Stuff I was reading over at What Is Church was making me think about spiritual disciplines. I was thinking how, when it comes to spiritual disciplines, I think of prayer, fasting, contemplation, bible reading, and things in that vein. But there is one I could add to my list, I think. Friendship with the poor/ people in the low places. I think that is a kind of spiritual discipline. Often people call it "ministry" as opposed to "worship". From what I see, it is a whole lot more on Jesus' page to see friendship with those in the low places as worship. I think that the "poor" change you a lot more than you change them. It's not so much that they need you - you need them. Jesus seems to tell us that there is certain part of him hidden in the low places, a piece that we will find nowhere else. As we find him there, he changes our values and motivations. It's there he teaches you Love.

And it's not first nature for me to hang out with ones that most of society calls cursed. So it must be a spiritual discipline.