Jones: Spiritual Practices
“We all might long for the spiritual direction that Adam received when he walked with God in the Garden …but we live east of Eden.”—Tony Jones in The Sacred Way (Zondervan, 2005).
Tony Jones has compiled an easily readable compendium of spiritual practices that help us connect to God. The secret of the book is in the subtitle, Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life. We do not need to live in a monastery to practice these disciplines. Jones also brings in interesting notes about the history of how each practice began and developed.
The first half of his book covers contemplative practices such as silence, reading, the Jesus Prayer, Centering Prayer, meditation, Ignatian exercises, icons, spiritual direction, and the Daily Office. The second half of the book treats active bodily spiritual practices such as the labyrinth, stations of the cross, pilgrimages, fasting, bodily prayers, Sabbath, and service. Lastly, he writes about developing a Rule of Life, and gives us a short readable bibliography for each practice along with a list of Christian spiritual classics.
Jones’ book is restorative, especially when I am feeling disconnected from God. I first reread what he says about the spiritual practices I am using in my rule of life to discover whether I am missing something. Next, I read in Tony’s book about a spiritual discipline that I am presently not using but decide to try during this dry period. I also look over his list of books about the disciplines and the classics and pick one out to read. I have recommended the book as a guide for those seeking to become immersed in the spiritual disciplines.
The Sacred Way can be an aid to tasting each practice, perhaps a week or a month at a time. My favorite chapters keep changing. Today I identify most with the section on the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” The prayer has been my constant mantra when I am fearful or impatient or meeting with someone with whom I am having difficulty. I identify with Tony Jones when he writes, “The Jesus Prayer has become very significant to me, maybe more than any other practice I’ve investigated, and it’s an important part of my Rule of Life.”
Joanna joannaseibert.com
