When you take the Blueprint for Spiritual Wellness, we'll send you two opportunities to guide you in your spiritual growth. This will help you take the next step to growing in your relationship with Jesus! If you want to read an overview of all the spiritual practices and think about where you can challenge yourself to find more meaningful ways to be in relationship with God, see below. While you may need to challenge yourself in a certain practice, be realistic in your expectations. Consider focusing on one particular spiritual practice and then slowly add another practice every two weeks until it has become a habit. Share your decision with a trusted friend or a Trietsch pastor who can help you stay the course by praying for you.
TMUMC.ORG/bible→
Engagement with the Bible is an important way to know God and Jesus better. Spending time in Scripture is the primary way to catalyze our spiritual growth!
Ideas for Action to Grow in Bible Engagement:
Read or listen to a passage from the Bible every day. If you are just beginning, start with the book of Mark and read one or two chapters a day.
Download the YouVersion app and select Trietsch as "My Church" to receive weekly reading plans. Go to www.tmumc.org/bible to learn more.
Take notes from the Sermon each week. Memorize one of the Bible verses mentioned during the Sermon.
Join a Bible study at Trietsch. There are many choices! Go to www.tmumc.org/groups to search the latest offerings.
Discuss what you are learning from the Bible with your family and friends.
Become a Bible study leader! Contact Denise Robinson at deniser@tmumc.org to discuss this possibility.
TMUMC.ORG/passionate-prayer→
How do we get to know someone? By spending time with them! Prayer is about building a relationship with God. Prayer involves talking AND listening and helps us to notice all the ways God shows up.
Ideas for Action to Grow in the Spiritual Practice of Prayer:
Set a time and place for prayer each day and be consistent. Consider setting an alarm on your phone as a reminder. Start with just 5 minutes and then increase as you become more comfortable.
Participate in community prayer by joining the Trietsch Prayer Team. Subscribe to the weekly Prayers and Cares and then pray the list. Subscribe at www.tmumc.org/learn-to-pray
Read a liturgical prayer book. Examples: Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals by Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren, Guerrillas of Grace: Prayers for the Battle by Ted Loder
Take a prayer walk once a week.
Explore a new prayer style at www.tmumc.org/learn-to-pray: Breath prayer, Centering prayer, Lectio Divina, Prayer of Examen.
Start a prayer journal with personal prayers, prayers for others and answers to prayer.
TMUMC.ORG/humble-service→
The purpose of serving is two-fold: to honor God and to bless others. Jesus clearly calls us to Love God with all our heart, soul and mind and to Love Others. Service is rooted in seeing others as God sees them; it is about radical love. Service as a spiritual practice trains us to be selfless and connect with God in everything we do.
Ideas for Growth in Humble Service:
Make random acts of service a part of your normal day or week.
Take the Gifted to Serve Discovery to learn your spiritual gift and ministry style as well as begin thinking about your area of passion. www.tmumc.org/gifted
Take the Next Steps: Gifted to Serve class to learn tools to serve within your passion, spiritual gift and ministry style so that you are more motivated, competent and confident in your serving. For a list of dates and times, go to www.tmumc.org/gifted
Join the Trietsch Hospitality team to serve one Sunday per month. Help make Trietsch a welcoming home. Contact Laura Sennott at lauras@tmumc.org for more information.
Experiment with new ways to serve. Meet with Rev. Gracie Millard, graciem@tmumc.org to discuss opportunities within our community.
Combine mercy and justice to be a force of change. Learn more at www.tmumc.org/outreach
TMUMC.ORG/mystory→
Reading the Bible and praying regularly are important to guide us on our faith journey but sharing our faith story touches people’s hearts and helps them to see their story in our story. It is through hearing and sharing faith stories that we grow closer to each other and closer to God. It is how we fulfill the Great Commission: to go and share Christ with others.
Ideas for Growth in Faith-Sharing:
Invite at least one friend a year to church or a small group.
Practice sharing your faith story. Say it out loud and then have someone listen and tell you how to be clearer. Then, share your story with a new friend.
Discover a way to spend time with people who are not like you. Opportunities are available at www.tmumc.org/outreach
Join a Life Group at the next Life Group launch where you can develop the ability to share with others. https://www.tmumc.org/life
Learn to ask spiritual questions of others during normal conversations. It can be as simple as “So, what do you think about God?”
Read The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
Share your story at www.tmumc.org/mystory
TMUMC.ORG/community→
Jesus makes it clear that we need each other. The viewpoints of other people help us climb out of our narrow world and learn what it means to love those who are not exactly like us. It helps us to smooth rough edges; it challenges us to think differently and helps us to grow in our own faith.
Ideas for Growth in Consistent Community:
Join a Life Group. To learn about the next Life Group launch, visit www.tmumc.org/life
Make it a goal to get to know people who worship with you on Sunday morning either on-line or in-person. Learn their names, where they work and live, what they like best about Trietsch.
Host a neighborhood block party.
Become a Life Group leader. Contact Denise Robinson at deniser@tmumc.org
Join a Bible study, Sunday school class or Support Group. For more information, go to www.tmumc.org/groups
TMUMC.ORG/generosity→
A generous spirit comes from the knowledge that God is the owner of everything. Our focus shifts from getting everything we can for our own pleasures to sharing the blessings God has given us with others. We place our lives in God’s control and our money and resources at God’s disposal for God’s glory.
Ideas for Growth in Joyful Generosity:
Make a commitment to give proportionally with the goal of reaching the tithe (10%.) Set a proportion of income giving, then increase it by 2% every 6 months until you reach the tithe. Go to www.tmumc.org/give to learn more.
Review your spending habits. Ask God to help you see areas where you can be more generous with your resources and areas where you can be more sacrificial.
Choose one item every week to give to CCA or other charities.
Take a faith-based financial course at www.tmumc.org/finance (offered periodically throughout the year).
Visit www.tmumc.org/finance to watch a financial planning video to get started.
Simplify your life in some practical way so that you can become more generous in the coming year.
Give your time as well as your financial support to a special outreach event. Go to www.tmumc.org/outreach for more information.
TMUMC.ORG/wholehearted-worship→
Worship is a lifestyle. We worship in community, gathered regularly with God’s people. We also worship in the flow of a normal day. Worship is our response to God. God created us in love, and we respond to that love with worship.
Ideas for Growth in Wholehearted Worship:
Commit to being present online or in person in worship on a consistent basis.
Memorize Psalm 23 or Psalm 100 and say it daily.
Prepare for worship. Get a good night’s rest the night before. Say a prayer before worship begins to ask God to help you hear God’s voice.
Learn the story behind your favorite hymn or worship song.
Participate in Communion on a regular basis.
Download the TMUMC app and explore the Sermon Notes and Digital Bulletin to answer the questions in the weekly Huddle Guide.
TMUMC.ORG/fruit→
We learn about the fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5:22-23:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against things like this. (Common English Bible)
The Bible has many other references to “bearing good fruit.” What exactly does this mean? Essentially, it is becoming more like Jesus. It shows itself in our changed behaviors and outlooks. And, it doesn’t happen overnight! Just like fruit trees that need time to grow, pruning and water; we need the same.
Ideas for Growth in Fruit of the Spirit:
Memorize Galatians 5:22-23.
Make a “Fruit of the Spirit” checklist and do some honest self-reflection of the areas that need more of your attention.
Read all four Gospels from the Bible (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and journal about what Jesus teaches you.
Practice counting to ten before you speak in any situation so that what comes out of your mouth is more fruitful.
Read the book “The Jesus Priorities” by Christopher Maricle. (Copies are available at Trietsch.)
Start meeting with an accountability group of 3-4 people to honestly share with each other how you are growing.