Comments on: Discipline: my “favorite” character trait… http://sjalexandria.org/wordpress/2008/10/discipline-my-favorite-character-trait/ Thoughts from our faith community about life Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:46:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: James Henry http://sjalexandria.org/wordpress/2008/10/discipline-my-favorite-character-trait/comment-page-1/#comment-57 James Henry Wed, 15 Oct 2008 21:56:04 +0000 http://sjalexandria.org/wordpress/?p=183#comment-57 I think you are right that piety and discipline are linked. I think , though, that discipline even for us Jesus-followers must stretch beyond the bounds of of piety (though I am not saying you were limiting it to matters of piety) to every aspect of our lives. Now perhaps we could include all acts of our lives that grow from faith as acts of piety and as such requiring discipline. In part, I see discipline as the decision to face life with courage, to love the neighbor when it isn't the first response, to show patience when there is an urgency. It is choosing our way of acting before it becomes time to act and the living the choice. Discipline has many nuances and I think we need to live all of them. Physical restraint, determination, doing the things that are right even when we do not want to do or feel like doing them. At the core of our Methodist heritage, I believe our "rule book" is called The Discipline because it is filled with rules and more because it had it origins in the connectedness and order it was to bring to our faith communities. I think you are right that piety and discipline are linked. I think , though, that discipline even for us Jesus-followers must stretch beyond the bounds of of piety (though I am not saying you were limiting it to matters of piety) to every aspect of our lives. Now perhaps we could include all acts of our lives that grow from faith as acts of piety and as such requiring discipline. In part, I see discipline as the decision to face life with courage, to love the neighbor when it isn’t the first response, to show patience when there is an urgency. It is choosing our way of acting before it becomes time to act and the living the choice.

Discipline has many nuances and I think we need to live all of them. Physical restraint, determination, doing the things that are right even when we do not want to do or feel like doing them. At the core of our Methodist heritage, I believe our “rule book” is called The Discipline because it is filled with rules and more because it had it origins in the connectedness and order it was to bring to our faith communities.

]]> By: SM http://sjalexandria.org/wordpress/2008/10/discipline-my-favorite-character-trait/comment-page-1/#comment-55 SM Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:26:58 +0000 http://sjalexandria.org/wordpress/?p=183#comment-55 Hi James, For some reason, I seem to link discipline and piety. Doing it anyway, though I really don't want to. Writing that prayer, reading that scripture. Doing the things Wesley would have us do to stay connected with God through daily, weekly, monthly and meaningful resources. Consider it spiritual exercise. What are the results of this exercise? Hi James,
For some reason, I seem to link discipline and piety. Doing it anyway, though I really don’t want to. Writing that prayer, reading that scripture. Doing the things Wesley would have us do to stay connected with God through daily, weekly, monthly and meaningful resources. Consider it spiritual exercise. What are the results of this exercise?

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