Some years ago I was at a conference where I had the joy of meeting and listening to the author Mark Buchanan speak. At the time he was just releasing his excellent book 'THE REST OF GOD' which I highly recommend. I return to it often and in fact the follow up book ‘SPIRITUAL RHYTHMS’ is also excellent.

It’s no secret that ‘creatives’ are often known to be emotional and sensitive people. This can be both a blessing and a curse. When I notice myself taking things more personally than I should, or when my melancholy seems more frequent or more intense, it is very likely that I am simply just tired.

There’s a story I once heard about a boy and his father, who were sitting near a river, up on the river-bank talking about life.

But how does one maintain and build this kind of discipline? At the best of times, I seem to cling to it tenuously. Maybe you can identify.

I’ve been trying to get my head around establishing some new personal disciplines. I feel like I’ve lost much of my spiritual focus and closeness to God in this season. I also turned 50 a year and a bit ago, so I’m trying to at least maintain some semblance of physical fitness. These are just two examples in my life of things that require some discipline.

There’s a great story about the famous basketball player Michael Jordan. It goes something like this…