Write Now!
This blog started as a 'Lenten Writing Project', where we wrote each day in Lent. Now that Summer is here, let's keep up the discipline of writing with a weekly writing challenge! A prompt will be posted each week and anyone is welcome to join in and post their writing here or participate just by reading it.
Every writer has their own special light to add to this blog and all of your writing offerings are appreciated, whether poetry, prose, essay, thoughts, lists or comments and encouragement.
That's an easy one. Yosemite. Really it happens best in natural settings: mountains, the beach the desert, but really, Yosemite does it best.
ReplyDeleteDoug Millar
One night, long ago, I cried out to God, “Show me you are real!”
ReplyDeleteAs I tossed and turned, I thought, “I can’t go on without knowing for sure. God, can You prove yourself to me?”
I finally reached for my Bible by the bedside, and began to read. Usually as I read, my mind would fill with more and more questions. I would read a word of comfort, but it was immediately followed by doubt. But in those early morning hours, suddenly it seemed as though a light from heaven shown over my shoulder and illuminated the pages. The shining words came alive. I was filled with absolute certainty of the Truth of Jesus’ words, that I was God’s beloved child. Nothing could ever take that away.
I got up and drove up Highway 20 to Colonial Creek on Lake Diablo. I had discovered a spot not long before, and was drawn back to it. I walked the needle-cushioned path under majestic trees to a certain spot along the roaring creek. There I spread out my blanket, looked up at Colonial Peak high above, and felt wrapped in the presence of God.
This image is so burned into my memory that I can return there in my mind any time. When I do, once again I am wrapped in the certainty of God’s all-encompassing love.
I find myself listening to God in many settings and times. Lately, I have become more and more aware of how God is always present with me. The problem is that I am not always present with God. But I have been working on that.
ReplyDeleteThe question was ... how do I still my mind...? I don't always still my mind in order to listen to God. Sometimes, I hear God in the frantic ramblings of my mind.
One specific story comes to mind. I used to be a computer consultant, which included traveling by airplane at least once per week, sometimes more. I have been flying since I was 6 years old, but somehow, for some reason, after I had been in this job for about a year, I started feeling fear while on my flights. It started with a mild twinge on one flight. Then, the next time I flew, the thought crossed my mind..."What if something went wrong?" I would force the thought out of my mind quickly, and we would land safely.
These little fears continued to grow with each flight until one time when I felt what I assume was a mini-anxiety attack. I remember it vividly. I was sitting by the window, looking out at the land far beneath me, and I thought, "What if we crash?" I thought of all the people I loved who I would leave behind, I thought of all the things I still wanted to do in life, I thought of so much unfinished business, and I thought, "I don't want to die." My hands began to grip the seat, the air became incredibly warm, the pace of my breathing quickened, and my mind raced.
Then, out of nowhere, the air around me changed. I felt a calming presence, and my body responded. My breaths began to slow, my grip loosened, and I relaxed into the seat. The words, "It's going to be ok," passed through my mind. As I relaxed, I looked around and noticed all the other people on the plane. I became sad as I acknowledged that no, I cannot control what will come. But I was comforted anyway, because I knew God was with me. God was with us. Whatever was to come, it was going to be ok.
Now, whenever I begin to feel stress - it can be something big, like a family health concern, or something small, like someone confronting me angrily - and I take a breath and say a little prayer. Comfort always comes, and sometimes words, too.
Be Still and Know that I am God:
ReplyDeletePatience is not one of my virtues
And yet, as I look back I see that God has always answered my prayers but not necessarily on my time line.
I like to listen for a message from God when I take walks along the waterfront, or in daily conversation through prayer. If I am patient (Still)it is fun to see how God really does work in my life!
Jackie D
It’s There!
ReplyDeleteI entered his office and took a deep breath.
It was a personal question,
the most troubling kind.
Another deep breath and I asked it
“How do I pray, in a way that’s meaningful to me?”
Sigh.
It was out.
“It’s there!” he said
“What?”
“Your prayer. It’s there!” he repeated.
“Where?”
“There!”
“Where there? What are we talking about?”
“You asked about prayer
that was meaningful.
You want an experience of God.
It’s there, in your breath.
In those deep breaths you took,
God is there.
In that sigh you let out,
God is there.
In the peacefulness between breaths
God is there.”
I learned to follow my breath,
in and out,
in it’s simplicity
and commonness.
Breathing in the Spirit,
breathing out my pain,
and resting in peace.
I took my first breath
into a new way of praying.
The breath of God
inhabiting my breathing
and becoming my praying.
It is there, where I meet peace.
It is there, where hope is born again.
And it is there, where I pray for others
most passionately.
Backstory: At the seminary my most personal question was how do I pray in a way that is meaningful to me. Prayer had become dry for me. It took me over a year work up the courage to ask and to find a professor who I trusted enough to be open with. He started me on a path that began with Christian meditation and moved to labyrinth walks and writing and more. The writing above isn't exactly how it happened but it catches what I got (and still get) out of the conversation and some of where it has taken me.
Something that has always comforted me when I get in that fix is Romans 8:26. Godspeed.
Delete"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself(sic) intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words." RSV
s.h.
I've been reading my reply to your beautiful, honest poem and post, and I wanted you to know that in my response, I was in no way trying to trivialize the feeling of reaching out into the darkness; and to the disconnectedness and abandonment one feels when there is no conection felt in prayer.
DeleteI wrote to reassure you that, as you surely know by now, your state was part of the cycle of faith that we all go through, but that not everyone admits to.
The Bible verse I quoted is one that helps me when I get to that shadow-phase.
I have also found(I'm sure you also know this)that even though I don't always FEEL God's presence, God IS always there beside me. When I forget that, I have the very real presence of the Communion of Saints on Earth to hold me up.
Thank you for being brave enough to share yourself and the real interior world of a Christian.
s.h.
My Peace Is With You
ReplyDeleteby Marlene Obie
I have sensed the presence of God in the outdoors since I was young, as part of a fishing and camping family in Montana. I remember the first time I read the poem "Some Call it Nature, Others Call It God" in grade school, thinking how true it was. Whether we were at a rustic camping spot or at my stepgrandparents cabin, I would find some time and a space not too far away (as I wanted to be in shouting distance if a bear should come upon me) where I could feel surrounded by God and hear the music of tree leaves shaking, grasshoppers buzzing, and a creek rushing along; see the pine tree branches dancing, wildflower-decorated meadows. I could never see how anyone could not see God there and in the coastal states I lived in later, on unsecluded beaches, wetlands parks, and backyards.
One of my favorite places to walk, especially when I have a lot on my mind, is the Juanita Bay Park. Although there is often noise all around it and within it, I have found a calming presence in the scenery, as well as feelings of assurance watching the wildlife maneuvers. I've received lessons there as I've seen persistent turtles roll off their round logs which move from the gentle wakes and crawl back on, only to be tipped again. A mother duck tries noisely swimming away from her ducklings to lure away the attention of an eagle's flyover. The beaver demonstrates its work-play-eat ethics. The heron watches and waits in patience for just the right second to move. It's God 101 wherever you turn saying "Keep at it"; "Be on guard"; "Enjoy all your life"; and "Wait, the time is coming".
In the quiet ties and spaces, outside and within, I hear "Look, relax, and be not anxious. This peace is upon you"
Yes, I've heard God sp
It is very hard for me to still my mind, because I have to do it against my own will. I am completely rebellious when it comes to listening to anything but my own blathering inside my head. Perhaps it’s habit. To say that I am “talky” is a gross understatement. If anyone lifted my lid and heard what was inside my head…they would be dizzy and terrified. So much. And none of any thought has anything to do with anything else. Like a Baz Luhrmann movie.
ReplyDeleteOne night, I tried to meditate and listen for God’s voice. I keep hearing all these fake statements that could be from God, but I knew they were not, because they all had my agenda written all over them. I tried to listen and be still a bit longer and one thing came in to my mind. “You are beautiful”. What?? Beautiful?? I have pretty much written off showers and basic hygiene in the best interest of time and I am wearing mismatched, mis-fitting sweats and did I mention that I talk Way. Too. Much. You are beautiful. The way it was said was meant not just as an aesthetic thing, though it encompassed that – more like beloved and beautiful. A beautiful person. A whole package and I would never, never in a million years think that statement in my head about myself. It made me smile the whole day. When I wasn’t busy talking…
Lenten Prompt #10 Friday March 2 2012
ReplyDeleteOne of the good things about being older, is that by now, I have been fortunate to learn some helpful ways to still my mind to listen to God. In truth, they don't always work, but I am getting better at it.
By the way, many of these techniques are not limited to Christians, and are practiced by people of Faith throughout the world. Some of these ways range from reciting simple learned prayers, like the Lord's Prayer, to spontaneous prayer and meditations; and even to spiritual dance.
I have been able to learn slow-breathing, and chanting to a very ancient tune(which I learned from a Benedictine Nun way back in 1974).
More recently, I have been learning the delights and calming effects of walking meditative Labyrinths...I found one overlooking the Pacific Ocean, another at a simple mountaintop retreat center, and another inside a grand cathedral, complete with giant stained-glass views...each labyrinth offering a unique stilling experience. It was so fullfilling, I even got my own pocket-sized portable labyrinth, to carry with me if I choose.
At one church I belonged to, I learned the art of Centering Prayer...50 minutes of complete silence in a seated circle with others, quietly meditating on one word or idea of your choice or whatever God gives you. The whole idea is to be there FOR God... Not asking for anything, just Being there for God. There is a timekeeper who usually does a short reading to begin the meditation; and then you get comfortable in your chair and listen internally. The timekeeper sounds the end of the meditation with a soft chime. Then, we all thank each other, and go our separate ways. It's actually a world-wide movement. The first time I tried it, I was so overcome with the beauty of it, that quiet, satisfying tears began streaming down my face. The leader had to make sure I was OK afterwards. I was able to do this weekly for 3 years, until I retired and moved out of state.
My most recent form of stilling prayer has been the discover of how to use the Anglican Rosary. At first I was afraid that if was going to be too Catholic, but I did some research and found that there are really no set prayers. There some guidelines, and it reminds me somewhat of a labyrinth. It does seem to have calming and focusing qualities for me. I recommend you try it, perhaps for a Lenten or Advent Devotion.
Finally, a surprising, special experience I once had was one that reminded me of really having a sense of God's AWEsomeness.
One cold, clear Winter night in North Dakota, we decided to go outside and watch the stars. Lying outside in the backyard, on top of the frozen covered giant tractor-tire sandbox, watching the beauty of the irridescent greenish drapery-like Aurora, moving gracefully in the clear black Northern sky, accompanied by the millions of bright, shiny stars and the definite shadow of the Milky Way; this awesome light show not only reminded me of a Company of Angels, but reminded me of just how small a creature I am in God's Universe; and yet how loved and important I must be, to be allowed to be shown this beautiful display of light.
s.h.
"When I look up at your skies,
at what your fingers have made--
the moon and the stars
that you firmly set in place--
what are human beings
that you think about them;
what are human beings
that you pay attention to them
You've only made them slightly
less than divine,
crowning them with glory and grandeur.....
You've let them rule over your handiwork
putting everything under their feet--
LORD, our Lord, how majestic
is your name throughout the earth!"
Psalm 8 3:-6&9
by Pat Mason
ReplyDeleteAt church service. Specifically when we all pray the Lord's Prayer together.
To me, it's prayer as it is meant to be prayed.
The prayer is from Jesus.
The words cover all that we could possible pray for or about.
And we pray it together at worship time.
It's my favorite part of the service.