Message of 10-21-09
Published: Thu, 10/15/09
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
Christian prayer rests upon the irreversible fact of the
self-revelation of God in Jesus Christ and its confirmation in our
hearts by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Trinity is the basis of true
prayer as well as its goal. Prayer, as biblical faith understands
it, is made possible by the triune God and is directed to this God.
- Donald G. Bloesch, "The Struggle of Prayer"
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Rom 6:12-18; Ps 124:1b-3, 4-6, 7-8; Lk 12:39-48
R. (8a) Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Had not the LORD been with us,
let Israel say, had not the LORD been with us-
When men rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive;
When their fury was inflamed against us.
Then would the waters have overwhelmed us;
The torrent would have swept over us;
over us then would have swept the raging waters.
Blessed be the LORD, who did not leave us
a prey to their teeth.
We were rescued like a bird
from the fowlers' snare;
Broken was the snare,
and we were freed.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
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SCRIPTURE MEDITATION
From "Daily Bread"
- http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
"Freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness."
Paul's talk of slavery may rub us the wrong way. We would rather
not be enslaved to anybody or anything. Yet it is an apt
description for the kind of hold sin can have on us. And acquiring
the marks of a slave -- humility and submission to the Master's will
-- is also the starting place for a strong commitment to Christ, one
we need in order to keep turning away from our sinful inclinations.
Enslavement to sin is miserable, even horrific, as it demands our
participation in every sort of vice. But the Lord's mastery is
altogether different. His is the easy yoke, the light burden, for
he demands only goodness, justice and virtue.
"For a strong commitment to the Lord, we pray."
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WHAT IS CHRISTIAN LOVE?
by Philip St. Romain©
Adapted from "Freedom from Codependency: A Christian Response"
http://shalomplace.com/view/codep.html
- Dysfunctional Beliefs About Love -
part 2 of 5
- "Love means putting others before self."
This teaching, if taken literally, will produce codependency. At
times self-denial is appropriate behavior. Parents waking in the
night to care for a hungry baby must suspend their own need for
sleep for the sake of the baby. The problem comes when we use
self-denial as an absolute indicator of love, never getting around
to our own needs. Even if other people's needs are not as
important as our own, we set aside our own needs to meet theirs.
Such self-denying behavior distorts true Christian love, which
calls for the love of neighbor AS self.
- "It is better to give than to receive."
As with the self-denying distortion of Christian love described
above, codependents interpret "giving" as putting others first.
They regard receiving as selfish. Actually, for codependents,
staying on the giving side is a way to be in control and avoid
feeling vulnerable. It takes humility to receive--to be humble
enough to acknowledge that we have a need that others can help to
fill.
(Part 3 of 12 part series)
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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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