For a good portion of this year, my daily spiritual routine had me in an older practice. I sensed a leading from the Spirit to return to a practice of walking a little more deeply in Scripture like I did for years when I was first in ministry.
Read moreWalking with joy into the dark
“But there is a deeper, an internal simplification of the whole of one’s personality, stilled, tranquil, in childlike trust listening ever to Eternity’s whisper, walking with a smile into the dark.” — Thomas R. Kelly, A Testament of Devotion
Lord, let me move from the age of busyness in my life… the internal struggles and turmoils… into this journey. A journey of deep trust. A journey of peace in your presence. A journey where I have a smile even as I plunge into a part of the trail bathed in darkness. You are there. This I trust.
This I want to trust.
A treasured journey
I have come to Exodus 19 in my walk through the Pentateuch. Every step of the way in this journey has been a sacred walk. A holy walk. Every stop along the way is like I am coming to sacred ground. Exodus 19 is certainly one of those spots.
Read moreA grievous loss
When Terri and I were moving from Minnesota to Alabama, part of our trip included an audiobook called The Anglican Way. It was a time in our lives of major shifts. A major move. Moving away from ministry into something that was a complete unknown. And knowing I was moving away from the denomination I was raised in and had been a minister for 30 years.
Read moreThe way of nonviolence is through prayer
I am finishing my reading of The Jesus Way by Eugene Peterson. In the end, he wraps up his thoughts by helping us understand prayer all over again. It is the language of the Kingdom. It is THE way to follow the WAY.
Read moreDeep sorrow in our world
This past weekend brought compound tragedy into our world. The earthquake in Haiti, the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, the ongoing spike in COVID…
It has been sorrow on a magnified scale. How do I pray?
One great help to me over the past few weeks is to pray the Great Litany regularly. It is a helpful prayer that covers so much and guides me when I lack words. It is also helpful to be praying through the psalms.
I lift this before the Lord today:
Psalms 82:3-4
Give justice to the lowly and the orphan;
maintain the right of the poor and the destitute!
Rescue the lowly and needy,
Deliver them from the power of the wicked!
Lord, have mercy.
Walking with God — Lot and Abraham
I have been walking my way through Genesis reflecting on the subject “walking with God.” I am enjoying my journey into the life of Abraham and have come to the place where Abraham has interceded for Sodom and now Lot has to get out.
My brief thought it s this: Abraham developed a walk with God over the years. Lot had lived in the shadow of that walk rather than forming his own way.
We can live like Lot, living long in the shadow of others who walk with God, or we can develop into Abraham, coming to a place of prayer that is as natural as breathing.
I have been Lot. I desire to be Abraham.
Walking with God
My journey has me in the Pentateuch right now and I am doing a subset study I call “they walked with God” based on a sermon I had three years ago. I knew I was just scratching the surface, so I am back to it now. I am looking at Adam, Enoch, Noah, and Abraham.
I am currently deep in the life of Abraham and really have a sense of walking on holy ground. Abraham is wonderfully imperfect. I identify so readily with his major screwups.
Read moreBe anxious for nothing
Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
I have walked with Christ for decades. I am still learning and revisiting ares of my life that need the work of the Spirit. Anxiety is one of those areas. Things I cannot control, I develop anxiety rather than trust. This is why Paul connects it to prayer.
Read moreThe big lessons in prayer
I continue to meander through Eugene Peterson’s biography, A Burning in My Bones. (I think he would have meandered, so I’m trying not to hurry.)
Read more