Prayer Archives - Page 56 of 57 - Lisa Colón DeLay

How can life become prayer

One big reason I set out to try to spend time on this message (with a book proposal and a blog) is to show that God is usually different than we make him out to be. This comes out in the Bible. He’s full of surprises. He sews leather outfits for the couple who betrayed him. He gives clemency to the first murderer. Jacob the devious trickster is father to a great nation. “Jacob have I loved, Easu have I hated.” In a better translation of the Hebrew, God says: “I am favoring Jacob, but not Easu.” God points this out much in a twist of the plot, and our normal assumptions, much to our surprise. It’s all to show his wild grace, which none of us deserve. The running narrative in the Bible isn’t much of a “how to do right living” book. The characters featured are usually full of flaws. It is rather a collection of stories where God’s power and grace shines through and saves the day.

This is a God we can love and trust. It is often a God we weren’t taught about too much in church or Sunday school. Perhaps Jesus was taught to us this way-a lamb draped on his shoulders, and such. But, God is often taught as something of a splintered off honcho, a petulant Being who has had a habit of smiting people.

The idea of understanding God’s character anew, through informed context, is that it leads us to understand the Reality of “him,” and the omnipresence of this Being, God Almighty, always in the regular moments of life. Every moment may be a chance for greater awareness and communion with the lover of our nefesh (soul-whole being). It doesn’t boil down to a set of rules or rituals. It is a relationship, a prayer between us and the Supreme Other. Our life becomes prayer.

Keri Wyatt Kent-Interview

rest

Keri, how would you sum up what you write about, mainly; and why it has been important to you?

I write about the connection between faith and real life. I try to give people practical guidance on spiritual growth, on spiritual practices that can help form them into the image of Christ. And I believe the most important step toward growth, for American Christians, anyway, is to slow down and simplify. So many of my books focus on those themes. That’s been important to me because I know how it feels to be going through the motions, wanting more spiritulally. I see how people try to get busy for God, and they don’t realize how counterproductive that is. I want to help those people find a way to grow by simplifying.

Tell us the books you’ve written.

God’s Whisper in a Mother’s Chaos (IVP, 2000) is a book for parents of young children who are wondering where their spiritual life went. I wrote it when my own kids were one and three, so it’s very honest. Readers tell me they love this book because they realize they are not alone in the struggles of parenting.
The Garden of the Soul (IVP, 2002) compares the growth of our souls with the growth in a garden. It introduces spiritual disiciplines in a simple way.

Breathe (Revell, 2005) is about how the pace of our lives affects us spiritually. It tells stories of real women who are moving toward Sabbath Simplicity, and gives practical help on slowing, simplicity and Sabbath-keeping, which are foundational spiritual practices.
Listen (Jossey-Bass, 2006) is about hearing God, through our circumstances, other people, and in time with God.

Oxygen (Revell, 2008) is a devotional that has you read one gospel passage each week, and reflect on it using various spiritual practices.

Rest (Zondervan, 2009) is about how to live in Sabbath Simplicity. it looks at the Sabbath command, and what Jesus said about Sabbath, and offers practical, guilt-free ways to embrace Sabbath-keeping as a lifestyle. Readers love this book because it offers freedom and absolutely refuses to get legalistic.

Simple Compassion (Zondervan 2009) will release this September. It’s a 52-week devotional, with one 3-to 4 page entry per week. It’s about how to make a difference in your neighborhood and the world. it looks at verses that talk about God’s concern for the poor, for his heart for compassion and justice. It’s an ideal resource for small groups.

If there was one sentence, or short message, you could convey to the world that would be remembered always, what would it be?

Slow down, and listen to the voice of love, (God’s voice) which says that grace is sufficient.

Why do you think people don’t associate God and spiritual life with rest or enjoyment?

Our understanding of God is skewed by our upbringing, our culture. We often think God is strict or mean–which is so not true. Or we think we have to earn God’s favor–and earning and resting don’t go together. But I’ve found that only when I stop running do I actually experience the unconditional love of God, and the amazingness of grace.

Do you have any tips or ideas for getting better at seeing God in this way?
Start slowing your life down, create some space for God. One day a week, just stop your striving. Really, this is something you can’t just think about, you have to do it to experience it.

What are a few keys to “doing Sabbath” most beneficially?
The key is to remember that building a Sabbath practice is a long-term project. It’s a journey, and you do it slowly, over time. My book has a lot of practical help, but the key is to begin where you are. If you are a very hurried person, your first step will be different than someone who is already a little more laid back. And also, listen to God’s leadings. Ask others what they do, but remember that you don’t have to do the exact same thing. A good way to start is to ask, “what do I want to be free of?” And then refrain from doing that thing (maybe it’s laundry, or grocery shopping) on the Sabbath. And then, ask “what brings me joy?” And find a way to engage in that on Sabbath (maybe it’s worship, or gardening, or just hanging out with your kids).

What lesson, or lessons, have you had to learn the hard way?
This column is not long enough for me to answer that question But here’s one of the many: don’t run ahead of God. When I’ve tried to steer my life in the direction I thought it should go, I ended up on a major detour. God knows the way, and I just need to follow.

What’s on the horizon for you?
My next gig is at the Karitos Arts Festival in Bolingbrook IL July 16-18)

Thank you, Keri! This book was a wonderful read, and brought home a lot of ideas I was already pursuing. It’s good to comprehend just how much we can enjoy God, and actually, how he made us for just that. It seems we get in our own way!

Visitors, your comments are welcome, and Keri, chime right in, too!

Have you authored a book, or enjoyed a book with themes similar to that featured here at Life as Prayer? If so, let me know.

How to: Change Dead Ends

Does your life feel like this image sometimes? Maybe now? Here is a road that is signaling both a Dead End, but also a No-U-Turn sign too. It’s a tough spot to be in, and we’ve all been there. That sinking feeling washes over us, and we start to think, “It might not get better.”

Maybe you’ve thought, “Is this all there is?” What do we do to resolve feelings or circumstances that seem just like the situation illustrated above?

Reframing. Reframing is pulling one’s self out of a situation, mentally, long enough to find a new perspective that changes how one will cope and adjust to the circumstance at hand. When it seems dire, one can always find a new way to see it. It’s a decision of the mind, not the feelings. Later, we find that our feelings will follow.

It’s like the story of the two children who were sent to clean rooms entirely filled with awful manure. One saw the mess, and all at once sank into despair, the other got to work happily, why? She said, “With all this poop, there has to be a pony around here somewhere!”

But what about a Dead End, No-U-Turn situation? Can something like reframing really help, when it seems that desperate? What then? Then, you tear down the signs. You challenge the very premise. Should the signs really be there? Who put up the signs? Was it you? Your parents? Someone else? Society? Was that proper, and should they come down? Who says it’s a true Dead End? Who says No-U-Turns?

Look for new options, unseen possibilities, and new ways to find hope, renewal, and paths to a better place. Treasure hunt for them. It may take time, help from others, concentration/prayer, sweat, and tears, but that’s how a person makes a game-changing move. That’s how you change the road on which you travel, and the scenery you are seeing.

How have you changed your scenery?
What would you like to change right now?

chime in : )

Kataphatic and Apophatic Prayer Explained

prayerpict Info. gathered from:

SPIRITUALITY TODAY
Spring 1986, Vol. 38, pp. 41-52.

Frederick G. McLeod:
Apophatic or Kataphatic Prayer?

In regard to how kataphatic and apophatic are related to each other, they are in a sense complementary or perhaps better described as being at opposite ends of the same prayer spectrum. They aim at producing different kinds of faith experiences: apophatic at provoking an experience of union with the Lord beyond conscious awareness, and kataphatic at evoking experiences of God’s merciful and salvific love in which one is aware of a dynamic movement towards conversion as well as aiming at intimate experiences in which one seeks to know more who Christ is so as to be able to love and serve Him more and in which one sensibly feels an at-one-ment with Him.

Read the full article-

Dark Night of the Soul- Part 1

Q: Where did the term “dark night of the soul” come from?

R: The phrase first turned up in the poetry of Spanish Carmelite monk John of the Cross in the 16th Century. He composed many poems while in torment in prison.

Q: “Dark” seems awfully negative, is it?

R: In Spanish the term is closer to the word “obscure”. Though the process may be confusing and painful, “dark” is not implying a negative state. It is a description, especially once one is aware of the progression of growth involved, and knows how the dawn will approach.

Q: Is the “dark night of the soul” the same as depression?

R: No. It’s also not a “spiritual term” for the suffering of someone who needs help for trauma/abuse, medical treatment for illness (mental and otherwise), and/or therapy. Sometimes the two states are seen hand-in-hand, and many times they are not.

Q: Are there different kinds of “dark nights” of the soul?

R: Yes. John of the Cross spoke of a “dark night” involving the senses, and one involving the spirit. One may have numerous dark nights of the senses. (I will go into more detail in future posts.)

Q: What is a good way to recognize a “dark night”.

R: A dark night of the senses may “feel” as though modes of prayer, experiencing the spiritual, or spiritual practices don’t “work” or satisfy. God may “feel” out of reach, distant, unavailable, or gone. It may feel like a dry period, or a time of being in a spiritual dessert. (This is not cause for discouragement or alarm, but for stamina. It is a Divine invitation for growth, and greater spiritual depth beyond what one knows. I will elaborate on what is taking place more in future posts.)

Next time I will post about the “dark night and ‘union with God’,” the process of the “dark night,” any questions/responses that come in from this post, and more. Come back soon.

Information taken from my reading: Gerald G. May, M.D. The Dark Night of the Soul: A Psychiatrist Explores the Connection Between Darkness and Spiritual Growth. Harper San Francisco, 2004.

My (upcoming) book Life as Prayer: A New Paradigm for contemporary Spirituality Inspired by Ancient Piety dedicates a whole chapter to this topic. I will update this blog with details as this work continues. Thanks for your interest. I welcome your thoughts and comments.

Now, Read PART II