Lenten Meditations from the Classics

Easter Sunday!

2009-04-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

"He is Risen!"

God, The Bible

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The Mind of Christ

2009-04-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

If a friend does something which puzzles us, we might ask what it was

he "had in mind" in doing it. It is in this sense that Paul uses the word

mind in Philippians 2:5. What was it that seemed important to Jesus?

What principles did he cherish? What objectives? On what footing

were his choices made?

The revelation of the mind of Christ is presented here as the story of

a great change. It befits with one who was in the form of God (verse 6),

that is, one who possessed inwardly and displayed outwardly the very

nature of God himself.

As is plain, verse 6 is speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ before his

incarnation...What a change is expressed in verse 8 when he who was in

the form of God became obedient unto death Wesley put it justly when

he wrote:

"Tis mystery all! The immortal dies!"

Mystery indeed, but at the same time the testimony of the Bible. How

it could happen we cannot know, that it did happen we are assured.

There is great stress on the fact that this change came about by

voluntary decision and in this we begin to enter into the "mind of

Christ." Verse 7 says he emptied himself, and verse 8, he humbled him-

self. In each case the reflexive expression points to personal decision

and action.

Alec Motyer, The Message of Philippians: Jesus Our Joy

Who is Alec Motyer? Now retired Alec Motyer was formerly Principal

of Trinity College, Bristol. He has extensive experience in parish

ministry and is well known as a Bible expositor, of the Old Testament

in particular.

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Committing to God in Perfect trust

2009-04-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

...the way to power lies through the realization of helplessness; that

the way to victory lies through the admission of defeat; that the way to

goodness lies through the confession and the acknowledgement of sin.

Herein is an essential truth which runs through all life. If a man is ill,

the first necessity is that he should admit and recognize that he is ill,

and that then he should seek for a cure in the right place. The way to

knowledge begins with the admission of ignorance. The one man who

can never learn is the man who thinks that he knows everything already.

...the way to independence lies through dependence, and the way to

freedom lies through surrender. If ever a man is to be independent of

the chances and changes of life, that independence must come from his

complete dependence on God. If ever a man is to know true freedom,

that freedom must come through complete surrender to God.

...the way to bliss which the world can neither give nor take away lies

through the recognition of our own need, and the conviction that the need

can be met, when we commit to God in perfect trust.

William Barclay, The Beatitudes and the Lord's prayer for Everyman

Who is William Barclay? Barclay, 1907 to 1978, was an author, radio

and television presenter and a minister of the Church of Scotland. He

was also a Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism at the University

of Glasgow in Scotland. Barclay is best known for his 17 commentaries

on the New Testament.

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God's unfailing love

2009-04-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

"What can you do when you've failed and denied what you believe?"

This question and others like it came out of the heart of a person who

had stumbled badly. He felt he had no right to pray, and when he tried,

he felt self-discrimination and condemnation. We all deny our Lord in

so many little ways, but what do you do when the denial contradicts

everything you've stood for and believed? Is there a way back? How

does the Lord deal with failures?

The answer is vividly portrayed in the way Jesus Christ dealt with

Simon Peter's denial. Peter could not handle the anguish of his cowardly

denial. He had to block it out, try to forget; but his efforts were futile.

Was that why he now could not bear to look Jesus in the eye?

What adventure Peter had known following the Master! He remem-

bered with self-affirmation how on the road to Caesarea Philippi he felt

the spirit rush within him. He had blurted out the conviction, "Thou art

the Christ!" He would never forget the tone of the Lord's voice when he

told him that the church would be built on the rock of his faith. A rock?

The recollection reverberated with shock waves within him. "A rock that

cracked!" he said to himself.

But the basic message of the story is this: the Lord's love does not

fail however much we fail him. Peter had built his whole relationship

with Jesus Christ on his assumed capacity to be adequate. That's why he

took his denial of the Lord so hard. His strength, loyalty, and faithfulness

were his self-generated assets of discipleship. The fallacy in Peter's mind

was this: he believed his relationship was dependent on his consistency

in producing the qualities he thought had earned him the Lord's approval.

Many of us face the same problem. We project onto the Lord our own

measured standard of acceptance. Our whole understanding of him is

based in a quid pro quo of bartered love. He will love us as if we are

good, moral, and diligent. But we have turned the tables; we try to live

so that he will love us, rather than living because he has already loved us.

Lloyd Ogilvie, Ask Him anything: God can handle your hardest questions

Who is Lloyd Ogilvie? Lloyd John Ogilvie, is a Presbyterian minister,

who served as Chaplain of the U.S. Senate from 1995 to 2003. Dr.

Ogilvie, had a nationally syndicated weekly television show prior to

serving the Senate called, "Let God Love You." It aired for 17 years.

Dr. Ogilvie felt his role as Chaplain was to act as an intercessor for

Senators, be a trusted prayer partner and faith counselor. He sought

to keep the office as nonpolitical, nonsectarian, and nonpartisan.

He provide spiritual leadership and support to the Senate through

many significant events including the impeachment of President

Clinton; the attacks on 911; the anthrax attack in the Senate; and

the contested Presidential election in 2000. Dr. Ogilvie has received

numerous awards and authored 49 books.

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Surrender and Trust

2009-04-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

A devoted Christian woman who conducted a large Bible class with zeal

and success once came in trouble to her minister. In her earlier years

she had enjoyed much blessing in the inner chamber, in fellowship with

the Lord and His Word. But this had gradually been lost and, do what

she would, she could not get it right. The Lord had blessed her work,

but the joy had gone out of her life. The minister asked what she had

done to regain the lost blessedness. "I have done everything," said she,

"that I can think of, but all in vain."

He then questioned her about her experience in connection with her

conversion. She gave an immediate and clear answer: "At first I spared

no pains in my attempt to become better, and to free myself from sin,

but it was all useless. At last I began to understand that I must lay aside

all my efforts, and simply trust the Lord Jesus to bestow on me His life

and peace, and He did it."

"Why then," said the minister, "do you not try this again? As you go

to your inner chamber, however cold and dark your heart may be, do not

try in your own might to force yourself into the right attitude. Bow

before Him and tell Him that He sees in what a sad state you are and

that your only hope is in Him. Trust Him with a childlike trust to have

mercy upon you, and wait upon Him. You have Nothing--He has

everything.

Andrew Murray, The Prayer Life

Who is Andrew Murray? Murray was a South African write, teacher

and Christian pastor who lived from May 9, 1828 to January 18, 1917.

Murray focused heavily on Missions and was one of the founders of

the South African General Mission.

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Glorifying God as our priority

2009-04-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

Jesus in His prayers on earth, in His intercession in heaven in His

promise of an answer to our prayers from there, makes this His first

objective—the glory of His Father. Is it so with us too? Or are not, in

large measure, self-interest and self-will the strongest motive urging

us to pray? Or, if we cannot see that this is the case, have we not to

acknowledge that the distinct, conscious longing for the glory of the

Father is not what animates our prayers? And yet it must be so.

Not as if the believer does not at times desire it. But he has to mourn

that he has so little attained. And he knows the reason of his failure too.

It was, because the separation between the spirit of daily life and the

spirit of the hour of prayer was too wide. We begin to see that the

desire for the glory of the Father is not something that we can awake and

present to our Lord when we prepare ourselves to pray. No! It is only

when the whole life, in all its parts, is given up to God's glory, that we

can really pray to His glory too. "Do all to the glory of God," and , "Ask

all to the glory of God"--these twin commands are inseparable:

obedience to the former is the secret grace for the latter. A life to the

glory of God is the condition of the prayers that Jesus can answer, "that

the Father may be glorified."

Andrew Murray, With Christ in the School of Prayer

Who is Andrew Murray? Murray was a South African write, teacher

and Christian pastor who lived from May 9, 1828 to January 18, 1917.

Murray focused heavily on Missions and was one of the founders of

the South African General Mission.

To visit the Lenten Meditations site, click here.

To visit The Practical Disciple, click here.

Jesus' call to self-denial

2009-04-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Self-denial conjures up in our minds all sorts of images of groveling and

self-hatred. We imagine that it most certainly means the rejection of

our individuality and will probably lead to various forms of

self-mortification.

On the contrary, Jesus called us to self-denial without self-hatred.

Self-denial is simply a way of coming to understand that we do not have

to have our own way. Our happiness is not dependent upon getting what

we want. Self-denial does not mean the loss of our identity as some

suppose. Without our identity we could not even be subject to each

other. Did Jesus lose His identity when He set His face toward

Golgotha? Did Peter lose his identity when he responded to Jesus’

cross-bearing command, “Follow me” (John 21:19)? Did Paul lose his

identity when he committed himself to the One who had said, “I will

show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name” (Acts 9:16)?

Of course not. We know that the opposite was true. They found their

identity in the act of self-denial.

Self-denial is not the same thing as self-contempt. Self-contempt

claims that we have no worth, and even if we did have worth we should

reject it. Self-denial declares that we are of infinite worth and shows us

how to realize it. Self-contempt denise the goodness of the creation;

self-denial affirms that it was indeed good. Jesus made the ability to

love ourselves the prerequisite for our reaching out to others

(Matt. 22:39).

Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline

Who is Richard Foster? Foster is a Christian theologian, educator,

and author in the Quaker tradition. His best know work is the

Celebration of Discipline, which offers instruction on a variety of

inward and outward spiritual disciplines, such as, prayer, fasting,

simplicity, confession and worship. It was named by Christianity

Today as one of the top ten books of the twentieth century.

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Our only legitimate goal

2009-04-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

If we are not our own, but the Lord's, it is clear to what purpose all

our deeds must be directed. We are not our own, therefore neither our

reason nor our will should guide us in our thoughts and actions. We are

not our own, therefore we should not seek what is only expedient to the

flesh. We are not our own, therefore let us forget ourselves and our own

interests as fast as possible.

We are God's own; to him, therefore, let us live and die. We are God's

own; therefore, let his wisdom and will dominate all our actions. We

are god's own; therefore let every part of our existence be directed

towards him as our only legitimate goals.

Oh, how greatly we have advanced when we have learned not to be

our own, not to be governed by our own reason, but to surrender our

minds to God! The most effective poison to lead us to ruin is to boast

in ourselves, in our own wisdom and will power. The only escape to

safety is simply to follow the guidance of the Lord.

Our first step should be to take leave of ourselves and to apply all

of our powers to the service of the Lord. The service of the Lord does

not only include implicit obedience, but also a willingness to put aside

our sinful desires to surrender completely to the leadership of the

Holy Spirit.

The transformation of our lives by the Holy Spirit, which St.

Paul calls the renewal of the mind, is the real beginning of life but

foreign to pagan philosophers. The philosophers set up reason as

the sole guide of life, of wisdom and conduct. but Christian

philosophy demands of us that we surrender our reason to the Holy

Spirit. This means that we no longer live of ourselves, but that

Christ lives and reigns within us (Eph. 4:23; Gal. 2:20)

John Calvin, Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life

Who is John Calvin? Calvin, 1509-1564, a theologian and reformer,

was French by birth, but most of his productive years were in

Geneva, Switzerland. He was an early and prominent influence

during the Protestant Reformation through his biblical

commentaries, sermons, theological tracts. He is regarded as the

forefather of Presbyterianism.

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To visit The Practical Disciple, click here.

Fasting from Criticalness

2009-04-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

The Lord continues to deal with me about m critical spirit, convicting

me that I have been wrong to judge any person or situation:

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge

others, you will be judeged, and with the measure you use, it will be

measured to you. (Matt 7:1-2; NIV)

One morning last week He gave me an assignment: for one day I was

to go on a "fast" from criticism. I was not to criticize anybody about

anything.

Into my mind crowded all the usual objections. "But then what happens

to value judgments? You Yourself, Lord, spoke of 'righteous judgement.'

How could society operate without standards and limits?"

All such resistance was brushed aside. "Just obey Me without question-

ing: an absolute fast on any critical statements for this day."

As I pondered this assignment, I realized there was an even humorous

side to this kind of fast. What did the Lord want to show me?

The experiment

For the first half of the day, I simply felt a void, almost as if I had been

wiped out as a person. This was especially true at lunch with my

husand, Len, my mother, son Jeff, and my secretary Jeannie Sevigny,

present. Several topics came up (school prayer, abortion, the ERA

amendment) about which I had definite opinions. I listened to the

others and kept silent. Barbed comments on the tip of my tongue

about certain world leaders were suppressed. In our talkative family

no one seemed to notice.

Bemused, I noticed that my comments were not missed. The federal

government, the judicial system, and the institutional church could

apparently get along fine without my penetrating observations. But still

I didn't see what this fast on criticism was accomplishing--until

mid-afternoon.

For several years, I had been praying for on talented young man whose

life had gotten sidetracked. Perhaps my prayers for him had been too

negative. That afternoon, a specific, positive vision for my life was

dropped into my mind with God's unmistakable hallmark on it--joy.

Ideas began to flow in a way I had not experienced in years. Now it was

apparent what the Lord wanted me to see. My critical nature had not

corrected a single one of the multitudinous things I found fault with.

What it had done was to stifle my own creativity--in prayer, in

relationship, perhaps even in writing--ideas that He wanted to give me.

Last Sunday night in a Bible study group, I told of my Day's Fast

experiment. The response was startling. Many admitted that

criticalness was the chief problem in their offices, or in their marriages,

or with their teenage children.

Catherine Marshall, A Closer Walk

Who is Catherine Marshall? Catherine Marshall was the wife of famed,

Presbyterian minister and preacher, Peter Marshall. She came into the

public after his death when she published a memoir about him,

A Man Called Peter. Catherine went onto write a large number of

books and eventually became a publisher. She lived from 1914 to 1983.

To visit the Lenten Meditations site, click here.

To visit The Practical Disciple, click here.

God's Instrument

2009-04-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

No Christian should ever think or say that he is not fit to be God's

instrument, for that in fact is what it means to be a Christian. We may

be humble about many things, but we may never decline to be used.

John the Baptist told the people by the river Jordan, "I baptize you

with water, for repentance, but the one who comes after me is mightier

than I, and I am not fit to take off his shoes." Then Jesus himself came

to be baptized by him, and John tried to dissuade him, saying to him,

"Do you come to me? I need rather to be baptized by you." Jesus

replied, "Let it be so for the present; we do well to conform in this

way with all that God requires." So John baptized him whose shoes he

was not fit to take off.

The gospel is full of reassurances to us, some of them startling. You

are salt to the world! You are light to all the world! Even the hairs of

your head have all been counted! These words were exciting to those

who heard them. Things might be dark but they were to be the light of

the world. They were given a new sense of their value as persons.

Especially was this true of women. One can hardly describe the joy of

the first disciples, who were given by Jesus such a sense of their

significance in the world. This same sense of significance has been

given again and again to other people by disciples of Jesus. Of these

none was greater than Fancis of Assisi. He might well have prayed:

To those who have lost their way, let me restore it to them.

To those who are aimless, let me bring purpose.

To those who do not know who they are, let me teach them that they

are the children of God and can be used as His instruments in the

never-ending work of healing and redemption.

There are therefore two things for us to do. The first is never to

doubt that God can use us if we are willing to be used, no matter what

our weaknesses. The second is to see that God can use any other person

who is willing to be used, whatever his weaknesses, and if need be, to

assure him of this truth."

Alan Paton, Instrument of Thy Peace

Who is Alan Paton? Alan Stewart Paton was an anglican priest educated

at the University of Natal in South Africa. He was an outspoken

opponent of apartheid, and perhaps best know for his novel Cry, the

Beloved Country. He also wrote a series of meditations inspired by

St. Francis of Assisi's familiar prayer on being an instrument of God's

peace. Paton lived from 1903 to 1988.

To visit the Lenten Meditations site, click here.

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Holy Fellowship with Jesus

2009-04-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

But even if our conduct and conversation were more consistent with

our faith, I would still have this third charge against us: there is too

little real communion with Jesus Christ. If, by the grace of God, our

conduct and conversation were consistent and our lives were

unblemished, many of us are still sorely lacking in that area we call holy

fellowship with Jesus.

Men and women, let me ask you, How long has it been since you have

had an intimate conversation with Jesus Christ? Some of you may be

able to say, "It was only this morning that I last spoke with him; I beheld

his face with joy." But I fear that the great majority of you will have to

say, "It has been months since I have been with the Lord."

What have you been doing with your life? Is Christ living in your

home and yet you have not spoken to him for months? Do not let me

condemn you or judge; only let your conscience speak: Have we not all

lived too much without Jesus? Have we not grown contented with the

world to the neglect of Christ?

Charles Spurgeon, Spiritual Revival, the Need of the Church (audio cd)

Who is Charles Spurgeon? Spurgeon was a baptist preacher in England

who lived from 1834 to 1892. He was an amazing preacher that is often

referred to as the "prince of preachers." He also founded a pastor's

college, an orphanage, and an institution to promote literacy.

Spurgeon was a strong Calvinist whose preaching often caused much

controversy.

To visit the Lenten Meditations site, click here.

To visit The Practical Disciple, click here.

Conduct and conversation

2009-04-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

In the first place, look at the conduct and conversation of too many

of us who profess to be children of God.

It has become very popular to join the Church in our day. Many

people have recently joined the Church in our country. But are there

any fewer cheats than there used to be? Are there less frauds

committed? Do we find morality more extensive? Do we find vice

coming to an end? No, we do not. Our age is as immoral as any that

preceded it. There is still as much sin, though perhaps it is more cloaked

and hidden.

It is well known that it is no guarantee of a man's honesty that he is

a member of the Church. The lives of too many of the men and women

of the Church give the world cause to wonder if there is godliness in any

of us. We reach after money, we cover, we follow the wicked ways of

this world, we oppress the poor and deny rights to the working class--

and yet we profess to be people of God! The Church lacks revival in the

lives of its members.

Second, let us take a look at the conversation of many professing

Christians. Pay attention to the conversation of the average professing

Christian. You might spend from the first of January to the end of

December and never hear them speak about their faith. They will

scarcely even mention the name of Jesus Christ at all. On Sunday

afternoon what will they talk about at the dinner table? It will not

be about the minister's sermon, unless they want to point out some

faults.

Do they ever talk about what Jesus said and did? What he suffered

for us? When we go to each other's houses, what will we talk about?

I have concluded this: you will not know how to get to heaven simply

by eavesdropping on the conversations of the members of the Church!

We talk too little about our Lord. Is this not the truth? Many of us

need to pray, "O Lord, revive your work in my soul, that my conver-

sation may be more Christ-like, seasoned with salt, and kept by the

Holy Spirit."

Charles Spurgeon, Spiritual Revival, the Need of the Church (audio cd)

Who is Charles Spurgeon? Spurgeon was a baptist preacher in England

who lived from 1834 to 1892. He was an amazing preacher that is often

referred to as the "prince of preachers." He also founded a pastor's

college, an orphanage, and an institution to promote literacy.

Spurgeon was a strong Calvinist whose preaching often caused much

controversy.

To visit the Lenten Meditations site, click here.

To visit The Practical Disciple, click here.

Temptations

2009-03-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

There is a vast difference between being tempted and yielding to it.

And yet, if I know in advance that certain places will tempt me and I go

there anyway, I am guilty of each temptation that comes my way.

The way to deal with temptations is to look away from them and at

the Lord. if you are still subject to them, continue to resist. There is

no sin as long as you say no.

For every great temptation there will be many small ones. Wolves

and bears are more dangerous than flies, but we are bothered most by

the latter. You may never murder anyone, but you will certainly

become angry. You may avoid adultery, but it is not easy to control

your eyes. You may never steal anything from your neighbor but you

may covet it.

Let these flies and gnats buzz around you. Instead of fighting with

them, do the very opposite of what the temptation is suggesting. For

instance, if you are tempted to be vain, think about the troubles of

others. If you are greedy, remember how death will take it all away

from you, and then go give something away or pass up a profit. Make

the effort and you will be hardened against future temptations.

Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life

Who is Francis de Sales? Saint Francis de Sales, August 21, 1567-

December 28, 1622, was Bishop of Geneva and a Roman Catholic saint.

As an accomplished preacher he sought to bring Protestants back to

Catholicism. He is mostly known for his writings on spiritual formation.

To visit the Lenten Meditations site, click here.

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Obedience, the golden rule of spiritual undestanding

2009-03-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

The golden rule of understanding spiritually is not intellect, but

obedience. If a man wants scientific knowledge, intellectual curiosity

is his guide; but if he wants insights into what Jesus Christ teaches,

he can only get it by obedience. If things are dark to me, then I may be

sure there is something I will not do. Intellectual darkness comes

through ignorance; spiritual darkness comes because of something I do

not intend to obey.

No man ever receives a word from God without instantly being put

to the test by it. We disobey and then wonder why we don't go on

spiritually. "If when you come to the altar," said Jesus, "there you

remember your brother hath ought against you... don't say another

word to Me, but first go and put that thing right." The teaching of Jesus

hits us where we live. We cannot stand as humbugs before Him for one

second. He educates us down to the scruple. The Spirit of God unearths

the spirit of self-vindication; he makes us sensitive to things we never

thought of before.

When Jesus brings a thing home by His word, don't shirk it. If you

do, you will become a religious humbug. Watch the things you shrug

your shoulders over, and you will know how you do not go on

spiritually. First go---at the risk of being thought fanatical you must

obey what God tells you.

Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

Who is Oswald Chambers? Chambers, born July 24th, 1874 in

Aberdeen, Scotland, died November 15th 1917 in Egypt, became a

Christian following a service conducted by renowned preacher,

Charles Spurgeon. We was Scottish Protestant Christian minister

and teacher, best known as the author of the widely-read

devotional My Utmost For His Highest.

To visit the Lenten Meditations site, click here.

To visit The Practical Disciple, click here.

The prayer beneath

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Begin where you are. Obey now: Use what little obedience you are

capable of, even if it be like a grain of mustard seed. Begin where you

are. Live this present moment, this present hour as you now sit in your

seats, in utter submission and openness toward Him. Listen outwardly

to these words, but within, behind the scenes, in the deeper levels of

our lives where you are all alone with God the Living Eternal One, keep

up a silent prayer, "Open Thou my life, Guide my thoughts where I dare

not let them go. Be Thou darest, Thy will be done." Walk on the streets

and chat with your friends. But every moment behind the scenes be in

prayer, offering yourselves in continuous obedience. I find this internal

continuous prayer life absolutely essential. It can be carried on day and

night, in the thick of business, in home and school. Such a prayer of

submission can be so simple. It is well to use a single sentence,

repeated over and over and over again, such as this: "Be Thou my will.

Be Thou my will."

Thomas R. Kelly, A Testament of Devotion

Who is Thomas R. Kelly? Kelly lived 1893 to January 17, 1941.

He was an American Quaker. He taught and wrote on the subject

of mysticism.

To visit the Lenten Meditations site, click here.

To visit The Practical Disciple, click here.

Finding a place

2009-03-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

The first problem is to find a place where the outer confusion can be

shut off, where the bright lights and the telephone cannot break in, and

where even religious discussion is stilled. The purpose is not to create,

or make something happen, but to allow it to happen, and where it

takes place is an individual matter. Some people find it easy to quiet

down in a church where the rule of silence is observed. For others it

may be one's own room, or in a garden or near the water, or on a

mountain top.

...there is manna in certain places that can draw a person in silence,

for instance in a room which has known the silence and listening of

many people. This was the kind of power that Jacob felt when he

awoke from dreaming of the ladder to heaven and cried out, "Truly,

Yahweh, is in this place and I never knew it!" Then he was afraid and

said, "How awe-inspiring this place is! This is nothing less than a

house of God; this is the gate of heaven!" And he made a sacred

monument of the stone on which he had lain and poured oil on top

of it, and he named the place Bethel (Genesis 28:10-19). We in the

Western tradition are often reluctant to admit that there is reality

behind an experience like this.

...Each of us can have a place like this, where stillness can take over

and one becomes open to a reality beyond oneself.

Morton T. Kelsey, The Other Side of Silence

Who is Morton T. Kelsey? Morton Kelsey died at the age of 84 in 2001.

He was an Episcopalian priest who wrote dozens of books on spiritual

formation. Kelsey also helped develop the spiritual formation program

at San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo, California.

To visit the Lenten Meditations site, click here.

To visit The Practical Disciple, click here.

The gift of interruptions

2009-03-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I met an old professor at the University of Notre

Dame. Looking back on his long life of teaching, he said with a funny

wrinkle in his eyes: "I have always been complaining that my work was

constantly interrupted, until I slowly discovered that my interruptions

were my work."

That is the great conversion in our life: to recognize and believe

that the many unexpected events are not just disturbing interruptions

of our projects, but the way in which God molds our hearts and pre-

pares us for his return. Our great temptations are boredom and

bitterness. When our good plans are interrupted by poor weather,

our well-organized careers by illness or bad luck, our peace of mind

by inner turmoil, our hope for peace by a new war, our desire for a

stable discernment by a constant changing of the guards, and our

desire for immortality by real death, we are tempted to give in to a

paralyzing boredom or to strike back in destructive bitterness. But

when we believe that patience can make our expectations grow, then

fate can be converted into a vocation, wounds into a call for deeper

understanding, and sadness into a birthplace for joy.

Henri J. Nouwen, Out of Solitude

Who is Henry Nouwen? Nouwen, January 24, 1932 to September

21, 1996 was a Dutch-born Catholic priest and write who authored

40 books on the spiritual life. Nouwen's books are widely read by

both Protestants and Catholics.

To visit the Lenten Meditations site, click here.

To visit The Practical Disciple, click here.

Why and how to love God

2009-03-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

You have asked me to tell you why and how God is to be loved.

God himself is the reason why. Without limit is how.

For the wise, that is answer enough.

But now I will speak more elaborately, if less profoundly, for the

benefit of less agile minds.

There are two reasons for loving God. First, there is no one more

worthy of your love. Second, no one can return more in response to

your love.

God deserves our love because he first loved us. His love for us was

genuine because he sought nothing for himself. See the object of his

love: enemies. For it, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled

to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been recon-

ciled, shall we be saved through his life. Paul writes to the Romans.

God's love was unconditional.

How much did he love? The anwer is in John's Gospel: "For God so

loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever

believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." The Son, speaking

of himself, said, "The greatest way to show love for friends is to die for

them." We, the wicked, then, should love the Righteous One in return.

Bernard of Clairvaux, On Loving God

Who is Bernard of Clairvaux? Bernard, 1090 to August 20, 1153, was a

French abbot principally responsible for reforming the Cisterician

monastic order. Bernard was the first Cistercian monk placed on the

calendar of saints. He was canonized by Pope Alexander III, on January

18, 1174.

To visit the Lenten Meditations site, click here.

To visit The Practical Disciple, click here.

The inadequacy of our love

2009-03-25T00:01:00.001-07:00

Faithful people understand how fully they need Jesus and his death

on the cross. Seeing his love, they desire to return what little they can.

Those who know they are loved are better able to love. The one who is

forgiven more loves more. Seeing the wounds of Christ, the believer

says, I am faint with love.

Who is it that remembers God? It certainly is not a stubborn and

rebellious generation. Christ says to them, "Woe to you who are rich,

for you have already received your comfort." The ones who remember

God are those who can say, I remember God, and was troubled: I

complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Our soul is Christ's bride

and loves him ardently. But even when she thinks she is completely in

love, she feels that her love is inadequate, because she is loved so much.

And that is true. How could she love as much in return? God loves

with all his being.

Bernard of Clairvaux, On Loving God

Who is Bernard of Clairvaux? Bernard, 1090 to August 20, 1153, was a

French abbot principally responsible for reforming the Cisterician

monastic order. Bernard was the first Cistercian monk placed on the

calendar of saints. He was canonized by Pope Alexander III, on January

18, 1174.

To visit the Lenten Meditations site, click here.

To visit The Practical Disciple, click here.

At war with thoughts

2009-03-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

Someone will always praise good works. It is more difficult to justify

meditation and prayer. You will face a difficult dilemma. You will need

to defend yourself against criticism from those who are more active on

the social scene. You will also have to fight with your own ideas.

Perhaps you think, "I do not commit adultery or covet my neighbors

property. Therefore I must be OK." You are forgetting that there are

more than two or three categories of sin. The possibilities for sin are

vast. Are you arrogant? Angry? Insincere? What is the origin of these

things? You are required to be at war with the thoughts of your mind.

It's like the frightening discovery of a robber in your home. You resist

him, fight with him. In the same way your soul needs to return one blow

for another in the combat with your own thoughts.

How can you engage in this kind of contest between will and soul if

you think you are already good enough? Maybe you have two or three

kinds of sin under control, but dozens more are still chewing on you

and you have not even identified them.

If you think the struggle is hopeless, you do God an injustice. An

older child can usually win a fight with a younger one. It is an unfair

contest. But the soul, if it truly looks for God's help, is equal to the

struggle.

You are no match for yourself. Only God can help you. Yes, you can

struggle. You can put up a terrific fight against your own nature. You

can, as it were, trample down the weeds. Uprooting them is something

only God can do. This is why we turn to Jesus.

Pseudo-Macarius, The Fifty Spiritual Homilies and the Great Letter

Who is Pseudo-Macarius? Pseudo-Macarius, also known as Macarius

Symeon, lived 949 to 1022 A.D. He was born in Galatia, Phaphlagonia.

He was educated to be and served as a courtier to emperors in

Constantinople. At the age of 27 he retreated to a monastery. He

eventually became the abbot of St. Mammas Monastery in Constanti-

nople. The Eastern Orthodox later deemed Macarius Symeon a saint.

He was a poet deeply steeped in a meditative practice of retiring

inward, by ceasing to register the sense in order to gain experiential

knowledge of God.

To visit the Lenten Meditations site, click here.

To visit The Practical Disciple, click here.

Deep prayer in a busy life

2009-03-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

This morning I put this question to John Eudes: "How can I really

develop a deeper prayer life when I am back again at my busy work?

I have the tendency to finish small and large jobs as soon as possible,

and as long as I remain surrounded by unfinished tasks, my prayer is

nearly impossible since I use the time for prayer to wonder about the

many things I still have to do. It always seems that there is something

more urgent and more important than prayer."

John Eudes' answer was clear and simple: "The only solution is a

prayer schedule that you will never break without consulting your

spiritual director. Set a time that is reasonable, and once it is set, stick

to it at all costs. Make it your most important task. Let everyone know

that this is the only thing you will not change and pray at that time. One

hour in the morning before work and a half hour before you go to bed

might be a good start. Set the exact time and hold on to it. Leave a

party when that time approaches. Simply make it an impossibility to

do any type of work, even if it seems urgent, important, and crucial.

When you remain faithful, you slowly discover that is is useless to

think about your many problems since they won't be dealt with in that

time anyhow. Then you start saying to yourself during these free

hours, 'Since I have nothing to do now, I might just as well pray!" So

praying becomes as important as eating and sleeping, and the time set

free for it becomes a very liberating time to which you become

attached in the good sense."

Henri J. Nouwen, The Genesee Diary

Who is Henry Nouwen? Nouwen, January 24, 1932 to September

21, 1996 was a Dutch-born Catholic priest and writer who authored

40 books on the spiritual life. Nouwen's books are widely read by

both Protestants and Catholics.

To visit the Lenten Meditations site, click here.

To visit The Practical Disciple, click here.

Secrets to Intimacy with God

2009-03-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here are the secrets of intimacy with God:

Renounce everything that does not lead to God.
Become accustomed to a continual conversation with him in freedom and simplicity
Speak to him every moment.
Ask him to tell you what to do when you are not sure.
Get busy with it when you plainly see what he requires of you.
Offer your activity to him even before you do it.
Give God thanks when you accomplish something,

The depth of your spirituality does not depend upon changing the

things you do, but in doing for God what you ordinarily do for yourself.

The biggest mistake is to think that a time of prayer is different from

any other time. It is all one. Prayer is experiencing the presence of

God. There should be no change when a time of formal prayer ends.

Continue with God. Praise and bless him with all your energy.

Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God

Who is Brother Lawrence? Brother Lawrence, ca. 1614-February 1691,

is best known for his work "The Practice of the Presence of God."

Brother Lawrence was a lay brother in a Carmelite monastery. He

strove to wed the most mundane task with worship of God. He came

to a place of quiet surrender where whether he was working in the

kitchen or attending mass he felt the same prevailing presence of God.

To visit the Lenten Meditations site, click here.

To visit The Practical Disciple, click here.

To See Jesus

2009-03-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

There was a man who wanted to go to Jerusalem. He had no idea

how to get there. He asked someone he considered to be an authority.

"You can't get there without a lot of hard work. It is a dangerous

trip. There are many roads you can take, but people are getting

robbed and killed on them all the time. No one ever gets there. There

is only one safe way to travel to Jerusalem."

The would-be pilgrim was excited. "I don't care what troubles I

suffer. Tell me the way. I will faithfully follow your instructions."

"Here is the right road. Be sure to follow my directions. Don't let

anything hinder you. Allow no pleasurable distractions. Keep moving.

Think only that you want to be in Jerusalem. Consider nothing else. If

you are beaten and robbed, scorned, and despised, do not fight back.

Bear the pain and continue your journey. Don't listen to questions or

attempt to answer them. If you are offered gifts, don't accept them.

Always keep your mind on Jerusalem. If you do this, you will reach

your goal."

Jerusalem stands for the sight of Jesus, contemplation of the

perfect love of God. If you are on your way to this Jerusalem, carry two

things with you: humility and love. Humility says, "I am nothing. I have

nothing." Love says, "I only desire one thing--Jesus." These two strings

make good harmony on the harp of the soul when they are plucked by

the talented finger of reason. They resonate. The more you are

humble, the more you love.

Walter Hilton, Walter Hilton: The Scale of Perfection

Who is Walter Hilton? Walter Hilton died and 1396. He was an

English augustinian mystic. Little is known of his life. His writings

were widely read in England in the 15th century. To learn more

about Walter Hilton read here.

To visit the Lenten Meditations site, click here.

To visit The Practical Disciple, click here.

On Praying Unceasingly

2009-03-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

The proper thing is for us always to think of God and to pray without

ceasing. If we are not able to achieve this, we can at least set special

times for prayer each day. At these designated moments, we can focus

entirely on God.

Here are some natural opportunities:

when we wake in the morning
before we begin our work
before and after meals
when we go to bed

This is only a start, of course. We should not think of these times of

prayer as a ritual. Neither do they mean we are freed from prayer at

other hours of the day. Think of these moments as nothing more

than a discipline for your spiritual weakness. It is a stimulation for

your groggy soul. There will be times when you are under stress,

times when you will be aware of others in difficulty. Immediately turn

to God in prayer. Offer prayers of thanks all through the day.

When you pray, do not put any limits on God. It is not your

business to tell God how to answer your prayers. This is no a time

to bargain or to set conditions. Before you tell God what you want or

need, ask that his will be done. This makes your will subordinate to

his.

John Calvin, On Prayer: Conversation with God

Who is John Calvin? Calvin, 1509-1564, a theologian and reformer,

was French by birth, but most of his productive years were in

Geneva, Switzerland. He was an early and prominent influence

during the Protestant Reformation through his biblical

commentaries, sermons, theological tracts. He is regarded as the

forefather of Presbyterianism.

To visit the Lenten Meditations site, click here.

To visit The Practical Disciple, click here.

Freedom from Anxiety and Simplicity

2009-03-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

...Freedom from anxiety is characterized by three inner attitudes. If

what we have we receive as a gift, and if what we have is to be cared for

by God, and if what we have is available to others, then we will possess

freedom from anxiety. "This is the inward reality of simplicity."

...To receive what we have as a gift from God is the first inner atti-

tude of simplicity. We work but we know that it is not our work that

gives us what we have. We live by grace even when it comes to

"daily bread." ...What we have is not the result of our labor, but of the

gracious care of God. When we are tempted to think that what we own

is the result of our personal efforts, it takes only a little drought or a

small accident to show us once again how radically dependent we are

for everything.

To know that it is God's business, and not ours, to care for what we

have is the second inner attitude of simplicity. God is able to protect

what we possess. We can trust Him...Simplicity means the freedom to

trust God for these (and all) things.

To have our goods available to others marks the third inner attitude

of simplicity. Martin Luther said somewhere. "If our goods are not

available to the community they are stolen goods." The reason we find

these words so difficult is our fear of our future...But if we truly believe

that God is who Jesus said He is, then we do not need to be afraid.

Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline

Who is Richard Foster? Foster is a Christian theologian, educator,

and author in the Quaker tradition. His best know work is the

Celebration of Discipline, which offers instruction on a variety of

inward and outward spiritual disciplines, such as, prayer, fasting,

simplicity, confession and worship. It was named by Christianity

Today as one of the top ten books of the twentieth century.

To visit the Lenten Meditations site, click here.

To visit The Practical Disciple, click here.

Peace from Presence

2009-03-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

God does not lay a great burden on us--

a little thinking of him,

a little adoration,

sometimes to pray for grace,

sometimes to offer him your sorrows,

sometimes to thank him for the good things he does.

Lift up your heart to him even at meals and when you are in

company. The least little remembrance will always be acceptable

to him. You don't have to be loud. He is nearer to us than you

think.

You don't have to be in church all the time in order to be with

God. We can make a chapel in our heart, where we can withdraw

from time to time and converse with him in meekness, humility,

and love. Everyone has the capacity for such intimate conversation

with God, some more, some less. He knows what we can do. Get

started. Maybe he is just waiting for one strong resolution on your

part. Have courage.

I don't know what is to become of me. Peace of soul descends on me

even in my sleep. I can't imagine what God has in mind for me, or for

what purpose he keeps me. I am in such a profound calm that I fear

nothing. What can frighten me when I am with God? I try to stay with

him, in his presence, as much as possible.

Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God

Who is Brother Lawrence? Brother Lawrence, ca. 1614-February 1691,

is best known for his work "The Practice of the Presence of God."

Brother Lawrence was a lay brother in a Carmelite monastery. He

strove to wed the most mundane task with worship of God. He came

to a place of quiet surrender where whether he was working in the

kitchen or attending mass he felt the same prevailing presence of God.

To visit the Lenten Meditations site, click here.

To visit The Practical Disciple, click here.

Reconciliation and Yielding

2009-03-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

When two goats meet on a narrow bridge over deep water, what

do they do? The bridge is so narrow they can neither turn around

nor pass each other. If they fight, they may fall into the water and be

drowned.

They resolve the problem quite naturally. One lies down and the

other passes over. Neither is injured.

People can learn a similar tactic. It is better to yield a little than to

fall into raucous discord with others. We turn too quickly to lawyers.

When people desire to be reconciled and to reach an agreement,

someone must yield, giving way to another.

This is the way we were reconciled to God. God waived his rights

and controlled his wrath. Christ mediated an agreement between us.

Like all peacemakers, he suffered pain. The one who separates two

fighters receives the most blows. For Christ, reconciliation led to the

Cross where he died for us.

Martin Luther, Table Talk

Who is Martin Luther? Luther, November 10, 1483-February 18 1546,

is principally remembered as the church reformer whose ideas

initiated the Protestant Reformation. Luther confronted many

corruptions of the Catholic church of his era. His theology challenged

the authority of the papacy and many practices rooted in a works

righteousness understanding of salvation. Luther taught that salvation

was a free gift of God received only through faith in Jesus Christ as

our redeemer from sin. Luther's influence shaped the course of

Western civilization.

To visit the Lenten Meditations site, click here.

To visit The Practical Disciple, click here.

Made like Jesus

2009-03-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

"While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was

covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to

the ground and begged him, "Lord, if you are willing, you can

make me clean." (Luke 5:12)

How is it that the lame and the blind, the lunatic and leper, the

publican and sinner are helped by Christ? It is because they have a real

desire for the thing they seek. They come to Christ in true faith.

Christ's typical response is, "According to your faith will it be done

to you." This is still Christ's answer today. As our faith is, so it shall be

done. In this we can find the entire reason for falling short of salvation

in Christ. It is because we have no desire for it.

"But," you ask, "don't all Christians desire to have Christ to be

their Savior?" Yes. But here is the catch: many want this only for the

next world. They want Christ to help them into heaven when they die.

This is not wanting Christ to be your Savior. It must be had in this

world. If Christ saves you, it must be done in this life by changing and

altering everything about you. It means a new pattern of thinking and

acting. The change will be a as radical as when the blind see, the lame

walk, and the mute speak.

Being saved is nothing other than being made like Jesus. It is to

gain his humility, meekness, and self-denial. It means to take on his

renunciation of the spirit and honors of this world. It involves his love

of God, his desire of doing God's will, and seeking only God's honor.

To have these attitudes and perspectives born in your heart is to have

salvation from Christ.

If you don't want these things and are not able to plead for them

with the same intensity of the sick who came to Christ, then you are

clearly unwilling to have Christ be your Savior.

William Law, Mystical Writings

Who is William Law? Law was an English cleric, educator, and

theological writer. He was an instructor of John and Charles

Wesley.

Hooked on God

2009-03-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

You cannot become smart enough to really know God. God will

reveal himself to us from within. There is no need to go looking for him

or call for him. He is as close as the door of your heart. He is waiting

there eager for you to open it. He wants this more than you do.

Here is a way to tell when God has been born in you: everything

will point to God. Nothing will be a hindrance anymore. Everywhere

you look, you will see God. It is like staring at the sun. The image is

burned into your eyes. Regardless of where you look, you see the sun.

The flesh is strong and prominent here in this world. This is its

natural environment. The spirit is a stranger here, an alien. Its

connections are in heaven. The old acts of penance were an effort

to weaken the dominance of the flesh a little. The best way to

restrain the flesh is genuine love. God waits for us to learn this love

more than anything else.

It is like a fishhook. The fish must take the bait. If the fish

swallows it there will certainly be a catch. It may twist and turn and

leap from the water, but it is hooked. The same thing is true for love.

The person who is caught by it, is strongly bound. None of the acts

of penance and mortification of the flesh can approach its effectiveness.

With the love of God, people will be able to accept and endure

whatever happens to them. They will gently forgive the harm that is

done to them. There is nothing else in human experience that will

bring you as close to God or form a more certain bond. If you take this

hook, everything about you belongs to God. The more hooked you are

on God, the more freedom you will experience.

Meister Eckhart, Sermons, Writings, and Sayings

Who is Meister Eckhart? Eckhart, 1260-1368, is the most common

reference to Eckhart von Hochheim. Eckhart was a German theo-

logian, philosopher, and mystic. He was tried as a heretic by Pope

John XXII, but died before his verdict was received.

God's Wisdom in Curing Us

2009-03-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

Physicians do not wrap injuries carelessly. There is an art to

binding wounds. The bandages have beauty as well as function. In

the same way that a cure can lead to health, Christ received sinners

in order to heal and strengthen them. In Christ, God took on our

humanness, accommodating himself to our wounds.

Doctors sometimes apply the opposite of our condition--ice on a

burn, moisture on dryness. At other times similar things may be

applied--a round wound gets a round bandage, a long cut gets a long

bandage. The same dressing is not applied to every area of the body.

Similar things fit together.

Now see God's wisdom. Determined to cure us, he applied himself.

He is both the doctor and the medicine. We fell by pride. He applies

humility as the cure. We threw away our immortality in the Garden of

Eden. God uses his mortality to save us. This is the doctor's practice of

contraries. Christ's virtues cure our vices.

We can also see similarities in God's spiritual medicine. As a

human, he freed humans. As one capable of dying, he rescued the dying.

If we thought about it, we could come up with many more

illustrations of Christian medicine working by contrary and similar

properties. The diligent will discover them, but those who must hurry

away to finish something they have started, will not.

Augustine, On Christian Doctrine

Who is Augustine? Augustine of Hippo, Nov. 13, 354 to August 28, 430,

is considered a saint by the Roman Catholic church and the Anglican

Communion. While he predated the reformation by many centuries,

many Protestants, particularly Calvinists, view him as a theological

father to the Reformation particular because of his teachings on

salvation and divine grace.

The Standard Bearer

2009-03-13T07:55:00.000-07:00

In combat, the standard bearer is not armed. He is exposed to

no less danger than the other soldiers, anyone else, but he cannot

defend himself. He is carrying the flag and must not allow it to leave

his hands, even if he is getting cut to pieces.

Christians need to hold the cross of Jesus High. It is our duty to

suffer with Christ. This is a duty with high honor. Think about it! If

the standard-bearer lets the flag fall, the battle will be lost. The other

soldiers can retreat if they must and no one will notice. They have no

loss of honor. But everyone is looking at the flag for inspiration.

It must hold its ground. This is a noble assignment. The king gives

great honor to anyone who accepts it. It is a serious obligation.

True humility consists in being satisfied with what we are asked to

do. Do your assigned task with good cheer. Let others do their jobs.

Some so us want to ask God for favors. Do you call that humility?

Spiritual progress has nothing to do with having the most answers

to prayer, or with raptures, visions, and favors from the Lord. We

won't know the value of those things until we die. The thing I have

been describing for right now.

The Lord knows us as we really are. He gives each of us work to

do. He understands what is most appropriate for us, what will be

helpful to him, and what will be good for others. Unless you fail to

prepare yourself for your assignment, you can be sure it will be

successful.

Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection

Who is Teresa of Avila? Teresa of Avila, March 28, 1515-October 4,

1582) was a major figure in the Catholic reformation as a prominent

Spanish mystic, writer and monastic reformer. She was known for

continual prayer and ecstatic visions. Many later theologians were

influenced greatly by her autobiography, The Way of Perfection, and

the work, Interior Castle. These works still inspire and provide

spiritual guidance to Christians today.

Called to stand alone

2009-03-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

Through the call of Jesus men become individuals. Willy-nilly, they

are compelled to decide and that decision can only be made by them-

selves. It is no choice of their own that makes them individuals; it is

the call of Christ who makes them individuals by calling them. Every

man is called separately, and must follow alone. But men are

frightened of solitude, and they try to protect themselves from it by

merging themselves in the society of their fellow-men and in their

material environment. They become suddenly aware of their

responsibilities and duties, and are loath to part with them. But all

this is only a cloak to protect them from having to make a decision.

They are unwilling to stand alone before Jesus and to be compelled

to decide with their eyes fixed on him alone. Yet neither father

nor mother, neither wife nor child, neither nationality nor tradition,

can protect a man at the moment of his call. It is Christ's will that he

should be thus isolated, and the he should fix his eyes solely upon him.

At the very moment of their call, men find that they have already

broken with all the natural ties of life. This is not their own doing, but

his who calls them. For Christ has delivered them from immediacy

with the world, and brought them into immediacy with himself. We

cannot follow Christ unless we are prepared to accept and affirm that

breach as a fait accompli. It is no arbitrary choice on the disciple's

part, but Christ himself, who compels him thus to break with his past.

Deitrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

Who is Deitrich Bonhoeffer? Bonhoeffer was a remarkable young

Lutheran pastor who worked against Hitler in Nazi Germany. He

was a part of an underground plot to assassinate Hitler and when it

was discovered he was imprisoned for the last 2 years of his life.

Bonhoeffer was executed at the age of 39 just 3 weeks before

American troops liberated the Flossenburg extermination camp

in which he was imprisoned. The tree he was hung from bears a sign

with just ten words upon it, "Deitrich Bonhoeffer, a witness to Jesus

Christ among his brethren."

Unreserved Obedience To Christ

2009-03-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

"Meister Eckhart wrote: 'There are plenty to follow our Lord

half-way, but not the other half. They will give up possessions,

friends, and honors, but it touches them too closely to disown

themselves." It is just this astonishing life which is willing to

follow Him the other half, sincerely to disown itself, this life

which intends complete obedience, without any reservations,

that I would propose to you in all humility, in all boldness, in

all seriousness. I mean this literally, utterly, completely, and I

mean it for you and for me--commit your lives in unreserved

obedience to Him.

If you don't realize the revolutionary explosiveness of this

proposal you don't understand what I mean. Only now and then

comes a man or a woman who, like John Woolman or Francis of

Assisi, is willing to be utterly obedient, to go the other half, to

follow God's faintest whisper. But when such a commitment

comes in a human life, God Breaks through, miracles are wrought,

world-renewing divine forces are release, history changes. There is

nothing more important now than to have the human race endowed

with just such committed lives. Now is no time to say, 'Lo, here.

Lo, there.' Now is the time to say, 'Thou art the man. To this

extraordinary life I call you--or he calls you man.' To this extra-

ordinary life I call you--or he calls you through me--not as a lovely

ideal, a charming pattern to aim at hopefully, but as a serious

concrete program of life, to be lived here and now, in industrial

America, by you and by me.

....The life that intends to be wholly obedient, wholly submissive,

wholly listening, is astonishing in its completeness. Its joys are

ravishing, its peace profound, its humility the deepest its power

world-shaking, its love enveloping, its simplicity that of a trusting

child. It is the life and power in which the prophets and apostles

lived. It is the life and power of Jesus of Nazareth, who knew that

'when thine eye is single thy whole body is full of light' (Luke 11:34)

It is the life and power of the apostle Paul, who resolved not to

know anything among men save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. It

is the life and power of Saint Francis, that little poor man of God

who came nearer to re-living the life of Jesus than has any other

man on earth. It is the life and power of George Fox and of Isaac

and Mary Pennington. It is the life and power and utter obedience

of John Woolman who decided, he says, 'to place my whole trust in

God,' to 'act on an inner Principle of Virtue, and pursue worldly

business no farther than as Truth opened my way therein.' It is the

life and power of myriads of unknown saints through the ages. It

is the life and power of some people now in this room who smile

knowingly as I speak. And it is a life and power that can break

forth in this tottering Western culture and return the Church to its

rightful life as a fellowship of creative, heaven-led souls.

Thomas R. Kelly, A Testament of Devotion

Who is Thomas R. Kelly? Kelly lived 1893 to January 17, 1941.

He was an American Quaker. He taught and wrote on the subject

of mysticism.

Ministry in Powerlessness

2009-03-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

"There is one more thing I want you to do," said Ann, when the

people had left the church, "There is a lady here who lost her only

son of sixteen years last month. His name was Walter, She wants

you to go to the cemetery with her, pray with her, and bless the

grave." I found the woman sitting on a bench in the village square.

As I touched her, she started to cry bitterly. It was a sad story. Last

month, Walter went to Cochabamba with a truck loaded with pro-

duce and people. As usual, the younger boys were standing on the

running board of the truck holding onto the door. At one point,

Walter lost his balance and fell from the truck without the driver

noticing. He fell beneath the wheels and was crushed by the back

tires of the truck. They took him in the truck in the hope of reach-

ing Cochabamba in time, but he died on the way.

Ann and I drove with Walter's mother in the jeep to the small

cemetery behind the hospital. There we found the little niche

where Walter's body was laid. We prayed and I sprinkled the place

with holy water and we cried. "He was my only son, and he was

such a good boy," his mother said with tears in her eyes. Ann told

me how helpful Walter had been in the parish and how everyone

was shocked by his death.

I couldn't keep my eyes from the woman's face, a gentle and

deep face that had known much suffering. She had given birth to

eight children: seven girls and Walter. When I stood in front of the

grave I had a feeling of powerlessness and a strong desire to call

Walter back to life. "Why can't I give Walter back to his mother?"

I asked myself. But then I realized that my ministry lay more in

powerlessness than in power; I could give her only my tears.

Henri J. Nouwen, Gracias: A Latin American Journal

Who is Henry Nouwen? Nouwen, January 24, 1932 to September

21, 1996 was a Dutch-born Catholic priest and write who authored

40 books on the spiritual life. Nouwen's books are widely read by

both Protestants and Catholics.

To visit the Lenten Meditations site, click here.

To visit The Practical Disciple, click here.

God often Goes Further than we Desire

2009-03-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

When I was a child I often had a toothache, and I knew

that if I went to my mother she would give me something

which would deaden the pain for that night and let me get

to sleep. But I did not go to my mother--at least, not till

the pain became very bad. And the reason I did not go was

this. I did not doubt she would give me the aspirin; but I

knew that she would also do something else. I knew she

would take me to the dentist the next morning. I could

not get what I wanted out of her without getting some-

thing more, which I did not want. I wanted immediate

relief from pain: but I could not get it without having my

teeth set permanently right. And I knew those dentists;

I knew they started fiddling about with all sorts of other

teeth which had not yet begun to ache. They would not

let sleeping dogs lie; if you gave them an inch, they took

an ell (PD note--for those of you like me who have no idea

what an ell is, it's an old English unit of measure equal to

about 45").

Now, if I may put it that way, Our Lord is like the dentist.

if you give Him an inch, He will take an ell. Dozens of people

go to Him to be cured of some particular sin which they are

ashamed of (like lust or physical cowardice) or which is

obviously spoiling daily life (like bad temper or drunken-

ness). Well, He will cure it all right: but He will not stop

there. That may be all you asked; but if you once call Him

in, He will give you the full treatment.

That is why He warned people to "count the cost" before

becoming Christians. "Make no mistake," He says, "if you

let Me, I will make you perfect. The moment you put your-

self in My hands, that is what you are in in for. Nothing less,

or other than that. You have free will, and if you choose,

you can push Me away. But if you do not push Me away,

understand that I am going to see this job through."

C.S. Lewis, Joyful Christian

Who is C.S. Lewis? Clive Staples Lewis, November 29, 1898

to November 22, 1963, was an academic, medievalist, literary

critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist. He is

also known for his fiction, especially The Screwtape Letters,

The Chronicals of Narnia, and The Space Trilogy. Mere

Christianity is perhaps his most popular and influential

work.

To visit the Lenten Meditations site, click here.

To visit The Practical Disciple, click here.

The one word for all you seek

2009-03-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

There is one word for all that you seek, desire, and find. In that

word is all you have lost. The word is Jesus. This does not mean the

word Jesus painted on a wall, written with letters in a book, or formed

by the lips with sound from the mouth. I mean Jesus: all goodness,

wisdom, love, and sweetness--your joy, your worship, your Lord, and

your salvation.

This name Jesus in English is nothing other than healer and

health. Everyone who lives this life is spiritually sick. There is no one

alive without sin, which is sickness of the soul. John says of himself

and others, If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and

the truth is not in us. We can never approach the joys of heaven

without first being made well from this spiritual illness.

This healing is available only to those who desire it, love it, take

delight in it. No one can be made whole in the spirit unless that person

loves and desires spiritual health. It is the same way with physical

illness. If you offered a sick person riches and honors without making

that person well (if you could), your offer would mean nothing. So it is

for one who is sick in spirit. Nothing is more desirable than spiritual

health--and that is Jesus.

If you feel a strong desire in your heart for Jesus, either by

remembering his name or by a prayer, or anything else you may do,

then you are doing well in your search. You have found something

of Jesus, not yet himself as him, but a shadow of him. The closer you

come to him the more you will desire him.

If the question comes into your mind asking what you have lost

and what you seek, lift up the desire of your heart to Jesus--even

though you are blind and can see nothing of him--and say that your

have lost him and he is what you want. Nothing else.

Walter Hilton, Walter Hilton: The Scale of Perfection

Who is Walter Hilton? Walter Hilton died and 1396. He was an

English augustinian mystic. Little is known of his life. His writings

were widely read in England in the 15th century. To learn more

about Walter Hilton read here.

Suffering and saints

2009-03-07T13:20:00.000-08:00

The saint is not one who accepts suffering because he likes it, and

confesses this preference before God and men in order to win a great

reward. He is one who may well hate suffering as much as anybody

else, but who so loves Christ, whom he does not see, that he will

allow His love to be proved by any suffering. And he does this not

because he thinks it is an achievement, but because the charity of

Christ in his heart demands that it be done.

The saint is one so attuned to the spirit and heart of Christ that he

is compelled to answer the demands of love by a love that matches

that of Christ. This is for him a need so deep and so personal and

so exacting that it becomes his whole destiny. The more he answers

the secret action of Christ's love in his own heart, the more he comes

to know that love's inexorable demands.

But the life of the Christian soul must always be a thing whole

and simple and complete and incommunicable. The saints may seem

to desire suffering in a universal and abstract way. Actually, the only

sufferings anyone can validly desire are those precise, particular

trials that are demanded of us in the designs of Divine Providence for

our own lives.

Thomas Merton, No Man Is an Island

Who is Thomas Merton? Merton (January 31, 1915 to December 10, 1968)

was a Trappist monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani, in the U.S. state of

Kentucky. Merton wrote many books, essays and reviews on spirituality.

He was an avid supporter of interfaith understanding and spoke with the

Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh and D.T. Suzuki.

God's will

2009-03-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

There are religious men who have become so familiar with the concept

of God's will that their familiarity has bred an apparent contempt. It has

made them forget that God's will is more than a concept. It is a terrible

and transcendent reality, a secret power which is given to us, from moment

to moment, to be the life of our life and the soul of our own soul's life. It is

the living flame of God's own Sort, in Whom our own soul's flame can

play, if it wills, like a mysterious angel. God's will is not an abstraction,

not a machine, not an esoteric system. It is a living concrete reality in the

lives of men, and our souls are created to burn as flames within His flame.

The will of the Lord is not a static center drawing our souls blindly toward

itself. It is a creative power, working everywhere, giving life and being and

direction to all things, and above all forming and creating, in the midst of

an old creation, a whole new world which is called the Kingdom of God.

What we call the "will of God" is the movement of His love and wisdom,

ordering and governing all free and necessary agents, moving movers and

causing causes, driving drivers and ruling those who rule, so that even those

who resist Him carry out His will without realizing that they are doing so.

In all His acts God orders all things whether good or evil, for the good of

those who know Him and seek Him and who strive to bring their own

freedom under obedience to His divine purpose. All that is done by the

will of God in secret is done for His glory and for the good of those whom

He has chosen to share in His glory.

Thomas Merton, No Man Is an Island

Who is Thomas Merton? Merton (January 31, 1915 to December 10, 1968) was

a Trappist monk of the Abbey of Gethemani, in the U.S. state of Kentucky.

Merton wrote many books, essays and reviews on spirituality. He was an avid

supporter of interfaith understanding and spoke with the Dalai Lama, Thich

Nhat Hanh and D.T. Suzuki.

Our duty to share Christ

2009-03-05T00:01:00.000-08:00

It is our duty to excite and help others to respond to Christ. This

does not mean that everyone should become a minister and preach in

public. There is no reason for you to go beyond the bounds of your

particular work. This does not involve promoting a party spirit. It

certainly does not urge you to speak of the faults of others behind

their backs while being silent before their faces.

This duty is of another nature. It consists of honestly feeling a

burden because of the misery of our acquaintances' souls. We are

compassionate toward them and yearn that they might have

something better. God will yearn that they might have something

better. God will bless our efforts when we are motivated in this manner.

This duty also requires us to take every opportunity that we

possibly can to lead them to Christ. Teach them. Show them the glory

they are neglecting. Help them. Convince them. Aim only at the glory

of God. Do not do these things to improve your self-esteem, or to get

a name for yourself, or to get a following, or to make anyone depend

on you.

To jeer and scoff, to rant and denounce, is not a likely way to

reform anyone. Let them see it is the desire of your heart to do them

good. Do it simply and plainly. Choose the right moment. When the

earth is soft, the plow will enter. Watch for an opportunity. Love,

simplicity, and seriousness are effective with everyone.

Fire is not always brought out of the flint at one stroke. People

do not respond immediately. If they do, they are not likely to persist

very long.

Richard Baxter, The Saints' Everlasting Rest

Who is Richard Baxter? Baxter (November 12, 1615 to December 8 1691,

was an English Puritan church leader, theologian and controversialist,

called by Dean Stanley "the chief of English Protestant Schoolmen".

The Call of Christ

2009-03-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

The cross is laid on every Christian. The first Christ-suffering which

every man must experience is the call to dying of the old man which

is this world. It is that dying of the old man which is the result of

his encounter with Christ. As we embark upon discipleship, we surr-

ender ourselves to Christ in union with his death---we give over our lives

to death. Thus it begins, fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the

beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls a man, he

bids him come and die. It may be a death like that of the first disciples

who had to leave home and work to follow him, or it may be a death like

Luther's who had to leave the monastery and go out into the world. But

it is the same death every time--death in Jesus Christ, the death of the old

man at his call. Jesus' summons to the rich young man was calling him to

die, because only the man who is dead to his own will can follow Christ.

In fact every command of Jesus is a call to die, with all our affections and

lusts. But we do not want to die, and therefore Jesus Christ and his call

are necessarily our death as well as our life. The call to discipleship, the

baptism in the name Jesus Christ means both death and life. The middle

of the daily arena against sin and the devil. Every day he encounters new

temptations, and everyday he must suffer anew for Jesus Christ's sake.

The wounds and scars he receives in the fray are living tokens of this parti-

cipation in the cross of his Lord. But there is another kind of suffering and

shame which the Christian is not spared. While it is ture that only the

sufferings of Christ are a means of atonement, yet since he has suffered for

and borne the sind of the whole world and shares with his disciples the

fruits of his passion, the Christian also has to undergo temptation, he too

has to bear the sins of others; he too must bear their shame and be driven

like a scapegoat from the gate of the city. But he would certainly break

down under this burden, but for the support of him who bore the sins

of all. The passion of Christ strengthens him to overcome the sins of

others by forgiving them. He becomes the bearer of other men's burdens--

"Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ"

(Gal. 6.2) As Christ bears our burdens, so ought we to bear the burdens

of our fellow-men. Teh law of Christ, which it is our duty to fulfill, is

the bearing of the cross. My brother's burden which I must bear is not

only his outward lot, his natural characteristics and gifts, but quite

literally his sin. And the only way to bear that sin is by forgiving it in

the power of the cross of Christ in which I now share. Thus the call to

follow Christ always means a call to share the work of forgiving men

their sins. Forgiveness is the Christlike suffering which it is the

Christian's duty to bear.

Deitrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

Who is Deitrich Bonhoeffer? Bonhoeffer was a remarkable young

Lutheran pastor who worked against Hitler in Nazi germany. He

was a part of an underground plot to assassinate Hitler and when it

was discovered he was imprisoned for the last 2 years of his life.

Bonhoeffer was executed at the age of 39 just 3 weeks before American

troops liberated the Flossenburg extermination camp in which he was

imprisoned. The tree he was hung from bears a sign with just ten

words upon it, "Deitrich Bonhoeffer, a witness to Jesus Christ

among his brethren."

Post Problem Fix

2009-03-03T10:40:00.000-08:00

My initial correction made matters worse regarding the

problem of posts running off of the right side of the page.

If you have been having that issues, please let me know

if it is resolved in this post.

One reader actual couldn't see today's post so I am

reissuing it, in case others could not as well. Ironically, the

post is entitled "Do Not Be Discouraged."

Here was today's post if it was unreadable in your browser.

God speaks: My child, do not be worn out by the work you are

doing for me. Let no setback discourage you. I will give you strength.

Remember, you will not be working here forever. If you will wait a

little while, things will change. Soon enough all labor and trouble will

end.

Keep going, then. Work faithfully in my garden, and I will be

your wages. Write, read, sing, mourn, be silent, and pray. Take

all blows gladly. The kingdom of heaven is worth all this and much more.

A Christian responds: "heavenly Father, the time has come

for me to be tested. It is proper that I should now suffer something

for your sake. Before time began you knew this hour would come.

Outwardly, I will be tormented; inwardly, I will be with you. For a

little while, I will be a failure and an object of scorn. Go down with

me, Father, so I may rise with you in the dawning of a new light. "

"Such humbling is good for me, Lord. It helps me throw away

haughtiness and pride. It is valuable that I endure scorn for your

sake, and shame covers my face. This makes me turn to you for

comfort rather than to others. Thank you for this painful challenge.

You know how troubled times can scour away the rust of sin.

Do with me as you choose."

"O Lord, let me know what is worth knowing,

love what is worth loving,

praise what pleases you,

honor what is worthy in your sight,

and avoid all that is evil."

Thomas a' Kempis: The Imitation of Christ

Who is Thomas a' Kempis? Thomas a' Kempis, ca. 1380-1471, was

a late Medieval catholic monk and wrote one of the best known

Christian books on devotion, The Imitation of Christ.

Goto Lenten Meditations site here.

If this worked, Kudos to my wife who inspired me to add forced

returns into the initial post.

Do Not Be Discouraged

2009-03-03T00:01:00.000-08:00

God speaks: My child, do not be worn out by the work you are

doing for me. Let no setback discourage you. I will give you strength.

Remember, you will not be working here forever. If you will wait a

little while, things will change. Soon enough all labor and trouble will

end.

Keep going, then. Work faithfully in my garden, and I will be

your wages. Write, read, sing, mourn, be silent, and pray. Take

all blows gladly. The kingdom of heaven is worth all this and much more.

A Christian responds: "heavenly Father, the time has come

for me to be tested. It is proper that I should now suffer something

for your sake. Before time began you knew this hour would come.

Outwardly, I will be tormented; inwardly, I will be with you. For a

little while, I will be a failure and an object of scorn. Go down with

me, Father, so I may rise with you in the dawning of a new light. "

"Such humbling is good for me, Lord. It helps me throw away

haughtiness and pride. It is valuable that I endure scorn for your

sake, and shame covers my face. This makes me turn to you for

comfort rather than to others. Thank you for this painful challenge.

You know how troubled times can scour away the rust of sin.

Do with me as you choose."

"O Lord, let me know what is worth knowing,

love what is worth loving,

praise what pleases you,

honor what is worthy in your sight,

and avoid all that is evil."

Thomas a' Kempis: The Imitation of Christ

Who is Thomas a' Kempis? Thomas a' Kempis, ca. 1380-1471, was

a late Medieval catholic monk and wrote one of the best known

Christian books on devotion, The Imitation of Christ.

Goto Lenten Meditations site here.

Post Problems

2009-03-02T12:41:00.000-08:00

Dear Readers:

Several people have reported problems with email posts not word-wrapping properly. As a result, the text extends past the right edge of their display and they are either having to scroll over or insert returns. I have not experienced the problem so this may be a browser issue. Neverthess, I am going to change some settings, hoping that this will preserve the formatting regardless of your browser. For anyone continuing to have this problem, I will also provide a link at the end of each post back to the original, so you can readily leap directly to the site. I am sorry for this inconvenience and hope to resolve it quickly. Once again, thank you for reading and blessings to you.

Rev. John Arnold
Co-pastor, First Presbyterian Church of Texarkana, Arkansas
Admin. and author forThe Practical Disciple

Pseudo-Marcarius

2009-03-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

God once became angry with his chosen people. Jerusalem was invaded by their enemies who lorded it over them. Public worship was no longer a part of life. There were no feasts, no offerings at the temple.

It can be the same way with the soul. If we disobey God, the enemies of the soul will take the soul over. Passions can seduce it. The day will come when we cease to pray or even think of God. The soul can become a desolate place, a ghost town. The grand monuments along its avenues crumble from neglect. Snarling animals prowl the deserted parks. A house with no one living in it deteriorates rapidly. The soul that does not celebrate God becomes a dark, ruined, deserted place.

It's sad to think of a road no one travels.

It's sad to see an abandoned house.

It's sad to come upon a farm grown up in weeds.

It's sad to see a derelict ship.

It's sad to find a soul in the stormy sea of life who is not navigated by Christ.

It's sad to discover a soul that is not carefully cultivated by Christ, bringing forth good fruits.

Christ is a Master Gardener. The Cross is his tool. He can take a soul that is overgrown with thorns and briers and turn it into a beautiful paradise of the Spirit.

Pseudo-Macarius, The Fifty Spiritual Homilies and the Great Letter

Who is Pseudo-Macarius? Pseudo-Macarius, also known as Macarius Symeon, lived 949 to 1022 A.D. He was born in Galatia, Phaphlagonia. He was educated to be and served as a courtier to emperors in Constantinople. At the age of 27 he retreated to a monastery. He eventually became the abbot of St. Mammas Monastery in Constantinople. The Eastern Orthodox later deemed Macarius Symeon a saint. He was a poet deeply steeped in a meditative practice of retiring inward, by ceasing to register the sense in order to gain experiential knowledge of God.

Want to read more about Pseudo-Macarius, then click here.

Francis de Sales, The Devout Life

2009-02-28T00:01:00.001-08:00

If birds stop beating their wings, they quickly fall to the ground. Unless your soul works at holding itself up, our flesh will drag it down. You must renew your determination regularly. Oddly, a spiritual crash leaves us lower than when we began.

Clocks need winding, cleaning, and oiling. Sometimes they need repair. Similarly, we must car for our spiritual life by examining and servicing our hearts at least annually.

There is plenty of time for other things. You do not have to do it all every day. Stay with it. Time flies away. Keep your eyes on heaven. Don't throw it away for earthly things. Look at Jesus Christ and be faithful to him.

Live, Jesus! To whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory, now and forevermore. Amen.

Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life

Who is Francis de Sales? Saint Francis de Sales, August 21, 1567-December 28, 1622, was Bishop of Geneva and a Roman Catholic saint. As an accomplished preacher he sought to bring Protestants back to Catholicism. He is mostly known for his writings on spiritual formation.

Follow Christ by Loving Others

2009-02-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

If you want to follow Christ, changing your perspective and behavior, take all of the love and concern you have for yourself and put it all on others. Genuine love, which fulfills every law, does not seek its own profit at the expense of the welfare of others. Love is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

This is emphasized in all Scripture. It may be applied to those who share our faith and to those who do not. Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said, "love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." The best, the most perfect and blessed condition is that in which we can most usefully and profitably serve others. Keep in mind that spiritual service is superior to material service and that the community is more important than individuals.

This responsibility of service to others rests upon both spiritual and secular leaders. There can be no greater plague than people seeking their own advantage. The more a profession is useful to the needs of a community, the more it is honorable.

We are living in those last days that Christ spoke about. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold. People want to live on the work of others. Christianity demands exactly the opposite. The Christian who gives up even what is rightly due, is always ready to help others, holding on to the words of Jesus; "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

Martin Bucer, Instruction in Christian Love

Who is Martin Bucer? Martin Bucer, November 11, 1491-February 25, 1551, was a Protestant reformer whose primary ministry was in Strasbourg.

Watering your spiritual garden

2009-02-27T00:01:00.000-08:00

Think of yourself as a gardener. You want to cultivate a garden in your soul that will delight the Lord. How is this garden watered? There are four ways to water the garden of the soul. You can draw the water from a well. This is hard work. You could use a water-wheel with buckets. This is less laborious and yields more water. You could have your garden near a stream or a brook. This will saturate the ground more thoroughly with no effort on your part. You may need to pour on extra water only rarely. But wouldn't it be best of all if rain fell from heaven and you could let the Lord water your garden.

In the same way, there are four degrees of prayer. Beginners draw water out of the well. They must fill the well, as it were, in a life full of distractions. If God has put some water in the well, we can water the flowers a little. If the well is dry, there remain moist tears that make virtues grow. If there are not even tears, there can yet be tenderness and an interior feeling of devotion.

The second level of prayer is a condition of the soul that allows itself to be captured by God. It is something like being in love. It brings great joy and requires little effort.

The third "water" that irrigates our soul is incomparably better than the first two. Speaking and silence, laughing and weeping, it is a state of heavenly intoxication. The focus is entirely upon God. There is depth of understanding.

The fourth degree of prayer is almost impossible to describe. It is like rain from heaven. It comes when you least expect it. The soul is in a state of suspension. The soul feels close to God. There is a consciousness of God's presence.

Teresa of Avila, The Life of Teresa of Jesus

Who is Teresa of Avila? Teresa of Avila (March 28, 1515 -- October 4, 1582) was a major figure in the Catholic reformation as a prominent Spanish mystic, writer and monastic reformer. She was known for continual prayer and ecstatic visions. Many later theologians were influenced greatly by her autobiography, The Way of Perfection, and the work, Interior Castle. These works still inspire and provide spiritual guidance to Christians today.

Keeping God First

2009-02-26T00:01:00.000-08:00

There is a serenity of spirit that is extremely valuable in the spiritual life. It is not easy to acquire because we are inexperienced and face powerful foes.

Sometimes we are completely out of control. Our minds are confused. This is the times to get right into prayer. Remember how our Lord prayed three times in the Garden of Gethsemane before his betrayal. It is only in conversation with God that we can find refuge. Pray that God will replace the chaos in us with tranquility.

Don't be bothered by the continuous and meaningless hustle of the business world. When we go to work we can take care of business without getting rattled. We can lighten up a bit. We do not need to be intimidated by a crowded calendar. Some work can wait.

The thing we should concentrate on is an awareness of God's holy presence. A desire to please God should be our top priority. If we let other business take precedence, our souls will quickly become fearful and anxious.

Forbid thoughts that depress and distress you from entering your mind. Try to preserve tranquility. Christ said, "Blessed are the peacemakers." God will surely bless your work and give you a peaceful soul. The only thing he requires of you is a genuine effort to still the storms in your life.

You can't build a house in a day. Neither will you be able to build a castle of inner peace in your soul in an instant. It is a gradual accomplishment.

Lawrence Scupoli, The Spiritual Combat

Who is Lawrence Scupoli?--Scupoli was a priest who lived from 1530 to 1610. His work, The Spiritual Combat, originally published in 1589 in Venice, was one of the most important works of Catholic Spirituality. Scupoli was accused of breaking the rule of his priestly order and was arrested for a year in 1585. Finally he was exculpated from blame, but he had to wait for it almost till his death.

Seek the things of heaven

2009-02-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

Christ encourages us to pattern our lives after his. In this way we can become spiritually enlightened. The most important thing we can do is to meditate upon the life of Jesus Christ.

Many who have attended church all their lives have not been affected by it. They do not have Christ's Spirit. If you really want to understand and enjoy the words of Christ, you must attempt to live like him.

What is the point of scholarly discussion on a deep subject such as the Trinity, if you lack humility? Deep conversation will not make you holy. God is pleased by a pure life. It is better to feel contrition than to know its meaning.

If you knew the entire Bible by heart and were familiar with all the philosophers, what good would it be without the love of God and his grace?

Here is the wisest thing you can do: forget the world and seek the things of heaven.

Thomas a' Kempis, The Imitation of Christ

Please note--When possible I will list links to available books for those interested in purchasing or exploring further Christian classics. Blessings from The Practical Disciple.