Message of 9-23-09
Published: Fri, 09/18/09
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
Just as worship begins in holy expectancy, it ends in holy
obedience. If worship does not propel us into greater obedience, it
has not been worship. To stand before the Holy One of eternity is
to change. Resentments cannot be held with the same tenacity when
we enter his gracious light. As Jesus says, we need to leave our
gift at the altar and go set the matter straight (Matthew 5:23,
24). In worship an increased power steals its way into the heart
sanctuary, an increased compassion grows in the soul. To worship is
to change.
- Richard J. Foster
(How has your public and private worship brought about change in
your life lately?)
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Ez 9:5-9; Tobit 13:2, 3-4a, 4befghn, 7-8; Lk 9:1-6
R. (1b) Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
He scourges and then has mercy;
he casts down to the depths of the nether world,
and he brings up from the great abyss.
No one can escape his hand.
Praise him, you children of Israel, before the Gentiles,
for though he has scattered you among them,
he has shown you his greatness even there.
So now consider what he has done for you,
and praise him with full voice.
Bless the Lord of righteousness,
and exalt the King of ages.
In the land of my exile I praise him
and show his power and majesty to a sinful nation.
Bless the Lord, all you his chosen ones,
and may all of you praise his majesty.
Celebrate days of gladness, and give him praise.
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SCRIPTURE MEDITATION
From "Daily Bread"
- http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
"Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor
food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic."
Can we even imagine living so sparsely? Conditioned as we are by
runaway consumption, swamped in our own stuff, this seems an
impossible exhortation. Yet our difficulty with it only highlights
our need for it. Indeed, more than our discipleship is at stake.
The planet itself is endangered by our ever-growing hunger for
more. We also suffer untold stress as we try to manage too many
possessions. Let us strive to live more simply -- relying fully on
God -- that we might become better stewards of creation and, in
turn, grow in faithfulness to the Lord.
"For the grace to live simply that others may simply live, we pray."
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GOD, SELF AND EGO: Meanings and Discernments
by Philip St. Romain© (doctoral project manuscript)
- see http://shalomplace.com/view/godselfego.html
Because of our false self conditioning, however, our awareness
of this connection between Self in Ego can be so terribly distorted
that the Egoic "I" does not know from whence it comes, and so it
attaches to all manner of things within and without the person in an
attempt to complete itself. "I" can then become lost in the
convoluted activities of the mind and emotions, becoming, instead, a
"me," or object of my own mental activity. In such cases (and they
are legion), then "I" am not merely shaped by my experiences, but
determined by them. They are not "mine," but "me." Excessive self-
definition and judgmentalism follow from the creation of this mind-
self, which is not-"I".
- Part 14 of 15
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REVIEW OF DAY
- from, "Handbook for Spiritual Directees"
http://shalomplace.com/view/hndbk-lite.pdf
Here is a practice used by many at the end of the day to see what
lessons can be learned and how God was present and active through
the day. Set aside fifteen to twenty minutes at the end of the
day for prayer and review of your day. A suggested format is
described below:.
1. Take a few moments of quiet. Breathe deeply. Ask God to help you
see yourself as you truly were during the day.
2. Look back over your day - not to see what you did wrong but to
honestly acknowledge what was going on with you and others.
* What happened? What did I do today?
* How did I feel? Why did I feel that way?
* Were my expectations and beliefs reasonable?
3. Affirm the healthy things you recognize.
4. Admit to yourself and God the unhealthy things. Ask God's
forgiveness, believe it is yours, then decide if you need to
apologize or make amends.
5. Use creative visualization to grow stronger. Honestly
acknowledge the troubling situations of the day. See and feel
yourself acting honestly and lovingly in these situations. Ask God
for the grace to help you act in this new way.
6. Close with simple awareness of the sights and sounds around you,
grateful for the good things in your life.
This process can be undertaken as a daily journal exercise or by
prayerfully reviewing your day in your own mind. I like to take a
walk before bedtime for examen. The important thing is to do it. It
is a discipline, to be sure, but a very important one.
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Amazon.com gift cards - good for any occasion
- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00067L6TQ/?tag=christianspiritu
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SHALOM PLACE PREMIUM GROUPS
- Life-long learning and formation in Christian spirituality.
Groups now open include the following:
A. Psychological Types and Spirituality
B. The Way of Christian Spirituality
C. Freedom from Codependency
D. Christian Spirituality Resources
E. Wonderfully Made (Christian Metaphysics)
F. Growing in Christ
G. Spiral Dynamics®
H. Discerning God's Will
I. Dark Night of the Soul
J. Silence, Solitude and Sabbath
K. Alpha Group -- includes all the above and all to come.
- see http://shalomplace.org/groups.html
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