True Worship

I read The Gift of the Red Bird by Paula D’Arcy last week. What a beautiful snapshot of a deepening spiritual journey. I’ve had a lot of ongoing reflections from the small, poetic testimony.
D'Arcy makes a comment about taking communion with a friend. She writes: "I was fully present in the moment, and so it is truly worship." As I've walked through my days this week, being "fully present" in various moments, it has been a delight to see all the ways I've worshiped the Lord. I was fully present with delight in watching the dogs frolic in the waves on the beach: I truly worshiped.
I was fully present in listening to a friend: I truly worshiped.
I was fully present in enjoying each bite of a chile relleno: I truly worshiped.
I was fully present writing in my journal: I truly worshiped.
I was fully present in listening to the sky crackle and thunder last night: I truly worshiped.
These acts of worship - simple, ordinary events made holy because God gifted me with the ability to be present.
Would that I would, in church, be fully present in song, sermon and fellowship.

www.paulagamble.com

How would you like to hang out with God here?

The third Refresh day retreat took place on June 24th - above is one of the spots that one of the participants hung out in.
Do you want to come hang out with God here too?
Check out www.paulagamble.com/refreshretreat.html for more info!

What does it take to be a poet?

A friend in my prayer class shared this about poetry and "musing" and I really loved it - so I'm sharing it with all of you:

"What does it take to be a poet?

"I remember being in grade school and the teacher trying to get us to write poems. At that age, we were all about rhyming…most of us were good at it because children are endlessly creative when it comes to making up rhyming nicknames for each other. But, after studying more in high school and college, I came to realize true poetry is a labor of love. It takes a deep love of something to make a person willing to spend the time necessary to ponder the depths or intricacies of that object – not just describing the “outsides” of that object, but getting to the core – the essence – that is loved. The greatest amount of work in poetry is not in the writing, but in the pondering/musing (otherwise we’re just trying to make words rhyme). I’m wondering how many of the early great poets were scolded by their parents for “daydreaming” or “wasting time” or “never getting anything important accomplished?”

And then the Lord says we are His poema - His poetry. How much pondering and musing went into the creating of me? Oh, it is lovely not being mere matter that was formed randomly by a large explosion!

www.paulagamble.com

Definition: Amusement

Muse: (verb) to reflect deeply on a subject; to ponder
Musement: The process of musing
A-muse-ment: the process of not reflecting

How much is the US's affection and addiction to amusement impacting our depth coming from the benefit of soulful reflection.

I'm just musing.

www.paulagamble.com

Centering Prayer Primer

I have been reading a lot of Father Thomas Keating's writings lately - he is a great advocate for the power of what has been traditionally called, "Contemplative" prayer - which, in his paradigm, is the only thing that fully heals us from our imposter selves which usually act and react to the world in defensive and striving postures. It is the only thing because in our "being still" we connect to the Trinity within us - the Trinity that has knit our innermost being and that loves us with expectancy. In the richness of this love alone, are we freed from the woundedness that has obscured our true vision of our true selves and of the True God (vs. who we imagine, fear or want Him to be.)

One of the disciplines to move toward this, which I prefer to call "abiding," is centering prayer. So - listen to Father Thomas Keating himself - and how he describes Centering prayer. He is delightful to listen to!



Let me know what you think.

www.paulagamble.com