rule of life – Jesus @ 2 am blogs and podcast

Loving God 401, Part 10: Day in the Life of a Regular Saint

February 10, 2017February 10, 2017Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

In this conclusion to our study classical Christian spiritual formation, we take all practices we have learned so far and put them together to get a picture of a typical day-in-the-life of one growing to maturity in Christ. What we discover is that the work of spiritual discipline is rarely burdensome nor heroic, and one need not move to a monastery or abandon career, family or fun to make true progress!

Spiritual formation should be a standard – and surprisingly mundane – part of daily life. In the same way that we set aside time to eat and drink, get a little physical exercise and fold the laundry, so we set aside a few minutes a day for the office, a some time each week for worship, we bond with a community and take a break from busyness to discern God’s presence in our day. As we know our taste in art or the exercises that work best for our body, so we know our attrait and develop a rule of life accordingly. That rule is not onerous or stressful, but a helpful guide to our efforts.

And in the same way that any kind of steady investment pays increasing dividends, so we find with investment in loving God. If we are willing to “show up!” and keep at it, one day we discover that we have been dramatically transformed from the inside out And while we may or may not ever be called by God to move a mountain or part a sea, true love at work in the world can make an incredible difference!

I hope this series has been genuinely helpful and always welcome any questions.

Additional special thanks to those who’ve recently joined me on social media! I’m grateful for the interaction and look forward to much more!

You can find me on

Twitter at: @jesusat2am
Instagram at: @jesus_at_2AM
Facebook: facebook.com/jesusat2am

Loving God 401, Part 9: Spiritual Direction

February 6, 2017February 6, 2017Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

A personal trainer for the soul?

Every great athlete has a coach, every great artist a teacher, and every great saint a mentor, “confessor” or spiritual director. And while most of us are not striving for formal “sainthood,” we can all benefit from some formal spiritual direction.

In this episode we explore the a bit of the history of spiritual direction, the role of a spiritual director and the nature of the relationship between a spiritual director and directee, as well as some insights into how to identify a trustworthy spiritual director.

In addition, I take a little time in the intro to talk more about engaging constructively in the current political turmoil. There is no doubt that some fundamental values are being challenged (e.g., care for refugees, respect for women, a free press…) and there is need for those values to be defended. But the manner of our engagement is as critical as the content of our message. I’ve been talking with some experts as well as reflecting on how to make my own voice heard and I offer some suggestions.

Many such methods involve social media (the printing press of our era) and I’d be grateful to have you join in the conversation.

You can find me on

Twitter at: @jesusat2am
Instagram at: @jesus_at_2AM
Facebook: facebook.com/jesusat2am

Loving God 401, Part 8: The Upward Spiral

January 30, 2017January 30, 2017Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

Genuine hardship is an essential part of the work of maturity in the Christian life. And one of the most damaging fallacies of pop-Christianity is that experiences of distance from God, isolation and aridity are signs of regression (or as my tradition so often refers to them: “back-sliding”).

One need look no further than to Jesus’s own life in which there were moments of great emotional intimacy with God and sense of direction in ministry (e.g., the transfiguration), and deep emptiness and feelings of complete abandonment (e.g., garden of Gathsemene). In both instances, Jesus was in exact alignment with the will of God, and yet his emotional experience was very different. So it is with us.

In this episode, we continue our study of discernment (learning to hear God’s voice in our life) with a look at two equally essential categories of experience, what Ignatius called “consolation” and “desolation.” Both are inescapable dimensions of growth, and both can be signs of trouble as well! We will learn how to tell the difference between true and false consolations and constructive and destructive desolation.

All this builds to a broad vision of growth that resembles what a mentor of mine refers to as “the upward spiral.” Transformation (or, technically, “sanctification”) does not happen in an instant. Rather, we make slow progress back towards our true identity (the person God created us to be). Just as sin leads us into the downward spiral of destruction, so grace allows us to reverse the course, and travel back home. The journey is long and the progress, slow. But as we understand the process and discern God’s leading, we gain confidence in our efforts and can see that we are taking on the likeness of Christ!

In other news, as I mentioned in the intro, I am working hard – especially amidst the political and social turmoil of recent days – to increase my presence on social media. I am trying to offer my most constructive thoughts as to how we – as followers of Jesus – stand up to wrongs, without ultimately adding to sin ourselves. (We must never forget that politics and politicians are not the enemy – sin is! To the degree that humans are agents of sin, they must be confronted and stopped. But the means by which we do so must be in accordance with manner of Jesus. We are never to become “Christian Utilitarians” – as if such a thing could exist.)

I would love to have you follow me and engage in conversation.

You can find me on

Twitter at: @jesusat2am
Instagram at: @jesus_at_2AM
Facebook: facebook.com/jesusat2am

Hang in there. Pray short and often. And remember: love is the name of the game! (If others seem to not understand the rules or how to score points, don’t let yourself get confused. Play your game and stick with it!)

Much love to you all,

Kirk