Highway to the Soul

“Scripturally speaking, the spiritual life is simply the increasing vitality and sway of God’s Spirit in us. It is a magnificent choreography of the Holy Spirit in the human spirit, moving us toward communion with both Creator and creation. The spiritual life is grounded in relationship. It has to do with God’s way of relating to us. And our way of responding to God.”

Marjorie Thompson – Soul Feast

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Presupposition: God is first then we must choose our priority. God is increasingly further away from our relationships in life.

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God

Family

Job

Friends

Church

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“Jesus is the manifestation of God’s love for us. We are the manifestation of Christ’s love for the world.” – Jan Cook

God

church

family

job

friends

Presupposition: God is at the center. All things flow

out of God.

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“Now I wonder whether I have sufficiently realized that during all this time God has been trying to find me, to know me, and to love me. The question is not, “How am I to find God?” but “How am I to let myself be found by Him?” The question is not, “How am I to love God?” but “How am I to let myself be loved by God?”

Henri NouwenThe Return of the Prodigal

Present Moment“My life is an instant, a fleeting hour. My life is a moment, which swiftly escapes me. O my God, you know that on earth I have only

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today to love you.”St. Therese of Liseux

"Our true home is in the present moment. To live in the present moment is a miracle. Peace is all around us -- in the world and in nature -and within us -- in our bodies and our spirits.

Once we learn to touch this peace, we will be healed and transformed. It is not a matter of faith; it is a matter of practice.

If we don’t have peace right now, when will we have peace – tomorrow or after tomorrow?” Thich Nhat Hahn

Practice – Conscious BreathingBreathing in, I calm my bodyBreathing out, I smileDwelling in the present moment,I know this is a wonderful moment.

Awareness and Wonder“Surprise us with love at daybreak; then we’ll skip and dance all the day long.” Psalm 90:14

The word wonder literally mans “astonished surprise”

We try and create it, orchestrate it, to be in charge of it.

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We are quite often disappointed We cannot force wonder It is a spiritual issue When the spirit is open and expectant,

the conditions are set for wonder to occur.

While we are scrambling to make wonder happen, we become too busy to pay attention to the wonder unfolding before us.

The wonder that today, you and I have been given a brand new 24 hours to live fully and deeply, to love extravagantly, to forgive and be gracious, to experience forgiveness and grace, to laugh and cry, to hug, to share, to learn and grow, to dance.

Practice – The Clean Page

Lectio DivinaThe actual practice of lectio divina begins with a time of relaxation, making oneself comfortable and clearing the mind of mundane thoughts and cares. Some find it helpful to concentrate by beginning with deep, cleansing breaths and reciting a chosen phrase or word over and over to help free the mind. Then they begin with the four steps:

Lectio - Reading the Bible passage gently and slowly several times. The passage itself is not as important as the savoring of each portion

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of the reading, constantly listening for the "still, small voice" of a word or phrase that somehow speaks to the practitioner. Meditatio - Reflecting on the text of the passage and thinking about how it applies to one's own life. This is considered to be a very personal reading of the Scripture and very personal application. Oratio – Responding to the passage by opening the heart to God. This is not primarily an intellectual exercise, but is thought to be more of the beginning of a conversation with God. Contemplatio - Listening to God. This is a freeing of oneself from one's own thoughts, both mundane and holy, and hearing God talk to us. Opening the mind, heart, and soul to the influence of God.Practice – Lectio Divina

Romans 12:1-2, 9The Message-TranslationSo here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life-your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life-and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for God… Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

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Additional Scriptures for LectioIsaiah 43:14-19: The Lord is Doing a New Thing!  Matthew 8:5-13: Just Say the Word Matthew 11:25-30: Step into Jesus’ Easy Yoke Mark 4:35-41: Peace! Be still. Mark 5:24-34: Touch Jesus and Be Healed John 3:22-4:3: More of Jesus, Less of MeLuke 1:26-38: Let it Be to Me According to Your Word Luke 11:1-13: Jesus Shows Us How to PrayJohn 3:1-15: Coming to Life in the Kingdom of GodRevelation 3:14-22: It’s Jesus at the Door!Practice - Silence Find a posture that allows you to be relaxed and alert. It helps to have your neck and spine aligned. Close your eyes and breathe deeply several times.

Consciously release any muscle tension you become aware of. Breathe in peace, breathe out tension.

Relax your mind. If particular thoughts keep returning, gather them up and give them to God to hold for you during this time. You can take them back later if you want.

Turn your attention to God’s presence. Let yourself be fully aware of the mystery of divine love that continually surrounds and upholds us.

God is breathing life into you at each moment; take in the gift.Allow this text (Psalm 46:10) to lead you gradually into a quiet, relaxed space before God by shortening the text at each reading and savoring each line before going on to the next.

“Be still, and know that I am God!”“Be still, and know that I am…”

“Be still, and know…”

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“Be still…”“Be…”

Let God’s presence fill your consciousness, and simply rest in this presence – just as you might with someone you love dearly and feel no need to speak to, just to be with.

Let yourself be like a child cradled in the lap of a wonderful parent or grandparent; or enfolded in a peaceful warmth. Let yourself be held in God’s tender embrace; rest and soak up the love that holds you.

Choose one of God’s attributes to dwell on for 5 minutes.

Some examples are:GraceLoveFaithfulnessStrengthCompassionateWisdomMystery

ExamenThe examen is a set of simple questions that we pose to ourselves as we reflect

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on our day. The examen makes us aware of moments that at first we might easily pass by as insignificant, moments that ultimately can give direction for our lives and bring us into a deeper, listening relationship with God.

There are many ways to ask the same questions:For what moment today am I most grateful?For what moment today am I least grateful?

When did I feel most alive today?When did I most feel life draining out of me?

People Prayer Remembering Prayer___________ 1. For those who do not

know Christ

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_____________ 2. For those who feel alone and nervous

_____________ 3. For those who are quietly suffering

_____________ 4. For those in great need of a hug, a smile, a friend

_____________ 5. For those God has called to be present

The Breath Prayer“The breath prayer lies within us like a tiny seed that, when nurtured, grows and flowers, providing a new and deeper awareness of God’s presence. To discover your breath prayer requires that you stop, be still and practice.” Ron DelBene

Five Steps Towards Breath PrayerOne: Sit comfortably. Close your eyes and remember that God loves you and that you are in God’s presence. Let your mind rest with the scripture “Be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10

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Two: With your eyes closed, imagine that God is calling you by name. Hear God asking: (Your name) what do you want?

Three: Answer God with whatever comes directly from your heart. Your answer might be a single word, such as peace or love or forgiveness. Your answer could instead be a phrase or brief sentence, such as “I want to feel your forgiveness,” or “I want to know your love.” Your answer to God’s question “What do you want?” becomes the heart of the prayer.

Four: Choose your favorite name for God. Choices commonly made include God, Jesus, Creator, Teacher, Light, Lord, Spirit, Shepherd.

Five: Combine your name for God with your answer to God’s question “What do you want? “ You then have your prayer.

For example

Peace God Help me know your peace, O

God

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Love Jesus Jesus, let me feel your love

Rest Shepherd Shepherd, I need to rest in you

Deep PeaceDeep Peaceof the running wave to youDeep Peace0f the flowing air to youDeep Peaceof the quiet earth to youDeep Peaceof the shining stars to youDeep Peaceof the gentle night to youMoon and starspour their healing light on youDeep Peace to you

Gaelic Blessing

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Rev. Janice Y. Cook – First Pres. Hilton Head Island2014 S.T.E.P.S Conference

Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina

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