14 Comments

Solitude, or "being still" is often a lost or misunderstood concept in today's world. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the subject. If Jesus went to pray alone with His Father, how much more do we need to sit alone with Him.

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Of course! Thanks so much for reading!

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Thanks for sharing!

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Of course!

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Thanks for sharing! It means a lot!

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Great thoughts on this important practice! Love the Ruth Haley Barton quote as well, and the reminder of not trying to fix things in solitude, but to simply rest in it.

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Thank you! I love Ruth Haley Barton. She’s helped me so much.

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Same here! She's fantastic!

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The Orthodox tradition has a practice (it’s central to their faith) called “Hesychasm” or Stillness. It simply means learning to quieten our hearts in order to be in God’s presence.

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Love that, Mike. I’m going to read up on it. Any specific book recommendations?

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Not a specific one but hesychasm is so fundamental to Orthodoxy that you can google it (maybe check out Father Stephen Freeman's "Glory to God for All Things" site--I'm sure you'll find plenty of discussion on it there).

Here's a piece I did a couple of years ago that sets it in a more familiar context:

https://mturner.substack.com/p/a-place-of-prayer-in-a-busy-world

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I’m going to read more! Thanks so much and great post!

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Just wondering....are you familiar with John Mark Comer and "Practicing the Way" ministry/materials? Thanks!

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Yes I am!

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