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Thanks Pippin. I'm trusting.

Thanks too for the post on freedom. I love Henri Nouwen. That was very inspiring.

Father I lift up my hands to your name in thanks and praise for your processes and your righteousness. I thank you and praise you name and declare you are good and holy and all your ways are right. I ask you might open our eyes to see it and open our ears to hear you and give us the grace to obey you. Teach us your ways. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray with all glory honor and thanks to Him.

Amen

Edited: autocorrect fairy killing

[This message edited by Maia at 7:21 AM, May 19th (Sunday)]

Today is just gratitude, for so many things. Husband, kids, insane cats, restorative days, friends, SI, and the thousands of people out doing the AIDS walk to remember those who were shunned and alone, and to work toward a more humane world.

Hopefull77, thank you for that. It was just right today.

We are so afraid of seemingly godless places that we simply stay away from them, fearing for our own safety. That’s sometimes a very prudent thing to do; it isn’t always an imitation of Jesus. He wasn’t afraid to go into godless places.

As well, there’s the opposite danger, namely, that we go into morally dangerous places and lose ourselves there

What I hear from these two ideas is that we should be aware of what is morally dangerous for ourselves and take care, and be fearless in a godless place that is not dangerous for ourselves. There are places I can go that others should not, and places I should not go that others can. Finding the place where you can help is OK.

For today. A fervent prayer for the undeserving.

Romans 14:13

Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this--not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way.

For today, generosity and good works.

1 Timothy 6:17

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

In that passage I find my continual, lifelong fear of wrong motives. I don't want to do good in order to store up treasure for the future, like some kind of spiritual accounting. I don't understand why he wrote that. I want to do it because here and now it is the right thing, puts the world more at order and increases love and life.

For fear of wrong motives in good works:

1Timothy 1:5

The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

And Matthew, 6:1

Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ...

And for Maia, hope. I have hope to spare!

And for anyone who asks, whatever prayer they need.

Today my prayers for SI are for building a better community.

Thessalonians 5:14

And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

Colossians 3:13

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

And for Maia, because you keep asking and I'll keep giving. Thank you for putting me on equal footing with you. I asked for help and you gave freely; you ask for help and I will freely give what I have.

Psalm 30:8-12

I cried out to you, Lord.

I begged my Lord for mercy.

"What is to be gained by my spilled blood,

by my going down into the pit?

Does dust thank you?

Does it proclaim your faithfulness?

Lord, listen and have mercy on me!

Lord, be my helper!"

You changed my mourning into dancing.

You took off my funeral clothes

and dressed me up in joy

so that my whole being

might sing praises to you and never stop.

Lord, my God, I will give thanks to you forever.

Pippen, my daily devotional is "The Songs of Jesus" by Timothy and Kathy Keller based on the Psalms. It's a good way to start the day (some days start better than others).

Thanks SteadyChevy! I'll check that one out. I had to look up what a daily devotional is. I've been getting the Ransomed Heart (Eldredge) daily email for a few weeks and it is great. My church (Christian Science) doesn't have daily devotionals (only Bible + Science and Health weekly lessons) and the membership is teeny tiny. Where I am, very few go to church, people don’t discuss religion or God, and the idea of spirituality is baffling (other than maybe yoga or amateur Buddhism complete with a Buddhist saying on a t-shirt). When I talk about God, people back away slowly and assume I’m a little off. It's kind of freeing actually, I read about the struggles people have with the expectations and habits formed in a tight church community and I think, well I don't have that problem!

[This message edited by Pippin at 8:29 PM, May 22nd (Wednesday)]

Eldredge (both John and Stacy) have several books published. The ones I've read seem very good. Born again Christian based, of course.

They have lots and lots of books and podcasts. I'm not sure how they identify but definitely Christian. I've read Ransomed Heart and bits of Moving Mountains and Wild at Heart. They are like Mary Baker Eddy in that they have a specific POV about how to read the Bible. Part of their POV is that God is a BS so that is an interesting read for me right now. Unlike her they don't address how Jesus and the disciples were able to heal, at least not in anything I have read. It's fascinating to read the New Testament through different lenses. Eldredge is accessible. Mary Baker Eddy is sometimes opaque and hard to decipher.

Today's Eldredge daily devotional (though they don't call it that) is good (and as noted very accessible) -

In the mythic story of The Lion King, the lion cub Simba is separated in his youth from his father through a murder engineered by his uncle, Scar, the character symbolizing the evil one in our story. Scar arranges for the cub to be caught in a stampede of wildebeests, knowing that his father, Mufasa, will risk his life to save his son. He does, and Simba is saved, but Mufasa is killed. Scar then turns on Simba and accuses him, at such a vulnerable and desperate moment, of causing his father's death. Brokenhearted, frightened, racked with guilt, Simba runs away from home.

This is the enemy's one central purpose—to separate us from the Father. He uses neglect to whisper, You see—no one cares. You're not worth caring about. He uses a sudden loss of innocence to whisper, This is a dangerous world, and you are alone. You've been abandoned. He uses assaults and abuses to scream at a boy, This is all you are good for. And in this way he makes it nearly impossible for us to know what Jesus knew, makes it so very, very hard to come home to the Father's heart toward us. The details of each story are unique to the boy, but the effect is always a wound in the soul, and with it separation from and suspicion of the Father.

It's been very effective.

But God is not willing to simply let that be the end of the story. Not in any man's life. Remember what Jesus taught us about the Father's heart in the parable of the lost son: "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him" (Luke 15:20 NIV). Filled with compassion, our Father God will come like a loving Father, and take us close to his heart. He will also take us back to heal the wounds, finish things that didn't get finished. He will come for the boy, no matter how old he might now be, and make him his Beloved Son.

For doesitgetbetter and her children.

If you are the praying type, please pray for me, and please pray for our 2 kids. They don’t deserve any of this, and now they have to deal with it all.

During the hardest times I find the Psalms the most comforting, knowing that human suffering and human hope is shared.

Psalm 147:3-4

He heals the brokenhearted

and binds up their wounds.

He determines the number of the stars

and calls them each by name.

And, because I am a wayward spouse like your husband, I will also pray that he finds a way out of infidelity and makes some meaning and good out of his life, and offers every good thing in his life to your children.

Peter 3:8-9, 13-14

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. On the contrary, do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. . . . Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.

And for honesty, which I still do not have and which I will probably need to pray for every day of the rest of my life.

Ephesians 4:25

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

I was reading in guideposts one time and there was an article about a Bible App. It is called YouVersion...and it shows a brown Bible with the words “Holy Bible” on it. This app offers a free mobile Bible...along with many other things 🙂. There are “plans”...which are usually 3-5 day Bible Study devotional type stuff that covers a wide range of topics ! This app is completely ad free... and very easy to use in case anyone else would like to have a mobile Bible on their phone .

Thank you to everyone who is contributing here !

Yes, I've got that app. It's the one with 3M+ downloads, easy to find. It has a lot of features but the best part for me is that the "read" feature has easy navigation and there are so many different translations that you can take a passage you want to study and see how it is differently translated.

YES!!! The translations are very diverse aren’t they?! I have nothing but GOOD things to say about that app !

Happy Saturday!

This was from one of my daily devotionals from Richard Rohr.

A Constant Grace

The work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to reveal to us the truth of our being so that the way of our being can match it. —Wm. Paul Young [1]

The love in you—which is the Spirit in you—always somehow says yes. (See 2 Corinthians 1:20.) Love is not something you do; love is something you are. It is your True Self. Love is where you came from and love is where you’re going. It’s not something you can buy. It’s not something you can attain. It’s the presence of God within you, called the Holy Spirit or what some theologians name uncreated grace.

You can’t manufacture this by any right conduct, dear reader. You can’t make God love you one ounce more than God already loves you right now. You can go to church every day for the rest of your life. God isn’t going to love you any more than God loves you right now.

You cannot make God love you any less, either—not an ounce less. Do the most terrible thing and God wouldn’t love you less. You cannot change the Divine mind about you! The flow is constant, total, and 100 percent toward your life. God is for you.

We can’t diminish God’s love for us. What we can do, however, is learn how to believe it, receive it, trust it, allow it, and celebrate it, accepting Trinity’s whirling invitation to join in the cosmic dance.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux (c. 1090–1153) wrote, “Inasmuch as the soul becomes unlike God, so it becomes unlike itself.” [2] Bernard has, of course, come to the same thing I’m trying to say here: the pattern within the Trinity is the same as the pattern in all creation. And when you return to this same pattern, the flow will be identical.

Catherine LaCugna (1952–1997) ended her giant theological tome God for Us with this one simple sentence:

The very nature of God, therefore, is to seek out the deepest possible communion and friendship with every last creature on this earth. [3]

That’s God’s job description. That’s what it’s all about. And the only thing that can keep you out of this divine dance is fear or self-hatred. What would happen in your life—right now—if you fully accepted what God has created?

Suddenly, this is a very safe universe. You have nothing to be afraid of. God is for you. God is leaping toward you! God is on your side, honestly more than you are on your own.

Peace Everyone...

Yesterday was a day of arrows, all day long. An onslaught. They just wouldn't stop. My husband was a pretty good shield but they kept getting through. I think they finally stopped toward the end of the day when one of them said - and you are an idiot for forgetting about prayer. Bingo! A way out. Yesterday and today is Psalm 91, for me and for everyone assaulted by their own arrows.

Thanks, Hopefull77, that is just what I need to stop and hold on to when the arrows fly. It's similar to Mary Baker Eddy's chapter on prayer -

God is love. Can we ask Him to be more? God is intelligence. Can we inform the infinite Mind of anything He does not already comprehend? Do we expect to change perfection? Shall we plead for more at the open fount, which is pouring forth more than we accept? . . . How empty are our conceptions of Deity! We admit theoretically that God is good, omnipotent, omnipresent, infinite, and then we try to give information to the infinite Mind. . . .What we most need is the prayer of fervent desire for growth in grace, expressed in patience, meekness, love, and good deeds. To keep the commandments of our Master (here she means Jesus) and follow his example, is our proper debt to him and the only worthy evidence of our gratitude for all that he has done. . . The habitual struggle to be always good is unceasing prayer.

For today, a prayer for belief in prayer as the solution

Philippians 4:6

Don't worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart.

(from the app! Good News Bible translation)

Pippin...I am not sure what you mean by “arrows”...but I pray that they will fly short and continuously miss their mark (((HUGS))).

Father in heaven I praise you and thank you. You are here. You love us. You are in control. You have all things in your hands. You fight for us.

I lift up pippin to you and ask for a hedge set about her and for healing and deliverance. I ask for Life. For mercy and comfort.

I ask for truth to expose lies In the families represented here and i ask for a spirit of mercy and forgiveness and the grace of a deep and true repentance for us. I ask for walls to shatter and for your mighty will to be done. I claim them for your kingdom. In your precious holy name i pray with all glory honor and thanks to you. Amen

[This message edited by Maia at 8:17 AM, May 28th (Tuesday)]

TY Maia. I think I have found the source. Psalm 91 helps as a shield. I'm not quite sure how to turn the arrows into feathers but for fun I'm imagining the Harry Potter Ridikulus! boggart spell. Because they are all bogarts, those arrows, not real at all though the effect is real if allowed.

Want2BHappyAgain, the arrows are from John/Stasi Eldredge's Ransomed Heart reading of the Bible. I can't find a specific sentence that defines arrows but I think they are messages from society, family, other people, our own unmet needs that we are not good enough, not worth anything, etc. They get internalized and we shoot ourselves even more effectively than the initial shots. Everyone has their own types and ways of dealing with them, which are often self-destructive (affairs, addiction, pornography, or even radical self-reliance instead of reliance on God). Here's a summary from "Sacred Romance" (with Romance being their way of describing the relationship with God)

At some point we all face the same decision - what will we do with the arrows we have known? What have they tempted us to do? However they come to us, whether through a loss we experience as abandonment or some deep violation we feel as abuse, their message is always the same: kill your heart. Divorce it, neglect it, run from it, or indulge it with some anesthetic (our addictions).

Our deepest convictions are formed without conscious effort, but the effect is a deep shift in our soul. We form commitments to never be in that position again, never to know that sort of pain again. The result is an approach to life we call our personality.

In every way that Romance is full of beauty and wonder, the Arrows are equally powerful in their ugliness and devastation. The Romance seems to promise a life of wholeness through a deep connection with the great Heart behind the universe. The Arrows deny it, telling us "You are on your own. There is no Romance, no one strong and kind who is calling you into an exotic adventure." The Romance says the world is a benevolent place. The Arrows mock such naivite, warning us, "Just watch yourself - disaster is a moment away." The Romance invites us to trust. The Arrows intimidate us into self-reliance."

The Romance whispers that we are someone special, that our heart is good because it is made for someone good; the Arrows tell us we are a dime a dozen, worthless, even dark and twisted and dirty. Where is life to be found? The Romance tells us life will flourish when we give it away in love and heroic sacrifice. The Arrows tell us we must arrange for what little life there may be, manipulating our world and all the while, watching our backs.

Their work has been helpful for me in understanding both the whys and what to do about it.