the sensation of life
The God of the Bible is ever an elusive one. The only guarantee of divine availability is God's own promise to be present to those who empty themselves in perfect trust.Belden Lane The Solace of Fierce Landscapes p.63 God, I have been thinking about trusting You, and what trust means, for some months, if not … Continue reading Trust Me
Relaxation is often presented as the beginning of prayer – what to do to get started. Then you are cajoled into the attempt to get elsewhere. This is to miss the point. Relaxation is not the antechamber of the temple. To relax is to pray. It is the temple. It is the return to this … Continue reading Relax!
Prayer is properly is not petition, but simply an attention to God which is a form of love.Iris Murdock On 'God' and 'Good' Many years ago I trained as a masseur. The opening salvo of the instructor was, "No massage is bad massage." It is a beautifully ambiguous assertion: all massage, however unskilled, has worth; … Continue reading No prayer is bad prayer
Prayer is a subversive activity. It involves a more or less open act of defiance against any claim by the current regime. Eugene Peterson: The Contemplative Pastor, p.10 The 'claim of the current regime' is multiple and multiply overwhelming: improve: today's achievement is never good enough tomorrow (something I learnt from working in the NHS); … Continue reading Prayer in the intersticies
Anxiety, holding Magnifying Glass. Studio Shot This is the final instalment of 11 Ways of Dealing with Anxiety, an ongoing experiment in meeting life with gusto. Take the next step There is one fundamental way of dealing with anxiety. Instead of sitting there worrying, get up and do something. I admit I find this difficult. … Continue reading 11 Ways of Dealing with Anxiety:
11. The next step
A dear friend made very helpful comments in response to Where to start?. He deserves a reply, and I need to express myself more clearly. Here is the second of a set of pieces in which I reflect on what he says. One way in which I feel you may be going a wee bit … Continue reading Sensation: the key to the art of living
We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want.Tao Te Ching, Ch.11 (tr Stephen Mitchell) Newberry Springs, CA This is difficult to remember and to practise. When I sit still, even for a few minutes, listening to the sounds coming in through the window, feeling the air, … Continue reading The Miracle of Being Nothing
I have been thinking about and feeling into Corpus Christi since it was on pray-as-you-go at the weekend (Thursday in the Anglican lectionary). The reading they use is from I Corinthians – The Institution of the Eucharist: "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." "This cup is the … Continue reading Corpus Christi
Anxiety, holding Magnifying Glass. Studio Shot This is part of a series, 11 Ways of Dealing with Anxiety, an ongoing experiment in being. I am taking a little pause to regroup. The first four instalments of this exploration into meeting anxiety hang together: breathe, feel into this body, meet with stillness, pray. They form a … Continue reading 11 Ways of Dealing with Anxiety: [pause]
Anxiety, holding Magnifying Glass. Studio Shot This is the fourth instalment of 11 Ways of Dealing with Anxiety, an ongoing experiment in being present. Prayer O God, make speed to save us. O Lord, make haste to help us. So begins Evening Prayer: asking God for presence and help, not to be alone in our … Continue reading 11 Ways of Dealing with Anxiety:
4. Prayer