Lectio Divina - a holy reading of the Bible slowly, savoring it, and enjoying it with the Lord – is the spiritual practice of sacred reading of the scriptures. The intention is not to learn or gain information but to deepen our relationship with God. St Benedict encourages us to “to listen with the ear of our hearts.”Join me once a week for Lectio Divina. I will share a verse and a word that spoke to my heart. Read and listen to the verses here. And gently ask God for a word or phrase that speaks to your heart for that day – that is what lectio means. Once we find that gift, we hold it, meditate, and savor its meaning. This step is called meditation.Then offer that word back to God in prayer or the third step of oratio. In prayer we allow our real selves to be touched and changed by the word of God.Finally, we simply rest in the presence of the One who has used His word as a means of inviting us to accept His transforming embrace. No one who has ever been in love needs to be reminded … [Read more...]
Spiritual Kindness
I believe in kindness.The intentional practice of being kind connects us with one another, gives us energy to walk our daily journey, and brings joy that brightens dreary, lonely days. An act of kindness lingers in our souls providing strength and nourishment and is sometimes the only thread we have to cling to.I believe in kindness.It is easier not to go visit an elderly friend or to smile at the store clerk or to cook soup for the lonely widower. But this doesn’t make it right either. It will take me a lifetime to fully learn that it is not about me, my wants or needs.I believe in kindness.I believe we have to make our minds up to practice this quality moment by moment, day by day.Michael Roach tells a story about kindness in the book The Diamond Cutter:"The early Buddhists of Tibet were known as the Kadampas — they were simple people, herders and carpenters and small farmers, who took to the new ideas like fish to water, in their simple but exquisite way. They carried around a small … [Read more...]
Spiritual Mold Growing in my Soil/Soul
I didn’t see it happen. My husband walked in from the garage, obviously amused by something he observed. He looked like the Cheshire cat with a silly grin on his face and twinkle in his eyes.“You are quite the gardener,” he said with a mischievous smirk.“What do you mean?” I asked, squinting my eyes with a growing suspicion that the answer was not one I was going to like.“You have grown a wonderful batch of mold and mushrooms in the garage.”I investigated and found out it was true. Yucky mold and yellowish mushrooms thrived, spreading their deep golden roots throughout my neglected bag of mulch. Several sprouts stalwartly burst through the plastic bag. A healthy bag of mulch whose purpose was to encourage the blooming of gorgeous backyard flowers now served to grow ugly things that never should see the light of day.I did have good intentions but neglected to follow through.I find that also true of my spiritual walk at times.My soul is best nourished with daily prayer, reading the … [Read more...]
Weekend Reflections on the Word of God – November 1, 2009
Lectio Divina - a holy reading of the Bible slowly, savoring it, and enjoying it with the Lord – is the spiritual practice of sacred reading of the scriptures. The intention is not to learn or gain information but to deepen our relationship with God. St Benedict encourages us to “to listen with the ear of our hearts.”Join me once a week for Lectio Divina. I will share a verse and a word that spoke to my heart. Read and listen to the verses here. And gently ask God for a word or phrase that speaks to your heart for that day – that is what lectio means. Once we find that gift, we hold it, meditate, and savor its meaning. This step is called meditation.Then offer that word back to God in prayer or the third step of oratio. In prayer we allow our real selves to be touched and changed by the word of God.Finally, we simply rest in the presence of the One who has used His word as a means of inviting us to accept His transforming embrace. No one who has ever been in love needs to be reminded … [Read more...]
WHACK! “A Gentle Whack on the Side of the Head” God
What a great start to the morning -on my second cup of coffee, checking the third item off my to-do list, and accomplishing numerous jobs. I was a multitasking fiend, zipping along like a road runner.WHACK! Hitting myself on the side of the head I said out loud, “I forgot to pray this morning.”Each morning I try to start my day with the Lord. I sit quietly and praise him. I lift up my prayer concerns for family and friends and I read a devotional. Often I also journal where I feel God is leading me on my journey.Sounds nice, doesn’t it? But to be honest too often I dive into my day without first honoring God.WHACK!Do you watch NCIS? This favorite television show of mine shows the main character, Gibbs, frequently slapping Dinozzo, another agent, on the back of the head -a mild, loving head slap to redirect Dinozzo’s attention back to where it belongs. Gibbs administers tough love on his agents.WHACK!As soon as I realized I forgot God, I quit all the important, urgent items in front of … [Read more...]
EXUBERANT SPIRITUALITY
What does it mean to be exuberant? Ever hear a word you haven’t heard for awhile, then all of a sudden you hear it and see it everywhere? EXUBERANT!Exuberant means to be fruitful, joyful, uninhibitedly enthusiastic, lavishly abundant and abounding in vitality. Wouldn’t that be a glorious way to live?Kyla, pictured here, displays exuberance when she squeals with all her miniature might like a Jurassic Park baby dinosaur. Zeal erupts from her very center and her chubby arms and legs gush with unabashed enthusiasm in every lively direction. Her face radiates with an eagerness adults too soon lose.LESSON: Exuberance involves my whole beingMy online writers group – all five of us – are participating in the National Novel Writing Month or NANO for short. The web site: http://www.nanowrimo.org/ describes the process as exuberant imperfection.People free write 50,000 word novels during thirty days, though a few of us rebels write non-fiction. The idea is to just dig deep into our souls and … [Read more...]
Weekend Reflections on the Word of God – October 25, 2009
Lectio Divina - a holy reading of the Bible slowly, savoring it, and enjoying it with the Lord – is the spiritual practice of sacred reading of the scriptures. The intention is not to learn or gain information but to deepen our relationship with God. St Benedict encourages us to “to listen with the ear of our hearts.”Join me once a week for Lectio Divina. I will share a verse and a word that spoke to my heart. Read and listen to the verses here. And gently ask God for a word or phrase that speaks to your heart for that day – that is what lectio means. Once we find that gift, we hold it, meditate, and savor its meaning. This step is called meditation.Then offer that word back to God in prayer or the third step of oratio. In prayer we allow our real selves to be touched and changed by the word of God.Finally, we simply rest in the presence of the One who has used His word as a means of inviting us to accept His transforming embrace. No one who has ever been in love needs to be reminded … [Read more...]
“Don’t Use that Tone of Voice with your Mother, I mean God.”
I pray in the shower. I cannot believe I am telling you this, but I do pray in the shower. That may sound like a strange place for you, but I find the warm refreshing water a wonderful time to share my concerns with God.So there I stood the other day, starting off my day feeling good and just babbling away in my bubbles, telling God about all my concerns and just want I needed him to do. I even expressed my impatience and frustration at several prayers that he hadn’t gotten around to answering yet. Perhaps the echo in the shower stall or my vulnerable state magnified my words but suddenly I realize just WHO I was talking to. Yikes! My demanding tone of voice and obstinate attitude did not contain much worship, respect, fear or love for the Lord. I stopped.I could hear my mother’s voice rise from a deep memory, “Don’t use that tone of voice with me, young lady. Off to your room!”Then I think I heard God laugh. I asked him for his forgiveness for being so arrogant and disrespectful. And … [Read more...]