

• How might deeper friendship in my life help me more fully follow Jesus?

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Unrelated, but still good

If you haven’t heard about The Surprising Rebirth of the Belief in God podcast, I highly recommend it. It covers a variety of topics around how the secular world is starting to reconsider Christianity. I’d suggest starting from the beginning.

Weekly Practice 11/3/25

Hey, all. If you’re able, try to do and/or reflect on this week’s practice with someone else, maybe a friend, spouse, or even your kids. Iron sharpens iron, right? 

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Scripture

Philippians 4:8 NIV

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

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Practice

Affirmations

I think our community is especially gifted at affirmations. My recent birthday is the perfect example. I felt incredibly seen and loved by what so many of you said, and I felt seen and loved by God through you. I also know that, when bogged down with my own stuff, it can be hard for me to notice God’s good and beautiful work in others. In Finding Freedom in Constraint, Jared Boyd writes:

“I think we do not have enough of a culture of noticing and naming the good we see in others. We are much more acquainted with work cultures and family cultures where the things we do wrong are pointed out but the places where we are flourishing are less noticed. At the very least successes are less often verbalized than criticism unless a culture of celebration and affirmation is being created intentionally. But we can change this by showing up with a focus on noticing and naming the good in others. It will help others see the good in themselves in ways they may not have seen before. We help them see the truth of themselves.”

This week, during your times of prayer, ask God to help you notice that work that he is doing in others. If you notice anything, try sharing it with the person. Don’t make up an affirmation just to make someone feel good. This practice is as much about you tuning in to God as it is about blessing others. But when you do notice “if anything is excellent or praiseworthy” in another person, be brave. Tell them.

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For your consideration

Aaron mentioned Wide Awake International this last Sunday as a ministry Trellis may support in the near future. Our friends Jed and Kim Johnson started Wide Awake in 2013, working to deinstitutionalize disabled boys and men in Ukraine. Please be praying for them. This isn't just a ministry; it’s their life, and they live it with a Christlikeness that is “excellent and praiseworthy.” You should sign up for their newsletter, too!

Weekly Practice 10/27/25

Hey, all. You know the drill. Try to do/discuss this week’s practice with others.

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Scripture

Here’s a link if you want to read all of Isaiah 49. If you have the time, you should.

Isaiah 49:15-16 ESV

“Can a woman forget her nursing child,

    that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?

Even these may forget,

    yet I will not forget you.

Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;

    your walls are continually before me.”

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Practice

“Being Marked”

What an image: God, so lovingly committed to his people, carves our names into his hands. We are tattoo-worthy to our Maker. Inconceivable. When Jesus says to pray in his name, he’s inviting us except his mark. “I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you” (John 14:20). 

Part of the work Jesus tasks us with is to share him with others. If Jesus Christ is your Lord, you have been marked. Like a full sleeve tattoo, this should be hard to cover up. This week, ask God if there are ways you can “show off your ink.” This might be in what you say. It might also be in the decisions you make, in how you work and play, or in how you treat others. You and me, we’re marked. Let’s not be afraid to let others see.

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Regrettable

Weekly Practice 10/20/25

Hey, all. Try to do/discuss this week’s practice with others, if at all possible.

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Scripture

Here’s a link if you want to read the lead up in Hebrews 11.

Hebrews 12:1-3 MSG

Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!

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Practice

Offload

Strip down. Other translations say, “throw off everything that hinders,” or, “lay aside every weight.” There’s a sense of lightening our load so we can follow Jesus more freely. This week, ask God to highlight something tangible that might be weighing you down (food, drink, phone, tv, news, podcasts, whatever), something that gets in the way of you being fully present to God, yourself, and others. Prayerfully consider offloading this thing for a whole day, or maybe the entire week. Whatever you decide, the goal isn’t to just abstain. It’s to create space to notice what is true, to better hear God’s voice, and to respond.

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Good to know

I like this song.

Weekly Practice 10/13/25

Hey, guys. Remember to try and do/discuss this week’s practice with others. It’s good stuff alone, but even better together.

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Scripture

Psalm 139:1-6 MSG

God, investigate my life;

    get all the facts firsthand.

I’m an open book to you;

    even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.

You know when I leave and when I get back;

    I’m never out of your sight.

You know everything I’m going to say

    before I start the first sentence.

I look behind me and you’re there,

    then up ahead and you’re there, too—

    your reassuring presence, coming and going.

This is too much, too wonderful—

    I can’t take it all in!

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Practice

Examen

Examen is a “noticing” kind of prayer. At its most basic, you look back at your day (or week) with God and pay attention to two things: consolation and desolation. Consolation is when you feel yourself moving towards God in moments of increased faith, hope, and love. Desolation is the opposite: moments when you feel yourself drift, when anger or sadness or distraction keep your attention from what is true about yourself and others and God. This week, as God helps you notice these things, offer them back to him. Let him recenter you in his loving presence. Listen to whatever he might say to you.

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For those who like options

Here’s another version of the examen prayer, with some helpful steps to guide you through it.

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And for those who are counting

Only 73 more days! We’ve already got snow, people!