A good friend recently encouraged me to post this 3-4 minute introductory video on the Daily Office. I love the Offices. They shape my days, my weeks, my months, my life. They have revolutionized my being with God the last seven and a half years. Take a look: Introducing the Daily Office The Daily Office differs from what we label today as “quiet time or devotions.” These normally take place once a day, in the mornings, with the emphasis on “getting filled up for a day,” or “interceding for the needs around me.” The Daily Office normally takes place at least twice a day, and is not so much a turning to God to get something; it is about being with God, about communion with Him. My aim is to pause for time with God in the morning, midday, evening and for Compline (right before bed). My morning Office normally is longer (45 min-1+hours), integrating Lectio Divina and Centering Prayer for 20 min. or so. I often pray the Psalms. The other “minor” Offices, as they are often called, are between 5-20 min. Compline is very brief (an examen or reading). You may want to pick up a copy of one I wrote around Emotionally Healthy Spirituality that is distributed by the Willow Creek Association. See Begin the Journey: The Daily Office Offering this to our churches is, I believe, one of the more effective ways we can help people cultivate their own personal relationship with Jesus Christ rather than live off our spirituality. What is, if any, has been your experience with the Daily Office?
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