Welcome to Discerning Grace. This is our last week on Meditation. Donald Bloesch says: “Our goal in meditation is not simply detachment from the world but a richer attachment to God and to other human beings. As people united with Christ, we seek power and boldness for the service of His kingdom. Calvin contended that through meditation on things divine we “may refresh our languishing spirits with new vigor. I would add that we also fill ourselves with the Holy Spirit, welcoming the True Comforter to reside in our soul. Next week we will begin another inner discipline-Study. See you there.

Ponderings

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Welcome, today during our second talk on Meditation, I will walk us through a practice exercise of meditation. Meditation is a type of prayer. We are seeking to spend time with God. My definition of prayer is spending time with God, or communing with Jesus. Come join me as we listen to scripture and wait on the Spirit.

Ponderings

Spend time with God each day. Allow at least 5 minutes a day to listen. As you sit in stillness, what bubbles up in your soul?

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I am sure we all have had the experience of trying to sit down to read our bible and you get nothing out of it, you can’t focus, but you “did it”. How can I come to my bible reading/ bible study differently? I think preparation is important. Just as you may dress up to go out, we need to prepare ourselves to go deeper with our relationship with Christ. The first discipline or spiritual exercise we will be discussing is meditation. Before you get to frustrated with me I want you to take a nice deep breathe, I am going to discuss the difference between eastern meditation and what the Bible is saying about meditation. Come and listen.

Under Spiritual Formation, we begin a new series on Spiritual Exercises or practices. These exercises fall into three categories: inward, outward, and corporate.  Today we do an overview of why they are important and how you can begin to integrate new ways to “look more like Jesus.”

Welcome to Holy Week, the last devotional for Lent. Each prior week we looked at a different aspect of forgiveness. Today, I have shifted and am talking about a few aspects of Holy Week. From triumphal entry into Jerusalem to Passover and how that relates to us today. Plus a view into Christ’s servant heart when he washed the disciple’s feet.

This week we look it the difficulties we face when we say, “I can’t forgive myself.”. From the self-bashing to learning to let go of guilt and shame, how do we forgive ourselves? How can we begin to accept the forgiveness freely offered to us? Join us as we finish the topic of Forgiveness.

Welcome to our fifth week together in this Lenten season. This quote has been on my mind:

“The reasons for forgiving ourselves are the same as for forgiving others. It is how we become free of the past. It is how we heal and grow. It is how we make meaning out of our suffering, restore our self-esteem, and tell a new story of who we are. If forgiving others leads to an external peace, forgiving ourselves leads to an internal peace.”

Desmond and Mpho Tutu, The Book of Forgiving

Let us look at those closest to us- the ones that can hurt us the most- close family and friends.

This week as we respond to “I can’t forgive THAT!” Let me softly remind you that even if the person has wronged you, there is still a spot in them that is hurt, broken, even defeated. That could be me; hurt, broken and defeated, the that needs to be forgiven. I pray that in that moment I am able to let go of resentment and grasp the line of hope. May I respond with “YES, I forgive, PLEASE forgive me!!”

Welcome to our third week since Ash Wednesday. This week we delve deeply into our need for personal forgiveness. How can we offer forgiveness if we are do not accept forgiveness? What did you ponder this past week and is it offering you a clearer picture of your heart?

Welcome to week 2 of lent. I am excited to share this journey with you. Here are the ponderings for this week. 

Can I give God 5 minutes of time when I just listen?

What does it mean when it is said “ When we hold on to our anger, we are often the ones who suffer.”

What happens in my heart when I pray just one verse- offering it up to God?

Have I ever heard “the still small voice of God”? the whisper…

When I “hear” God, is it a sense, a feeling?

What does forgiveness really mean to me?