Now that we're into the second month of the year, it may be a good time for me to ask how your practice of spiritual disciplines is going. I think we all know the value and necessity of spiritual disciplines — the regular engagement in prayer, Scripture reading, singing, and corporate worship, to name a few — if we are to follow the Lord. Yet we often find that our engagement with these disciplines can be irregular. A small detail that may be of some help is simply the way we conceptualize these disciplines, and what we label them. For example, "discipline" is a good word. The idea of disciplining and training ourselves is healthy and biblical. But if that's the only word or concept we use, we may think of discipline as only duty, which doesn't always motivate or inspire. One alternative is to call them "delights," which is also a good term. We ought to reinforce the idea that it is good and joyful and soul-nourishing to spend time in the Word and prayer. That said, delights might be a word we don't always naturally use (I know I don't), and may sound a little hokey. And we don't want to only engage in these practices when we feel like it might be fun or enjoyable. We need to engage in the disciplines even if we're not feeling it. So, other terms might also be helpful. We might think of them as spiritual "practices" or "rhythms," emphasizing the ongoing routine and daily vitality they bring. Or, we might call them spiritual "exercises" or "training," emphasizing the growth we find through them. We could call them spiritual "joys," "nourishments," "lifelines," or even "essentials." You could think of other terms as well. The overall point is that I think we will be helped to think of our spiritual practices not only as duties, but also as life-giving rhythms that are needed for a life of faithfulness to God.