An unexpected benefit of writing this blog is how connecting with others has enriched my life. One of my favorite fellow bloggers is Nancy Franson who writes a wonderful blog called, Out of My Alleged Mind. Please check out her blog.As I ponder heart healthy spirituality this month, I asked Nancy to guest post for me today. Thank you Nancy for being here and sharing your story.Desperate and DeceitfulMost people who commit to memorizing Scripture begin, I imagine, with passages, which are familiar to many both inside and out of the church. John 3:16 is a likely starting point. The reference shows up on signs in the end zones of professional football games and on the eye black of Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow. For God so loved the world, John 3:16 reads, He gave His only begotten son . . . The verse is a succinct explanation of the gospel message, one well worth committing to memory.John 11:35 is another easy entry point into the discipline of Scripture memorization. Two simple … [Read more...]
Flood my Heart with Light – Lectio Divina
Let There Be... (Photo credit: drp)I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.Ephesians 1:18I pray that your hearts will be flooded with lightI turn towards You, Lord.I open up my heart and ask for Your light to warm my cold soul.I know I can’t see the cobwebs clinging to the corners or the dirt in the crevices of my heart without Your glow.I know I am empty, void of love for others…and for You.Only when Your light beams inside me, purifying my soul, will I be able to reflect Your love to others. Your light illuminates where I need to go.Your radiance invites me to rest in Your arms and snuggle close to You.What a powerful image this is:not to be lost in darkness, not just to have a glimpse of Youbut to be flooded in Your light. To be so saturated in Your brightness that all shadows disappear and I know Your way is the only way.To stand with … [Read more...]
Prayer – Quote of the Week by Theophan the Recluse
“To pray is to descend with the mind into the heart, and there to stand before the face of the Lord, ever-present, all-seeing, within you.” Theophan the Recluse, a 19thcentury Russian mystic. … [Read more...]
Cultivating a Spiritually Healthy Heart
February is heart month in the United States and a month I am considering how to nourish a spiritual healthy heart.How can I cultivate my heart this season? How can I go deeper?February 22 is also Ash Wednesday and the start of the Lenten season. How best can I prepare my heart of my Lenten journey? How will my heart be healthier by Easter? A great fellow blogger, Jen Ferguson, is exploring the word Cultivate on Thursdays on her blog, Finding Heaven. She invited me to guest post there today. I am excited to have Jen as a guest blogger here to add to this discussion in a few weeks.Please join me over at Jen’s blog and read more about cultivating your heart. Click hereHere is a teaser:“Cultivate my heart, Lord. Break up its hardness and plant your harvest of love within me.The word cultivate scares me too. It tells me I can't just cultivate the surface to be transformed - I have got to go deep and that may hurt a little. I am not sure what will happen if God enters my heart’s darkest … [Read more...]
E stands for Exam – Acing the Final Exam
FSA (Photo credit: gibsonsgolfer)Patty Wysong has created a fun meme where once a week bloggers posted on the letter of the week. Check out the details here. It is called A2Z: Take 2. A2Z as she challenges bloggers to write a post each week going through the alphabet. Take 2 since this is the second time she has used this meme. Anyone can join in and you don’t have to always participate. E = ExamineI hate tests. I was a good student in school and love learning, so that may surprise you about my revulsion on test taking. But that sitting down and squeezing my brain matter all over a paper to answer unanticipated questions that will determine my future….YIKES – makes me shiver again remembering them.My most dramatic test experience was the Nursing exam. In 1972, the national test we needed to pass to become RNs was still given on paper. In fact we took six tests over two very long days. I sat in a large metal windowless building on The Ohio State Fairgrounds. (Yes weird as we are in … [Read more...]
Christ, Make a Home in my Heart – Lectio Divina
Heart-shaped cloud (Photo credit: aivas14)“Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him.” Ephesians 3:17 (NLT)Christ will make his home in your heartsLord Jesus, come live with me.I want You to feel welcomed in my heart.To find a warm inviting place to dwell.To be so close to the center of my being. To make a home in my heart.Lord Jesus, I put out the welcome mat of trust and watch for Your arrival.I am in awe and humbled that You actually want to reside within me.I anticipate light, laughter, and lots of love to fill every chamber of my heart. I don’t want to hide anything from You.Come and stay awhile. No, what I mean to say is: come and stay with me eternally.Not as a guest, but reside here forever.My home. Your home. One.My heart. Your heart. One.May our hearts beat as one. … [Read more...]
Weather and Attitude – Quote of the Week
Image via Wikipedia“You bring your own weather to the picnic.”Harlan Coben, writer … [Read more...]
Healthy Heart Spirituality
Image via WikipediaI listened to his heart. The beats were fast. His pulse was irregular. His skin was flushed and sticky with perspiration.Fifty years old and recently released from prison, the man came into the free medical clinic where I volunteer as a nurse. He patiently waited through all the paperwork and for his given appointment time.But he was very sick.Too sick for our little clinic. We quickly sent him over to the hospital for care. His heart sent us messages that something was terribly wrong. Hearts fascinate me. Did you know:· The average adult heart beats 72 times a minute; 100,000 times a day; 3,600,000 times a year; and 2.5 billion times during a lifetime.· Though weighing only 11 ounces on average, a healthy heart pumps 2,000 gallons of blood through 60,000 miles of blood vessels each day.· A kitchen faucet would need to be turned on all the way for at least 45 years to equal the amount of blood pumped by the heart in an average lifetime.· Every … [Read more...]