Richard Rohr - Kindred Spirit

I subscribe to the somewhat controversial Richard Rohr's devotional from the Center for Action and Contemplation I find his writings inspirational and even challenging at times. I am not a "conservative Christian" per se (if you were looking to label me), and I like to keep my heart and mind open to how God works in and through those who are passionate about what they are learning in the Word and by the Holy Spirit...saying as much, I have found a kindred spirit in Fr. Richard's experience and I wanted to share a sample with my readers. (I love how after he shares, there is a "Starting Prayer", a simple sentence to encourage the reader to meditate upon the words written and follow through into a dialogue with God.)

~

(Continuing on the topic of)
Mysticism

The final experience of mysticism, after the optimistic explosion that we usually call hope, and the ensuing sense of safety, is of deep rest. It’s the verb I’m told that is most used by the mystics: “resting in God.” All this striving and this need to perform, climb, and achieve becomes, on some very real level, unnecessary. It’s already here, now. I can stop all this overproduction and over-proving of myself. That’s Western and American culture. It’s not the Gospel at all.
We’ve all imbibed the culture of unrest so deeply. We just cannot believe that we could be respected or admired or received or loved without some level of performance. We are all performers and overachievers, and we think “when we do that” we will finally be lovable. Once you ride on the performance principle, you don’t even allow yourself to achieve it. Even when you “achieve” a good day of “performing,” it will never be enough, because it is inherently self-advancing and therefore self-defeating. You might call it “spiritual capitalism.”

From Following the Mystics through the Narrow Gate ...
Seeing God in All Things (CD, DVD, MP3)

Starter Prayer: Fall into the love of God.

Strong, Yet Fragile

I didn't think much of it when it happened, but it did and here I am. What was it that led up to this event? I can barely recall. It doesn't matter now. The past is gone and I am to live in the present.
...the present...
This moment - a gift from God - the present.
I think of how quickly the moments of life fly by and how fragile we are, yet strong. Kind of like an egg; if situated properly, an egg can resist the pressure that in other circumstances would pulverize it.
...Fragile, yet strong.

                                 A flower.

A spider's web.

                                                                           

  A baby.                                                                                          

A word...

I can do everything through him who gives me strength.~Philippians 4:13

A gift...

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God~Ephesians 2:8

The present...a gift from God. The past is gone. We live in the present, we look to the future...eternity with God - the giver of life - our creator...
For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.~Colossians 1:16

Do not live in the past. Live in the present. Be thankful for the gift of Life and look, with hope, to the future.

Repost June 15, 2010

Today...

Today: A day of frustration. A day of realigning my thinking. A day of reaffirming my trust in God's lead. Oi! It has been one of those days! Just when I think things are coming together, a huge cloud begins to shade out the light (not entirely unexpected, of course).  Resistance. It will make you or break you at times depending on who's strength you rely on. This morning, it was my strength, but as the day progressed, I handed things over to God, little by little, humbly in submission. I am reminded that He really wants me to learn to trust Him...all the time, with everything!


Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. ~Prov.3:5-6

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.~James 4:7

But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God."~Psalm 31:14

Weary

Sometimes I wonder why I even bother. I wonder if Jesus ever had thoughts like that? I would hazard to guess that they did cross His mind, if only briefly. He carried on though, regardless.

As we look on to the outcome, we know that by Jesus' example, perseverance pays.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.~

Galatians 6:9

"Weary" by Kenny A. Chaffin

Passing On...

Every day is another day closer to passing on into the next world. With that, we need to be ever so mindful of how we live in the present. Not overly concerned to the point of distraction, but focused on living out the love and truth of Jesus Christ in all that we say or do. It can be difficult, for sure, and throughout the day we can forget, but as we establish our hearts and minds in the Word of God, we become more consistent in our daily attempt.

 On Christ, the solid rock I stand.

 Seconds and minutes are passing us by...Are we living out all that God has for us in the moment?  This is a soul searching question that we need to revisit regularly. Moment by moment in communication with God. It seems overwhelming, but it is not, really. Paul calls us to "...pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests."Ephesians 6:18 As we steep ourselves in God's Word and get in the habit of deliberately sharing our heart with God on even the little things, and as we learn to be silent and listen to God - how His Word speaks to our hearts and what the Holy Spirit is saying in guidance - we learn to converse with God moment to moment. We then put God's Word into action more consistently and we begin to fulfill His Calling upon our lives.


Don't let this opportunity pass you by, our God is longing for you to know Him more and more, He is willing to work in you and though you even in the darkest of moments. He loves you and has a plan to bless you more than you could have imagined in this time...in this world, to His Glory...and this is a great thing! But, you need to communicate with Him, moment to moment...listening, sharing, requesting, giving thanks, blessing...obeying...moment to moment.

It Is The Little Things That Matter...

This sentence was a bit of a revelation for me this morning as I sat in prayer with Abba. I tend to be a big thinker - and yet, I notice tiny, often obscure, details. I am not sure what that says about me, but this morning in prayer, God brought this saying to my attention...for a reason.  I have many a great plan to do this or that, but when I anxiously laid it all before God in seeking His guidance, the plans all faded away.  "It is the little things that matter." When I let this settle in my heart, I realized that this is a wonderful burden to bear. I did not have to worry about the "bigger" picture, I am called to deal with the "little" things, those things that some may consider mundane and perhaps, any other time, I might have considered them mundane as well. But not today. 

In my walk with God this season, I am finding myself reconnecting with things I used to love doing that I had stopped doing...as I put them aside for more "important" projects. Now, it is these little things that I am called to focus on...and not just focus on, but joyfully embrace. The odd thing is that my energy and passion for these things are resufacing so easily and naturally! It is truly a joy to be engaging in them.  The drive that had escaped me years ago is returning and it is a beautiful thing! God is at work in me and through me.

Have you laid your plans before God lately? What is He saying to you?

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."~Matthew 11:30

What Do You See?

Getting to the spot where you let God work and trust that He will make something new and wonderful is a great spot to be...if you get there. So often we struggle and resist against God working in our situation because we can't see the big picture as God sees it.

This is like what we see...

Do you know what it is?

Photo from: MaZM

...God sees this too, but He also sees this:

And this:

And this:

We attempt to understand our situation and find solutions to our problems, but our thinking is so finite. And though God may allow us to come up with solutions on our own, a lot of the time He wants us to work with Him, trusting Him with what we don't see or understand.

You have heard it said:

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."~Isaiah 55:9


And yet, God invites us to partner with Him. But partnering with God requires faith and trust - It requires studying the Bible, meditating in prayer, and obedience - It requires all of ourselves given over to Him. And mercifully, even when we fail in doing our part, He still works in us and through us. His plans for our well-being continue to be fulfilled, unthwarted by whatever obstacle that may present itself. He is God afterall, and with God, nothing is impossible!


If you have a situation where you are stuck, ask God to help you to partner with Him and trust Him to work all things together...ask Him to let you see the situation through His eyes, and if nothing else (and above all else for that matter), keep your eyes focused on Him.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.~Matthew 6:33

BTW- In case you missed it, that first pic is a microscopic view of the centre of a snowflake and broken snowflakes around it.

Isaiah 58...A well watered garden...

1 "Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins.

2 For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them.
3 'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?' "Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers.
4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.

5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD ?

6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

13 "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
14 then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." The mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Spring is upon us and as we look to the Lord to guide us in this new season, we need to be ever so mindful of staying in His Word...Seeking Him out daily, meditating upon His Word, and putting the Word into action with love. Isaiah 58 holds special meaning for me, but then again, the Holy Spirit speaks to each of us individually according to our heart needs. What is the Lord saying to you today? Are you listening? Are you seeking Him out?

The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

Thirst For God

This morning I was doing a devotional with the girls from Michael Warden's Alone with God. The passage we studied was Isaiah 55:1-3a

"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live."

This passage was a little more difficult to unravel and apply for my girls; however, we decided that one of the ways they could pursue God and quench their thirst for God is to greet Him and seek Him first thing in the morning, even before they get out of bed and to also document what they were thinking and what they felt the Holy Spirit was saying to them. At the end of the week they are to go over their journal and reflect on what they learned about God and about themselves.

This, I pray, will help them develop a habit of seeking out God first. Not just in the morning, but throughout the day in every circumstance - to give thanks, to ask for help, or to simply commune with Jesus. I am also praying this will help them develop the art of keeping a regular journal.

This morning, the Holy Spirit led my family to commit to the above, I challenge you to read the following devotion that Mr. Warden scribed and see where the Holy Spirit leads you as you thirst for God...

"God has created within us a hunger we cannot easily name. It is a tickling thirst at the back of our souls, ever building through the years the longer it goes unquenched. We know it is there, though we cannot name it, and we spend our years doing everything we can imagine to try to fill it. It is God's homing beacon, set right in the core of our hearts. And it is one of the greatest evidences on earth that God is real.

Watch any person long enough and you will begin to see the hunger and thirst of his or her soul expressed. Perhaps he is caught up in the pursuit of worldly success - but why? Because he hopes it will bring him Life. Or perhaps she is killing herself in order to be beautiful - but why? For the same reason. We all crave Life - which is to say we all crave God - so much that we will try nearly anything to get it. Of course, we do not want to believe that it is God we crave. We'd much rather believe that we crave something smaller, something we can control. And Satan is there, ready to offer a whole cafeteria of counterfeit nourishment for our souls.

But it is God we crave, and nothing less will satisfy. All of the counterfeits that Satan offers have one common trait - they lose their appeal over time. But not so with God. The more of Him we taste, the more we desire.

Where are you getting the food for your soul? Your job? Your friends? Your romantic relationships? Ultimately, they will all run dry. They can never quench the hunger deep inside.

You thirst for God."