This turned out to be a very easy exercise as I read the following about Augustinian Prayer: “In Augustinian Prayer we try to think of the words of the Bible as though they were a personal letter from God addressed to each one of us…For example consider the words of Isaiah 43 and imagine they are being spoken to you now: “Thus says the Lord who created you and formed you: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine…You are precious in my eyes and glorious, and I love you…fear not, for I am with you.'” And right there in that sterile place as I balanced a paper cup and a bag of my husbands clothing and belongings, God spoke to the heart of the matter. “Fear not, for I am with you.”
They call the heart the smartest organ, because the first thing it does upon receiving newly oxygenated blood from the lungs is feed itself first. It pumps the richest blood into it’s own coronary arteries before sending the rest out to the body. We should be so smart. Don’t starve yourself. “Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” This week, try Augustinian Prayer with your favorite scripture and imagine God talks you into a Divine Connection.
Additional Resources: If you would like to read scripture that has been put together as an actual love letter check out The Father’s Love Letter, http://www.fathersloveletter.com/ Also, for those who would like to try a Taize service, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton church offers a Taize service on the fourth Monday of the month from 7:30 – 8:30pm. Put it on your calendar for June 22, July 27, and Aug 24. http://www.setonparish.org/index.cfm?load=page&page=205
God’s Peace,
Leslie Stewart
www.godlanguage.comFor bone-weary Burb moms who need to recollect themselves and reconnect with the Divine.
I’d like to call this post “The Heart of the Matter” based on my experience this week with this form of prayer. It happened in a hospital as my husband had to pay a visit to the heart catheterization lab so doctors could look into his coronary arteries. They were trying to find the source of his chest pain. We found ourselves confronted with our own mortality considering the procedure has a 1 in 1000 mortality rate.
We kissed and said goodbye before they took him into surgery and I was sent downstairs to fetch a Starbucks coffee and wait. I read mainly to distract myself, but I experienced a Divine Connection in the waiting room as I read about Augustinian Prayer. This type of prayer calls for “Transposition” which is the ability to use your creative imagination to transpose the words of Sacred Scripture to your situation today. You try to imagine what meaning the words of scripture would have if God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit appeared and spoke them to you right now, at this moment.
This turned out to be a very easy exercise as I read the following about Augustinian Prayer: “In Augustinian Prayer we try to think of the words of the Bible as though they were a personal letter from God addressed to each one of us…For example consider the words of Isaiah 43 and imagine they are being spoken to you now: “Thus says the Lord who created you and formed you: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine…You are precious in my eyes and glorious, and I love you…fear not, for I am with you.'” And right there in that sterile place as I balanced a paper cup and a bag of my husbands clothing and belongings, God spoke to the heart of the matter. “Fear not, for I am with you.”
They call the heart the smartest organ, because the first thing it does upon receiving newly oxygenated blood from the lungs is feed itself first. It pumps the richest blood into it’s own coronary arteries before sending the rest out to the body. We should be so smart. Don’t starve yourself. “Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” This week, try Augustinian Prayer with your favorite scripture and imagine God talks you into a Divine Connection.
Additional Resources: If you would like to read scripture that has been put together as an actual love letter check out The Father’s Love Letter, http://www.fathersloveletter.com/ Also, for those who would like to try a Taize service, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton church offers a Taize service on the fourth Monday of the month from 7:30 – 8:30pm. Put it on your calendar for June 22, July 27, and Aug 24. http://www.setonparish.org/index.cfm?load=page&page=205
God’s Peace,
Leslie Stewart
www.godlanguage.com
This turned out to be a very easy exercise as I read the following about Augustinian Prayer: “In Augustinian Prayer we try to think of the words of the Bible as though they were a personal letter from God addressed to each one of us…For example consider the words of Isaiah 43 and imagine they are being spoken to you now: “Thus says the Lord who created you and formed you: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine…You are precious in my eyes and glorious, and I love you…fear not, for I am with you.'” And right there in that sterile place as I balanced a paper cup and a bag of my husbands clothing and belongings, God spoke to the heart of the matter. “Fear not, for I am with you.”
They call the heart the smartest organ, because the first thing it does upon receiving newly oxygenated blood from the lungs is feed itself first. It pumps the richest blood into it’s own coronary arteries before sending the rest out to the body. We should be so smart. Don’t starve yourself. “Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” This week, try Augustinian Prayer with your favorite scripture and imagine God talks you into a Divine Connection.
Additional Resources: If you would like to read scripture that has been put together as an actual love letter check out The Father’s Love Letter, http://www.fathersloveletter.com/ Also, for those who would like to try a Taize service, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton church offers a Taize service on the fourth Monday of the month from 7:30 – 8:30pm. Put it on your calendar for June 22, July 27, and Aug 24. http://www.setonparish.org/index.cfm?load=page&page=205
God’s Peace,
Leslie Stewart
www.godlanguage.com
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