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A new way to practice of the presence of God
I just finished leading a retreat which included reflections on practicing the presence of God. I used examples from the 17th-century spiritual classic, The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. Brother Lawrence set a high bar for being in the presence of God. He said, “We should establish ourselves in a sense of God’s Presence, by continually conversing with him.” (1st Conversation) Hear that: Continually. His biographer adds, “With him, set times for prayer were no different than other times.” (2nd Conversation) Brother Lawrence was not your typical spiritual master. He held a lowly position in a Carmelite monastery. He was their cook. Later, when he was unable…
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Living in the Now
One day, the honeybees appeared in great numbers on plumes rising above the pompous grass by my mailbox. They found a treasure trove of pollen from the late summer blooms and celebrated maybe their last hurrah before settling in for the winter. I was fortunate enough to capture a photo of one bee as it was readying itself to dive into the plumes and gather more pollen. From the heavy pollen sacks on its hind legs, the bee had already had a good day. The photo captures a moment, one laden with beauty and significance. The bee has a single-minded focus, aligning itself with a new plume. There is a…
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Three Gifts Jesus Gave in the Cenacle
What did Jesus give to the frightened disciples to make them go from fearful to fearless?
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A surprising new path to the mountaintop
God is filled with surprises when it comes to discernment.
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Don’t miss the moment
Too often we go through life worrying about what's next, and we miss the here and now.
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Practicing Presence
The watercolor beautifully illustrates ways to practice being present to another and being present to God.
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Begin with the end in mind, but…
We entered this pandemic with the 'end in mind', whether that be herd immunity or a vaccine. Little did we know how long of a journey this was going to be.
