“Men appear to have suffered disproportionately in the collapse of friendships. In 1990, a majority (55%) of men had at least six close friends. Today, only 27% report having this number of close friendships. Single men are in even worse shape…” - IFS
“We love, not in a sentimental sense, but in the gutsy, costly sense, because He first loved us. We do not have the resources in ourselves to extend such selfless love. We are resourced by another, by Jesus Himself.” - Sauls
“We are facing a ‘social recession,’ argues the Manhattan Institute’s Michael Hendrix, driven by a mix of stress over public health, economic anxiety, and the isolating effects of physical distancing. ‘Disasters often have a way of bringing communities together,’ he writes. ‘But not this pandemic.’” - Acton
“In a time of crisis, however, we are thrown back on what is embodied and motionless. When we are no longer permitted to commute to work, we must turn again to the presences that exist alongside us: our housemates—be they family members or roommates—and our neighbors.” - TAC
“During my years caring for patients, the most common pathology I saw was not heart disease or diabetes; it was loneliness” Governing
(From Think on These Things. Used by permission.)
Discernment, one would think, is an extremely positive quality. In a world with incalculable numbers of voices calling us to travel many different directions, discernment is invaluable. However, when used by those involved in spiritual formation, discernment is defined as the discipline that enables one to know when a person has supposedly heard the voice of God.
Spiritual formation leaders do not question that God speaks to us today apart from Scripture, but they do believe that since God is speaking there has to be a means whereby we can discern the voice of God from our own thoughts.
Adele Ahlberg Calhoun writes in her Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, “Discernment opens us up to listen to and recognize the voice and patterns of God’s direction in our lives.”1 Ruth Barton further explains,
