How do we live lives of integrity, where the inside self and the outside self are the same, when we live in a culture that advocates “looking good” above all else? How do we learn to love when all around us the message is “me, me, me.” How can we be at peace, when all […]
If we spend our days in worry and driven by anxiety, if we are constantly trying to control our life’s circumstances, if we feel free to live our lives as we wish without a thought for how it impacts others, especially those closest to us, if we are living out the cultural […]
With our minds we can assert that God loves us, but what are the markers within us for knowing that we are loved? That we actually feel loved by God in every cell in our body? We are not transformed until we realize that we are loved, until we live in and with that love. […]
Beliefs are a fine starting place for the Life of the Spirit, but they don’t take you very far. They take you to the threshold of a real relationship with God, but only your faith, perseverance and love and the healing power of the Holy Spirit will take you all the […]
In the early 13th century as Francis of Assisi began to gather followers around him and then, having establishing his order with the pope, Francis sent out his monks with these words, “Preach the gospel everywhere, and when necessary use words.” 800 years later we can only imagine what was in his mind, but this […]
Start with believing in God/Christ/Holy Spirit, but beliefs are only an invitation to us into a life lived in the presence of God. They do not, by themselves, take us anywhere closer to God/Jesus/Christ/Spirit. But… if you want to live in God’s presence, feel God’s love, realize the promise of your own creation, be sure […]
Here is what Paul in 1 John 4 declares: “let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”[NIV] We become more and more loving as we move closer to God, because […]
Surely…[I am stunned at the thought of surely]. Surely goodness, surely mercy, The rest of my life. Wow! Surely…the psalmist trusts God and the promises, covenants, commandments, blessings, grace, love, Word. Surely…something to count on, Something to bet one’s life on. Are there other surely’s? Death and taxes? Surely love out- weighs them, makes […]
The practices I have been writing about over the last two weeks– the ones that draw us into communion with God and those that lead us into a deeper acceptance of the totality of who we are–lead us to integration, into wholeness through healing our brokenness(the Spirit’s job)and through our surrender(our job) to the […]
This week I am writing about love from the point of view that the spiritual life consists of developing the capacity to love as God loves and to have integrity. (Next week’s blog will be about integrity.) God is love. How we define love—our own capacity as humans to love–is a very watered down […]