How do we keep growing deeper with God? One theme in my life this year has been growing deeper. A Bible verse calling to me recently is: "Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him Your root will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. Ephesians, 3: 17 I have been trying to live this call in 2013 in two ways and just discovered last week another way I can't wait to try. Three Books about Growing Deeper with God I prayerfully asked God to lead me to three books to reread in 2013. I chose - hopefully with his blessing -: The Cloud of the Unknowing - CarmenButcher The Interior Castle - Teresa of Avila John 14 What I am doing is rereading these texts slowly and savoring their lessons. I highlight, rewrite passages in my own words and journal my thoughts. Too often I skim books and quickly forget their words of wisdom. Lectio Divina - Growing Deeper with God Lectio Divina means divine reading and is … [Read more...]
God’s Questions
Do I not see what happens in secret? Am I not everywhere, filling heaven and earth? I have heard these prophets who speak lies in My name. They say, “I had a dream, I had a dream,” and claim it was Me speaking to them! How long will this go on? Will the hearts of these lying prophets ever change? How long will they deceive themselves and all who listen to them? They think they can make My people forget My name with all this talk of dreams—just as their ancestors forgot My name as they worshiped Baal. If a prophet has a dream, he should tell others of that dream. But the one who has My word should speak it with unshakable faith. For what is straw worth, when compared to grain? Does not My word burn like fire? Does it not shatter rock like a strong hammer? Jeremiah 23:23-29 The Voice Lord, you ask lots of questions this week for me to ponder. Am I only a God who is close by, and not a God of the farthest … [Read more...]
Is ‘God Alone’ Enough? – Quote of the Week
Trust is the foundation of love. St. Teresa of Avila prayed that she would let God be enough for her. There are many times when I find this notion extremely challenging. When I have times of emptiness I sometimes ask God: 'Are you enough for me? Can I be satisfied with just having you and not having whoever or whatever is being emptied out of my life?'I do want God to be enough for me so that I do not go seeking for things to take the place of this Loving Presence in my life, but it is easy to waver and to doubt that God is enough in my moments of insecurity or pain.It's a crazy thing, but as much as I find myself longing for God it is sometimes excruciating to have nothing but God.Joyce Rupp … [Read more...]
Amazing Earth. Amazing God!
Amazing God! Amazing Earth! Amazing! Take a minute to look at this photo. See that tiny dot? That is us. Earth. That's home seen from far away. Isn't this photo astonishing? NASA released this photo on July 19. The wide-angle camera on NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured Saturn's rings and our planet Earth and its moon in the same frame. Earth, which is 898 million miles away in this image, appears as a blue dot at center right; the moon can be seen as a fainter protrusion off its right side. Like this photo, our lives often appear like a speck in the middle of nowhere. We wonder if any one cares or speculate if we matter. We feel alone in a dark night. My first thought when I saw this fascinating photo was that how God sees us. He sits in remote heaven listening to harp music and giving orders to angels. Then I realized God does not view us from a distance. He is here on earth. In our hearts. Walking with our spirit. Communing with us. Desiring to be with us. To … [Read more...]
Celestial Faith
AND this is the time of year the annual Perseid Meteor shower streaks across the nighttime sky. I am like a kid at Christmas time, giddy with anticipation. I am a constellation geek. On these nights I quietly get up in the middle of night and slowly make my way out to our backyard deck to watch God's magical performance as he bounces delightful sprigs of light between the Big Dipper and Orion's Belt. Just love it! Saturday night I ventured outside twice. I delighted in the array of zooming lights whizzing above me. No wait, they aren't meteors; I was watching fireflies. How foolish I felt. Oh well, I will wait a little longer. Then a little more time went by. YAWN. When I finally gave up the number of meteors I observed? Zero. Zilch. Nada I was bummed! Sunday night I peeked out several times late in the evening. Too much light yet for a good view so decided another middle of the night trip would be necessary to get my annual fix of shooting stars. Yep, my internal … [Read more...]
I Cannot Count all the Stars But I Can Count on God – Lectio Divina
After all these things, this word of God came to Abram in a vision: “Don’t be afraid, Abram. I’m your shield. Your reward will be grand!” Abram said, “God, Master, what use are your gifts as long as I’m childless and Eliezer of Damascus is going to inherit everything?” Abram continued, “See, you’ve given me no children, and now a mere house servant is going to get it all.” Then God’s Message came: “Don’t worry, he won’t be your heir; a son from your body will be your heir.” Then he took him outside and said, “Look at the sky. Count the stars. Can you do it? Count your descendants! You’re going to have a big family, Abram!”And he believed! Believed God! God declared him “Set-Right-with-God.”Genesis 15: 1-6 The Message“Look at the sky. Count the stars. Can you do it?"Lord, you set the sun and reveal a silky black backdrop to highlight your shimmering stars.I love your nighttime creations, Lord.I search to find the Big Dipper and Orion's belt.I wait, hungry to see a meteor streak across … [Read more...]
Keep Walking – Quote of the Week – Rick Warren
"Remember how far you've come, not just how far you have to go.You are not where you want to be,but either are you where you used to be."Rick Warren … [Read more...]
Lesson from a Moth – Holy Transparency
Holy Transparency! I noticed the moth clinging to the screen as I cleaned the kitchen. He stayed for quite awhile, in stillness, silent like he has something to tell me. The poor thing, I thought. Holes scattered throughout his wings like a shotgun had pelleted his only means of moving. I felt sad for this little creature, stuck in one place, his wings full of gaps. I cleaned. I watched. I listened. Then I looked closer. My first impression of what I was seeing was all-wrong. His wings were not holey at all. The parts I thought were broken were transparent allowing the light to shine through. Lord, help me be transparent so you shine through. Holy Transparency! Being transparent isn't easy. I want to keep up appearances you know. After all I have worked a lifetime perfecting my mask of "everything is all right" and "I have my act all together." Will people really like me if I step out of the way? I know my ego won't go away without a struggle. … [Read more...]