The Practice of Silence and Its Related Spiritual Disciplines in Guiding Cambodian Christian Leaders Toward Christlike Transformation

Abstract

I have in my desire to be inwardly transformed toward Christlikeness and become as close to God as possible. My spiritual autobiography in this portfolio is a testimony of such a journey toward Christlikeness, a journey guided by God’s grace. Out of the various spiritual practices that exist to build up Christlikeness in believers, I consider silence a central discipline in my spiritual life. This led me to learn the fundamentals of silence and other spiritual formation methods to train myself and be transformed inwardly. I described these fundamentals as a model for spiritual growth in this portfolio. My experience of the beauty of silence and related spiritual practices also led to my desire to convey my learning and experience to the Cambodian people in my missionary work. I prepared a spiritual discipline program for Cambodian church leaders. This program introduced and fostered the ability to practice silence through examen and prayer walking. I then examined how this program affected participants. Participants had the opportunity not only to experience new spiritual disciplines but also to establish a foundation for pursuing deeper spiritual experiences that will allow them to grow in their Christlikeness and become closer to God.