Quaker Worship

Today I attended a Quaker worship service.

This group traced their roots to 1699.

The meeting house I sat in was built in 1823.

This service had no minister.

I sat in silence with at least 100 others.

We sat for one hour.

We sat in a simple room.

It had only benches, windows and wooden floors.

At three different occasions, three individuals shared a thought.

Then back to silence.

I could hear the rain gently hitting the windows.

I could hear others breathing.

I could hear others coughing and sniffing.

I could hear the wind blowing.

I could hear the wooden floors creaking.

I could hear my thoughts.

Sometimes I had no thoughts.

Just the spaces between thoughts.

I could feel peace.

I could feel love.

I could feel community.

I could feel the love and peace of God.

Of course God is in noise too.

It is just sometimes nice to be silent.

When we are silent we stand naked before God.

We empty our mind of its thoughts and emotions.

We let God’s gaze shine directly on us.

I have done this in solitude but never with a group this large.

At the end, we prayed for each other.

We each said our name.

We greeted each other and passed the peace.

We are meant to have silence.

Silence with our God.

We are meant to live in community.

God is in each of us.

When we have community, we share God.

I enjoyed my Quaker experience.

God’s Love

God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.
-Saint Augustine

Awake in the morning knowing God loves you.

Eat your breakfast, drink your coffee, tea, milk, juice.

God still loves you.

Get on with your day’s activities and

Continue to know that God loves you.

Relax in the evening, read, watch tv, spend time with friends or family.

God’s love is with you.

Lie down for the night.

Rest peacefully in the embrace of God’s arms.

God’s love surrounds you.

God’s love for you is never ending.

Ten Kisses

 

My 6 year old and I have created a new game we play.

We call it 10 kisses.

I look at him and say.

Ten kisses.

He kisses me on the cheek.

I yell out and I pump my fist into the air.

He laughs.

We repeat this to 9.

At 10, he begins running.

I chase him all over the house.

When I catch him, I tickle him.

And I yell out ten!

Say Yes

Never underestimate the absolute importance – and the difficulty – of starting each encounter with a primal “yes,”.
– Richard Rohr

Wonderful advice indeed.

When I meet someone different from me just say YES.

When I hear an opinion that differs from mine just say YES.

When I am afraid to talk to a stranger just say YES.

When I am afraid to help someone just say YES.

When I am afraid to take on a new project at work even if I have no experience at this task just say YES.

When my child wants me to listen to him, play a game or take him somewhere just say YES.

When I am afraid to try something new just say YES.

When I am afraid to change my career just say YES.

When I have an opportunity to experience a worship service different from mine just say YES.

We all need to be more open to what life can bring us.

We all need to be more open to what God wants to bring us.

There is no right or wrong.

Be open to God expressing His love.

God will express His love through people.

God will express His love through nature.

God will express His love through new life experiences.

Say YES.

Weekly Photo Challenge – Reflections

I was very fortunate to visit Australia this past December – January. This is a picture I took along the coast with my iPhone.

When I looked out on the amazing beauty of the coast, I stopped reflecting for a moment and went beyond it. I went into the spaces in between reflections.

Enter

Christianity is not something you possess; it is something you enter.
– Brian Zahnd

We enter into the mystery of Christ.

We enter into the mystery of the incarnation.

We enter into the mystery of the resurrection.

We enter into the mystery of the ascension.

We enter into the mystery of the Holy Spirit.

We enter into the mystery of baptism.

We enter into the mystery of communion.

It is all beautiful.

It is all a beautiful mystery.

Enter.

The Ultimate Mystery

Contemplative prayer is the opening of mind and heart – our whole being to God, the Ultimate Mystery, beyond thoughts, words and emotions.
-Thomas Keating

There is a time to talk to God.

There is a time to listen to God.

During silent prayer we sit with God.

We empty ourselves of our thoughts, words, emotions.

We offer our whole being to God.

God is a mystery.

God is a wonderful mystery.

God is a beautiful mystery.

We don’t need to understand Him.

In fact, we never will understand Him.

Our role is to simply ask Him to come in.

The paradox is that He has already come in.

We just did not notice.

We were too busy with our own thoughts, words and emotions.

Let Him in.

Like a child approach Him with wonder and awe.

God is the Ultimate Mystery!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Inside

Inside the clouds a fire is raging.

Inner Freedom

Once we can let go of our need to judge others, we will experience an immense inner freedom.
– Henri Nouwen

We are all made in the image of God.

When we judge others we are judging God.

We are all connected.

When we judge others, we are also judging ourselves.

We certainly will not always agree with others.

That is ok.

However, we still need to respect and love the humanity within others.

When we love others it frees us.

When we love ourselves it frees us.

When we do both, we truly love God.

We are free.

We are free because all that remains is love.

How do you pray?

I thought I would reflect on how I currently experience prayer. Of course I am always open to new ways to experience and practice prayer.

1.
Sit in silence – I practice this almost daily in the evening. I find tremendous peace in this practice.

2.
Thank God for people, things, events that happened today.

3.
Praise Him for His creation – mountains, oceans, forests, nature, stars. It is all so beautiful.

4.
Complain, vent, lament.

5.
Partner with Him to accomplish small and big tasks for each day.

6.
Release my negative emotions to Him – worry, anger, anxiety, depression, loneliness, frustration.

7.
Release and wait when I need to make key decisions.

8.
Trust Him during difficult situations.

9.
Allow. Be open to what He wants me to experience today.

10.
Pray for others

11.
Pray in community

12.
Take a walk.

How do you pray? How do you listen to the inner voice within you from God that says I love you. You are my beloved.