Inevitable Change

By Sr. Nun Other

A  tricolor leaf on a sandy pathway signals change. It’s arrived much too soon, this autumn leaf that rests by itself on sun baked sand. I ignore its message as I make my way around it. My lunch in one hand, and a folding beach chair in the other, I wish that summer would stay awhile. But the truth is, I’ve noticed days growing shorter and nights a little cooler. I hear back-to-school chatter and discover stores filled with enticing note books, pencils, and flower-shaped erasers. Leaves change color as they react to the environment around them, shedding the green of summer to reveal colors that have been there all along. Who can judge which is more beautiful?

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The Greatest Commandment

By Melodious Monk

Recently I’ve come across a few writings of Father Alfred Delp, a Jesuit priest executed by the Nazi’s for his outspoken faith and opposition to the regime. He seems to have been a bold man, with a very ecumenical heart. Something in his writing reverberates inside me, not with a sense of full comprehension, but with the sense that I’m being brought through a door that offers layers of wisdom and discovery. He wrote:


“A person can be rigid in many ways. He can have a one-track mind like the rich young man in the Gospel….This paralysis in the realm of things, this fixation about property, riches, gold, jewels, art, and good living was characteristic of the last century…..Even more dangerous is that inner paralysis which induces us to betray the fundamental laws of our existence. No longer “living to all truth, to all goodness” we pull up short, set ourselves apart, rest on our laurels, and lead the life of a pensioner. We no longer strain with all our might to achieve ideals, reaching for the stars. The command to love God with all one’s heart, with all one’s mind, and with all one’s strength no longer has any meaning for us; we treat it as something handed down like a legend, something that has served its turn and can be thrown aside. All the truths have already been discovered, we think — no need to go to the trouble of looking for any more. The world has grown dumb–we no longer hear the underground rumblings as the secret forces collect their strength for the great fulfillment which can only be brought about by humanity’s conscious recognition and decision.”


If we wish, God has much more for us in life than, as Father Delp puts is, a retired “pensioner.” I hope I can discover some of the ways I’m rigid, and awake my spirit and heart to the “underground rumblings” of the Holy Spirit.

 

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Right Living

By Renaissance Girl

Our daily devotional had a meditation on Saturday that caught my attention. It was a quote from Richard Rohr in his book “Hope Against Darkness”, “God makes grace out of our grit; salvation out of our sin. We are saved, ironically, not by doing it right as much as by the suffering of having done it wrong. We come to God not through our perfection as much as through our imperfection. Finally, all must be forgiven and reconciled. Life does not have to be fixed, controlled, or even understood to be happy. Now be honest, that is good news.”

What I am compelled to admit, is that while I love the look of this in writing, I often don’t live this way. Too many times I forfeit the short road to God by fighting to be right in any given moment, instead of accepting my imperfection. I sacrifice the happiness that comes with being unfixed, out-of-control, and misunderstood. Instead, I bolster my efforts to control my own life, fix the chipped paint of my exterior, and press my point until I feel I have been heard.

It reminds me that recently I heard someone say, “sometimes you just have to surrender . . . to fall back and trust that arms will be there to catch you.” So I offer up my prayer: Lord, give me the grace, like a spiritual skydiver, to let go, fall back, and let you make some grace of my grit.

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Gregorian Chant: The Eternal Song

By Cantor

We recently finished a series of chant classes in our community in which everyone joined a schola, prepared a chant, and taught it to the other scholas. It was amazing to see how various individuals came together in these ad hoc scholas, and in just a few weeks’ time, learned to work and communicate together as a group.

When we completed the final class, we asked folks what they believed they had learned. Their responses included: “We learned about supporting each other,” and “We felt a new sense of mutual support within this group,” and “It was a ‘rush’ to feel the entire community join the chant after we completed the intonation.” The word “support” was the most common remark, and not one word about neumes was mentioned, (though they worked quite hard with learning the notation)! Everyone seemed to agree that they gained a greater sense of unity through participating in a schola. Once again, chant served a purpose beyond itself as we learned to support each other more in learning the chant and ultimately, in the worship service.

 

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Credit: Cartoon of St Philip’s Schola © Kath Walker 2011

Speaking of Words

By Sr. Nun Other

I’m privileged this summer to be part of a once-a-week vocal class. Our teacher, to help us better convey the meaning of our song, assigns an interesting exercise. We choose an English translation of a sung Latin phrase and then read the sentence aloud, emphasizing a different word each time. The sound looks like this:

Good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.
Good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.
Good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.
Good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.

And so forth. In a world where communication often consists of abbreviated texts such as, “How R U?”  “K. U?”, we risk losing the personal touch of word selection. Having both the capacity to hurt or heal, to cause laughter or tears, words express our humanity. Jesus did this like no other, choosing his words with both compassion and honesty. I need to follow his example.
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Creative Mastermind

By Melodious Monk

If I was asked to pick a graceful animal, the cow wouldn’t be first to pop into my head. But if you’ve ever seen a cow lie down — or run, (yes run, even gallop around the yard!) — you know this large animal can be light on its feet. Arriving at our barn for the afternoons’ chores, I marvel at the distinct traits of animals. I’m awed watching this huge cow gracefully (yes, a cow can be graceful!) collapse her legs under her and gently lie her massive body down. And for a moment, in the late afternoon sun, staring at a cow, I admire how creative and detailed and thoughtful God is.
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Lessons From My Dog

By Renaissance Girl

I was working on a project the other morning — one that involved keeping careful count of an item, and therefore required my full concentration.

My dog was with me, quietly hovering just on the edge of my circle of focus . . . except for his insistent repetition of dropping his tennis ball on a box in front of me, or at my feet, and then backing up expectantly, waiting for me to catapult it into the air so he could give chase. He’d pull back and wait for a minute, then, if he did not get the desired response, he’d snatch it up again and drop it an inch away (as if maybe just a slightly different location would inspire a better result).  We’d had our play time so I ignored him while I finished up.

But at some point he pulled my focus away from my task and onto his face, his ears alert, jaw twitching, and wide brown eyes full of confident and hopeful expectancy — truly believing if he just kept at it, eventually I’d turn his way and kick the ball — which I did.

And it hit me — here was an image of our relationship with God — or perhaps what it should be. Not that He ignores us, but sometimes the answer doesn’t come in the time I want it to. Too often I quit and simply walk away from the ball — or maybe snatch it back in frustration and sulk — or tear it to pieces. But maybe the point — and the work — is to stay in the constant state of hope and expectancy, believing that the answer WILL come — and poised and ready to spring after it with all joy.

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Gregorian Chant: The Eternal Song

By Cantor

“Even the dogs” 

In 2007, I had the privilege of being part of a group of four cantors who spent the entire summer studying chant with Mary Berry in Cambridge, England. Dr. Berry taught us much about chant, and welcomed us as part of her family which included her dogs, Kai and Tien.

Never one to miss an opportunity to teach chant through daily life, Dr. Berry would chant an ancient Gregorian grace before meals. On the surface, that did not seem a particular surprise. However, what made that chant memorable were the dogs, Kai and Tien. It made no difference where the dogs were or, even what time it was. All Dr. Berry had to do was begin this simple and child-like little chant, Benedicite, and the dogs “came-a-running!” Their faces expressed a level of joy that made us all howl in laughter – just like Kai and Tien. Dinner time was a time to rejoice and they knew it!

I will never forget the beaming look in Dr. Berry’s eyes as she gave each dog their treat after they dutifully sat through the remainder of the chant. This was one of Dr. Berry’s favorite ways to show that all creatures – even the dogs -had a joyful response to the loving voice of their Master!

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Cartoon of St Philip’s Schola © Kath Walker 2011

Worthy Seedlings

By Sr. Nun Other

The Sisters do some early gardening work, and this morning, some of us planted seeds. When planting time ended, I washed my hands, changed clothes, and began my normal routine. Still planting seeds, but of another kind. It’s my belief that one day I’ll be accountable for the seeds I’ve sown. Because I follow Jesus and carry Him in my heart, I expect to discover some good fruit in my resume. But it’s the not-so-good fruit that worries me: the doubt, innuendo, anger, and unkindness I’ve spun into an unsuspecting environment. I’m a too-casual custodian of words and their impact, and on that point, I plan to change.

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Immediately

By Melodious Monk

Every time I hear Matthew’s account of Jesus walking on water I think of John Ortberg’s book, “If you want to walk on water, you’ve got to get out of the boat.” It was some time in the late spring about 12 years ago– I had gotten sick with a seasonal flu, and I stayed home for a day. I had just finished my first year of college and was living at the Community for the summer. I was in a lot of turmoil inside, trying to figure out what to do with life. A friend had recently been reading this rather short blue-covered book and sent it over to me.

It was the perfect book for me at the time, and a huge comfort. I was quite anxious of the decisions about college and life, and how these decisions would affect the rest of my life!

I was thinking back on this transition time as the Gospel was read this past Sunday. At the end of the familiar gospel passage, I realized I’ve forgotten a very important part of the story. Yes, action is needed. We must take a step, must “get out of the boat” which undoubtedly can present challenges interiorly and exteriorly, physically and emotionally. What I tend to forget each day is what happens after we step toward Jesus. Matthew recounts that Jesus immediately catches Peter (and you and me) when we start to sink. Immediately. How much time does that leave for danger to occur?

When we are willing to step out toward God’s calling, every day we can choose to walk into any storm, whether big or small, dangerous or joyful, with the assured faith that if we start to sink, “immediately” we will be rescued.

 

 

Quiet Reminder

By Renaissance Girl

Tucked behind the set of our theater production of “Julius Caesar,” I have had the unexpected privilege of hearing comments from the audience as they return to their seats after intermission. The set is outside in the atrium of The Church of the Transfiguration — the stone paving and imposing columns setting a believable scene for this historic tale. Inside the side aisles, the roof gives way to open air — the moon and stars add to the elemental thread through the play.

As I stood there two nights ago in silence and out of sight, I heard two women walk by, heading back to their seats. One of them said “I just can’t help but look up to the heavens now and again — it’s so beautiful” and her friend replied, “I know, and to see that huge angel looking back down on us — amazing!” I smiled to myself at the reminder to look up to the heavens now and then, and know there are angels looking back whether we see them or not.

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August 11 Echoes of Eternity Godliness with contentment is great gain. I Timothy…

August 11 Echoes of Eternity
Godliness with contentment is great gain. I Timothy 6:6
Hear My voice, My child. I speak in the depths. I know your fear and worries, and I am acquainted with your thoughts. Much of your energy is wasted in wounded pride and thwarted dreams. You have not yet fully submitted yourself to My mild yoke, and in your rebellion you have carved a harder one for yourself. Accept My love as I have given it to you. Accept My blessings as I have poured them out on you. Remember that gratitude and grumbling cannot dwell together. Choose which shall reign in the depths of your heart and soul.

Gregorian Chant: The Eternal Song http://www.communityofjesus.org/?p=4087358

Gregorian Chant: The Eternal Song http://www.communityofjesus.org/?p=4087358


Gregorian Chant: The Eternal Song
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By Cantor Listening Two weeks ago, I was sitting in Sunday Eucharist felling quite preoccupied. I found myself chanting more out of rote than with my heart engaged. The schola that was chanting the service was doing a lovely job and I really wanted to… [ 143 more words. ]

Gregorian Chant: The Eternal Song

By Cantor 

Listening

Two weeks ago, I was sitting in Sunday Eucharist felling quite preoccupied. I found myself chanting more out of rote than with my heart engaged. The schola that was chanting the service was doing a lovely job and I really wanted to listen but had a hard time doing so.

The time came for the Gradual. The text that morning referred to Christ. Suddenly – it seemed to me – I was hearing the musical motive from the opening of the famous Christmas Eve chant introit, Dominus dixit ad me. That gentle chant for Christmas eve was now a trumpet call in my ear.

At that moment, I felt that God had reached straight through that chant, tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Remember that I am right here”. God had regained my attention and it changed that entire worship service for me! Once again, the chant was God’s own voice, calling me to listen.

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August 10 Echoes of Eternity But the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you,…

August 10 Echoes of Eternity
But the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you, and keep you from evil. II Thessalonians 3:3
My child, do not fret yourself because of evil doers. They are Mine to deal with, and I am aware of the condition of their hearts. My mantle of mercy is still over the work of My hands, and you need not fear the evil day. Have I not told you?
I want to see more joy, more faith, more freedom in My children. I want you all to rejoice in your salvation which has been achieved at so great a price. As long as you allow fear and foreboding to prevail, you refuse the abundant life I have given you. Obedience and joy must kiss each other. Put off the old garment of doubt and put on the new garment of joy and praise.

August 9 Echoes of Eternity The voice of Thy thunder was in the heaven: the ligh…

August 9 Echoes of Eternity
The voice of Thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook. Psalm 77:18
My thoughts come to you in the midst of your thoughts. Because you are still bound by your old habits, you do not recognize or greet them. I still choose to speak in the “still, small voice” rather than the thunder. My yoke is easy. I am gentle and lowly of heart. But because I love you and care for your welfare, I will speak in thunder if necessary. So tune your heart to hear. Be assured that the Voice is there, and that it is possible to commune with Me more consistently than you have ever known.

August 8 Echoes of Eternity In Him was life; and the life was the light of men….

August 8 Echoes of Eternity
In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness. John 1:4,5
Many hues are contained in the sunbeams you see. In like manner, My light contains blessings of many kinds. Some of them you can recognize and enjoy. Others are not visible to your sight or mind, but they work invisibly in the soul to accomplish My purpose. The entrance of My word gives light.
My child, darkness is the absence of light. When darkness threatens your tranquillity, remember that Light dispels darkness— and yours is the responsibility to seek it, and keep on seeking it until the shadows flee before it. You prefer darkness when your heart has turned from Me. Choose light.

Bird Flew

By Sr. Nun Other

I have an arch enemy, a nemesis who ruins my chances of Sunday morning sleep-ins. When his hammering begins around 5:00 AM with surgeon-like precision, I ask myself, “How does he know it’s Sunday?” (And what does he do the rest of the week?)

It feels and sounds like he’s pecking away on my window shutters, but that’s not the case. With my hair at crazy angles and retribution in my eyes, I glare outside, ready to fire a slipper. But he eludes me.

There’s an axiom know your enemy, so I researched woodpeckers on the internet. Number one, they’re adorable. Number two, this guy was simply searching for food. Woodpeckers’ acute hearing allows them to detect insects crawling beneath tree bark. Powerful muscles and a tough bill break through the bark, then the woodpecker’s sticky tongue secures a tasty insect snack.

It occurs to me that I’ve just had a lesson in mercy. I take this woodpecker personally, when he’s simply being a woodpecker. I do this with people as well — take things personally — then create imaginary scenarios where I’m the victim. To paraphrase another axiom, I have met the enemy and she is me.

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Heaven Is Home http://www.communityofjesus.org/?p=4087317

Heaven Is Home http://www.communityofjesus.org/?p=4087317


Heaven Is Home
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By Melodious Monk In his thought-provoking and deeply moving poem, Intimations of Immortality, I see poet William Wordsworth beautifully wrestling with one of the basic human questions — Why am I here? The title suggests there are indirect clues… [ 284 more words. ]

Heaven Is Home

By Melodious Monk

In his thought-provoking and deeply moving poem, Intimations of Immortality, I see poet William Wordsworth beautifully wrestling with one of the basic human questions — Why am I here? The title suggests there are indirect clues around us, intimate clues that hint at something beyond this mortal life. I like to believe that all of us are born knowing of heaven. The poem begins reflecting on childhood

There was a time when meadow, grove and stream,
The earth, and every common sight,
To me did seem Apparell’d in celestial light,
The glory and the freshness of a dream.
It is not now as it hath been of yore;–Turn wheresoe’er I may,
By night or day, The things which I have seen I now can see no more.

This final line of this first stanza begs the question, Why? Why can I see these things no more? The poem continues reminiscing about childhood “intimations” of immortality mostly in nature, until stanza four ends with two lines of questions:

Whither is fled the visionary gleam?
Where is it now, the glory and the dream?

These are good honest questions. Questions that I want to take more time to pray and meditate about. I think of my Christian life, and how some of the wonder, joy, and belief in the impossible has seemingly run away. I like the start of Wordsworth’s answer to these questions:

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
The Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home:
Heaven lies about us in our infancy!

How can I re-establish my agendas to see “celestial light” in “every common sight?” What a Joy this adventure home can still be!

fall (1)

Transfiguration http://www.communityofjesus.org/?p=4087314

Transfiguration http://www.communityofjesus.org/?p=4087314


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By Renaissance Girl Yesterday was the feast day of the Transfiguration, the name day of our church. Our Sunday Eucharist was enlivened with movement and brass fanfare and ribbons streaming from the west wall depicting the Transfiguration story. But… [ 431 more words. ]

Transfiguration

By Renaissance Girl

Yesterday was the feast day of the Transfiguration, the name day of our church. Our Sunday Eucharist was enlivened with movement and brass fanfare and ribbons streaming from the west wall depicting the Transfiguration story. But what’s on my mind is transfiguration in its broader sense — most likely prompted by the combination of yesterday’s service, and the impending opening night of “Julius Caesar” this Friday by Elements Theatre Company. It’s a big word for a concept that is both basic and immensely mysterious – change.

A word most of us both long for and avoid. I easily focus on the little changes of my daily life — an updated rehearsal time, a cancelled event, a new living situation — and I overlook the fact that life itself is one big change, and one we can’t measure by time or distance. Like St. Paul says in the scriptures, “And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.”  Degree by degree, moment by moment, becoming who we are meant to be.

What eludes me sometimes is the fact that God can use anything to bring about this change. It’s not about me trying to become different — it’s an action God does in me when I say “yes.” Which is where “Julius Caesar” comes in. Isn’t part of what draws us to theater — or any art — is the potential for change? To see something a little differently, experience life in someone else’s shoes. I wonder if theater/art is one of the few places we humans are actually open to having our minds or opinions changed — maybe we even long for it. The “Julius Caesar” I read in high school, held at arms length, is quite different from the “Julius Caesar” I am living now. And sometimes just the willingness to engage (to consider that what seems like an old story from history, actually has something to teach us now) is all it takes to start the change.

I have a quote on my desk that I love and says it far better — it was said by Monsignor Timothy Verdon, Director of the Office of Sacred Art and Church Cultural Heritage in Florence, Italy. He says the role of an artist requires him or her to give to others and therefore inspires us to look to him/her as a giver of spiritual life and “by doing that, we acknowledge art’s potential to nourish our craving for richer, deeper, more meaningful life, and we are already changed.”

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August 5 Echoes of Eternity For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait…

August 5 Echoes of Eternity
For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. Psalm 37:9
Blessed are those who wait for Me. My coming is always on time, but to you it may seem too long delayed. In the waiting, your desire is tested. I have told you to ask, seek, and knock—to keep on asking, seeking, knocking—for in that process a winnowing is taking place, and the depth of your desire is seen. Distractions offer relief from waiting, so beware the subtlety of their appeal. Fight to stay in focus. I have not abandoned you, and My purpose is still for your good. Remember that always—always, My child. My love for you is an everlasting, eternal love.

August 4 Echoes of Eternity Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righte…

August 4 Echoes of Eternity
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing. II Timothy 4:8
Crowns and honors are Mine to give. They are never to be sought for their own sake. My glory is seen in those who do not seek their own. They are blessed with the secret joy which I impart to the humble. Seek humility, My child, as a treasure more precious than gold. Do not despise the humiliations I send or allow, for they are sharp instruments to prune away the rank overgrowth of pride. Look about you and see the signs that I am at work on your proud nature, to make humility a possibility for you. That is a token of My love.

Gregorian Chant: The Eternal Song http://www.communityofjesus.org/?p=4087307

Gregorian Chant: The Eternal Song http://www.communityofjesus.org/?p=4087307


Gregorian Chant: The Eternal Song
www.communityofjesus.org
By Cantor The Missa De Angelis and Rock of Ages – A Joyous Experience! We experienced a beautiful funeral liturgy last week, singing Missa de Angelis, an array of gospel hymns, and two solos from Handel’s Messiah! What fun! This musical… [ 253 more words. ]

Gregorian Chant: The Eternal Song

By Cantor

The Missa De Angelis and Rock of Ages – A Joyous Experience!

We experienced a beautiful funeral liturgy last week, singing Missa de Angelis, an array of gospel hymns, and two solos from Handel’s Messiah! What fun! This musical combination basically “said it all” about the lovely lady who passed away. One person actually noted to me that they “had never seen a chant Agnus Dei and Rock of Ages side by side.”

That comment made me think. We live in a time when the chant is being re-discovered, employed ever more and more in worship services, and is being made available to an increasing number of people. In the same breath, I would also say that we live in a time where there are a good number of folks looking back – looking for the music – the faith – of their childhood which was part of their spiritual formation. I believe I heard the result of part of that searching in that liturgy. The singing of Rock of Ages actually energized the mass movements, which, in turn, energized the communion hymns. All of a sudden, it was as though people had discovered that they could LOVE IT ALL!

I know that may not be a revelation for everyone, but I believe it is for many. Loving and understanding chant actually opens doors for understanding other styles of music but – more important – opens doors just for the understanding of text and music which has the ability to inspire and move the listener to pray. What an amazing experience!

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August 3 Echoes of Eternity Exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye s…

August 3 Echoes of Eternity
Exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. Hebrews 10:25
In the early morning light, there is hope for greater light. Shadows flee before the rising sun. Even so, My child, the glimmers of your “early morning light” hold the promise of a clearer day.
Shadows of doubt and fear, guilt and sin cannot stand before My light. I am your light and your promise that hope will not be disappointed. You have light enough for every step of today’s journey. Rejoice in it, be thankful for it, and you will see that I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.

It's good to see Scott Cairns' Idiot Psalms:new poems on this list by Englewood…

It##039;s good to see Scott Cairns##039; Idiot Psalms:new poems on this list by Englewood Review of Books!


25 Best Books from the First Half of 2014!
erb.kingdomnow.org
After perusing our print magazine and all the online reviews, etc. that we have published this year, here are our picks for the 25 best books from the first hal

August 2 Echoes of Eternity Jesus said, Have faith in God. What things soever ye…

August 2 Echoes of Eternity
Jesus said, Have faith in God. What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive. Mark 11:22,24,25
There are no restrictions to limit the extent of your faith in Me. I have not set bounds on what I am able to do in response to the prayer of faith. The limits you put on it are your own, and they do limit the extent and outreach of your prayers. That is a spiritual law which operates for every child of Mine.
Just as muscles atrophy or grow with disuse or use, so faith dwindles or grows with exercise. I seek vigorous, faith-filled children who, like Gideon, in spite of fear, went ahead and dared to trust Me. Your fear restricts, while faith releases. It is a barrier to be overcome if you are to move in the glorious liberty of the children of God. Why wait?

Not Forgotten http://www.communityofjesus.org/?p=4087290

Not Forgotten http://www.communityofjesus.org/?p=4087290


Not Forgotten | The Community of Jesus
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By Sr. Nun Other Yesterday was a day of disappointment in which “wonderful” never happened. I (along with some others) was waiting for something important and long delayed to arrive. By 5:00 PM, I was a bit of a wreck — I dropped a…

Not Forgotten

By Sr. Nun Other

Yesterday was a day of disappointment in which “wonderful” never happened. I (along with some others) was waiting for something important and long delayed to arrive. By 5:00 PM, I was a bit of a wreck — I dropped a cookie jar, tripped while cutting garden vegetables (paring knife in hand), and was advised to sit down with a nice glass of ice water. Day was followed by a night of conflict-drenched dream sequences, in which I bumbled around, a useless bystander. But I awoke expectant and admitted to my impatient self that God’s timing is always perfect. I entered the new day with this promise from Psalm 63:7: Because you are my helper, I will sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.

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