We are on a journey to follow Jesus together. Each week in the Follow Me series we will learn a new spiritual practice to help us live and love more like him.
Every Monday we will we will share a video from one of our pastors with practical and immediate ways to live out the spiritual practice covered during weekend services.
Mark 10:35–45; John 13:12–17; Ephesians 2:4-9; Matt 5:14-16
It’s doing that usually makes all the difference. Throughout the history of the Church, it has been the doing that moved the hearts of people to stop and ask…why are they different? In following Jesus, we are called to join God’s work in the world. We know that we experience the difference when someone does something, serves us somehow, or serves those we care about. Greatness in Jesus Kingdom is measured by serving, not being served. Jesus washed feet, welcomed outcasts, and laid down His life. To follow Him is to embrace a life of humble service. Service is not optional but essential, a practice that breaks our self-centeredness and channels the heart of God into tangible action.
2 Timothy 3:16–17; Psalm 119:105
Guiding Thought: The Bible is not just information to know but revelation to live.
Description: Scripture is God’s living word that forms us into the image of Christ. As we read, meditate, and obey, we are renewed in our minds and strengthened in our hearts. Scripture is both the foundation for truth and the food that nourishes the soul.
Mark 1:35; Luke 6:12-13; Psalm 46
Before Jesus healed anyone, turned water into wine, delivered people from spiritual oppression, or raised the dead He fasted. Fasting if foreign to many of us as a spiritual practice. For some it’s a health hack but for Jesus and His followers it was a life line. They understood that when we say “no” to food, we learn to say “yes” to God.
Fasting is a way of driving ourselves toward hunger for the presence of God above all else. It trains our bodies and souls to rely on Him, unclutters our lives from distraction, and heightens our awareness of His voice. Far from deprivation, fasting opens us to deep satisfaction in Christ.
Matthew 4:1-2; Matthew 6:16–18; 1 Corinthians 9:22-27; Deuteronomy 8:1-5
Alone! For some this is a terrifying idea, being alone with our thoughts, in the stillness the always reveals our inner chaos. For others they run toward solitude because it feels safe to be alone. But for the Jesus follower, solitude is central to meeting God in the quiet. Solitude is the laboratory where we discover what’s happening inside of us, identify the brokenness and find pathways towards healing. Healing certainly involves others, and community is critical for that, however without solitude it becomes impossible to sort through the noises that clutter our mind. Solitude can lead us to stillness, and stillness to reflection, and reflection can lead us toward awareness, healing, and intimacy with the Spirit. In solitude we withdraw from noise and activity, not to escape, but to encounter God. Jesus regularly retreated to be alone with His Father, modeling a rhythm of silence and stillness. Solitude creates space for us to hear God’s voice and be reshaped by His presence.
Luke 11:1–4; Luke 11:9-13; Philippians 4:4–7
Prayer, at it’s core, is not about getting things from God but getting life with God. Prayer can and should be, the ongoing dialogue of between us and our Father. Prayer can anchor us in His presence, reshapes our desires, and align us with His will. Jesus invites us not into a ritual of words but into a relationship of conversation.
Genesis 2:1–3; Mark 2:23–28; Isaiah 58:13–14
Sabbath isn’t just a day off—it’s a day set apart for rest, worship, and delight in God. In a world driven by hurry and productivity, Sabbath becomes an act of resistance and trust, reminding us that our worth isn’t in what we do but in whose we are. It’s like tithing our time—offering a portion back to God and finding, in return, that the Sabbath keeps us dependent on Him.
Spiritual Practices Introduction
Senior Pastor Shane Carroll
