Advent begins the end of this month and is a great time to pause and ponder all that God has given us. If you are looking for more information about Advent download my free Advent Resource Guide here. Or perhaps you may enjoy exploring some of the past posts I have written about this season: What is Advent and Why is it Important 15 Inspirational Quotes about Advent Mary and Elizabeth - a Lesson about Advent Is Your Advent Full with Stuff in your Hands or a Heart Stuffed with Joy? My gift to you this week is 10 inspirational quotes about Advent that I haven't shared before here on Healthy Spirituality. Take one into your prayer, journaling, and time with God. May the words bless your Advent season. “For outlandish creatures like us, on our way to a heart, a brain, and courage, Bethlehem is not the end of our journey but only the beginning - not home but the place through which we must pass if ever we are to reach home at last.” ― Frederick Buechner, The … [Read more...]
10 Celtic Blessings of Wisdom
In honor of my upcoming pilgrimage to Ireland, I have been collecting Celtic blessings. Here are a few for you today: A best friend is like a four leaf clover: hard to find and lucky to have. Anonymous ****** A wish that every day for you will be happy from the start and may you always have good luck and a song within your heart. Irish Blessing ****** Always remember to forget, the friends that proved untrue. But never forget to remember those that have stuck by you! Irish proverb ****** You've got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was! Irish proverb ****** Do not resent growing old. Many are denied the privilege. Irish proverb ****** Tis better to buy a small bouquet and give to your friend this very day, Than a bushel of roses white and red to lay on his coffin after he's dead. Irish proverb ****** May the hinges of our friendship never grow rusty. Irish Proverb ****** It's no use carrying an umbrella if your shoes are … [Read more...]
Waiting in Prayer
Waiting for a prayer to be answered is hard. I have several prayers I have been hounding God about for years. I haven't heard no. I haven't seen the results I told him I wanted. I will be honest I have more than suggested something he may want to take care of. Now, please, Lord! We wait in prayer and often don't get the answer we wanted. Sometimes while waiting in prayer, the answer appears in an unexpected way. Or even better than ever imagined blessings. But my pile of "someday" prayers simmers in my heart. Waiting in Prayer I don't have tricks or techniques to help in the time of waiting but have been exploring and talking with God about this phenomenon we all experience. Perhaps God uses this time like weight-training but spelled differently -wait-training. Here are some gems to consider: But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. – Romans 8:25 Patience? Sigh. Waiting in prayer does teach us patience or at least attempts to foster … [Read more...]
10 Quotes on Prayer During Difficult Times
In September we have been looking how to pray when it is difficult. This is all part of the Year of Prayer here on Healthy Spirituality. You may find the previous posts about praying during difficult times here and here. I love chewing on great bits of wisdom found in the wise words from others. Here are 10 thought-provoking and inspirational quotes about prayer that I hope will help you in hard times. Find one or two of your favorites and tug them into your journal and/or Bible. May these words bubble up and find you again just when you need them. Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference" Max Lucado ****** Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts. Mother Teresa ****** I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming … [Read more...]
17 Powerful Quotes about Community
Community – Community has been the August’s Tending the Holy Thursday theme. Each month on my Thursday posts, I pick one theme (or person of faith) to explore in depth over several weeks. The past three weeks, we have explored this topic by looking at the spiritual practice of community, how to build community through questions and listening, and ideas about living with community in times of conflict and confusion. Today I am sharing quotes about community. Pick one or two to take into your prayers. Copy them into your journal and write out how the words resonate/challenge you. Bring one quote to a small group or when you have dinner with friends for discussion. 17 Quotes about Community I know there is strength in the differences between us. I know there is comfort, where we overlap. Ani DiFranco With all things and in all things, we are relatives. Native American (Sioux) Proverb We were born to unite with our fellow men, and to join in community with the human … [Read more...]
Five Spiritual Snippets from Hamilton
Hamilton. This popular Broadway show burst into our lives two years ago. In Chicago a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to see it and to enjoy its story in person. My reaction? Phenomenal! Wow! I want to see it again. My good friend, Nancy, who knows and loves music and stories, told me last year I would like it. I wasn’t sure but I do trust her opinion, especially when it involves musical theater. I know I like history, but come on, me listen to a show mostly with rap and hip-hop? Really? Ha! I was quite the skeptic. When will I learn to quit allowing my arrogant presumptions and judgmental attitude to block an opportunity? Sigh. I listened to the music of Hamilton. I read more about his story. I fell in love with this musical and couldn’t wait to see it in person. Total reversal. Unexpected surprise. Lesson learned – once again. Often our opinions obscure opportunities. [Tweet "Often our opinions obscure opportunities. Jean Wise"] Five Spiritual Snippets from … [Read more...]
A.W. Tozer – Person of the Month
A.W. Tozer – I bet you know his name and maybe read his books, such as the Pursuit of God or The Knowledge of the Holy. But what do you know about his man? Here at Healthy Spirituality we explore different faith practices and learn the stories of people of faith to fuel our faith and nourish a healthy spirituality. I love learning the background of others before us who walked in faith – so much wisdom and lessons in their stories. We discover our own story within their stories, all encompassed in God’s story. Let’s meet A. W. Tozer. A.W. Tozer – His Story Of course, the first question is what does the A. W. stand for? And the answer is: Aiden Wilson. Now you can impress your friends with that bit of info. Here are some highlights from his life: Lived 1897-1963. Became a Christian at age eighteen and was ordained at age twenty-three, serving in the Alliance Church . Wrote more than thirty books. He wrote the rough draft of the book he is best known for: … [Read more...]
Monthly Musings –What I Learned in January
January Monthly Musings One-twelfth of the year is gone already. Wow. Time seems to speed faster and faster, doesn’t it? Just one reason why stopping and capturing the moments each month has become a valuable practice for me. Each month I pause and look back at what I am discovering, learning, and exploring in life – I call these my monthly musings. Living this reflective practice helps me slow down and savor this precious gift of life we’ve been given and all the gifts to be discovered given by such a loving, gracious God. Capturing these special moments gives meaning, depth, and delight to life. Let’s wake up to the wonders in the ordinary all around us. I record what I notice on the pages of my Monthly Musing Journal. You can use anything, scrapes of papers, a journal or a calendar. Copies of my Monthly Musing Journal are available on Amazon and are a convenient way to keep track of the little things in life we often miss. Or if you want to click the button at the end of … [Read more...]