Continual prayer

Below is an excerpt taken from the book "The Name of Jesus" by Irenee Hausherr

"Continual prayer means keeping the soul attentive to God with great reverence and love, constantly hoping in him. It means entrusting ourselves to him in everything that happens, whether in things we do or in events that occur."

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I wait for the LORD,
my soul doth wait,
and in his word do I hope.
Psa 130:5

Psalms for today

Blessed be the LORD,
because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.
The LORD is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusted in him, and I am helped:
therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth;
and with my song will I praise him.

Psa 28:6-7

Always remember ...

Always remember to forget

The troubles that passed away,

But never forget to remember

The blessings that come each day.

Anonymous

You are of more value ...

I read a wonderful blog this morning which inspired me to post one of my own.

Here is a link to The SPARROW at STARBUCKS

The old hymn His Eye is on The Sparrow is an old favorite of mine.

It was written in 1905 by

Civilla D. Martin.

It is based on Matthew 10:29-31

***

Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing?

and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.

But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Fear ye not therefore,

ye are of more value than many sparrows.

***

Why should I feel discouraged,
why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely,
and long for heav’n and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
and I know He watches me.

“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
and I know He watches me.

Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing,
when hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
and I know He watches me.

What is your song?

Below is an excerpt from the book 'Seeking a Simpler Spirit'

by Deborah DeFord.

***

In the natural world, every created thing has its own music:

The whisper of tall grasses.

The creak of tree branches.

The clapping of leaves and the clacking of stones.

The lap of soft waves and the thunder of breakers.

The chuckles and chatter, trills and caws, of beasts and birds.

The patter of rain and the soughing of wind.

All these are the songs God's creation lifts up to its Creator.

What is your song? Let yourself make a joyful noise before God today.

***

The Silversmith

Good morning Friends ~ I heard this for the first time yesterday, some of you may have already heard or read it. May all of our hearts be blessed as we read and contemplate these words.

Have a lovely Sunday whatever you do, being thankful for the many blessings big and small we receive in this life each and every day. Thankful for the refining that goes on in our hearts and lives.

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Silversmith

There was a group of women in a Bible Study on the book of Malachi. As they were studying chapter three, they came across verse three, which says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. "This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study. That week, this woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work.

She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot then she thought again about the verse, that "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, how do you know when the silver is fully refined? He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy - when I see my image in it."

Live this moment deeply

The following is taken from thoughts by Thich Nhat Hanh, found in The Moment is Perfect.

Many of us don’t allow ourselves to be relaxed. Why do we always try to run and run, even while having our breakfast, while having our lunch, while walking, while sitting? There’s something pushing and pulling us all the time. We make ourselves busy in the hopes of having happiness in the future.

In the sutra we find the following: "Don’t get caught in the past, because the past is gone. Don’t get upset about the future, because the future is not yet here. There is only one moment for you to be alive, and that is the present moment. Go back to the present moment and live this moment deeply, and you’ll be free."