In considering living at the pace of life God has given you, I believe it’s important to include your spiritual disciplines as well. Not in the “make sure you are disciplined spiritually” kind of “including”, but the “find your pace of spiritual disciplines” kind of “including”.
In other words, I think it’s a mistake to assume that because Korean Christians developed a habit of praying at 5:00 am for several hours, you ought to do that too. Brian Jones has a really, ummmm …. actually, I don’t know the right adjective to put on it, but he has a (let’s say) very interesting post here about the issue of how much we pray.
If a leader you admire and respect finds great success and deepening of relationship with God through journaling (ala Wayne Cordeiro), and if it helps you too, then great. Go for it! Just be careful about making it an “ought to” for the people around you.
If what works for you is to find several times a day for at least a few minutes each time to be with God like the ancient Christians did …. “Daily Offices” …. then by all means, have at it! Pete Scazzero believes this is a primary path to slowing down enough to truly connect with God. I personally find great merit in it. But I realize it doesn’t work for everyone.
What’s important for you as a Pastor is not that you spend hours a day reading your Bible, praying, fasting, and parsing the Greek. What is important is that you find the pace that works for you to truly connect with Jesus and His heart.
How many of us (too many, in truth) have “done the duties and disciplines” for the sake of saying we have done them, and yet still find ourselves falling to temptation and lacking transforming connection with our Creator?
What works for you? Be honest with all of us here. The pace you’re living your spiritual disciplines, is it REALLY working for you? Are you living it for Jesus, or for what others expect of you?