"You must arrange to live with deep contentment, joy, and confidence in your everyday experience of life with God." - Dallas Willard
Well, it's been nearly a month since my last blog entry. I have missed this "conversation" and have prayed much about how this will "end" and in what way it will continue. It began as a 30 day blog about the exercises of Benedict and Ignatius. It morphed into almost 30 exercises over a much longer period of time (much longer than I care to think about!). The stuff of life has been happening in good and not so good ways over these last months. It has caused me to cling to my practices ways I had not yet experienced.
We have practiced the examen, written a little rule, practiced Lectio with our senses (Ignatius) and without our senses by soaking ourselves in scripture (Benedict). We have thought about making decisions and prayed about the manner in which we make them. We have wondered and pondered and allowed ourselves to feel the thin places. WE have lit our candles and held seashells and practiced hospitality. We have talked of paradox and our faith journey; we have wrestled with the concept of humility and deep and abiding prayer. We have looked at obedience and considered our motive in our faithfulness.
For me, this quote from Dallas Willard captures my heart, "You must arrange to live with deep contentment, joy, and confidence in your everyday experience of life with God." Everything else follows. Everything. This journey of faith is one that is full of much... when co workers are losing their jobs, when children are placed in protective custody, when my sermon feels like it has or needs training wheels, when I learn of twin grand babies, when I get to lead women on deep journeys, when my faith feels dry and in need of a soaking...I work to remember to live deep...to stand at the crossroads...to breathe...to look...to wonder...to be aware that God is closer than my hands and feet.
My questions to you are these:
Has this journey been helpful to you? How so?
How have Benedict and Ignatius, or more pointedly their teachings, been embraced by your life?
Robert Benson says he has a 21 rule...and among other things you can only go about 21days without a crises...have you, during this "blog time" experienced a hard or difficult time? If so, have these teachings been helpful for you? How so?
What else?
Has your devotional life changed at all?
Are you in any way interested in continuing this conversation/blog?
These are the questions we started with...want to add anything?
1. Do you have any regular spiritual practices? If so, please share them.
2. Would you be willing to spend time each morning and evening focused on developing a spiritual toolbox? How much time?
3. Do you desire a deeper prayer life?
4. What do you want your daily life in God to be shaped like? In other words, what do you want your life in God to look like/feel like?
5. What prevents your living your life like you want or you intend?
6. Is there anything else that would be helpful for me to know?
I'd like to hear. Email me: ellenshep@gmail.com
Resources:
Willard quote from an article written by John Ortberg in LeadershipJournal.net; What I Learned on my Sabbatical. (9/13/10)
Robert Benson; Living Prayer.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
A Path
The word is Path.
Visualize your image of the word.
Think of a time when you found yourself on a path.
I remember being on a path with my husband outside of Santa Fe, NM. It was a 1 mile path down to the river. I walked 3 miles a day - no problem, right? I was wearing a denim dress and leather soled shoes...did I mention that we took this path spontaneously? It was hard, so hard, that I thought the walk up would be easier. Was I ever wrong! How did I get myself on this path? It became dark and Kelly was literally pulling me up the path. Not one of our finer moments together.
How did I get on this path? Now that's a question I ask myself often.
Webster defines path as: a trodden way, a way of life, conduct, or thought
The pillow:
One thing I do know - is that no matter how rough the ride - I would rather be where I have been called, been placed - with Jesus - that on any smooth path without him! Did you get that? I would rather be on the roughest rapids with my Lord, that in a gentle stream without him.
Not all sections of the road we travel are smooth, paved or easy riding. We may PREFER the smooth sections of the highway - but sometimes the road gets rough and the rough sections can go on and on for miles and miles
However, it doesn’t mean that you’ve lost your way - you may just be in for the ride of your life. Remember Marilyn poem from the first night - and again during her talk….
What do you do when you’re on a rough ride?
• Relax - but hold on
• Don’t ignore the bumps or pretend the bumps aren’t there
• Slow down - but be careful not to stop
• discover inspiration points
• listen to your heart
• trust what you hear
• invigorate your soul
• look at the larger picture
• draw near to the One who placed you on the path
Sometimes it’s like driving in the dark with only one headlight… on a winding road - in the fog…in a strange city
Learn to live your life with your hands in the air…feel the wind in your hair…and the sun on your shoulders…Embrace the Giver of the ride.
Why are we here? Why are we on this Walk/this path? Whose life will be touched? We don’t know. What we do know is that is that we have been called here - you might even say that we have been placed here - each from our own walks - our own paths.
Where is your path today?
Visualize your image of the word.
Think of a time when you found yourself on a path.
I remember being on a path with my husband outside of Santa Fe, NM. It was a 1 mile path down to the river. I walked 3 miles a day - no problem, right? I was wearing a denim dress and leather soled shoes...did I mention that we took this path spontaneously? It was hard, so hard, that I thought the walk up would be easier. Was I ever wrong! How did I get myself on this path? It became dark and Kelly was literally pulling me up the path. Not one of our finer moments together.
How did I get on this path? Now that's a question I ask myself often.
Webster defines path as: a trodden way, a way of life, conduct, or thought
The pillow:
One thing I do know - is that no matter how rough the ride - I would rather be where I have been called, been placed - with Jesus - that on any smooth path without him! Did you get that? I would rather be on the roughest rapids with my Lord, that in a gentle stream without him.
Not all sections of the road we travel are smooth, paved or easy riding. We may PREFER the smooth sections of the highway - but sometimes the road gets rough and the rough sections can go on and on for miles and miles
However, it doesn’t mean that you’ve lost your way - you may just be in for the ride of your life. Remember Marilyn poem from the first night - and again during her talk….
What do you do when you’re on a rough ride?
• Relax - but hold on
• Don’t ignore the bumps or pretend the bumps aren’t there
• Slow down - but be careful not to stop
• discover inspiration points
• listen to your heart
• trust what you hear
• invigorate your soul
• look at the larger picture
• draw near to the One who placed you on the path
Sometimes it’s like driving in the dark with only one headlight… on a winding road - in the fog…in a strange city
Learn to live your life with your hands in the air…feel the wind in your hair…and the sun on your shoulders…Embrace the Giver of the ride.
Why are we here? Why are we on this Walk/this path? Whose life will be touched? We don’t know. What we do know is that is that we have been called here - you might even say that we have been placed here - each from our own walks - our own paths.
Where is your path today?
Toolkit #24 A Paradox
My Beloved is for me and I am for my Beloved (Teresa of Avila, Collected Works, Vol. III, 379)
When we surrender ourselves to the Divine, we enter into deep places. We need more courage than we think. “This is the place where a deep and refined purification takes place and where the dark night of the soul may be experienced. When we are in this place, we will be confronted by all that remains to separate us from God; whatever survives in our soul from past wounds and ego desires will emerge to be cleaned. We may also be left to walk alone on this part of the journey, not feeling the presence of God or having human support. However, in traveling through this purifying crucible we will come to know the art of detachment and the purity of humility.” (Falling Into the Arms of God, p 172) We do this with love and courage.
How are you opening to what God wants to give you?
How are you opening your heart?
Where do you see or experience paradox?
Megan Don writes that when we reach this place, it is the place of paradox. She further writes, “If we wish to walk the spiritual pathway …then we best learn, as quickly as possible, that contradiction is very often God’s way. Do not expect God to walk a straight path, and do not expect to walk on one yourself. The map to love has many curves and circular roadways; learning this truth is a spiritual imperative.” (P 174)
Resources:
Don, Megan; Falling into the Arms of God, New World Library, Novato, CA. 2005.
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