Message of 5-26-10
Published: Mon, 05/24/10
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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Amazon.com gift cards - good for any occasion
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
In the final analysis our greatest problem with holiness is not
that our concepts of holiness are feeble, but that our hearts are
rebellious. We are selfish, that's our problem. And the fact that
we often won't admit our selfishness shows how deep the pride goes.
- Floyd McClung
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
1 Pt 1:18-25; Ps 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20; Mk 10:32-45
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
He has granted peace in your borders;
with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.
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SCRIPTURE MEDITATION
- from "Daily Bread"
http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
"Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you."
James and John's request seems arrogant, not to mention insensitive
(since Jesus has just predicted his own passion and death). Yet we
make self-centered requests, too. When we pray, do we simply accept
God's will for us? Or do we cling to our own dreams and schemes,
hoping the Lord will see our good sense and eventually make things
go our way? Do we involve the community of believers in our
discernment, or like James and John, do we ask for things we'd
rather others didn't know about? Let's examine our process of
discerning the Lord's will for us. May it always include ample time
for listening to the Lord.
"For knowledge of God's will for us, we pray."
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AT THE MASTER'S FEET
- by Sadhu Sundar Singh
The Disciple: "Master, it is clear to almost everyone that to
disobey God and to cease to worship Him is sin, and the deadly
result is seen in the present state of the world. But what sin
really is is not absolutely clear. In the very presence of Almighty
God, and in opposition to His will, and in His own world, how did
sin come to be?"
1. Sin is to cast aside the will of God and to live according to
one's own will, deserting that which is true and lawful in order to
satisfy one's own desires, thinking thus to obtain happiness. Yet
in so doing one does not obtain real happiness or enjoy true
pleasure. Sin has no individuality, so that no one can say of it
that someone created it. It is simply the name of a state or
condition. There is only one Creator and He is good, and a good
Creator could not have created a bad thing, for to do so would be
against His very nature. And apart from the one Creator there is no
other who could have created sin.
- Part II, Section 1
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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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