Message of 6-23-10
Published: Sat, 06/19/10
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Amazon.com gift cards - good for any occasion
- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00067L6TQ/?tag=christianspiritu
- - -
MESSAGE OF THE DAY
The proof that you love someone is not that you have warm
affectionate feelings toward them. The proof is in your actions,
your words and your sacrifice, your willingness to give the best of
yourself and your willingness to get nothing in return.
- Katherine Walden
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
2 Kgs 22:8-13; 23:1-3; Ps 119:33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40; Mt
7:15-20
R. (33a) Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
Instruct me, O LORD, in the way of your statutes,
that I may exactly observe them.
Give me discernment, that I may observe your law
and keep it with all my heart.
R. Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
Lead me in the path of your commands,
for in it I delight.
Incline my heart to your decrees
and not to gain.
Turn away my eyes from seeing what is vain:
by your way give me life.
Behold, I long for your precepts;
in your justice give me life.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SCRIPTURE MEDITATION
- from "Daily Bread"
http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
"By their fruits you will know them."
St. Francis advised us to preach always and only if necessary use
words. The sermons of our lives speak louder than anything we can
say, whether in the classroom or from the pulpit or in the lectures
we give our children. Example is the hardest sermon to prepare, for
when we preach it, the eyes upon us are the eyes of those we love,
who are looking for inspiration or a model or a better way. It's an
enormous responsibility, and it confounds me that Jesus would place
his message in the hands of such inept and inconsistent people as ...
well ... me.
"For the grace to live our lives consistent with our faith, we
pray."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
AT THE MASTER'S FEET
- by Sadhu Sundar Singh
- continuing:
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?"
3. Men are keen on discovering faults in the sun and moon, such as
spots and eclipses, but to the spots and eclipses of sin they give
no heed. From this you may measure how great that darkness in men
is, when the very light they have is darkness (Matt. vi.23). Just
as the body of the leper by reason of his disease becomes numb and
insensible, so the heart and mind of man by reason of sin become
dull and insensate, and bring to him no sense of disgust or pain.
But the time will come when he will awake to its terrible ravages,
and then there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Amazon.com gift cards - good for any occasion
- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00067L6TQ/?tag=christianspiritu
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
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. Wonderfully Made (Christian Metaphysics)
E. Growing in Christ
F. Spiral Dynamics®
G. Discerning God's Will
- see http://shalomplace.org/eve/forums
_________________________________________________
* Web Archive: http://www.aweber.com/z/article/?dailyseed
* RSS: http://www.aweber.com/z/rss/?dailyseed