Did the other day's entry touch your heart? Do you want to begin reading each day and savoring God’s Word? Then lets look at some steps on how to begin this process. Continuing from Pastor John’s information on Experiencing God’s Word, lets review!

1) Find a quiet place and a quiet time.
2) Begin by yielding yourself to God and ask Him to speak to you.
3) [And this will be the very hardest for many of you!] Read slowly and don't get caught up in how much you read but what God is saying. The goal is not to get through the Word but for the Word to get through us! Remember, not a Big Mac, but a 6- course meal.
4) Take a verse with you. Take a verse with you to meditate (mumble) with you during the day.

Lectio Divina
The spiritual discipline of devotional reading involves a method of reading God's Word. Lectio divina (pronounced lex' ee o dee vee' na) is an ancient discipline of approaching the Word as a Living Word that speaks to us.

The following is an introduction to Lectio adapted from an article by Luke Dysinger and presented in Pastors Retreat Network materials. I encourage you to read fully through the following for three straight days and then refer back to it as necessary. I refer to it often just to bring my heart back to the discipline.

Introduction to Lectio Divina
The Four Steps of Lectio Divina (Sacred Reading)

Lectio divina is a four-step process: reading, meditating, praying, and contemplating, known to Christians throughout history by their Latin names of lectio (lex' ee oh), meditation (me di that' see oh), oratio (or aht' see oh), and comtemplatio (con tem plaht' see oh). It could be said these four steps are like a path that lead away from the noise of the city to the beauty of nature. Or these steps can be seen as relational; a deepening exchange between two friends; or, they can be called transformational, a microcosm of the change taking place in us as we go from creatures dead in sin to a new creation in Christ.
What is important is to see these steps as natural, for they are common to any meaningful experience we have in life. First we "read" the experience, then we reflect on it, next we talk about it to those involved, and finally, we bring it into ourselves and let it become part of who we are. Lectio divina is the way in which we follow this process with the word of God.

The Practice of Lectio Divina
Lectio – reading and listening to the text
Place yourself in a comfortable position and allow yourself to become silent. Some Christians focus for a few moments on one thing to block out the noise of life. A favorite prayer or Bible verse can be gently recited in order to become peacefully aware of God's presence. Use whatever method is best for you and allow yourself to enjoy silence for a few moments.
Then, turn to the text and read it slowly, gently. Savor each portion of the reading, constantly listening for the "still, small voice" of a word or phrase that somehow says, "I am for you today." Do not expect lightning or ecstasies. In lectio divina God is teaching us to listen to Him, to seek Him in silence. He does not reach out and grab us; rather, He softly, gently invites us ever more deeply into His presence. Once you have found a verse or phrase that the Word, Christ, is speaking to you, stop your reading and move into the next phase – meditation.

Meditatio – meditation
Rest a while on this word or phrase that Christ is speaking to you in this moment. Appreciate it for the special treasure it is: the Word, Christ, speaking to you today. Although meditation is commonly understood as very passive, lectio divina is an active encounter with a Person. Deny for a moment the temptation to apply this word to one specific situation in your life – as if you already fully understood its meaning! Repeat it slowly to yourself, allowing it to interact with your whole world of thoughts, concerns, memories and ideas.
Don't worry if you are distracted by seemingly unimportant or unrelated thoughts. Memories and other thoughts are simply parts of yourself that, when they rise up during prayer, are asking to be given to God along with the rest of your self. God wants all of you, and that includes even your most commonplace, or most annoying thoughts. Allow this pondering to invite you into dialogue with Christ.

Oratio – prayer
Speak to the Word. Whether you use words or ideas or images, or all three is not important. Interact with Christ as you would with one who you know loves and accepts you. Give to Him what you have discovered in yourself during your experiences of meditatio. Perhaps you feel the presence of the first or third Person of the Trinity. Experience God in the word or phrase that He has given you. Let it be a means of blessing. Tell God what you have found within your heart.

Contemplatio – contemplation
This part is hard to describe, because it is God's initiative; it is God acting on His desire to be present to you; all you have to do is be there. Simply rest in God's embrace. Be patient. When He invites you to return to your pondering of His word or to your inner dialogue with Him, do so. Learn to use words when words are helpful, and to let go of words when they no longer are necessary. Rejoice in the knowledge that God is with you in both words and silence, in spiritual activity and inner receptivity.

Sometimes in lectio divina, one will return several times to the printed text, either to savor the literary context of the word or phrase that God has given, or to seek a new word or phrase to ponder. At other times only a single word or phrase will fill the whole time set aside for lectio. It is not necessary to anxiously assess the quality of one's lectio devina as if one were "performing" or seeking some goal: lectio divina has no goal other than that of being in the presence of God by praying the Scriptures.

So that is the essence of Lectio Divina.