God reveals himself to the humble in the humblest of things, while the great who never penetrate beneath the surface do not discover him even in great events. de Caussade, p.5 6.51am Why am I sitting at this screen rather than walking out into the morning? I often do this. I am casting about for … Continue reading How to find God in the humblest of things (I)
Tag: pending-review
Experiments (part 2)
21 Experiments in Prayer In no particular order, but just as they occur to me… Sit still and breathe gently for a few minutes. Let your mind wander wherever it does, but if you get fed up with this come back to yourself. Stare out of a window for a few minutes. Watch the clouds. … Continue reading Experiments (part 2)
Experiments (part 1)
An early love of mine was chemistry. I completed my studies with a BSc in Chemistry and a PGCE. I taught chemistry up to 11-18 year olds for 3 years. That was enough. Most experiments in science lessons are not experiments: they are demonstrations. The teacher knows what the answer is. If you don't get … Continue reading Experiments (part 1)
Boredom: guardian of the Temple (part 3)
Not exactly waiting for someone else, he is, as it were, waiting for himself. Adam Phillips, On Kissing, Tickling and Being Bored, p.72 If you are bored, your mind is wandering—away from you—its rightful purpose. Gail Sher, One Continuous Mistake p.30 You long for yourself. Distractions are substitutes, looking for something to fill a hole, … Continue reading Boredom: guardian of the Temple (part 3)
Boredom: guardian of the Temple (part 2)
Boredom: … the mood of diffuse restlessness which contains that most absurd and paradoxical wish, the wish for a desire. Adam Phillips, On Kissing, Tickling and Being Bored, p.71 It is one of the most oppressive demands of adults that the child should be interested, rather than take time to find what interests [her]. Boredom … Continue reading Boredom: guardian of the Temple (part 2)
Boredom: guardian of the Temple (part 1)
One of the more distracting things about capitalist culture is that there is no stupor, no time to vegetate. What I would suggest is more time-wasting, less stimulation. We need time to lie fallow like we did in childhood, so we can recuperate. Rather than be constantly told what you want and be pressurised to … Continue reading Boredom: guardian of the Temple (part 1)
Do not be consistent
Those who write about God, like John V Taylor in The Christlike God, suggest that there are two fundamental, and fundamentally different, experiences of God: the numinous and the mystical: in a numinous experience you feel yourself "to be in communion with a holy other" who can "attract, fascinate and compel" as well as evoke … Continue reading Do not be consistent
The God who tears
Come, let us return to the Lord who has torn us and will heal us. God has stricken us and will bind up our wounds. After two days, he will revive us, and on the third day will raise us up, that we may live in his presence. Let us strive to know … Continue reading The God who tears
Waiting
I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope For hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love For love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith But the faith and the love and the hope are all in the waiting. Wait without thought, for you … Continue reading Waiting
Palimpsest
When a person can’t find a deep sense of meaning, they distract themselves with pleasure. Viktor Frankl (quoted in Simple Marriage) For about 20 years I didn't have a television. One day this quirk came out when I was chatting with some work colleagues. One of them blurted out, "I'd die if I didn't have … Continue reading Palimpsest