Currently, I begin every morning, in the dark before dawn, with a cup of coffee and a seven-minute song called “On the Nature of Daylight.” It’s a song that, thanks to first hearing it in the movie "Arrival," helps me to stand in awe of time and thus keep my priorities (mostly) straight.
I am most connected to my spiritual father and to the greater universe when I take time during the day to walk, alone, for miles at the ranch; and then spend time in the evening gazing at the miracle of the sky filled with stars, comets, and satellites.
Often I don't know what I'm thinking until I write it down. Insight slips in the cracks. I remember small things that turn out to be important. I also need some time without words for quiet centering prayer.
LISTENING TO A BUBBLING CREEK. At the end of my street is a city park through which meanders something akin to the River of Life. I could sit there for hours, mesmerized by the sound of the water, which is the sound of Gods voice. I love it so much that I sleep with the same sound on a Bluetooth speaker mask that I wear.
And using nature as the catalyst whenever possible. Whether it's with eyes closed feeling the grass beneath my feet, the warm sun on my skin or a soft breeze against my face, or a slow methodical walk through the woods, nature helps me tune into my body and breath. And when I do so, I often find enough quiet to experience Gods presence.
Meditation, prayer, music, time spent in nature, yoga, connecting with others, journaling, and on and on. Right now, coffee time with the cats, listening to the birds at sunrise.
Giving my day and my decisions over to God in full surrender each morning, knowing that this is the only way to live. I then wait for the inner guidance to lead me through my day.
MEDITATION/AWARENESS. It could be as simple as an awareness as I'm washing dishes or a meditation where I focus on feeling each part of my body - either way it brings me back to my body (and out of my head) and makes me feel more present, sometimes shockingly so, like I how long was I lost in my head?
BIRDWATCHING. Whether from my living room window, patio, or on a hike, it’s a practice I started 4 years ago that gets me out of my head and back into my body and into the world; expands my awareness of the everyday beauty of nature; and reminds me in the most lighthearted way to “Consider the birds of the air…”
It’s a subtle help to add to my journaling practice to incorporate this tool which includes “neuro theology,” inviting my brain and body to fully receive God’s gladness to be with me. This is cementing my attachment to God and helping me move past trauma and hurt to a place of centeredness and belonging. Using the small book Joyful Journey as a guide/prompt. I love how accessible this tool is and that it costs nothing…but time & paper.
Two Spiritual Practices come to mind - 1) Running, which somehow feeds my soul. I think it’s just being in nature and noticing all the small wonders I otherwise miss - an egg fallen from a nest, the color of the sky that day, the smell of the air - is rain coming? It feeds my soul and I let my mind wander and listen. 2) I am sitting now with my coffee and my Bible. I have made it a practice to start my day with some time in God’s Word and truly to listen more than ask. I’m floundering on the listening part, I have to admit. This discipline starts my day off with a confident reminder that God’s help is always just a whisper away.
I will get up early just so I can sit in my chair in the quiet before anyone else is stirring. I think. I read. I try not to work. I look outside at my beautiful yard and the wind in the trees. I talk to God hoping that I will hear direction for my life. It is hard to listen. I keep trying.
LISTENING WITH EARS, EYES, AND HEART, noticing birdsong and wind chimes and the breathing rise and fall of cars and trucks shushing by like surf outside my window, seeing not just the dancing of leaves in sunlight on the breeze but the rippling pattern of the movement of invisible energy through these things, feeling the relation of these to the in-and-out flow of my breath, filling and releasing – mainly in the morning with coffee, often with a Bible or other book, entertaining the conversation between what I'm reading and sensing of my body and the world around me – also hiking or driving or walking by the river or stopped at a light, this listening grounds and energizes me, opens a space to choose a next course of action from love and appreciation, rather than spritz about jerkily from stimulus to clamoring, reactive stimulus.
TIME OUTSIDE. Nature is where I experience rest and refreshment. Sometimes it’s a walk, other times quiet reflection from a beautiful vantage point, other times the weather itself (rain or sun), the breeze, the sounds, the wind, the stillness, the beach, the mountains…all of it. I find Him present outside. He consistently reveals Himself in nature and restores my soul.
COFFEE AND A SONG.
Currently, I begin every morning, in the dark before dawn, with a cup of coffee and a seven-minute song called “On the Nature of Daylight.” It’s a song that, thanks to first hearing it in the movie "Arrival," helps me to stand in awe of time and thus keep my priorities (mostly) straight.
I am most connected to my spiritual father and to the greater universe when I take time during the day to walk, alone, for miles at the ranch; and then spend time in the evening gazing at the miracle of the sky filled with stars, comets, and satellites.
JOURNALING AND MEDITATION
Often I don't know what I'm thinking until I write it down. Insight slips in the cracks. I remember small things that turn out to be important. I also need some time without words for quiet centering prayer.
LISTENING TO A BUBBLING CREEK. At the end of my street is a city park through which meanders something akin to the River of Life. I could sit there for hours, mesmerized by the sound of the water, which is the sound of Gods voice. I love it so much that I sleep with the same sound on a Bluetooth speaker mask that I wear.
TUNING INTO THE BODY THAT HE GAVE ME.
And using nature as the catalyst whenever possible. Whether it's with eyes closed feeling the grass beneath my feet, the warm sun on my skin or a soft breeze against my face, or a slow methodical walk through the woods, nature helps me tune into my body and breath. And when I do so, I often find enough quiet to experience Gods presence.
LIGHTING A CANDLE
In the early morning helps me remember God's Love is both within me and all around me.
SO MANY THINGS.
Meditation, prayer, music, time spent in nature, yoga, connecting with others, journaling, and on and on. Right now, coffee time with the cats, listening to the birds at sunrise.
SILENCE. There’s so little quiet in our world right now. It feels like a balm.
Giving my day and my decisions over to God in full surrender each morning, knowing that this is the only way to live. I then wait for the inner guidance to lead me through my day.
MEDITATION/AWARENESS. It could be as simple as an awareness as I'm washing dishes or a meditation where I focus on feeling each part of my body - either way it brings me back to my body (and out of my head) and makes me feel more present, sometimes shockingly so, like I how long was I lost in my head?
BIRDWATCHING. Whether from my living room window, patio, or on a hike, it’s a practice I started 4 years ago that gets me out of my head and back into my body and into the world; expands my awareness of the everyday beauty of nature; and reminds me in the most lighthearted way to “Consider the birds of the air…”
IMMANUEL JOURNALING
It’s a subtle help to add to my journaling practice to incorporate this tool which includes “neuro theology,” inviting my brain and body to fully receive God’s gladness to be with me. This is cementing my attachment to God and helping me move past trauma and hurt to a place of centeredness and belonging. Using the small book Joyful Journey as a guide/prompt. I love how accessible this tool is and that it costs nothing…but time & paper.
Two Spiritual Practices come to mind - 1) Running, which somehow feeds my soul. I think it’s just being in nature and noticing all the small wonders I otherwise miss - an egg fallen from a nest, the color of the sky that day, the smell of the air - is rain coming? It feeds my soul and I let my mind wander and listen. 2) I am sitting now with my coffee and my Bible. I have made it a practice to start my day with some time in God’s Word and truly to listen more than ask. I’m floundering on the listening part, I have to admit. This discipline starts my day off with a confident reminder that God’s help is always just a whisper away.
SITTING IN MY CHAIR FIRST THING IN THE MORNING
I will get up early just so I can sit in my chair in the quiet before anyone else is stirring. I think. I read. I try not to work. I look outside at my beautiful yard and the wind in the trees. I talk to God hoping that I will hear direction for my life. It is hard to listen. I keep trying.
LISTENING WITH EARS, EYES, AND HEART, noticing birdsong and wind chimes and the breathing rise and fall of cars and trucks shushing by like surf outside my window, seeing not just the dancing of leaves in sunlight on the breeze but the rippling pattern of the movement of invisible energy through these things, feeling the relation of these to the in-and-out flow of my breath, filling and releasing – mainly in the morning with coffee, often with a Bible or other book, entertaining the conversation between what I'm reading and sensing of my body and the world around me – also hiking or driving or walking by the river or stopped at a light, this listening grounds and energizes me, opens a space to choose a next course of action from love and appreciation, rather than spritz about jerkily from stimulus to clamoring, reactive stimulus.
TIME OUTSIDE. Nature is where I experience rest and refreshment. Sometimes it’s a walk, other times quiet reflection from a beautiful vantage point, other times the weather itself (rain or sun), the breeze, the sounds, the wind, the stillness, the beach, the mountains…all of it. I find Him present outside. He consistently reveals Himself in nature and restores my soul.