 Have you been able to have regular times of prayer, worship and
Bible reading?
 Have you been committed to corporate worship?
 How have you felt you have encountered God through them?
What has the Holy Spirit been teaching you?
 Is there anything you need support with or need to try differently
in the coming weeks?
 How have you been able to be a generous and gracious
presence over these last few weeks – with your neighbours, in
your families, in your work, in church, in your leisure time, in your
wider community? Who have you particularly been able to bless?
 Do you sense God calling you to any particular acts of service,
generosity, hospitality, or opposing of injustice?
‘The five Rhythms are not rules that dictate how people behave, but
rather a starting point for a process of self-examination that can
help us to see what we need to do to grow as disciples of Christ.’
(Community of Saint Chad Booklet, p3)
What follows is a suggested outline of how you might use the
Rhythms of Grace to reflect on your journey as a follower of Jesus
and identify areas for future growth. This is something that you
might commit to doing every few months to act as a ‘spiritual checkup’ for you. It is really important to do this in the context of
community also, so that others can pray for you and support you;
so do share your reflections with others, perhaps by committing to
join a ‘growth group,’ or by reflecting with members of your small
group, or with one of the staff team.
You might find it particularly helpful to jot down your reflections so
that you can look back on them in the future and see how God is at
work in you.
 Have you had any opportunities to share your faith story with
anyone in any way recently?
 What are your ‘frontlines’ at the moment and who do you sense
God is particularly calling you to pray for and introduce to Jesus?
 Is there anyone you could invite to something at church at the
moment?
 Pray for courage and opportunities to share your faith.
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Find a quiet place and set aside 30-45 minutes to prayerfully
reflect on your journey as a disciple.
Begin by praying and inviting the Holy Spirit to guide you and
direct you as you reflect.
Go through each of the rhythms in turn and prayerfully
respond to the questions posed.
Don’t feel that you have to rigidly go through every question,
but allow the Holy Spirit to direct you to those things that are
particularly important and relevant for you. Particularly ask:
o where do I see signs of God’s growth in me?
o where do I sense God is showing me areas in my life
to specifically work on?
Prayerfully identify one or two specific areas overall to work
on (don’t try and address everything all at once!). Ask for
God’s grace to grow in these areas and identify what steps
you need to take to play your part.
Thank God for the ways he has been at work in you and pray
for renewed grace to continue growing.
Ask God to free you from any feelings of condemnation or
guilt that you may have after this – Romans 8:1 says,
“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are
in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the
Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”
Remind yourself that God delights that you want to come to
him and receive His grace to transform you.
Commit to praying daily for God’s grace and to taking the
steps you have identified in these areas.
Share your outcomes with a trusted friend and ask them to
commit to praying for you daily, supporting you and asking
you how you are getting on.
Seek guidance and support from others in the church where
necessary to help you live this out.
 Thinking back to situations over the last few days or weeks,
where have you responded in a Christ-like way and where have
you struggled to do so?
 Are there any areas where you are feeling particularly tempted or
struggling with a habitual sin?
 Which particular area of your character do you need to allow God
to work on at the moment? What do you need to do (‘put up the
shuttering’) and what do you need to ask for (pray for God’s
grace to fill you)?
 Have you been living in your true identity and seeing yourself as
God sees you (e.g. 1 John 3:1; 2 Cor 5:17) over these last few
weeks?
 How have you been open to the Spirit over these last few
weeks?
 Have you sensed anything blocking the Spirit’s work in you?
 Are there any decisions ahead of you that you need to ask the
Holy Spirit to guide you on?
 Which fruit (Galatians 5:22-23) of the Spirit do you particularly
need to ask for more of and which gifts (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Cor
12:8-11) are you eagerly desiring?
 Invite the Holy Spirit to be active and empower you throughout
each day.