I wondered, could I become an expert in prayer? Why not? Prayer is central to who (and whose) I am. It’s how I set aside time to listen to God and share what’s on my heart. It’s the foundation of our relationship. Of course I’d love to be an expert in prayer. Have it down pat so that when I prayed, I’d have instant access. A crystal clear direct line.
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It is not a big secret that in order for relationships to be functioning well we need mentally and spiritually healthy people in them. It should not be a surprise that intimate relationships can be difficult and require self-knowledge and self-disclosure, good communication skills, a willingness to sacrifice, the flexibility to change, and the capacity for forgiveness and reconciliation.
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Posted in Community, Featured, Ministry, Spirituality |
Tags: adults, discernment, prayer, spirituality 
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For some, Mother’s Day is a painful day – they did not have a good relationship with their mother, their mother is deceased, or they have never known their mother.
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In the Middle Ages, many flowers were considered symbolic of the Virgin Mary, Jesus’ mother. Barbara Damrosch, in Theme Gardens, lists pink, carnations, sweet williams, iris, lavender, lilies, marigolds, pansies, roses and violets as flowers appropriate to Mary.
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When we say, “I believe in God . . .” we are saying “I give my heart to God.” We are expressing a desire to be in relationship with God. Which God? “The God who made heaven and earth.” The God who loves us so much he gave his only son to show us how to live and even die on the cross. It is the God who conquered death in the resurrection and gave us the Holy Spirit so that we will continue to know God’s love.
| Posted in Community, Featured, Ministry |
Tags: Baptism, Baptismal Covenant, Christian formation, confirmation, creed, Jesus, prayer Comments Off
When the day of Pentecost had come they were all together in one place and all of the many foreigners heard the witnesses speaking in their own tongue. Come, Holy Spirit, witness to us also in our several languages.
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After the penitential season of Lent and the darkness of Good Friday, the joy of Easter should be like another birthday for us too. Our lives should not be the same as they were on Ash Wednesday. New insights into old challenges and hope for hopeless situations should come easier as we embrace the redeemed living that Christ procured for us.
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We have heard about you, God of all power. You made the world out of kindness, creating order out of confusion; you made each one of us in your own image; your fingerprint is on every soul. So we praise you.
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Whatever vehicle is chosen to focus our prayer, the Gethsemane watch presents us with a superb opportunity to teach faithfulness in prayer and discipleship. “Could you not keep awake one hour?” were the words of Jesus in reproach to his hapless followers in the first Gethsemane.
| Posted in Community, Featured, Spirituality |
Tags: Gethsemane, Good Friday, Lent, Maundy Thursday, meditation, prayer, Vigil, worship Comments Off
Modern life is not so different from the past, in that human nature is not innately inclined to turn to God for help. Our nature is more inclined to turn to God when we’re at wits’ end because our own efforts can’t save the day. When we feel defeated or threatened, we are ready to cry for help. We are in the spiritual “desert experience,” where our despairing hearts yearn for God’s kingdom, where all things are possible.
| Posted in Featured, Spirituality |
Tags: desert, Lent, meditation, prayer, spirituality Comments Off
Laying face down on the acupuncturist’s table, I took a few deep breaths and settled myself into a time to relax and pray. It was still early, barely 8:30 am, and I had just come from an Ash Wednesday liturgy.
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As a child, I recall watching my father (also brought up “low church”) enter “our pew” in church with a bow to the cross as he also bent with one knee to the floor. A puzzlement to me of which I never asked. Only my Catholic friends did those weird body gestures, including moving their hands all over their foreheads and chest when praying.
| Posted in Featured, Spirituality |
Tags: adults, children's ministry, Christian formation, Christianity, genuflecting, prayer, traditions, worship Comments Off
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