Ancient Christian Wisdom
for Everyday Life
Wisdom for those with the wild ambition of getting as close to Jesus as they can on earth and living the kind of life that God desires every single day
Welcome to the Daily Monastic. I’m Barnabas the Monastic.
I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I attempt to do that by learning to become a modern monastic. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in my modern everyday life. I write about it here. Feel free to write to me about your own journey. I currently reside in the “Great White North.”
Master of the Quiet Time
I want to be a master of the "quiet time." For those of you who don't know, "quiet time" was what we called spending time with Jesus back in the day because it was an activity that was often (but not always) done in relative silence and solitude. The purpose of this activity is to…
The Secret Weapon: Contemplation
One of the key tools in the modern monastic's tool bag is contemplation. Contemplation is the spiritual practice of deeply observing and thinking about various things and events in our lives. We might contemplate about a challenging situation that just happened. Or about our attitude towards a certain person. Or about how…
The Most Important Activity of the Day
Meeting with God in prayer is the most important activity of my day. It isn’t working on my career, or eating or sleeping, or even spending time with my family. I don't necessarily neglect these other important activities. I still make sure they are a vital part of…
Diligence: Intentional Consistent Effort
If we want to see our spiritual lives flourish, we need to be as diligent as we can in working on it. Spiritual growth doesn't just happen by chance. In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses exhorted the Israelites to be diligent in keeping their souls (see Deut. 4:9). As disciples of Jesus, we are likewise called to…
Friendship and Power
One of my biggest motivators for continuing to spend ample amounts of time with God in prayer and meditation is to discover and receive the things that were promised to any follower of Christ. In the book of 2 Corinthians, Paul declares that "all the promises of God find their Yes in him" (2 Cor. 2:20 ESV). I should desire what is being offered to…
Realities of Life that Motivate Me to Pray
There are a couple of realities that motivate me each day to spend as much time as I possibly can with the Lord through prayer and meditation. The first reality is that of my physical death. My death will come one day. It may come later in my life or it may come sooner—only the Lord knows how…
Being OK with Doing Less
A few months ago, my family visited from overseas and lived with us in our home for several weeks. It was wonderful to be with family that I haven't seen in so long and to share life together once again. At the same time, having family over will naturally cause some disruption to…
Flexibility is Key
Flexibility is key when operating in a modern world. I consider myself to be a modern monastic, which means I aim to live with a monk-like posture while maintaining a relatively modern lifestyle. Many of us know that modern life can be complex and unpredictable at times. Something new, unexpected, or…
Increasing Our Spiritual Batting Average
"Do I really need to work hard at the spiritual exercises? I mean, I'm saved already." We’re indeed saved by the work of Christ on the cross and you will never find me disputing about this gracious and merciful gift from our Lord. However, we still find ourselves living on earth. We haven't been transported to heaven. We live in a very broken world where our mission as believers is to live for Jesus and serve His Kingdom agenda. As a saved people of God, isn't it our greatest desire to…
Is it “legalism”?
Am I being a bit legalistic in my approach to prayer and meditation? This is a common and understandable question given the lengthy nature of my times with the Lord and how I encourage others to try it out. Some people believe that one way to…