Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Devotional Thoughts Week of June 8

Sunday- Ps. 104 is a great creation psalm, and its mention of the spirit.breath of life probably accounts for its inclusion in a Pentecost reading.Pentecost is a democratic holiday where the celebration of the breadth of the Spirit’s breath is manifest. here., the breath of life extends to all living things.

Monday-"May the Lord grant you power; not the power of fisted might or of cold steel, but of the Living Seed--planted in the earth and reaching upwards toward Infinite Light.
May the Lord grant you poise; not that of the sheltered tree but of the OAK --deep rooted, storm-strengthened, and free. May the Lord grant you peace; not the peace of the stagnant pool but of the deep-flowing waters." -Robert McNaul

Tuesday-”I thought such dark and awful thoughts that they would tempt Jesus to want to drink gin straight out of the cat dish.” Anne Lamott. Yes it is put quite boldly, but few writers are willing to openly examine their dark impulses more than this writer who found herself after stumbling into a local Presbyterian church. What are some soul illnesses that you  have trouble facing, let alone admit in public?

Wednesday…”make them in my mind, less than human. Ah I feel better now, but god cries. How many times did the angels and Jesus say do not be afraid (hint, a lot) why don't we listen?” Steve Kiewer…When do fear and anxiety conspire together in us to dismiss a person or a whole group of people. What group are you most likely to dismiss, but then catch yourself?
Thursday-"The better part of valor is discretion.?Falstaff on how he has managed to save his own life by pretending to be dead. Act 5, scene 4, line 119. the forest Park Shakespeare festival is showing Henry IV and henry V for a while. Many consider Falstaff to be one of Shakespeare's most inspired character creations. What character touched you when you were young and impressionable, especially as you sailed into adulthood?
Friday-”Only God could say what this new spirit/gradually forming within you will be./...accept the anxiety of/feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete”Above all, trust in the slow work of God…
.(Pierre Teilhard de Chardin) De Chardin had his issues with the Roman Church, but he continues to exert a mystical pull on many who read him or encounter one of his arresting quotes.Where have you seen the surprising slow work of God in your experience?
Saturday-“Those in whom the Spirit comes to live are God's new Temple. They are, individually and corporately, places where heaven and earth meet.” --“For Christians it's always a love game ... that He is love itself ... Indeed, some have suggested that one way of understanding the Spirit is to see the Spirit as the personal love which the Father has for the Son and the Son for the Father.” ― N.T. Wright, Simply Christian:




No comments: