A word from us...
The Living Spirit - June 24th
“Discipline means to prevent everything in your life from being filled up. Discipline means that somewhere you're not occupied, and certainly not preoccupied. In the spiritual life, discipline means to create that space in which something can happen that you had not planned or counted on."
Henri Nouwen
From Romans 6:
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives. He lives to God. Even so, consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
“Discipline means to prevent everything in your life from being filled up. Discipline means that somewhere you're not occupied, and certainly not preoccupied. In the spiritual life, discipline means to create that space in which something can happen that you had not planned or counted on."
Henri Nouwen
From Romans 6:
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives. He lives to God. Even so, consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
The Living Spirit - June 17th
“For Jesus, there are no countries to be conquered, no ideologies to be imposed, no people to be dominated.
There are only children, women and men to be loved."
Henri Nouwen
From Psalm 138:
"I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods
I sing your praise; I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life:
You stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me.
The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me; Your steadfast love O Lord endures for ever."
“For Jesus, there are no countries to be conquered, no ideologies to be imposed, no people to be dominated.
There are only children, women and men to be loved."
Henri Nouwen
From Psalm 138:
"I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods
I sing your praise; I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life:
You stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me.
The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me; Your steadfast love O Lord endures for ever."
The Living Spirit - June 10th
“Each day holds a surprise. But only if we expect it can we see, hear or feel it when it comes to use. Let's not be afraid to receive each day's surprise, whether it comes to us in sorrow or as joy it will open a new place in our hearts, a place where we can welcome new friends and celebrate more fully our shared humanity."
Henri Nouwen
From the 3rd Chapter of Lamentations:
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
From Psalm 31:
"In you O Lord, do I take refuge: let me never be put to shame: in your righteousness deliver me!
Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name's sake you lead me and guide me.
You take me out of the net they have hidden for me, you are me refuge. Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God."
“Each day holds a surprise. But only if we expect it can we see, hear or feel it when it comes to use. Let's not be afraid to receive each day's surprise, whether it comes to us in sorrow or as joy it will open a new place in our hearts, a place where we can welcome new friends and celebrate more fully our shared humanity."
Henri Nouwen
From the 3rd Chapter of Lamentations:
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
From Psalm 31:
"In you O Lord, do I take refuge: let me never be put to shame: in your righteousness deliver me!
Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name's sake you lead me and guide me.
You take me out of the net they have hidden for me, you are me refuge. Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God."
The Living Spirit - June 3rd
“We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and do it very well. It may be incomplete, but is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest."
Oscar Romero
From the 46th Chapter Isaiah:
"for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose’ calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it."
“We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and do it very well. It may be incomplete, but is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest."
Oscar Romero
From the 46th Chapter Isaiah:
"for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose’ calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it."
The Living Spirit - May 27th
“All sorts of people are fond of repeating the Christian statement that "God is love". But they seem not to notice that the words "God is love" have no real meaning unless God contains at least two persons. Love is something that one person has for another person. If God was a single person, then before the world was made, He was not love."
C.S.Lewis
From the 4th Chapter of 1 John:
"In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought
to love one another."
“All sorts of people are fond of repeating the Christian statement that "God is love". But they seem not to notice that the words "God is love" have no real meaning unless God contains at least two persons. Love is something that one person has for another person. If God was a single person, then before the world was made, He was not love."
C.S.Lewis
From the 4th Chapter of 1 John:
"In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought
to love one another."