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a reasonable mystic

a reasonable mystic
The visible trail of my journey from reluctant fundamentalism, through evangelical by conviction of Jesus as the only way, charismatic through encounter with the Holy Spirit, postmodern by choice, to protestant mystic as the only sensible response to
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A Short and Easy Method of Prayer - Chapter 19
2009-12-21 20:45:00
Of Distractions and TemptationsA direct contest and struggle with distractions and temptations rather serves to augment them, and withdraws the soul from that adherence to God, which should ever be its principal occupation. The surest and safest method for conquest is simply to turn away from the evil and draw yet nearer and closer to our God. A little child, on perceiving a monster, does not wait to fight with it, and will scarcely turn its eyes towards it, but quickly shrinks into the bosom of its mother, in total confidence of safety; so likewise should the soul turn from the dangers of temptation to God. "God is in the midst of her," saith the Psalmist, "she shall not be moved; God shall help her, and that right early" (Psal. xlvi. 5).If we do otherwise, and in our weakness attempt to attack our enemies, we shall frequently feel ourselves wounded, if not totally defeated; but, by casting ourselves into the simple Presence of God, we shall find instant supplies of strength for ou...
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A Short and Easy Method of Prayer - Chapter 20
2008-01-12 22:31:00
Of Self-AnnihilationSupplication and sacrifice are comprehended in prayer, which, according to S. John, is "an incense, the smoke whereof ascendeth unto God;" therefore it is said in the Apocalypse that "unto the Angel was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints" (Chap. viii. 3).Prayer is the effusion of the heart in the Presence of God: "I have poured out my soul before God" saith the mother of Samuel. (1 Sam. i. 15) The prayer of the wise men at the feet of Christ in the stable of Bethlehem, was signified by the incense they offered: for prayer being the energy and fire of love, melting, dissolving, and sublimating the soul, and causing it to ascend unto God; therefore, in proportion as the soul is melted and dissolved, in like proportion do odours issue from it; and these odours proceed from the intense fire of love within.This is illustrated in the Canticles (i. 11) where the spouse saith, "While the King sitteth on his couch, my spikenard send...
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A Short and Easy Method of Prayer - Chapter 18
2008-01-07 07:45:00
Of Defects or InfirmitiesShould we either wander among externals, or sink into dissipation, or commit a fault, we must instantly turn inwards; for having departed thereby from our God, we should as soon as possible return again unto Him, and suffer in His presence whatever sensations He is pleased to impress. On the commission of a fault it is of great importance to guard against vexation and disquietude, which springs from a secret root of pride and a love of our own excellence; we are hurt by feeling what we are; and if we discourage ourselves or despond, we are the more enfeebled; and from our reflections on the fault a chagrin arises, which is often worse than the fault itself.The truly humble soul is not surprised at defects or failings; and the more miserable and wretched it beholds itself, the more doth it abandon itself unto God, and press for a nearer and more intimate alliance with Him, that it may avail itself of His eternal strength. We should the rather be induced to ac...
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A Short and Easy Method of Prayer - Chapter 17
2007-12-24 22:45:00
Of PetitionsThe soul should not be surprised at feeling itself unable to offer up to God such petitions as it had formerly made with freedom and facility; for now the Spirit maketh intercession for it according to the will of God, that "Spirit which helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us, with groanings which cannot be uttered" (Rom. viii. 26). We must co-operate with, and second the designs of God, which tend to divest us of all our own operations, that in the place thereof His own may be substituted. Let this then be done in you, and suffer not yourself to be attached to anything, however good it may appear; for it is no longer good if it in any measure turns you aside from that which God willeth of you: the Divine Will is preferable to all things else. Shake off then all attachments to the interests of self, and live on faith and resignation; here it is that genuine faith begins truly to opera...
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A Short and Easy Method of Prayer - Chapter 16
2007-12-21 21:36:00
Of Reading and Vocal Prayer If, while reading, you feel yourself recollected, lay aside the book and remain in stillness; at all times read but little, and cease to read when you are thus internally attracted.The soul that is called to a state of inward silence should not encumber itself with long vocal prayers; whenever it does pray vocally, and finds a difficulty therein, and an attraction to silence, it should not use constraint by persevering, but yield to the internal drawings, unless the repeating such prayers be a matter of obedience. In any other case, it is much better not to be burdened with and tied down to the repetition of set forms, but wholly given up to the leadings of the Holy Spirit; and herein, indeed, is every species of devotion inclusively fulfilled in a most eminent degree.Posts in this series:Madame Guyon - A Spiritual ReadingMadame Guyon - A Short and Easy Method of Prayer - PrefaceMadame Guyon - A Short and Easy Method of Prayer - Chapter 1Madame Guyon - A S...
A Short and Easy Method of Prayer - Chapter 15
2007-11-21 10:17:00
Of Confession and Self-examinationSelf-examination should always precede Confession, and in the nature and manner of it should be conformable to the state of the soul: the business of those that are advanced to the degree of which we now treat, is to lay their whole souls open before God, who will not fail to enlighten them, and enable them to see the peculiar nature of their faults. This examination, however, should be peaceful and tranquil, and we should depend on God for the discovery and knowledge of our sins, rather than, on the diligence of our own scrutiny.When we examine with constraint, and in the strength of our own endeavours, we are easily deceived and betrayed by self-love into error; "we believe the evil good, and the good evil" (Isa. v. 20); but when we lie in full exposure before the Sun of Righteousness, His Divine beams render the smallest atoms visible. It follows from hence that we must forsake self, and abandon our souls to God as well in examination as Confessi...
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A Short and Easy Method of Prayer - Chapter 14
2007-11-07 01:44:00
Of Inward Silence"The Lord is in His Holy Temple, let all the earth keep silence before him" (Hab. ii. 20). Inward silence is absolutely indispensable, because the Word is essential and eternal, and necessarily requires dispositions in the soul in some degree correspondent to His nature, as a capacity for the reception of Himself. Hearing is a sense formed to receive sounds, and is rather passive than active, admitting, but not communicating sensation; and if we would hear, we must lend the ear for that purpose: so Christ, the eternal Word, without whose Divine inspeaking the soul is dead, dark, and barren, when He would speak within us, requires the most silent attention to His all-quickening and efficacious voice.Hence it is so frequently enjoined us in Sacred Writ, to hear and be attentive to the Voice of God: of the numerous exhortations to this effect I shall quote a few: "Hearken unto me, my people, and give ear unto me, O my nation!" (Isa. li. 4), and again, "Hear me, all ye ...
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Life comes directly from God
2007-10-31 05:41:00
As a folower of Jesus I know that I have been reborn when I accepted Jesus as my Saviour. But I have sometimes wondered just how that rebirth comes about. How does God actually create that new life in me?While reading Fuchsia Pickett's excellent series of books on the Holy Spirit I came across a description, in Book II: Walking in the Anointing of the Holy Spirit, of how the Holy Spirit 'overshadowed' Mary in order to conceive the infant Jesus within her womb. I then remembered how, after God had shaped Adam's body from the earth, "he breathed (enspirited) life into him and he became a living soul." (Genesis 2:7)I also remembered how Paul drew on the Holy Spirit's part in the resurrection of Jesus (Romans 8:11) to describe how our mortal bodies are "quickened" by that same Holy Spirit that dwells in us.It becomes clear, then, that rebirth is not simply a legal transaction where we say to Jesus, "I accept your death for my sins and receive you as my Saviour", and God then says, ...
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A Short and Easy Method of Prayer - Chapter 13
2007-10-04 03:50:00
Of Rest before GodThe soul advanced thus far hath no need of any other preparation than its quietude: for now the Presence of God, which is the great effect, or rather continuation of Prayer , begins to be infused, and almost without intermission. The soul enjoys transcendent blessedness, and feels that “it no longer lives, but that Christ liveth in it”; and that the only way to find Him is introversion. No sooner do the bodily eyes close than the soul is wrapt up in Prayer: it is amazed at so great a blessing, and enjoys an internal converse, which external matters cannot interrupt.The same may be said of this species of prayer that is said of wisdom, “all good things come together with her” (Wisdom vii. 11). For the virtues flow from this soul into exertion with so much sweetness and facility that they appear natural and spontaneous; and the living spring within breaks forth so freely and abundantly into all goodness that it becomes even insensible to evil. Let it then rema...
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A Short and Easy Method of Prayer - Chapter 12
2007-09-06 22:01:00
Of the Presence of GodThe soul that is faithful in the exercise of love and adherence to God above described, is astonished to feel Him gradually taking possession of their whole being: it now enjoys a continual sense of that Presence, which is become as it were natural to it; and this, as well as prayer, is the result of habit. The soul feels an unusual serenity gradually being diffused throughout all its faculties; and silence now wholly constitutes its prayer; whilst God communicates an intuitive love, which is the beginning of ineffable blessedness. O that I were permitted to pursue this subject and describe some degrees of the endless progression of subsequent states! [2] But I now write only for beginners; and shall, therefore, proceed no farther, but wait our Lord's time for publishing what may be applicable to every conceivable degree of “stature in Christ Jesus.”We must, however, urge it as a matter of the highest import, to cease from self-action and self-exertion, th...
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A Short and Easy Method of Prayer - Chapter 11
2007-08-29 11:02:00
Of Conversion“Be ye truly converted unto that God from whom ye have so deeply revolted” (Isa. xxxi. 6). To be truly converted is to avert wholly from the creature, and turn wholly unto God.For the attainment of salvation it is absolutely necessary that we should forsake outward sin and turn unto righteousness: but this alone is not perfect conversion, which consists in a total change of the whole man from an outward to an inward life.When the soul is once turned to God a wonderful facility is found in continuing steadfast in conversion; and the longer it remains thus converted, the nearer it approaches, and the more firmly it adheres to God; and the nearer it draws to Him, of necessity it is the farther removed from the creature, which is so contrary to Him: so that it is so effectually established and rooted in its conversion that it becomes habitual, and, as it were, natural.Now we must not suppose that this is effected by a violent exertion of its own powers; for it is not ca...
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A Short and Easy Method of Prayer - Chapter 10
2007-08-25 08:17:00
Of MortificationI will even affirm, that, in any other way, it is next to an impossibility ever to acquire a perfect mortification of the senses and passions.The reason is obvious; the soul gives vigour and energy to the senses, and the senses raise and stimulate the passions: a dead body has neither sensations nor passions, because its connection with the soul is dissolved.All endeavours merely to rectify the exterior, impel the soul yet farther outward into that about which it is so warmly and zealously engaged. It is in these matters that its powers are diffused and scattered abroad: for its application being immediately directed to austerities, and other externals, it thus invigorates those very senses it is aiming to subdue. For the senses have no other spring from whence to derive their vigour, than the application of the soul to themselves; the degree of their life and activity is proportioned to the degree of attention which the soul bestows upon them; and this life of the s...
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A Short and Easy Method of Prayer - Chapter 9
2007-08-15 22:18:00
Of VirtueIt is thus we acquire virtue, with facility and certainty; for, as God is the fountain and principle of all virtue, we possess all in the possession of Himself; and in proportion as we approach towards this possession, in like proportion do we rise into the most eminent virtues. For all virtue is but as a mask, an outside appearance changeable as our garments, if it doth not spring up, and issue from within; and then, indeed, it is genuine, essential, and permanent: “The beauty of the King's daughter proceeds from within” saith David (Psa. xlv. 14). These souls, above all others, practise virtue in the most eminent degree, though they advert not to virtue in particular; God, to whom they are united, carries them to the most extensive practice of it; He is exceedingly jealous over them, and prohibits them thetaste of any pleasure but in Himself.What a hungering for sufferings have those souls, who thus glow with Divine Love! how prone to precipitate into excessive auste...
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A Short and Easy Method of Prayer - Chapter 8
2007-08-09 22:26:00
Of MysteriesIt may be objected, that, by this method, we shall have no mysteries imprinted on our minds: but it is quite the reverse; for it is the peculiar means of imparting them to the soul. Jesus Christ, to whom we are abandoned, and whom “we follow as the way, whom we hear as the truth, and who animates us as the life” (John xiv. 6) in imprinting Himself on the soul, impresses the characters of His different states; and to bear all the states of Jesus Christ is far more sublime, than merely to reason concerning them. S. Paul bore in his body the states of Jesus Christ: “I bear in my body,” says he, “the marks of the Lord Jesus” (Gal. vi. 17), but he does not say that he reasoned thereon.In our acts of resignation, Jesus Christ frequently communicates some peculiar views or revelations of His states: these we should thankfully receive, and dispose ourselves for what appeareth to be His will. Indeed, having no other choice, but that of ardently reaching after Him, of ...
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A Short and Easy Method of Prayer - Chapter 7
2007-08-03 14:22:00
Of SufferingsBe patient under all the sufferings which God is pleased to send you: if your love to Him be pure, you will not seek Him less on Calvary, than on Tabor; and, surely, He should be as much loved on that as on this, since it was on Calvary He made the greater display of His Love for you.Be not like those, who give themselves to Him at one season, and withdraw from Him at another: they give themselves only to be caressed; and wrest themselves back again, when they come to be crucified, or at least turn for consolation to the creature.No, beloved souls, ye will not find consolation in aught, but in the love of the Cross, and in total abandonment: “Whosoever favoureth not the Cross, favoureth not the things that be of God” (Matt. xvi. 23). It is impossible to love God without loving the Cross; and a heart that favours the Cross, finds the bitterest things to be sweet: “A famished soul findeth bitter things sweet” (Job. vi. 1) because it findeth itself hungering for Go...
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What is Perfection?
2007-08-01 03:04:00
In the beginning there wasn't, except for God.God said "Be!" and there was.God created, and said it was good, even very good. But it wasn't yet finished.Yet, in one sense it was perfect because, after declaring it to be very good, God rested.The job of furthering that perfection fell to Adam and Eve. They were to subdue it, name it, to have dominion over it, and to increase it by multiplying.It was perfect but incomplete.God had mentioned the possibility of good and evil existing in the tree, but until they ate of its fruit they could not know what this meant. They had no concept of sin - just the information that they should not eat of it because doing so would cause them to die, whatever that was. There were no categories of good and evil, right and wrong, sinful and holy in their experience. Just complete and incomplete, and an idea that some things were safe to do and some not.Perfection is a concept not disimilar in nature to infinity. Georg Cantor and others demonstrated tha...
A Short and Easy Method of Prayer - Chapter 6
2007-07-31 01:14:00
Of Self-SurrenderWe should now begin to abandon and give up our whole existence unto God, from the strong and positive conviction, that the occurrence of every moment is agreeable to His immediate will and permission, and just such as our state requires. This conviction will make us resigned in all things; and accept of all that happens, not as from the creature, but as from God Himself.But I conjure you, my dearly beloved, who sincerely wish to give up yourselves to God, that after you have made the donation, you will not snatch yourselves back again: remember, a gift once presented, is no longer at the disposal of the donor.Abandonment is a matter of the greatest importance in our process; it is the key to the inner court; so that whosoever knoweth truly how to abandon himself, soon becomes perfect: we must, therefore, continue steadfast and immovable therein, nor listen to the voice of natural reason. Great faith produces great abandonment: we must confide in God “hoping agains...
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A Short and Easy Method of Prayer - Chapter 5
2007-07-28 07:15:00
Of Spiritual AridityThough God hath no other desire than to impart Himself to the loving soul that seeks Him, yet He frequently conceals Himself that the soul may be roused from sloth, and impelled to seek Him with fidelity and love. But with what abundant goodness doth He recompense the faithfulness of His beloved? And how sweetly are these apparent withdrawings of Himself succeeded by the consoling caresses of love?At these seasons we are apt to believe, either that it proves our fidelity, and evinces a greater ardour of affection, to seek Him by an exertion of our own strength and activity; or, that this exertion will induce Him the more speedily to revisit us. No, no, my dear souls, believe me, this is not the right procedure in this degree of prayer; with patient love, with self-abasement and humiliation, with the reiterated breathings of an ardent but peaceful affection, and with silence full of the most profound respect, you must wait the return of the Beloved. Thus only you ...
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A Short and Easy Method of Prayer - Chapter 4
2007-07-18 06:07:00
The Second Degree of Prayer Some call the second degree of prayer, “The Prayer of Contemplation,” “The Prayer of Faith and Stillness,” and others call it, “The Prayer of Simplicity.” I shall here use this latter appellation, as being more just than any of the former, which imply a much more exalted state of prayer than that I am now treating of.When the soul has been for some time exercised in the way I have mentioned, it finds that it is gradually enabled to approach God with facility; that recollection is attended with much less difficulty; and that prayer becomes easy, sweet and delightful; it knows that this is the true way of finding God; and feels “his name is as ointment poured forth” (Cant. 1-3). But the method must now be altered, and that which I prescribe, followed with courage and fidelity, without being disturbed at the difficulties we may encounter therein.First, as soon as the soul by faith places itself in the Presence of God, and becomes recollected b...
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A Short and Easy Method of Prayer - Chapter 3
2007-07-16 03:44:00
The First Degree of Prayer Those who have not learnt to read, are not, on that account, excluded from prayer; for the Great Book which teacheth all things, and which is legible as well internally as externally, is Jesus Christ Himself.The method they should practice is this: They should first learn this fundamental truth, that "the kingdom of God is within them" (Luke xvii. 21), and that it is there, only it must be sought.It is as incumbent on the Clergy, to instruct their parishioners in prayer, as in their catechism. It is true, they tell them the end of their creation; but should they not also give them sufficient instructions how they may attain it? They should be taught to begin by an act of profound adoration and abasement before God; and closing the corporeal eyes, endeavour to open those of the soul: they should then collect themselves inwardly, and, by a lively faith in God, as dwelling within them, pierce into the Divine Presence; not suffering the senses to wander abroad,...
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A Short and Easy Method of Prayer - Chapter 2
2007-07-05 01:27:00
The Method of Prayer There are two ways of introducing a soul into prayer, which should for some time be pursued; the one is Meditation, the other is Reading accompanied with Meditation.Meditative Reading is the choosing some important practical or speculativetruth, always preferring the practical, and proceeding thus: whatever truthyou have chosen, read only a small portion of it, endeavouring to taste anddigest it, to extract the essence and substance thereof, and proceed nofarther while any savour or relish remains in the passage: when thissubsides, take up your book again and proceed as before, seldom reading morethan half a page at a time, for it is not the quantity that is read, but themanner of reading, that yields us profit.Those who read fast reap no more advantage than a bee would by only skimmingover the surface of the flower, instead of waiting to penetrate into it, andextract its sweets. Much reading is rather for scholastic subjects thandivine truths: indeed, to receive...
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A Short and Easy Method of Prayer - Chapter 1
2007-06-22 07:27:00
The Universal Call to Prayer What a dreadful delusion hath prevailed over the greater part of mankind, in supposing that they are not called to a state of prayer! whereas all are capable of prayer, and are called thereto, as all are called to and are capable of salvation.Prayer is the application of the heart to God, and the internal exercise of love. S. Paul hath enjoined us to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. v 17), and our Lord saith, "I say unto you all, watch and pray" (Mark xiii. 33, 37): all therefore may, and all ought to practice prayer. I grant that meditation is attainable but by few, for few are capable of it; and therefore, my beloved brethren who are athirst for salvation, meditative prayer is not the prayer which God requires of you, nor which we would recommend.Let all pray: we should live by prayer, as we should live by love. "I counsel you to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that ye may be rich" (Rev. iii. 8), this is much more easily obtained than we can conceive....
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Madame Guyon - A Short and Easy Method of Prayer - Preface
2007-06-21 12:02:00
THE AUTHOR'S PREFACE TO THE ORIGINAL EDITIONThis little treatise, conceived in great simplicity, was not originally intended for publication: it was written for a few individuals, who were desirous to love God with their whole heart; some of whom, because of the profit they received in reading the manuscript, wished to obtain copies of it; and on this account alone, it was committed to the press.It still remains in its original simplicity, without any censure on the various Divine Leadings of others: and we submit the whole to the judgment of those who are skilled and experienced in Divine matters; requesting them, however, not to decide without first entering into the main design of the Author, which is to induce the world to love God and to serve Him with comfort and success, in a simple and easy manner, adapted to those who are unqualified for learned and deep researches, and are, indeed, incapable of anything but a hearty desire to be truly devoted to God.An unprejudiced reader...
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Madam Guyon - a spiritual reading
2007-06-21 11:11:00
The Wikipedia article on one of the most well-known Christian Mystics begins as follows:Jeanne-Marie Bouvier de la Motte-Guyon (commonly known as Madam e Guyon) April 13 1648 - June 9 1717, ) was a French mystic and one of the key advocates of Quietism. Quietism was considered heretical by the Roman Catholic Church, and she was imprisoned from 1695 to 1703 after publishing a book on it A Short and Easy Method of Prayer. Widowed at 28, and left with 3 children, she pursued the secrets of the mystical life, the secrets of which she had been initiated into by Père Lacombe.The book we are to read here, A Short and Easy Method of Prayer, was inspired mostly by her own experiences. She distinguishes three kinds of prayer:The first is meditation. The second is the prayer of simplicity - keeping oneself in a state of recollection and silence in the presence of God.The third is active contemplation. The soul, conscious that God is taking possession of it, leaves Him to act and remains in rep...
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Speaking in Tongues and Intimacy with Jesus
2007-04-06 04:23:00
One of the most effective helps for the believer to move quickly and intimately into the presence of God is the Spiritual gift of speaking in tongues. It is a greatly neglected gift in the wider church, probably because a great deal of the available teaching is misleading, and sometimes deceptive, with a strong focus on the dangers, prompting believers to live in fear rather than faith, and very little teaching on the uses of this gift.I was prompted by a comment by a friend to revisit my old article on speaking in tongues: Tongues - making it happen, on the Healing Prayer Ministries Network website. As a result I've writen the first of a series on this topic on my Speaking -in-Tongues blog. The first of these new articles is called Tongues five years on.While I'll be covering many different areas in these articles, such as their use in ministry, healing, and intercession, the primary purpose of all of these activities is not really service to God, but rather intimacy with Jesus . S...
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Imagine That! - Part 2
2007-02-07 10:31:01
We finished Part 1 by saying that the human mind already has a faculty that appears to fulfill all of the functions needed for spirit to spirit communication. It is called the imagination. For some kinds of communication, e.g. thoughts, words and visions, the imagination is already able to place the information into the mind, with one of the only difficulties being for the mind to know where the thought, etc. came from. For things like physical or emotional feelings, the imagination needs to affect the body. However, such an ability is already well established, as evidenced by the abreaction of the body when a past trauma is remembered, or the rising up of fear, hatred or love when we learn of something happening to someone else, even in a fictional context such as a novel or a movie. We can even conjure up in our imagination details of something that never happened and feel what would be appropriate emotions or sensations as if it was a real event. Psychosomatic illness and many ph...
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Imagine That! - Part 1
2007-02-04 10:29:01
Those with an interest in exploring and understanding how the human brain operates, and the relationship between brain and mind, generally operate with an overriding assumption ? that the human mind is alone, isolated from all other minds except for communication processes relying on the five physical senses ? sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste, and the ability to speak, write, draw, gesticulate, etcetra. Some enthusiasts also posit extra-sensory perceptions, human to human, human to animal, and sometimes human to other entities. Such investigations are not held in high regard by the general scientific and medical community, I believe largely because of their assumptions that other entities do not exist, and that all processes are determined entirely by operation of the physical brain. Leaving out, for now, the possibility of ESP, five physical senses would be enough or simple communication and interaction. However, this neglects the possibility that a considerable amount of hum...
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Richard Rohr on the Church
2006-12-10 03:48:02
First, let me apologise for the delay since my last post. Di and I have been to Queensland for a school on cutting edge ministry with Peter and Heather Toth - anazao.com.au . It was mind-blowing, and I'm sure I'll say more later. But for now, something else. A few weeks ago Rich ard Rohr, a modern mystic, was interviewed on The Religion Report on Radio National .He says some provocative things about church and ministry. (Thanks for the heads-up Gary - theeighthday.org.au/mt/gdh/). Here's an excerpt of what Rohr said: Richard Rohr got some flak from readers of his column in the National Catholic Reporter recently when he suggested that few transformations happen in church, that the places where real transformation happens in our world are Alcoholics Anonymous, Ground Zero, the cancer ward, and of course the mountains of New Mexico. Richard Rohr: Well I did say that. I wrote a whole Lenten series on the concept of liminal space, liminality. It's amazing how interesting that subje...
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Check out the posts on my blogs
2006-12-02 15:42:07
If you are reading this post you would probably also be interested in posts in some of my blogs: Listening 2 God Theology of Lying Prophecy Versus Preaching Purifying the Prophetic - Sanctified Psychic Reading Tell him he's dreaming! Ministry to Children Step Out and Prophesy Welcome to Listening 2 God blog Mal's Meanderings The Law and the Prophets Barbers don't exist - irrefutable proof. Please, Mr Einstein The things you are asked in counselling Is prophecy the same as inspired preaching? Purpose-Driven? Noctaphobia Why 'Beth Tephillah'? Doppler Shift Being Made One What we believe Top Ten Truths That Shape My Teaching Jesus and Walls A Vision for the Church The perfect pastor The words 'charismatic' and 'pentecostal' have passed their use-by dates Managed Friendship Crossing Over - a word from Rick Joyner History of Medicine I've just discovered a great website on open theism I am greatly enjoying...
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Rhonda Hughey - Three Doors
2006-12-02 15:42:07
A year or so ago I went to the YWAM base in Melbourne, Australia to hear Rhonda Hugh ey speak. What i heard was inspiring. Here is a woman who, while being a leader with a global perspective on the church, at the same time sees the preeminent importance of a truly intimate relationship with Jesus. I want to quote to you what she says in the introduction to her book, Desperate for His Presence: Gods Design to Transform Your Life and Your City.In a declining culture, the church cannot fully recover the presence of Godin her midst apart from the catalyst of a true revival from heaven. We areliving in an important hour of history! God is challenging the church'sself-centered identity and shifting our mindsets and ineffective methodologies.He is inviting us to respond to one of the greatest challenges we have everfaced - to return to our first love and to step out of our compromised churchculture into His kingdom!Do you hear the message here? Instead of being focussed on ourselves, or ev...
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