I did the BCP hours this morning. I've been keeping up with them all week. I've also been making a real effort to pray without ceasing. The hours help with this, but I've also changed by nightime routine (cut out some TV) to include more prayers before bedtime and it is helping me to exist in the presence of God with a lot more consistency throughout the day.
Here is a prayer from the daily office this morning that expresses where I am right now:
"Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
Yesterday I prayed at noontime - mostly that I wouldn't wreck my car! But then did the evening prayers & compline. I'm still attempting to practice the presence of God. This morning I did the BCP hours.
The church calendar tells me that we celebrate Thomas Merton today. Some of his writings have deeply impacted me. Here are a few great quotes.
"[A publisher asked me to write something on 'The Secret of Success,' and I refused.] If I had a message to my contemporaries, I said, it was surely this: Be anything you like, be madmen, drunks, and bastards of every shape and form, but at all costs avoid one thing: success. ... If you have learned only how to be a success, your life has probably been wasted. If a university concentrates on producing successful people, it is lamentably failing in its obligation to society and to the students themselves."
"War represents a vice that mankind would like to get rid of but which it cannot do without. Man is like an alcoholic who knows that drink will destroy him but who always has a reason for drinking. So with war."
"The danger of education, I have found, is that it so easily confuses means with ends. Worse than that, it quite easily forgets both and devotes itself merely to the mass production of uneducated graduates--people literaly unfit for anything except to take part in an elaborate and completely artificial charade which they and their contemporaries have conspired to call 'life'."
I did a Beth Moore study on Psalm 124. It was awesome. When I first read it, I was like, "Okay" but then she was able to bring out just how the scripture related to me and how God has saved me. It was great to get fresh insight on the scripture.
Hello again, I have been praying at least one office a day this last week, and it is ok. Funny how the stomach flu can help one nurture ones inner-life. Even if it is a lot of praying/begging God to take away the curse of satan which is the flu. The refrain for the midday office: I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go; I will guide you with my eye. Do not be like horse or mule, which have no understanding; who must be fitted with bit and bridle, or else they will not stay near you.
Seems that what is being asked of me is simply not to be a mule, and the onus is on God to instruct and teach.
I am back! I am really feeling convicted to really dive into studying God's word and studying books and other resources. God literally pulled me out of bed this morning. I read the first book of Isiah because the entire book keeps coming up in conversation. I had been working on a study by BM and was studying when the people built the tabernacle. It was interesting to read in Isiah where he is telling everyone how disappointed that he is in where they are places efforts. It brought me back to the BM study--that God created a place for us to worship Him so that we can stay focused on Him. How easily we can get distracted...
did the bcp hours this morning. I'm still struggling with my sermon for this week. Pray for me. I'll confess later on just in case this morning's prep involves a lot of cussing.
Spent a lot of time this week on the Christmas story. Especially Luke 2 and John 3:16-17. I had to present it to the elementary class today. I always love how I learn something new when I trying to teach the kids.
I confess that I did not take time to confess on Friday, so I’m doing it this morning.
I confess that I did not get up early and drive to my 8:00 class – because class is over – and I’m almost giddy to be able to dig in and work hard on a Monday morning!
I confess that even though I’m still sick I refuse to go to the doctor. If I could just call and get antibiotics I would. But jumping through all of the hoops – calling for appointments, driving to the office, waiting & wasting time, getting poked, prodded and examined – only to end up with a 50/50 chance that the doctor might end up saying, “yeah, you are really sick, but I really don’t like to prescribe antibiotics,” and then I’m screwed…it just seems to much. So I’m sitting here coughing instead. It’s pretty fun.
I confess that I waste too much time watching TV at night, usually after 10pm when I should just read a bit and fall asleep. Me and Kristin had our first actual talk about getting rid of our TV the other day. I don’t know if we’re serious or not. What makes it really funny is that our old TV is a piece of junk. So in all likelihood, we’ll either get rid of the TV altogether or else just buy a flat screen.
I confess to being unable to resist cookies of any sort during this time of year. If I see a cookie, it’s history. It’s actually very sad.
each week we will have a new post through which to interact. you can post comments as often as you want under each week in order to share what you are reading, disciplines you are engaging in, or encouragement to each other.
9 comments:
I did the BCP hours this morning. I've been keeping up with them all week. I've also been making a real effort to pray without ceasing. The hours help with this, but I've also changed by nightime routine (cut out some TV) to include more prayers before bedtime and it is helping me to exist in the presence of God with a lot more consistency throughout the day.
Here is a prayer from the daily office this morning that expresses where I am right now:
"Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
Yesterday I prayed at noontime - mostly that I wouldn't wreck my car! But then did the evening prayers & compline. I'm still attempting to practice the presence of God. This morning I did the BCP hours.
The church calendar tells me that we celebrate Thomas Merton today. Some of his writings have deeply impacted me. Here are a few great quotes.
"[A publisher asked me to write something on 'The Secret of Success,' and I refused.] If I had a message to my contemporaries, I said, it was surely this: Be anything you like, be madmen, drunks, and bastards of every shape and form, but at all costs avoid one thing: success. ... If you have learned only how to be a success, your life has probably been wasted. If a university concentrates on producing successful people, it is lamentably failing in its obligation to society and to the students themselves."
"War represents a vice that mankind would like to get rid of but which it cannot do without. Man is like an alcoholic who knows that drink will destroy him but who always has a reason for drinking. So with war."
"The danger of education, I have found, is that it so easily confuses means with ends. Worse than that, it quite easily forgets both and devotes itself merely to the mass production of uneducated graduates--people literaly unfit for anything except to take part in an elaborate and completely artificial charade which they and their contemporaries have conspired to call 'life'."
He's a freak!
I did a Beth Moore study on Psalm 124. It was awesome. When I first read it, I was like, "Okay" but then she was able to bring out just how the scripture related to me and how God has saved me. It was great to get fresh insight on the scripture.
Hello again,
I have been praying at least one office a day this last week, and it is ok. Funny how the stomach flu can help one nurture ones inner-life. Even if it is a lot of praying/begging God to take away the curse of satan which is the flu.
The refrain for the midday office:
I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go; I will guide you with my eye. Do not be like horse or mule, which have no understanding; who must be fitted with bit and bridle, or else they will not stay near you.
Seems that what is being asked of me is simply not to be a mule, and the onus is on God to instruct and teach.
I did the BCP morning office this morning. Psalm 37 is really good.
I'm hoping to get all of the offices in today.
I am back! I am really feeling convicted to really dive into studying God's word and studying books and other resources. God literally pulled me out of bed this morning. I read the first book of Isiah because the entire book keeps coming up in conversation. I had been working on a study by BM and was studying when the people built the tabernacle. It was interesting to read in Isiah where he is telling everyone how disappointed that he is in where they are places efforts. It brought me back to the BM study--that God created a place for us to worship Him so that we can stay focused on Him. How easily we can get distracted...
did the bcp hours this morning. I'm still struggling with my sermon for this week. Pray for me. I'll confess later on just in case this morning's prep involves a lot of cussing.
peace,
Spent a lot of time this week on the Christmas story. Especially Luke 2 and John 3:16-17. I had to present it to the elementary class today. I always love how I learn something new when I trying to teach the kids.
Friday Confessional (on Monday)
I confess that I did not take time to confess on Friday, so I’m doing it this morning.
I confess that I did not get up early and drive to my 8:00 class – because class is over – and I’m almost giddy to be able to dig in and work hard on a Monday morning!
I confess that even though I’m still sick I refuse to go to the doctor. If I could just call and get antibiotics I would. But jumping through all of the hoops – calling for appointments, driving to the office, waiting & wasting time, getting poked, prodded and examined – only to end up with a 50/50 chance that the doctor might end up saying, “yeah, you are really sick, but I really don’t like to prescribe antibiotics,” and then I’m screwed…it just seems to much. So I’m sitting here coughing instead. It’s pretty fun.
I confess that I waste too much time watching TV at night, usually after 10pm when I should just read a bit and fall asleep. Me and Kristin had our first actual talk about getting rid of our TV the other day. I don’t know if we’re serious or not. What makes it really funny is that our old TV is a piece of junk. So in all likelihood, we’ll either get rid of the TV altogether or else just buy a flat screen.
I confess to being unable to resist cookies of any sort during this time of year. If I see a cookie, it’s history. It’s actually very sad.
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