While I was in Canada recently I started to read a fascinating book entitled How God Changes Your Brain. I enjoyed it so much that I ordered a copy and am thoroughly enjoying reading it and reflecting on its relevance. Interestingly, the authors Andrew Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman are not writing from a Christian perspective. Andrew is a neuroscientist, Mark is a therapist. They are more interested in the impact that spiritual practices have on our physical and emotional health than on our spiritual development.
That does not reduce its importance however. I think they say some wonderful things for all people of faith to think about. They provide some very practical exercises for all of us to consider.
So here is some of what they say (quoted from the back cover of the book):
Prayer and spiritual practice don’t just reduce stress, but meditation for as little as 12 minutes a day can slow down the aging process.
Contemplating a loving God rather than a punitive God reduces anxiety and depression and increases feelings of security, compassion and love.
Intense prayer and meditation lastingly change numerous structures and functions in the brain, altering your values and the way you perceive reality.
Fundamentalism can be personally beneficial, but the prejudice generated by extreme beliefs can permanently damage your brain.
I know that some people find books like this threatening because they interpret them to say that God is just a chemical reaction going on in our brain. For me however they are exciting because they confirm the activity of God in my life – if God is truly at work in our lives then we should expect that his activity in our brains should create discernable changes. What do you think,
Sunset in Seattle
The Light for the Journey facebook page is changing. I have asked a number of contemplatives around the world to participate with me in sharing prayers, contemplative practices and their journeys. Mustard Seed Associates is a community based organization and believe that all we do should be a reflection of the gifts and talents of the broader community of which we are a part. One of the strengths of this blog is the diversity of voices that contribute to its content and I want to make sure that the facebook pages associated with it reflect that.
I will continue to post each week the summary of prayers but will also add links to articles, prayers and meditations that this growing contemplative community shares with us.
May the centre of all things be Christ,
May the way of all things be Christ,
May the truth of all things be Christ,
Behind, before, within, without,
May the life of all things be Christ.
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Lord Jesus Christ may we look at you in every moment,
May we centre not on problems but on your resources,
May we run your race with purpose in every step,
And keep our eyes on your enduring love.
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Lord Jesus Christ may we live by your royal law,
May we love mercy not judgement,
Show compassion not indifference,
Practice peace not war,
May we love God with our whole hearts gladly,
And love neighbours as we do ourselves.
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Lord you are the lover of my soul,
Jehovah Jirah you are my provider,
Restorer of all things, you are my redeemer,
Gardener of creation, you are the one who formed made me.
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Tuesday morning’s prayer was an adaptation of one I wrote last year for the 10th anniversary of 9/11.
May all of us remember with love and compassion this day.
May we grieve with those who still mourn,
And share memories with those who cannot forget.
May we draw strength from those who bravely responded,
And gave their lives to save others.
May we stand with strangers who became neighbours,
And give thanks for their generosity and hospitality.
May we remember all who have lost loved ones to terrorism and violence,
And commit ourselves to bring your peace.
Above all God may we remember your faithfulness,
And learn to trust in your unfailing love.
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Interesting link shared this week:
How Spiritual Direction Can Make You Feel Closer to God
The Ascent to Assisi – by Contemplative Activist Micha Jazz.
This is an interesting facebook page. To walk a prayer labyrinth is to open a new connection between God’s heart and your own. . . To walk uprightly, faithfully and lovingly, is to find an uncommon joy and peace in the journey.
In His Footsteps serves as an informational resource for recovering the Prayer Labyrinth as an ancient, yet ever new, prayer experience. In addition, snippets of inspiration are offered for your daily walk with God.
“You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your Presence.” Psalm 16:11
Celtic retreat 2012 Morning worship
This morning I am preparing for our MSA staff retreat time this weekend. We will use the Quaker Discernment process and organic strategic planning to discern God’s future focus for our ministry. At core, our MSA team is a spiritual leadership community that discerns and implements the will of God for our organization. and these processes have become the keys to our development both as individuals and as an organization.
As we enter this retreat we know that we need to focus more acutely on what God is leading us into. We are in a time of growth and transition, grappling with issues of how to sustain our current ministry, launch CCSP Cascadia and build the Mustard Seed Village. In this time constantly coming back to God to discern God’s will becomes more important than ever.
In preparation for this time I have looked back over previous discernment sessions to catch a sense of what God has said in the past and how well we have responded to those promptings. I have looked at our strengths and weaknesses, our successes and our failures, our joys and our challenges.
I have also looked back and been encouraged by what others have said about what MSA has meant in their lives. Most are drawn by the invitation to join a community that is journeying together towards God’s kingdom of peace, justice and abundance. Shane Claiborne once told us that he thought we were great “cross pollinators” and others to have appreciated the connections we help them make to people and organizations they feel they can identify and hang with.
Others have told us that they appreciate our encouragement to reimagine life and faith and create new possibilities for how we live in every aspect of our life. Brian McLaren shared that through MSA he was given permission and encouragement to think new thoughts, dream new dreams and see the gospel in a fresh, new life-changing and world-changing light.
Others have appreciate the modelling of a simpler, more festive and hopefully more Christ centred way of life and our willingness to share openly the ongoing journey it involves us in, even when it reveals our warts and wrinkles. Added to this is an appreciation of the resources we develop to help move all of us in this direction.
So my question this morning is what draws you to this blog and the other aspects of MSA? What would you like to share that could help us focus the ministry of MSA? I would love to hear your thoughts and also appreciate your prayers for this weekend.
Earth Teach Me To Remember.
It rained over the weekend, the first time in 49 days, the second longest stretch without rain on record. To some of you who live in places where drought is a way of life, this may not seem very significant, but here in Seattle we have greeted the rain and the changes it has brought, with deep gratitude and thanksgiving.
Since the rain there has been a new stillness in the air, a sense that the earth is slowing down and starting to prepare for the autumn and winter seasons. Perhaps it is just that I too am in a season of slowing down.
Tom and I have had a very busy summer celebrating at Wild Goose East and West, joining our Canadian friends at Creative World Festival, conducting our annual Celtic Prayer retreat, and entertaining a steady flow of visitors, friends and potential MSA supporters. As as that I have completed the first draft of my new book Return to Our Senses: Reimagining How We Pray, and sent it off to readers for input.
It is certainly time for stillness in my own spirit and I find that the changing season outside is a wonderful affirmation of that. Learning to hear to the promptings of my spirit calling me to slow down, sit still in the presence of God and listen is not always easy. But it is essential.
The stillness of the earth speaks of stability and constancy. It speaks of the enduring faithfulness of God who sends the seasons in their due time, who waters the earth with the spring and the autumn rains, who brings forth the harvest to nourish our bodies.
The prayer above is part of a Native American prayer that I first posted here. It reminds me to take time to listen to the wonder of God’s creation. It reminds me to take notice not just of the majestic mountains outside my window but also of the small and seemingly insignificant creatures that are so vital to the healthy thriving of our world. It also reminds me to sit quietly in the presence of the One who has created all things and whose great love is revealed in every dimension of that creation.
So sit still with me this morning. Drink in the wonder of God. Quieten your spirit and allow God to refresh and renew you.
It is now 11 years since the terrorist attack on the twin towers in New York and this has become an important day of remembering and prayer for many of us. The images of the plane flying into the towers is indelibly seared on our minds. The heroism of firefighters and police lives forever with us and so it should. It is important to remember these events and establish memorials that draw us back.
This morning however, as I thought about this I could not help but think of the many who have lost their lives as a result of terrorist attacks around the world since that time. Many others have had to flee the civil conflict that the aftermath this attack created in their countries. And still others flee violence and unrest created by other conflicts.
Data for Terrorist Attacks,
This link has a powerful interactive map that shows the changing face of terrorism since 1970.
In the midst I find my heart longing for peace. War has been the halmark of the first decade of the 21st century and it doesn’t look as though this second decade will be any different. Most of us have trouble even imagining a world without war and I sometimes wonder if we even pray for that possibility.
So this morning as we remember the attacks 11 years ago, may we pray for peace and the in breaking of God’s kingdom into the many conflicted and troubled places of our world. The following prayer is adapted from one I wrote last year for 9/11.
May we remember with love and compassion this day.
May we grieve with those who still mourn,
And share memories with those who cannot forget.
May we draw strength from those who bravely responded,
And gave their lives to save others.
May we stand with strangers who became neighbours,
And give thanks for their generosity and hospitality.
May we remember all who have lost loved ones to terrorism and violence,
And be filled not with a call to war but with a longing for peace.
May we seek for understanding and reconciling,
And not turn from your kingdom ways.
Above all God may we remember your faithfulness,
And learn to trust in your unfailing love.
Amen
Blue moon rising
The end of another beautiful week here in Seattle – 47 days without any rain, possibly setting a record. Not good for the farmers or for the wildfires, but some of us are enjoying it which probably accounts for how upbeat my prayers are this week. Enjoy and if you want to check out the photo prayers that I am adding now don’t forget to like the facebook page
May we be still in your presence O Lord,
And wait patiently for you to act.
May we delight in you O Lord,
And trust in you to help us.
May we commit our day to you O Lord,
And hold onto your faithful promises.
(Adapted from Psalm 37:3-7)
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Show us the right path, O Lord;
point out the road for us to follow.
Lead us by your truth and teach us,
for you are the God who saves us.
All day long we put our hope in you.
(Adapted from Psalm 25:4,5)
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Lord Jesus Christ your yoke is easy, you burden is light.
Help us to lay down what we should not carry.
Help us to let go what we should share.
May we find the joy of always walking yoked with you.
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Drink in the water of life,
Let it quench your thirsty soul.
Feed on the bread of heaven,
Let it nourish your starving spirit.
Be filled with the life of Christ,
Let him sustain and keep you
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“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”
John Wesley
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This prayer was written while thinking about the Wild Goose Festival this weekend. The Wild Goose is the Celtic symbol for the Holy Spirit. The photo is of Canada geese.
May the spirit soar within you and take flight
May it guide you through the day and lead you through the night
May it shine for all to see and give you light.
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Photo by Nick Lipinski
Below is a list of all the posts in the Lord Teach Us To Pray series. I hope that you have enjoyed these reflections as much as I have. Our prayer life is something that should be continually reshaped and remolded as we seek to move closer to God. I hope that some of these posts have encouraged you to do that.
Lord Teach Us to Pray: The Quietest Prayer by Monette Chilson
Lord Teach Us To Pray: Sailing Over the Sea of Affliction by Steve Wichkam
Conversations with my Granddaughter: On Prayer by Alex Tang
Lord Teach Us to Pray: St Columba’s Vigil by Greg Valerio
Lord Teach Us to Pray: Reimagining How We Pray by Lisa Hewitt – Day 1
Lord Teach Us to Pray: Reimagining How We Pray by Lisa Hewitt – Day 2
Lord Teach Us to Pray: Reimagining How We Pray by Lisa Hewitt – Day 3
Lord Teach Us to Pray: Knitting and Praying, by Christine Dutton
Monday Meditation: Beginning the Week with Mindfulness – by Gene Anderson
Lord Teach Us to Pray: Why Pray? by James Prescott
Lord Teach Us to Pray: Prayer Poem by Postordinandy
Lord Teach Us to Pray: The Prayer Window by Kimberlee Conway Ireton
Lord Teach Us to Pray: Nothing to Say to God by Joy Wilson
Lord Teach Us to Pray: How I See The Lord’s Prayer by John C. O’Keefe
A Blogger’s Lord’s Prayer by Andrew Jones
Lord Teach Us to Pray: Everyday Walking, Talking Prayer by Steve Wickham
Lord Teach Us to Pray: Prayer of Devotion, Prayer of Knowledge, Prayer of Action, by Gene Anderson
Lord Teach Us to Pray: On Prayer by Ryan Harrison
Lord Teach Us to Pray: Free Our Hearts by Paula Mitchell
Lord Teach Us to Pray: Breath Prayer by Lynne Baab
And the posts on prayer that I have added over the summer as I reflected on this series:
Thank You Lord For Hearing Me.
In Faith and Confidence I Breathe Freely
Let Us Desire Nothing But God – A Prayer by St Francis of Assisi
Can We See The Face of God and Live?
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