Monday, February 25, 2013

Back to basics

I am now going back to basics. Refocusing on God and Christ.

"Everything I am, everything I long to be,
I lay it down at your feet" Song and lyrics by Matt Maher

When I heard this song at church yesterday, it exemplifies what I was thinking. Simple, humble love of God. Prayerful meditation on God, offering all that I am is so powerful. You will feel God's presence in your life. It will transform you. That's what I mean when I say back to basics.

"Take me to the king. I don't have much to bring. My heart is torn to pieces, that's my offering. Lay me at the throne, leave me there alone. To gaze upon your glory." By Tamela Mann

Simple humble prayer. All he wants is all of me. All he wants is all of you. The broken bits, the whole bits. The part of you that you keep hidden, the part of you shared with the world.

When I hear this song the throne I see is the cross. Christ chose his throne for me, for you.

His name alone, Jesus, is a powerful simple meditative prayer. If you meditate on the name of Jesus, you will feel his presence. It will transform you. Simple but powerful. Back to basics.

God in three parts. Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All three powerful, individually and as the trinity. Four great ways to meditate and pray. God wants us all to be with him in his kingdom. He is the perfect parent, loving us, guiding us, letting us fall and get back up on our own and forgiving us. Offering a way home, through Christ with self sacrifice and love. Ultimate love, the love that is not about us but about others. Christ says "You shall love The Lord your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." Matthew 22:37
He also says "as I have loved you, so you should also love one another." John 13:34

Simple, humble, self giving. Laying it all down. Letting it all go. Opening yourself to God and letting Him transform you. This will transform the world.

As you can probably tell, music is how I feel God. For me it is a form of prayer. There are so many powerful songs out there. But maybe for you it something different. Art, poetry, nature, God's presence is everywhere. He will touch your heart, he will be there if you open to it.

We are a week and half into lent. So how is it going? For me it's going well.
I waffle a bit. Somedays I feel like "I got this, my prayer life is going good. I am being more disciplined with it" to "ugh! I'm still not were I want to be, why not?" I do this with my spiritual life, my fitness life and others. I think we all do. We need to just keep working at it.

May God presence be felt in your life!

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Ash Wed

First day of the Lenten season.

A season of Prayer, Fasting and Charity.

As we refocus, turn our attention back to Christ.
We get distracted by the world and our selfishness. Our Lenten practices help us to refocus.

Prayer, opens our hearts and minds to Christ.
The ACTS from of prayer is a favorite of mine.
Adoration - praising God
Contrition - asking for forgiveness for our sins and mistakes
Thanksgiving - giving thanks for God's grace and all our blessings
Supplication - asking God to watch over us, our friends, family, country etc....

Fasting, abstinence, sacrifice....
Denying our selfish desires, most often food, but could be other sacrifices.
As we sacrifice we remember the sacrifice of Christ. We are also reminded that our bodies are temples, we have a responsibility to care for that temple. Finally, we need to remember those who go without basic needs.
There are many who go without food, water, basic shelter and safety. There are also many who are spiritually hungry. Who have lost their faith and hope.

Charity, almsgiving
As we are praying and sacrificing we are also called to acts of charity. Real acts of love. Some take the money saved from their sacrifices and donate it to a charitable org. Others give of their time to help those in need. Others practice random acts of kindness. Lent can also be a good time to work on forgiveness. Letting go of anger and hatred. Opening our hearts to love those around us. This is what Christ calls us to do, "To love as I have loved you".

As we turn our attention to Christ, as we walk with him on this spiritual journey, through the 40 days in the dessert, into His Passion and onto the Cross, finally ending with a risen Lord who We will recognize in the breaking of the bread, we will hopefully end up closer to Christ. We will know and feel His Love, His Peace and His Forgiveness.

May God Bless us all on our spiritual journeys, wherever we are and wherever He leads us.