We are always searching for an answer to give us a feeling of security in a chaotic and transitory world. We unwittingly seek moment after moment to be safe from any danger that might come our way. We’re looking for freedom from fear in every realm of our life from losing our jobs, the loss of relationships and the deaths of those we love. Also, there is the shrouded fear of being separated and cut off from God. The grasping... Read more
When we take the time to still our heart, we discover how many of our thoughts and how much of our lives are dominated by worry and fear. However, it is in the stillness of the heart that we can evaluate the validity of the apprehension we perceive and feel. Resting in the silence, we can reflect and contemplate that our worries and concerns most of the time are way out of proportion to reality. We must learn in the... Read more
When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” Genesis 28:16 Jacob awakens from a dream and ponders in a Genesis moment that God is eternally present, manifested as the undeniable reality that underlies his life. He declares, “Surely God is in this place, and I did not know it.” At that moment his life is forever transformed with the awareness God is everywhere. God no longer... Read more
If a moment of time could be suspended in our life, we might then grasp the full essence of each passing second. At that moment we might contemplate the light of God’s presence beaming forth no longer hidden from us in the beauty of the sunlight. Like a blade that divides time, “Now” is laid bare in our sight. In that pause and reflection, the darkness of night is now consumed with the awareness of the love of Christ and... Read more
The Resurrection triumphantly declares the Father has and never will forsake nor desert us. As the Son came into the world lived and died, so like Him, we live and die also, but not without hope. As Jesus ascended on the third day to the Father by the Spirit, we shall also return with Him by that same Spirit to the lover of our souls. The Resurrection makes obsolete the Kingdom of death as it replaces all things lifeless and... Read more
I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Amplified Version Find a quiet place and meditate on the indescribable gift of God’s love and... Read more
In Mathew twenty-two Jesus was responding to a question about what is the greatest commandment replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ He then concluded, all the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Jesus summed up all theological discussions by saying there are two commandments to judge the character of a person’s spirituality... Read more
The goal of contemplative prayer is to help us detach from the thoughts that fill our minds and particularly the ones in conflict with the will of God in our life. Our minds are overwhelmed with fears about the future and daily worries for family and friends. Contemplative prayer is the practice and discipline of letting go and releasing our troubling thoughts over and over to Jesus by quieting those thoughts in the silence. We learn to let go of... Read more
The mystic in prayer contemplates their entire soul and being is in union with God, and everything else that exists. In their heart, they experience oneness and unity with God and creation. That oneness is the awareness they are absolutely whole in the presence of Christ and love of God alone. Once having tasted of the heavenly kingdom and realm, this world can never be their home again! They now enjoy and experience a reality, in which the material world... Read more
On August 10, 1974, a Marine Corps captain was conducting an inspection of the platoon I was serving in during my second summer of Officer Candidate School in Quantico. I remember standing at attention next to Candidate Burgess from Virginia. The captain asked Candidate Burgess who is the commander and chief of the United States of America. He replied in a loud voice, the Honorable Jerry Ford sir! The captain immediately responded candidate are you on a first name basis... Read more
Mindful Christianity Today
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