“Art, when engaged as a form of meditation, becomes this arena for inner awareness. We become conscious of the places where we struggle, where we feel brokenness, where we have held ourselves back.”
— Christine Valters Paintner, PhD Creative Flourishing in the Heart of the Desert: A Self-Study Online Retreat with Hildegard of Bingen
More wisdom from Ronnie… and a lesson I seem to need to learn over and over again 😉
Corrie Ten Boom, famed Dutch Christian and Holocaust survivor, would use a clever phrase during her many talks: “If the Devil can’t make you bad,” she would say, “he will make you busy.” In our society, this diabolical work seems to have succeeded masterfully.
Read more on — ronniemcbrayer.org/2019/08/19/learn-to-be-still/
Wise words from Ronnie!
A group of insane men lived together on the outskirts of an ancient village. They were not insane in a dangerous or psychotic way, but in the way of foolishness.
— Read on ronniemcbrayer.org/2019/08/12/will-we-rise/
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
Lord thank you
For a wonderful church staff team
For an opportunity to laugh and break bread together
Thank you for tonight’s opportunity
To make new friends
To gather together over matters of life and death and forgiveness
To celebrate the end of the mandatory death penalty in Uganda
To share and to hear stories
Thank you Lord for these many opportunities
Now as my eyelids grow heavy I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
As the day draws to a close
I ponder the work of the day just finished
How did I share your light today, Lord
In meetings and interactions
In conversations and in reflection
Thankful for this evening’s fellowship
Thankful for others who serve you quietly
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
Thank you for your presence this day, Lord
In the midst of worship preparation
In the joy of a reunion with a colleague and good friend
In the midst of deliberations and meetings
In the midst of it all, you were there
For that gift and so many others, I thank you
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem et in Terra
Grant Us Peace on Earth
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
“Engaging the arts of dance, poetry, and storytelling, we offer an embodied imaginative portrayal of God as artist and creative Spirit.”
— Christine Valters Paintner, PhD & Betsey Beckman, MM Awakening the Creative Spirit: Bringing the Arts to Spiritual Direction
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
Another trip around the sun is complete
Remembering my Mom who carried me
Thankful for the gift of life my parents gave me
Thankful for all of your gifts, Lord
Especially for my beloved partner in life and ministry
Thankful for our blended family
Lord, at the close of the day I give you thanks
For the opportunities you have given me
To be your servant, your prophet, an instrument of your peace
At the end of this day
As my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem et in Terra
Grant Us Peace on Earth
A wee prayer from the heart of your thankful Padre…
First Reading – 2 Samuel 11:2-27; 12:24
Second Reading – Ephesians 3:14-21
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
Once more walking with a family
Walking through the Valley of the Shadows
Once more a reminder of our mortality
A reminder of the importance of embracing each day
An evening as well of music
Reflecting and preparing for worship
Enjoying time with my sweetheart
At the end of the day, Lord
Thank you for your loving presence
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
