Skip to main content

Walking with God

Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being,
praise his holy name.
(from Ps.103:1-8)

Thomas Merton, American Trappist monk, writer and theologian, once asked himself a question he immediately answered:

 How does an apple ripen?

The apple, by simply being in the sun, fulfills its purpose of ripening, The apple doesn't try to ripen faster, it simply allows the sun to do its work.

 

There is nothing it can do to ripen itself.

It can’t do workouts, tighten its muscles and then suddenly be a red, ripened, juicy apple in the morning.

The apple just hangs on the branch in the sun, naturally ripening, where it receives its daily nourishment.

This is the basic plan for how Christians ripen in their relationship to God.

The difference is that Christians don’t naturally ripen in their relationship to God, we have to place themselves where we can be nourished.

The beginning place of nourishment I find most helpful is the Guide to Prayer For All Who Walk With God.

The daily walk in the Guide begins with an affirmation, psalm, and psalm prayer.

The walk continues with a daily scripture reading, silence, reading for reflection, your reflection, and prayers.

The daily walk concludes with an offering of self to God, and blessing such as Numbers 6:24-26.

The continuing steps carrying tis nourishment for people hungering and thirsting after righteousness are, for me are from Micah 6:8 and Jesus Great Commandment.



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grantchester's Warning

"But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, the owner would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (from Luke 12:32-40 ) I regularly watch Grantchester; a murder mystery set in 1950s England. The main characters are a local detective and an Anglican priest who, as a team, solve mysteries set in the town. Two aspects of Grantchester impress me. First, the simplicity of the 1950’s police communications done by a landline phone and not cell phone. Second, the simplicity of daily life with little television and fewer possessions allowing the characters to focus on their vocation of detective and priest. This simplicity is more than a nostalgic return to the “good old days”. Instead, it’s a Shaker type of simplicity where austerity allows freedom from distractions to focus on worship and community. Today’s distraction-filled world has seemingly countless activ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Jesus, Deliverance, and Demons

"Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind." (from Luke 8:26-39 ) Astrid is a streaming program I often watch. The plot is a basic cops and robbers action until the criminal is caught. The uniqueness of the program is Astrid, who is on the Autism spectrum, is brilliant at solving puzzles including connecting clues to solve the crime. Watching this program has given me a more profound insight to people living with this condition and their acceptance in society. My first-hand experience with children on the Spectrum was driving a Special Needs school bus for 6 years. With this experience, I can imagine the life the possessed man was experiencing, especially living among the tombs, bound with chains and shackles, having to live in the wilds. It was no wonder he cried for mercy. Jesus, with his power and mercy, cast the demons out and even...
Post a Comment
Read more

An Ancient Legend of Mary & Martha

“Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things,  but few things are needed—indeed only one.  Mary has chosen the better part,  which will not be taken away from her.” ( from Luke 10:38-42 ) There’s a famous legend about Martha told after Jesus’s resurrection. Martha becomes a traveling preacher ending up in a small French that, unfortunately, has a chronic dragon problem. Martha slays the dragon which wins the whole town over to Christianity. In the same legend, Mary, on that same trip, starts a monastery in the wilderness. In this legend, they both complete their assigned roles in Christian history: Martha acts and Mary studies. Martha represents an active faith, while Mary represents a contemplative faith. Martha shows Jesus hospitality while Mary sits at his feet listening. They represent different parts of Christian discipleship and both are seen as positive characters. They are both doing good things. There is no villain in this story. T...
Post a Comment
Read more