Crabgrass and Oak Trees: Read the 3rd Chapter for Free!

I was sent a book for the purpose of writing a review and I'd like to share its third chapter, which is free, with all of you. The title of the book is  Crabgrass & Oak Trees  by Jonathan Almanzar and Aaron Havens. I am not yet finished with it so I will hold most of my commentary and opinions  until I write my review.  I have to say though that I am already impressed and touched by the ideas the book presents. It makes one question, reflect and stretch one's views when meditating upon the meaning of "the Church". 

The back of the cover asks these questions: What would you draw if you were given a crayon and asked to draw a picture of the Church? What creative words would you use to describe the beauty of the Church?

At first when I read the title of the book I automatically felt attracted towards giving the image of the church over to that of the oak tree but for every page turned I see the inherent wisdom there is in the metaphor the authors use towards aligning their perspectives with that of the crabgrass.

Come and join me, even if it's for just a chapter...I'd love to hear your thoughts on Chapter 3 and I look forward to writing a review of this profound book that I feel has the capacity to effect the hearts and minds of many and bring glory to God as His Kingdom is advanced with unparalled zeal here on earth.

As I read it I will be sharing short excerpts that stand out to me and stay tuned...because I'm also going to have the chance to interview one of the authors!

Here's the link, hope you take advantage and enjoy! :) http://rhizomepublishing.com/free-chapter/

The Dreams that Saved Jesus

I'm rereading the gospel of  Matthew and while I was reading I couldn't help but notice the importance of dreams in the nativity story.  Dreams were the means at which God communicated to those closest to Jesus and the messages they carried had a vital contribution towards saving the infant Jesus from certain peril.

From the very beginning, when Mary learned that she had conceived a child born of the Spirit and Joseph had found out and was considering ways they could quietly divorce God intervened Joseph's plans of separation by means of sending an angel to him through a dream.

Matthew 1: 20-21 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

The wise men were asked, upon coming across Herod when they were following the star towards Bethlehem, to come back the same way and let Herod know where the newborn King was so that he might go there himself to worship him. Herod's motives were not pure and his real intention was to annihilate any future chance of his position and glory from being threatened. His plan was to kill the infant Jesus.  God thwarted Herod's plans by sending the wise men a dream in which they were warned to return home a different way.

Matthew 2:12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

In the very next verse God uses an angel to appear in a dream to Joseph warning him of the impending danger that he and his family faced and to provide direction in which way they were to flee.

Matthew 2:13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and mother, and flee to Egypt and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him".

When Herod had died and it was safe to return to Israel God once again used an angel in Joseph's dream to tell him it was safe to go back.

Matthew 2: 19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, "Rise take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead."

 If Joseph had never returned back to Israel with Jesus the storyline of the Bible would be dramatically different. Dreams were a powerful tool God used to communicate to those who had contact with Jesus to ensure his safety during the earliest years of life when he was the most vulnerable. All over scripture one can find all kinds of dreams God used to send to man to warn them, help them, encourage them and direct them. God used dreams as a bridge to communicate to the minds and hearts of His children. God used these particular dreams during Jesus' early years to spare His only son an untimely death and guide, by the mercy and love of His hand, Jesus into just the right places where he needed to be to live out prophecy, providing salvation for mankind.

So that makes me wonder, what do you think about dreams people have today? Do you feel God still communicates to people through dreams? Have you ever felt God was speaking to you or revealing something to you in a dream? If you feel comfortable, please share :)

Lent: A Time of Refocusing and Renewal

God may we remember

All of life is held together with nails

Piercing flesh of the son of man

May we remember and give thanks

God may we remember

The power of sin and death are forever ended

Hung upon a cross and crucified

May we remember and give thanks

God may we remember

The bread of life broken for us

That we may eat and filled with abundance of life

May we remember and give thanks

God may we remember

God’s blood poured out for us

The deep wounds of love suffered for us

May we remember and give thanks

God may we remember ashes on foreheads

And kneel before the one whose love knows no end

With humbled hearts and repentant spirits

May we remember and give thanks

God may we remember we are but dust

And walk together into tomorrow’s unknowns

Breaking bars, building bridges, setting captives free

May we remember and give thanks

God may we remember and give thanks

Let us take up our cross and follow

Believing that in Christ all things work together for good

May we remember and give thanks

                      A prayer for Ash Wednesday and devotional prayer for Lent~ Christine Sine,

                                 http://godspace.wordpress.com/

Lent is the 40 day period between Ash Wednesday and Easter, not counting Sundays, where many members within the Body reflect and meditate on their spiritual journey of faith in Christ. It is a time where priorities are assessed and where we look to God as our supreme reality, shedding ourselves of those things throughout the year that have become distractions and even replacements for the devotion that we are called in the depths of our hearts by the whispers of the Spirit to have towards God.

Let me just say that this is my first year observing Lent, as no church that I've ever attended has practiced it.So, I am no expert, it is a practice that I am just becoming familiar with.  I used to think of Lent and other such practices as shallow gestures others offered to ride out the waves of dogma and doctrine, and certainly that can be true for some. I have to confess that I had a negative view of such practices in the past largely due to conversations I had, and material I had digested, in my more evangelical and conservative circles. I have though in my spiritual journey found the depth and richness that liturgical prayer and ancient rituals can offer.

Some people I have talked have asked me why Lent is necessary, why do we have to "prove" ourselves and our faith so to speak to God. I think that's a misperception in a way. First, Lent isn't found in the bible, so it isn't "necessary" so to speak but I believe it does enrich one's walk. And during Lent we aren't trying to prove anything to God, for God knows the inner workings of our heart. Instead, we are trying to reshift our focus towards God within ourselves. It is a time of deep introspection when, whoever decides to participate, can look at how they are living life, look at their priorities and where God and their spiritual life with Him fall on the list...on the top..or towards the bottom? And it's a time of renewal spiritually and a turning away of what is not profitable spiritually, what is only illusion and attachments based on our egos and false sense of self-a turning away from all those things and a turning towards God. It's also to recognize the sacrifice Jesus made and the suffering and sacrifice that many people everywhere, across the globe are enduring and to recognize that if we are all one body, we share in that suffering and have a responsibility in reducing that suffering.

Many associate the giving up of things during Lent as one's soul act during this time. Perhaps that should be clarified for Lent doesn't necessarily mean that one has to give up something, it could also mean that one adds something...or gives something...there are posts  I've been reading on facebook with great suggestions coming in from christians...like for example eating during the duration of lent food during one's day that equals to the equivalent of 2$..which is on average what many go on in other country's. And to take the difference one would spend on their food budget and give it to charity.  It could be an added amount of time for prayer, or extra scripture reading, extra worship...a sacrifice of one's time during the day where they put devotion towards God first.

As I mentioned I am no expert at Lent. There are many helpful articles currently circulating which highlight the significance of this ancient ritual. One article I found a lot of benefit from reading which helped give me perspective as well as understanding some of the historical significance and context is this one: http://chadholtz.net/2011/03/07/its-lent-not-lint-2/  I encourage any who are interested in finding out more in regards to Lent to check it out! I know I found it personally helpful.

It is my prayer that for all of us who are observing Lent this year, that we will find it a time when we focus completely on God, and awaken to the reality of His presence seated in the throne of our soul's most innermost depths. That we will be humbled and inspired by the unspeakable mercy and love of God and sacrifice and compassion of Jesus. May we take the clarity and the renewed sense of focus that we find towards God and strive to carry that on the rest of the year.

What are your thoughts towards Lent? Do you observe Lent? Why or why not? If you do, in what ways do you choose to observe it? Please feel free to share :)

The Falling Away of Sin

The work of the Holy Spirit in changing us is not to work directly on our bad habits but to make us admire Jesus Christ so much that sinful habits feel foreign and distasteful.
                                           ~ John Piper

I really appreciate this line from Piper. It makes a good point that reveals the natural progression of change that happens within the heart of a believer. As our souls feast on the spiritual manna of Scripture they are fed with food that is nourishing, that builds our characters up and helps train our minds towards what is right in the eyes of God. The Holy Spirit impresses upon our hearts to move towards actions that build up God's Kingdom and not towards those which can help break it down.


As we are filled with the sense of God's love all things that are a contrast to that light which filters through the corridors of our hearts begin to feel magnified, distasteful, foreign and cumbersome. I know through personal experience that sins that I might have rationalized or justified for awhile began to be too burdensome for me to cling to once I opened my heart ever wider to the Spirit's light and instruction. It wasn't even like I felt that repugnant towards them but it was more like they were once leaves, thriving on the vine encircling my heart, keeping it from growing with the love of God and as I started to receive more and more light and love from God the source of the vine's life, my desire for sin, began to be eventually cut off. And like a plant recieving nourishment no more, my desire and attachment towards that which contradicted my faith began to just wilt away and eventually turn deathly brittle, breaking away from the hold they once had on my heart and at last falling away, allowing my heart to grow ever more and no longer be tangled with such destructive attachments and illusions. New leaves, vibrant and lush, watered by God's eternal fountain of living water, sprung up in their place.

Now, I'm not claiming to have the battle of sin all figured out. But really...does it have to be a battle, so to speak? We are all on our own individual paths towards sanctification where we become less and less part of the world and more and more in union with the likeness of Jesus. We have our whole lives to journey down this road for no matter how much scripture we read, how many prayers we lift towards God's throne, none of us will ever be perfect. I have a lot of faults! (Just ask my husband or kids!) But instead of focusing on them, and focusing on the sins that rise up from the tranquility of the day and threaten to lay claim on my peace and distract me from devotion towards God I am choosing instead (and sometimes I'm not always successful) in focusing on Jesus. Not my sins...but Jesus. For if I let the light of the spirit blossom within me, then darkness will have no choice to flee and I will find desire and attachments naturally shrinking back from the light and diminishing into nothingness, dissolved in the presence of the Spirit's love. 

Thomas Merton descibes faith as a "personal and direct acceptance of God Himself, a "receiving" of the Light of Christ in the soul and a consequent beginning or renewel of the spiritual life. "

He makes certain though that Christ is to be not only our main focus, but our only focus. "But an essential element in this reception of the "light" of Christ is the rejection of every other "light" that can appeal to sense, passion, imagination or intellect".  Thomas Merton, The Inner Experience p. 15

Not only do sins lose their hold on us when we focus on Jesus, but other things that might not have been sins but might have taken our attention away from God and distracted us from devotion, start to fall away as well, their taste becoming bitter to our soul's palate as we become accustomed to savoring the rich sweetness of God's glory.
  

When I was thinking of what might be a fitting prayer to conclude this post with I couldn't help but think of Psalm 51. It's all about sin, confessing our sins and allowing God to purify our hearts to move past our sins and then finding ourselves delivered from them and full of praise towards our creator. So, may psalm 51 be a prayer that we all can utter this morning and thank God for the truths it contains. For His unending faithfulness and love and for the mercy and redemption that is found in Jesus.

Psalm 51

¹ Have mercy on me, O God,
   according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
   blot out my transgressions.
² Wash away all my iniquity
   and cleanse me from my sin.

 ³ For I know my transgressions,
   and my sin is always before me.
⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned
   and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
   and justified when you judge.
⁵ Surely I was sinful at birth,
   sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
⁶ Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
   you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

 ⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
   wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
   let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins
   and blot out all my iniquity.

 ¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
   and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence
   or take your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation
   and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

 ¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
   so that sinners will turn back to you.
¹⁴ Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
   you who are God my Savior,
   and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
¹⁵ Open my lips, Lord,
   and my mouth will declare your praise.
¹⁶ You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
   you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
¹⁷ My sacrifice, O God, is^[b] a broken spirit;
   a broken and contrite heart
   you, God, will not despise.

 ¹⁸ May it please you to prosper Zion,
   to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
¹⁹ Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
   in burnt offerings offered whole;
   then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Seeds and Soil: Is your Heart Ready?

"Every moment and every event of every man's life on earth plants something in his soul. For just as the wind carries thousands of winged seeds, so each moment brings with it germs of spiritual vitality that come to rest imperceptibly in the minds and wills of men. Most of these unnumbered seeds perish and are lost, because men are not prepared to receive them: for such seeds as those cannot spring up anywhere except in the good soil of freedom, spontaneity and love."

                                 ~ Thomas Merton, Seeds of Contemplation

Is your heart fertile to receive the seeds that God sends to you? What kind of soil do the seeds that rain down upon our souls find? Soil that is frozen and difficult to penetrate? Soil that is overridden with weeds that threaten to choke any sign of new growth? Or soil carefully managed with mindful devotion and love, clear of weeds, nourished by the eternal waters of God and expectantly prepared for a garden of amazing diversity and beauty to blossom upon it's fertile landscape? 

Heavenly Father,

We thank you for your great mercy and grace. We pray that you help clear our hearts of distractions, illusions and attachments as we open them up to you.  Help make them wide and empty spaces so that your love might flood through them, washing them with your eternal waters, making the soil of our souls pure and rich and ready to receive the seeds that you shower upon us every moment. May we take those seeds and let them bear fruit within our hearts so that we might bring you great glory. Nourishing them with the manna of Scripture and with our prayers and praises lifted high towards you like incense rising to your throne.  

May we bring you all glory, honor and praise.

In the name of Jesus,

Amen.

This Week's Moment in Time

This Moment

"A single photo – no words – capturing a simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

“This Moment” is a ritual found on Life inspired by theWee Man adopted from SouleMama which was introduced to me by Sarah-Jane. If you find yourself touched by a Moment and would like to participate, post your picture on a Friday and leave your link in the comments section.

Lose Your Religion and Find God: Thomas Merton

"Let no one hope to find in contemplation  an escape from conflict, from anguish or from doubt. On the contrary, the deep, inexpressible certitude of the contemplative experience awakens a tragic anguish and opens many questions in the depths of the heart like wounds that cannot stop bleeding. For every gain in deep certitude there is a corresponding growth of superficial "doubt". This doubt is by no means opposed to genuine faith, but it mercilessly examines and questions the spurious "faith" of everyday life, the human faith which is nothing but the passive acceptance of conventional opinion.

This false "faith" which is what we often live by and which we even come to confuse with our "religion" is subjected to inexorable questioning. This torment is a kind of trial by fire in which we are compelled, by the very light of invisible truth which has reached us in the dark ray of contemplation, to examine, to doubt and finally to reject all prejudices and conventions that we have hitherto accepted as if they were dogmas. Hence is it clear that genuine contemplation is incompatible with complacency and with smug acceptance of prejudiced opinions. It is not mere passive acquiescence in the status quo, as some would like to believe-for this would reduce it to the level of spiritual anesthesia. Contemplation is no pain-killer. What a holocaust takes place in this steady burning to ashes of old worn-out words, cliches, slogans, rationalizations! The worst of it is that even apparently holy conceptions are consumed alone with the rest. It is a terrible breaking and burning of idols, a purification of the sanctuary, so that no graven thing may occupy the place that God has commanded to be left empty: the center, the existential altar which simply "is".

In the end the contemplative suffers the anguish of realizing that he no longer knows what God is. He may or may not mercifully realize that, after all, this is a great gain, because "God is not a what", not a "thing". That is precisely one of the essential characteristics of contemplative experience. It sees that there is no "what" that can be called God. There is "no such thing" as God because God is neither a "what" nor a "thing" but a pure "Who". He is the "Thou" before whom our inmost "I" springs into awareness. He is the I Am before whom with our own most personal and inalienable voice we echo "I am."                    ~ Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation

Merton is not suggesting losing reverence towards Scripture or faith in the God of the Bible but what he is saying here is to experience God we have to strip away from the layers of our consciousness preconceived notions that we have acquired and absorbed through our culture of who God "is".  As our souls open up to the light and love of God the awkward silhouettes of our illusions start to rise forth and we must have the courage to let them pass by so that we leave our minds and souls empty of them, thus making room for the true knowledge and experience of God. Our faith is to be active, perhaps interactive is a better word to use. We are to interact with God and not just be  passive, accepting truths and knowledge from others and not testing the validity of such claims by asking questions and experiencing the truth for ourselves.

It is not a comfortable process, in fact it can be quite painful and in some ways it can feel almost like we are losing our faith because we are stepping out of the complacency we have rested in for so long, cradled by the words and assumptions of man and plunging into the reality of God through our own experiences with Him, relying solely on the Spirit to guide us.

As he says, " It is a terrible breaking and burning of idols, a purification of the sanctuary, so that no graven thing may occupy the place that God has commanded to be left empty: the center, the existential altar which simply "is". "

I don't know about you, dear reader, but I seek with my whole heart to clear the clutter that rests buried deep beneath layers of subconscious at my soul's center and make my soul a wide and empty space, a space exclusively reserved for God to fill and dwell within it. What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear them!

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for bringing us safely into a new day. We thank you for your love and compassion and for the wonders of creation that surround us. Every beautiful sunrise, every smile joyfully etched on a child's innocent face, every mountain gilded with glaciers and wildflowers sings out in praise to the God who creates and sustains all of life. Thank you!

Help us to open up our hearts to you more and more. May we see reality as it is, clear our minds and hearts so that we may experience you more fully and not be trapped and mired down in the illusions which distract us. Help guide us in our journey for we seek you above all else. We desire to delight in your glory. May we give you all glory, honor and praise.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

The Labyrinth: A Sacred Path to the Center

The labyrinth holds an ancient meaning as a prompt for prayer.
The winding path leads to the center; this serves as a mirror to reflect the movement of the Spirit in our lives.
It is a path of symbolism leading from earth to God.
There are no tricks, no dead ends. It is a walk with a heart and mind open to Christ, open to the spiritual journey of our lives.

Early Christian labyrinths date back to a basilica in Algeria during the 4th century. The most famous is the Chartres Cathedral Labyrinth, France (1220 AD). They were used to symbolically represent the pilgrimage to the Holy Land during the Middle Ages. A more recent example can be found at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. 

The basic shape of the labyrinth is Cruciform. This significant Christian symbol of the cross is readily visible in the four arms of the design.

The four corners around the cross represent the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; as well as the four seasons and stages of the life.

To create eleven paths or circuits requires twelve circles for the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve disciples, serving as a reminder of our communal need to care for one another.

The labyrinth journey has three phases.

Purgation

Letting go – the path inward.

IlluminationClarity, insight, and openness to receive – the journey center.

UnionIntegration of what is learned from the prayer experience into action in the world – the path outward.

The labyrinth represents the path of grace of our sacred Christian journey. Historically it has been used as a pilgrimage for soul searching. Today, labyrinths are being used for meditation, reflection, problem solving, comfort and prayer.

People have different experiences walking the labyrinth. As with all practices of prayer or meditation, the experience will grow and deepen the more it is done.

                                                                    

                                                                               ~ http://www.sacredheartparish.com/labyrinth/

I have never walked a Labyrinth before but I have to say the notion intrigues me. I practice contemplative prayer and have experienced how entering into God's presence during the present moment can be amazingly transforming. I like the concept of labyrinths. Not only the symbolism and great care and thought in their construction, but the idea of opening my heart to God, each step being a prayer in motion, lifted up towards our Creator.

Something beautiful happens when we surrender our hearts and time to God. When we rid ourselves of our false egos and instead find our identity in Christ, having him seated on our heart's throne filling us with his love and compassion. With expectation I enter those times, knowing God delivers unto my soul beautiful moments gilded with grace where my heart, though often hard and callous opens up, is penetrated by His light and healing warmth and is flooded with insights, truths, peace and a sense of His mercy. It is then that I often sit still in wondrous awe of the glory of God. What an amazing God we have.

So...labyrinths intrigue me. I look forward to walking at some point. From all accounts they seem to be a profound experience for prayer as well as meditation.

So my question to you is: Have you ever walked a labyrinth? If you have please share your experience! If you haven't...would you consider walking one? Why or why not?