“The practice is to bring your attention back, again and again, to the breath, to the words, to the image of peace and love available to us and the world. We do this gently, knowing that distraction is also an integral part of being human. This is not a form of denial. It is a recognition.”
—Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, Breath Prayer: An Ancient Practice for the Everyday Sacred
What are ways you can cultivate recognizing distraction and gently bringing attention back?
To register for the self-study companion retreat to the book with extra resources and guidance click here.
A wonderful reflection from my friend Steve Harper
David’s words in Psalm 37:25, “I once was young, but now I am old,” shine realistic light on aging: “Now I am old.” Full stop. No side-stepping the truth, no glossing over it. Here is the necessary realism if we are to age well. Older adulthood is the season of life when limitations and diminishments
A Graying Soul: A Necessary Realism #2
Each of us has a mission in life. Jesus prays to his Father for his followers, saying, “As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world” (John 17:18 NRSV). We seldom fully realize that we are sent to fulfill God-given tasks. We act as if we have to choose how, where, and with whom to live. We act as if we were simply dropped down in creation and have to decide how to entertain ourselves until we die. But we were sent into the world by God, just as Jesus was. Once we start living our lives with that conviction, we will soon know what we were sent to do. — Discernment: Reading the Signs of Daily Life
Reflection Question: What do you think God may be calling or sending you to do in this season of your life?
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” – Isaiah 6: 8
Verse of the day
Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, so that you may live and occupy the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
-Deuteronomy 16:20
Voice of the day
Peace is not merely the absence of this tension, but the presence of justice.
–Martin Luther King Jr.
Prayer of the day
God, guide us toward justice that creates peace, not violence that deepens division. Give us the courage to pursue what is right, the wisdom to act with compassion, and the strength to stand for justice even when the path is difficult. Amen.
Hope doesn’t know the outcome,
only that we must act
with love, with vision, with justice
toward an unknown future
like walking slowly through fog.
—Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, What Enters Through the Open Heart: Poems
When has your desire to know stunted your action?
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The opposite of resentment is gratitude (from the Latin gratia = favor). Gratitude is more than an occasional “thanks be to God.” Gratitude is the attitude that enables us to let go of anger, receive the hidden gifts of those we want to serve, and make these gifts visible to the community as a source of celebration. – Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit
Reflection Question: How has gratitude allowed you to receive hidden gifts from those you serve?
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. – Colossians 3: 16
“When we encounter nature as sacrament, we can no longer objectify it.”
—Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, Earth, Our Original Monastery: Cultivating Wonder and Gratitude through Intimacy with Nature
How do you nurture and nourish this kind of vision? Where are you invited to lean into the sacrament of nature even more?
To register for the self-study companion retreat to the book with extra resources and guidance click here. Use code EARTH20 to take 20% off through September 30th.
Verse of the day
I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he considered me faithful and appointed me to his service.
– 1 Timothy 1:12
Voice of the day
Sometimes in our grand visions I think we forget to see what’s right here in our midst, to celebrate what we have.
– Joyce Hollyday
Prayer of the day
God, fill our hearts with gratitude for every opportunity to serve, for the strength to keep going, and for the trust you place in us. May we never take these gifts for granted. Amen.
The experience of peace and reconciliation comes when people are very honest and compassionate with one another, when they are vulnerable and open about their mistakes and weaknesses. The seed that falls into broken ground bears much fruit. So perhaps it is wise to begin to shift our thinking. We want to move away from emulating successfulness and begin to dream about a life of fruitfulness. — Finding My Way Home: Pathways to Life and the Spirit
Reflection Question: How have you seen God use your life to bear good fruit?
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. – Romans 12: 3
Please, Lord, join me on the road, enter into my closed room, and take my foolishness away. Open my mind and heart to the great mystery of your active presence in my life, and give me the courage to help others discover your presence in their lives. Amen. — Discernment: Reading the Signs of Daily Life
Reflection Question: When did you last make space to reflect on the great mystery of God’s active presence in your life?
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. – 1 Corinthians 1: 25
