tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80916669778218316382024-03-13T10:43:02.518-07:00Stephanie's Bible BlogA Daily Witness to the Spirit in a Writer's LifeStephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820408768325447954noreply@blogger.comBlogger244125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091666977821831638.post-26658815725327535852014-04-27T08:53:00.001-07:002014-04-27T08:53:30.223-07:00People-pleasing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mpDbknTcg_4/U10nb2krLPI/AAAAAAAAAKc/-ntsx6aXhSA/s1600/wooden-horse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mpDbknTcg_4/U10nb2krLPI/AAAAAAAAAKc/-ntsx6aXhSA/s1600/wooden-horse.jpg" height="247" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Trojan Horse</div>
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From the "Heavenly Mind" chapter of my manuscript: <i>Peter reminds Christians to help out only if their mind is willing, not by feeling obligated to do so </i>(1 Peter 5:2). Have you ever noticed that "people-pleasing" can lead to bitterness and resentment? A free will offering is always preferable to a grudging gift. What looks like a grand gift (Trojan Horse) may spill out discord and drama from its unrighteous intentions. May I offer my life today as a gift to my Creator. Living life this way may not always please other people, as Jesus well knew. Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820408768325447954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091666977821831638.post-41251262488230194792014-04-26T14:06:00.001-07:002014-04-26T14:06:31.117-07:00Alone, Yet Not Alone (song) - Joni Eareckson Tada<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Qvf6Zt6XY9g" width="480"></iframe>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820408768325447954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091666977821831638.post-79800289173438299022014-04-22T05:46:00.001-07:002014-04-22T05:46:17.604-07:00Always Ready<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3r5ZLxKRHbU/U1ZjamFB7zI/AAAAAAAAAKM/rhvtML1I6R4/s1600/apocalyptic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3r5ZLxKRHbU/U1ZjamFB7zI/AAAAAAAAAKM/rhvtML1I6R4/s1600/apocalyptic.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Etching by Albrecht Durer</div>
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What would it take for me to honestly ready myself on a daily basis for the appearance of Christ Jesus, and for the Tribulation? This weekend I have encountered a modern apocalyptic secular prophet Paul Kingsnorth and his <a href="http://www.dark-mountain.net/about/manifesto/">Dark Mountain Manifesto</a>. It's easy to understand his giving up on the environmental activism which has defined his life for decades. What is hard to understand is how he can live without the hope of Easter and the Second Coming. I'm grateful to be asked by God's grace to pay attention to these issues. Apocalyptic literature in the Bible is something that I've been avoiding. Through Paul Kingsnorth's secular literature, I am now embracing the Bible's message of tribulation, destruction, and the New Earth, the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820408768325447954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091666977821831638.post-55874476722824159412014-04-18T11:59:00.000-07:002014-04-18T12:26:10.832-07:00Witness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GpHJwn_EWYA/U1F2DVmlgII/AAAAAAAAAJ8/iemoKwhmgII/s1600/mARY+AND+JESUS.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GpHJwn_EWYA/U1F2DVmlgII/AAAAAAAAAJ8/iemoKwhmgII/s1600/mARY+AND+JESUS.png" height="320" width="249" /></a></div>
Have you ever experienced the calm presence of another person when you were suffering in body, mind, and spirit? Have you ever provided this kind of witness to someone who needed it? I remember the visits of a little boy who stood outside and looked through the window of my isolation room when I was hospitalized at age 12. Danny was a patient on the same floor. He visited every day and just connected to me through the window with his eyes. Today in thinking about Mary's presence at the crucifixion of her son Jesus, I wonder how she was in her spirit. I wonder when Jesus could not feel God's presence during his ordeal if he felt the comforting presence of his mother.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820408768325447954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091666977821831638.post-80994446042216506292014-04-17T16:25:00.000-07:002014-04-17T16:25:10.449-07:00Heaven<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1MrlDJFLDnA/U1BgRWG-wpI/AAAAAAAAAJs/QMOnWphUTK0/s1600/PrinceOfPeace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1MrlDJFLDnA/U1BgRWG-wpI/AAAAAAAAAJs/QMOnWphUTK0/s1600/PrinceOfPeace.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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from the movie "Heaven is for Real"</div>
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I love the subplot about the young artist who as a four-year-old saw Jesus in a near death experience; and she continues to paint images of heaven. There's a lot of convincing mystery in the new movie "Heaven is for Real." Who hasn't had experiences that can't be explained? Whether the mystery is inside us where Jesus suggests we can find a heavenly home, or whether heaven is a real experience outside of ourselves, or both, we can improve the quality of today just by thinking about it. That's what this movie did for me; and I'm hoping it might do the same for you.</div>
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820408768325447954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091666977821831638.post-19926694179043346972014-04-15T15:08:00.001-07:002014-04-15T15:08:45.930-07:00Children<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kyh4pXu8a0g/U02tTVrGjmI/AAAAAAAAAJc/cJ3C2NF7HA8/s1600/212201a06262dc379dd49744530fe6ca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kyh4pXu8a0g/U02tTVrGjmI/AAAAAAAAAJc/cJ3C2NF7HA8/s1600/212201a06262dc379dd49744530fe6ca.jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a></div>
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"And a Little Child Shall Lead Them" by Ken Hesler</div>
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To A Child</h1>
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The greatest poem ever known<br />Is one all poets have outgrown:<br />The poetry, innate, untold,<br />Of being only four years old.<br /><br />Still young enough to be a part<br />Of Nature's great impulsive heart,<br />Born comrade of bird, beast, and tree<br />And unselfconscious as the bee-<br /><br />And yet with lovely reason skilled<br />Each day new paradise to build;<br />Elate explorer of each sense,<br />Without dismay, without pretense!<br /><br />In your unstained transparent eyes<br />There is no conscience, no surprise:<br />Life's queer conundrums you accept,<br />Your strange divinity still kept.<br /><br />Being, that now absorbs you, all<br />Harmonious, unit, integral,<br />Will shred into perplexing bits,-<br />Oh, contradictions of the wits!<br /><br />And Life, that sets all things in rhyme,<br />may make you poet, too, in time-<br />But there were days, O tender elf,<br />When you were Poetry itself!</div>
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<div class="poet" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.417em; text-align: start;">
Christopher Morley </div>
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820408768325447954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091666977821831638.post-9297586267588631892014-04-13T11:53:00.000-07:002014-04-13T12:09:35.380-07:00Nonviolence<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ecs6Jefh_No/U0rcsYYkPbI/AAAAAAAAAIY/vH6R18mDyC0/s1600/ca600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ecs6Jefh_No/U0rcsYYkPbI/AAAAAAAAAIY/vH6R18mDyC0/s1600/ca600.jpg" height="263" width="320" /></a></div>
For the past twelve years I have been studying Nonviolent Communication. My first workshop was with <a href="http://baynvc.org/">Miki Kashtan</a> who has recently published a visionary book on this subject--<u style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 27px;">Spinning Threads of Radical Aliveness: Transcending the Legacy of Separation in Our Individual Lives.</u><br />
It strikes me that Palm Sunday was a lovely and memorable example of nonviolence. Jesus led his followers into the center of worldly power riding on a young colt or an ass. His action boldly communicated that he claimed to be a king of peace (Zechariah 9:9). The consequences of this peaceful action were certainly clear to him. Nonviolence takes a tremendous amount of courage. Speak truth peacefully today!Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820408768325447954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091666977821831638.post-18768361649137503912014-04-11T03:06:00.001-07:002014-04-11T03:26:21.054-07:00Words and Creation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The power of the word: "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1)<br />
About a month ago I gave a little wood-burned word to a person who was struggling. How could I have known how much it would mean to them? Never did I think that they would carry it every day from then until now. It humbles me at the same time as I remember the many words I have spoken in life which were meant to hurt. If my need for verbal temperance is a common need, it's no wonder there are hundreds of verses in the Bible about bridling our tongues and guarding our mouths. Following is an excerpt from my manuscript <u>The Heavenly Body</u>:<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">A good man out of the good treasure
of his heart<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">bringeth forth that which is good;
and an evil man<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">out of the evil treasure of his heart
bringeth forth <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">that which is evil:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for of the abundance of the heart<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">his mouth speaketh.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Luke 6:45<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">What is a repeated theme
for me when I am talking?</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">What
does this tell me about my values?</span></div>
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820408768325447954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091666977821831638.post-27507733735102550162014-04-10T07:45:00.000-07:002014-04-10T16:44:38.427-07:00Sacred Sex<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NJhHQ8HbvbM/U0csvXmg38I/AAAAAAAAAH0/Tm9DAruIhTA/s1600/The+Kiss+by+Gustav+Klimt+OSA211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NJhHQ8HbvbM/U0csvXmg38I/AAAAAAAAAH0/Tm9DAruIhTA/s1600/The+Kiss+by+Gustav+Klimt+OSA211.jpg" height="320" width="266" /></a></div>
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"The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt</div>
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Have you ever thought that romantic love was just not beautiful enough when you watch movies from Hollywood? Have you ever wondered what the Bible has to say about sex? Take a look at the Song of Solomon (just after Ecclesiastes and before Isaiah). What a book! Here is how it starts "<i>Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine" </i>Song of Solomon Ch. 1, v. 2). If you're thinking of getting married, or have already done that, inspire yourself with the poetry of sacred physical connection as found in the Bible; and "<i>many waters</i>...(will not) <i>quench </i>(your)<i> love" </i>Song of Solomon Ch. 8, v.7a.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820408768325447954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091666977821831638.post-35989479158665122892014-04-09T07:16:00.000-07:002014-04-09T07:17:46.075-07:00Well-being<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Because he </span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">(the hypocrite) <i>knows
no quietness<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">in his belly, he will not save
anything he desires,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Nothing is left for him to eat;
Therefore his well-being<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">will not last. In his self-sufficiency he will be in
distress.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Job 20: 20-21a<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">If my belly knows no quiet
and no calmness, perhaps I might consider the cause of the distress. Today how am I willing to lessen the stress by adjusting my habit of self-sufficiency?</span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820408768325447954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091666977821831638.post-72984596728864051862014-04-08T07:18:00.000-07:002014-04-08T08:16:35.592-07:00Gentle Spring Rain<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hZC8yZvJeCc/U0QCQ_a16FI/AAAAAAAAAFw/GDGsNmdbYI4/s1600/Pine+Tree+Drops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hZC8yZvJeCc/U0QCQ_a16FI/AAAAAAAAAFw/GDGsNmdbYI4/s1600/Pine+Tree+Drops.jpg" height="228" width="320" /></a></div>
<i>Behold, God is great, and we know him not, </i></div>
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<i>neither can the number of his years be searched out.</i></div>
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<i>for he maketh small the drops of water:</i></div>
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<i>they pour down rain according to the vapor thereof;</i></div>
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<i>which the clouds do drop</i></div>
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<i>and distill upon man abundantly.</i></div>
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Job 36:26-27</div>
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In high school my history teacher Janet Eisendrath taught the Book of Job as literature. I have always cherished the way she opened a world of beauty and meaning to us with that class; and I have approached the Bible in very much the same way that she taught ever since. This verse from Job enhances my experience of today's Spring rain.</div>
Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820408768325447954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091666977821831638.post-56040585564086535862014-04-05T15:29:00.001-07:002014-04-05T15:29:49.801-07:00Dedication and Obedience<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Maria Kutschera of Salzberg wanted nothing more than to serve God by spending her whole life as a nun in a very strict convent. God, however, had another idea. When Captain Von Trapp asked Maria to marry him, she ran to the convent hoping to be readmitted there. The nuns answered her by saying that God wanted her to marry the Captain; and she must obey. Today my daughter and I are at the Von Trapp Family Lodge in Vermont, enjoying the story of Maria and her faith.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820408768325447954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091666977821831638.post-27396710241021177322014-04-03T09:44:00.000-07:002014-04-03T09:44:20.567-07:00Slowing Down<div class="heading passage-class-0" style="color: #5c1101; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 10px;">
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Song of Solomon 2:11-13</h3>
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King James Version (KJV)</div>
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<span class="text Song-2-11" id="en-KJV-17566"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">11 </span>For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;</span></div>
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<span class="text Song-2-12" id="en-KJV-17567"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">12 </span>The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land...</span><br />
<span class="text Song-2-12"><br /></span>
<span class="text Song-2-12">Thank God for good friends! Spending time walking slowly around Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge with an old friend this morning brought so much peace, especially when some painted turtles "spoke" to us. </span></div>
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820408768325447954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091666977821831638.post-79246783714965401602014-04-02T12:41:00.001-07:002014-04-03T16:40:51.749-07:00Bird Lore<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Isn't it time to listen to the language of birds again! There is a thrill in recognizing our old friends who made themselves absent for much of the winter. Christian tradition can enhance the enjoyment of birds. For example, the robin has a heroic place in Christian lore. At the crucifixion, the robin felt with Jesus in his agony, and went to pull out one of the thorns from the Lord's brow. It was Jesus' blood that stained the robin's breast red.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820408768325447954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091666977821831638.post-75585563019046441672014-04-01T06:11:00.001-07:002014-04-01T06:11:52.983-07:00April Fools<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the one about Balaam, a false prophet hired to curse Israel, and his talking ass (Numbers 22:21-39) . Balaam stubbornly beat his donkey repeatedly when it stopped on the path. When the donkey asks Balaam the reason for the beatings, Balaam responds that the donkey has made a fool of him. Really the donkey sees the angel of the Lord with drawn sword blocking the path, God has spoken through the mouth of the ass. Let us then, suffer fools wisely, and tolerate being one if necessary for the will of God.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820408768325447954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091666977821831638.post-38355878164946284602014-03-31T08:31:00.000-07:002014-04-10T07:53:08.651-07:00Listening<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This morning I checked out the wisdom of the <a href="http://ssje.org/">Society of Saint John </a>in Cambridge, MA and watched their short daily video. Today's theme touched on the gift of listening. The prophet Isaiah asks "what shall I cry" (Isaiah 40:6); and I ask the same, adding to it "what shall I hear?" The Jewish affirmation of faith comes to mind "Hear O Israel the LORD our God, the LORD is one" (Deuteronomy 40:6). When I listen to another person with the knowledge of our universal human experience, our oneness in God, I can be a channel of at-one-ment or atonement. Here is a prayer from my book <u>The Heavenly Body</u>:<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Prayer for the Ears</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Creator of hearing, I pray for the healing of</span><br /><span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">__(name)__</span></span><span style="line-height: 200%;">’s</span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> ears. May </span><span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">__(name)__</span></span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> hear the Good News.</span><br /><span style="line-height: 200%;">May </span><span style="line-height: 200%;">(he/she)</span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> listen
for your Word.</span><br /><span style="line-height: 200%;">Stop </span><span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">__(name)__</span></span><span style="line-height: 200%;">’s </span><span style="line-height: 200%;">ears to the sounds of destruction,</span><br /><span style="line-height: 200%;">and open them to your love.</span><br /><span style="line-height: 200%;">Amen.</span></span></span></h2>
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820408768325447954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091666977821831638.post-11649265419469960482014-03-30T05:22:00.000-07:002014-03-30T05:22:46.795-07:00Leaping and Dancing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cvPkIz4Nuyo/UzgMVHGkGvI/AAAAAAAAAD4/xNKfm9C5W3k/s1600/Isadora_embed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cvPkIz4Nuyo/UzgMVHGkGvI/AAAAAAAAAD4/xNKfm9C5W3k/s1600/Isadora_embed.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
Of all places, I was reminded at a high school performance of "Footloose," directed by my daughter <a href="http://franbetlyon.com/">Fran</a> that dancing is part of the testimony of scripture, "there is a time to mourn and a time to dance (Ecclesiastes 3:4). This morning I used my favorite Bible search site <a href="http://biblegateway.com/">BibleGateway</a> to look at the other references to dancing and leaping in the Scripture. A wonderful connection is that during the energy healing treatment in Brookline two days ago, the healer, a dancer was able to enliven the energy in my legs, and I expressed this to her by saying "I experienced the feeling of leaping."Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820408768325447954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091666977821831638.post-40991983116154576652014-03-29T08:58:00.003-07:002014-04-03T16:44:25.496-07:00Healing Vision<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yesterday during an energy healing session in Brookline, I had an image of a healing room where illustrations from my <u>Heavenly Body</u> manuscript were hanging on the wall, and the background sound was a recording of me reading poems, scripture, and prayers from the book. To act on this idea, I downloaded the <a href="http://italksync.com/">iTalk App</a> where I will make a short recording of a few of the <u>Heavenly Body</u> poems. Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820408768325447954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091666977821831638.post-75166093531774025822014-03-28T03:59:00.001-07:002014-03-29T10:04:51.161-07:00Lenten Wilderness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My Lenten practice this year is silencing the inner static. The root
of the desire was to stop judging self and others. After listening to
Richard Rohr "On Silence" (check it out on Youtube), I discovered
that there is more ease in a general inner silence than in confronting
every judgmental thought as it arises. Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820408768325447954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091666977821831638.post-13916346804244379202014-03-27T14:22:00.001-07:002014-04-10T07:56:58.298-07:00New Beginning<br />
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My brother <a href="http://lenedgerly.com/">Len</a> suggests that I return to writing this blog with the topic being my creative process. I'm willing to try that.... He's had good ideas before. <br />
He's wanting to make it easier for me to get my book project done; <u>The Heavenly Body</u> has been in the works for 20 years. I'm not sure who wants to hear about this. Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820408768325447954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091666977821831638.post-65007825804843104092011-10-27T04:41:00.000-07:002011-10-27T04:46:13.872-07:00Joshua 22:5<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>But take diligent heed to do the commandment and</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>the law, which Moses the servant of the Lord charged</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>cleave unto him; and to serve him with all your</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>heart and with all your soul.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Meditation:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre; "> </span>What associations do I have with the idea of soulful service?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Affirmation:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre; "> </span>I give heart service to God today.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Prayer:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre; "> </span>Thank you, Lord, that you desire the service of your people.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820408768325447954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091666977821831638.post-28657039948428257592011-10-12T05:03:00.000-07:002011-10-12T05:08:13.413-07:00Deuteronomy 13:6<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son,</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods,</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers...</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>thou shalt not consent unto him...</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Meditation:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre; "> </span>What pressures have I experienced from and family and/or friends </div><div style="text-align: left;">to involve myself in unwholesome activities?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Affirmation:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre; "> </span>I serve only the LORD in every way.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Prayer:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre; "> </span>Lord God, please keep me steady in my service to you this day and always.</div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820408768325447954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091666977821831638.post-64896713134299238422011-10-11T04:42:00.000-07:002011-10-11T04:47:04.959-07:00Psalms 3:2,3<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Many there be which say of my soul,</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>There is no help for him in God. Selah.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me;</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>my glory, and the lifter of my head.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Meditation:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre; "> </span>When recently have I experienced God as a shield? Can this</div><div style="text-align: left;">imagery be helpful for me today?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Affirmation:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre; "> </span>My defender is God.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Prayer:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre; "> </span>I am in awe, Lord, of the glory that you share with all people,</div><div style="text-align: left;">no matter what their circumstances.</div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820408768325447954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091666977821831638.post-82583870181525009272011-09-15T13:50:00.000-07:002011-09-15T13:57:28.598-07:00Job 31:28-30<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge:</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>for I should have denied the God that is above, If I</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me or lift</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>up myself when evil found him: Neither have I</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>suffered my mouth to sin by wishing a curse on his soul.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Meditation:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre; "> </span> What is my usual reaction to the person who does me harm?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Affirmation:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre; "> </span>I cherish God and wish no harm.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Prayer:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre; "> </span>O Holy One, please calm my soul and hold me close when I am tempted</div><div style="text-align: left;">to curse my enemy.</div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820408768325447954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091666977821831638.post-78825937200551389362011-09-01T06:14:00.000-07:002011-09-01T06:19:18.532-07:00Job 30:25<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Did I not weep for him that was in trouble?</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Was not my soul grieved for the poor?</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>
<br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>
<br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Meditation:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre; "> </span>Who created the compassion in Job's heart?</div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Affirmation:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre; "> </span>I take time to feel the troubles of others.</div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Meditation:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre; "> </span>Thank you, God, for your servant Job's concern for the troubled and</div><div style="text-align: left;">the poor. Thank you for all souls who respond with feeling to those who are in trouble.</div><div style="text-align: left;">
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<br /></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820408768325447954noreply@blogger.com0