It may be that the most important thing our churches can do is become more boring.
Being bored in an over-stimulated world is a cultivated practice. The Pray as You Go podcast is one of the best tools I’ve seen to help develop the spiritual discipline of listening to God’s voice in scripture. Over the course of twelve minutes you will chill out to scripture-based music and pray through a passage of scripture twice.
The podcast format combines the slow, multiple readings of Lectio Divina with Examen style questions. According to their website:
A new prayer session is produced every day of the working week and one session for the weekend. It is not a ‘Thought for the Day’, a sermon or a bible-study, but rather a framework for your own prayer.
Lasting between ten and thirteen minutes, it combines music, scripture and some questions for reflection.
Our aim is to help you to:
- become more aware of God’s presence in your life
- listen to and reflect on God’s word
- grow in your relationship with God
It should be no surprise that it is produced by Jesuits, who have been developing tools to commune with God for centuries.
If you want to take steps toward a more boring spiritual life and even becoming a boring church, I would suggest using this tool at least once a day. In time you’ll develop a taste for the boring and will be able to dive in deeper.
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