The Eternal Current with Aaron Niequist

SEASON TWO - EPISODE 29: THE ETERNAL CURRENT WITH AARON NIEQUIST

What if the faith isn’t simply believing things about God, but practicing the way of God? 

What if faith isn’t knowing things about the Divine, but experiencing the Divine all around you? 

That’s what Aaron Niequist and I talk about in this episode. 

Aaron is a liturgist, writer, and pastor. He’s worked as a worship leader at Willow Creek Church and Mars Hill Bible Church. He’s also the creator of A New Liturgy, which is a collection of modern liturgical worship recordings as well as The Practice, which is a formational ecumencial practiced-based community at Willow.

He’s the author of the book The Eternal Current: How a Practice-Based Faith Can Save Us from Drowning and host of the Eternal Current Podcast.

I think wherever you find yourself on the spiritual journey, you’ll connect with much of what Aaron speaks about in this interview.

Aaron reminds us that faith isn’t something we have to believe; it’s not simply a bunch of doctrines we have to believe is right or true. Instead, it is learning the ways of the Divine; ways that we can experience God all around; ways that allow us to enter into the flow, or eternal current, that is happening everywhere.

To learn more about Aaron, be sure to visit his website. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

As you experience a practice-based faith and learn to swim in the eternal current of the Divine, may you have peace, may you have calm, and may you have happiness.

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Podcast Episode Eight: Fixed Hour Prayer & Liturgy

SEASON TWO - EPISODE EIGHT: FIXED HOUR PRAYER & LITURGY

In episode eight of the Why Behind the What, I introduce you to Fixed Hour Prayer and Liturgy; absolutely ancient and foundational practices in the history of the Christian tradition.

Fixed Hour Prayer is pausing to pray throughout our day at regular intervals- usually in the morning, around lunch, in the early evening, and before bed while utilzing a type of prayer book, such as the Common Book of Prayer. Liturgy, meanwhile, is the guiding and organizing principles of a church’s worship gathering; the rituals, traditions, and structure within the service.

When faith and church stopped working for me, when my prayer life seemed stagnant, when I didn’t know what to pray and felt pretty numb in a church service, it was Fixed Hour Prayer and the Liturgy that revived my soul.

They brought tears to my eyes, gave me the words I knew I needed to pray but didn’t have the words for, changed how I viewed and experienced church gatherings, and made me so much more appreciative of church history and global faith community.

Through prayer and liturgy, it was as if I was discovering and witnessing a language my soul knew how to speak all along. Through practicing them, I discovered depth, beauty, richness, and mystery; something I rarely found in other contemporary Christian traditions.

Fixed Hour Prayer and Liturgy are mysteriously mindful, refreshingly remarkable, strongly spiritual, and deeply theological.

They move me from not feeling it to saying, affirming, believing, and finally, living it.

They form me, mold me, and ultimately, transform me.

They are tools that open us up to the transforming presence of the Divine.

I don’t know about you, but I need the Liturgy and Fixed Hour Prayer, whether I’m feeling it or not and I’m convinced they are essential ancient practices for our continued transformation today. If interested, here are some great resources to start experiencing Fixed Hour Prayer: The Divine Hours (Volume One); The Divine Hours (Volume Two); The Divine Hours (Volume Three); The Divine Hours: Pocket Edition; Book of Common Prayer; The Online Book of Common Prayer; Hour by Hour.

As you experience the ancient contemplative practices of Fixed Hour Prayer and Liturgy, may you have peace, may you have calm, and may you have happiness.

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Oh God of Peace in the Daily Office

In the last few years, I have practiced the Daily Office, or fixed-hour prayer. Usually four times a day, I stop what I am doing and pray ancient prayers. I have utilized the Book of Common Prayer and most recently have fallen in love with Phyllis Tickle’s book series, The Divine Hours. 

I was taught as an Evangelical to use extemporaneous prayer rather than a rote or boring tradition of reciting written prayers. Eventually, though, extemporaneous prayers fell short and I found I didn’t know what to pray. It even seemed as if I didn’t know how to pray. I shared more about this in my new love for reciting the liturgy.

In desperation, I started praying the Daily Office and it revolutionized my spiritual life. So much so, that I would often cry as I read these ancient prayers out loud. I found these prayers were the words my soul longed to pray that I simply could not voice. Utterly refreshing and restorative, to say the least.

Recently, I was struck again by the following prayer. I even printed it and put it above my desk so I see it, and pray it, regularly. May it allow you to enter into the Divine’s presence and find peace today. 

O God of Peace, who has taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and trust shall be our strength, by the might of your Spirit lift us to your holy presence where we may be still and know that you are God.