Re:connect: Spiritual Exercises to Develop Intimacy with God
Copyright ©2013 David Sherbino
All rights reserved
Printed in Canada
International Standard Book Number: 978-1-927355-20-6
ISBN 978-1-927355-19-0 EPUB
Published by:
Castle Quay Books
Pickering, Ontario
Tel: (416) 573-3249
E-mail: [email protected]
Cover design by Burst Impressions
Printed at Essence Publishing, Belleville, Ontario
Scripture quotations marked NAS are taken from the New American Standard Bible ®. Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by THE LOCKMAN FOUNDATION. All rights reserved. • Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. • Scripture quotations marked RSV are taken from the Revised Standard Version Bible ®. Copyright © 1989 by THE DIVISION OF CHRSTIAN EDUCATION OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST IN THE U.S.A. All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form without prior written permission of the publishers.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Sherbino, David Re:connect : spiritual exercises to develop intimacy with God / David Sherbino.
Includes bibliographical references. Issued also in electronic format. ISBN 978-1-927355-20-6
1. Spiritual life—Christianity. 2. Spiritual exercises. I. Title. II. Title: Reconnect. III. Title: Spiritual exercises to develop intimacy with God.
BV4501.3.S54 2013 248.4 C2013-900316-9
Endorsement
Well done! Most books talk about the importance of prayer. Your book tells people how to pray. Sorely needed.
—Don Morrison, Former COO, BlackBerry at Research in Motion (RIM)
CONTENTS
Introduction
Week One: Silence and Solitude
Day One: To Hear and Listen to the Voice of God
Day Two: To Be Renewed Physically and Spiritually
Day Three: To Learn to Trust God
Day Four: To Develop Sensitivity Towards Others
Day Five: Facing Temptation
Day Six: To Develop Your Prayer Life
Day Seven: To Prepare for One’s Death
Week Two: Holy Reading
Day One: Security in My Relationship with God: John10:7-15
Day Two: Security in My Relationship with God: Luke 15:1-7
Day Three: Security in My Relationship with God: Philippians 1:3-11
Day Four: Security in My Relationship with God: Isaiah 43:1-6
Day Five: Security in My Relationship with God: Jeremiah 29:11-14
Day Six: Security in My Relationship with God: Psalm 27:1-14
Day Seven: Security in My Relationship with God: Psalm 121:1-8
Week Three: Praying the Scriptures
Day One: Praying the Psalms
Day Two: Vengeance
Day Three: Meditation
Day Four: Intercession
Day Five: Justice and Compassion
Day Six: Doxology
Day Seven: Blessing and Benediction
Week Four: Confession
Day One: Prayer of Confession
Day Two: Repentance
Day Three: Prayer of Examen : Love
Day Four: Prayer of Examen: Joy
Day Five: Prayer of Examen: Peace
Day Six: Prayer of Examen: Patience
Day Seven: Prayer of Examen: Kindness
Week Five: Prayers of Lament
Day One: Communal Psalms of Lament
Day Two: Individual Psalms of Lament
Day Three: The Lament of Job
Day Four: The Lament of Jeremiah (part 1)
Day Five: The Lament of Jeremiah (part 2)
Day Six: The Lament for a Son (David)
Day Seven: The Lament of Jesus
Week Six: Petitionary Prayers
Day One: Praying for the Forgiveness of Sins
Day Two: Praying for Unity in the Body of Christ
Day Three: Praying for Spiritual Awareness
Day Four: Praying For Protection
Day Five: Praying for Healing
Day Six: Praying for the Needy
Day Seven: Praying for Your Community
Week Seven: Thanksgiving and Praise
Day One: The Lord Will Provide
Day Two: The Lord Who Heals
Day Three: The Lord Our Banner
Day Four: The Lord Who Sanctifies
Day Five: The Lord My Peace
Day Six: The Lord Our Righteousness
Day Seven: The Lord Our Shepherd
Praying Through the Church Year
Advent
Christmas
Epiphany
Lent: Ash Wednesday
Holy Week:
a. Palm Sunday
b. Maundy Thursday
c. Good Friday
Easter
Pentecost
Ordinary Time
INTRODUCTION
In recent years the spiritual disciplines have become a topic of great interest and discussion. Some will attest that the disciplines help them to enter into a more intimate relationship with God. There are others who want to, but do not know how, to integrate them into their daily life. It seems that the issue of time is the greatest road block in the development of the disciplines as an integral aspect of life. We are so busy ‘doing’ we do not have enough time to ‘be still’ in the presence of God to discover intimacy with him. We need to find a way to ‘reconnect’ with God.
This workbook is designed to help us to do that. The focus is on the discipline of prayer which is simply listening to God and then responding to God. One request of the disciples of Jesus was that he teach them to pray. They heard him teach, they saw him perform miracles and they witnessed his life of prayer. Ultimately they came to the conclusion that if they were to continue the ministry he began it could only be accomplished through an intimate relationship with God. They knew they needed to stay connected to God.
If you desire to draw closer