paravanes:meditations

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Disclaimer: I am not a certified counselor or social worker or therapist. It is possible you may benefit from working with a qualified professional while seeking recovery from severe setbacks or deep wounding. What I share here is my personal experience and insight. Please do not be afraid to seek professional help. Seeking professional help is not a negative statement on your spiritual development or your spiritual condition.  I generally do not recommend seeking therapy or long term counseling from ministers or church leaders. Few ministers or church leaders are trained, certified counselors or therapists. While well intentioned, untrained individuals may not have current knowledge of psychology, brain science, emotional illnesses, or know how to use effective c...

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we have also forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Forgive. This is a tough subject to write about this month, on this day.  Today is the celebration of Juneteenth. This month is the anniversary of the murder by a white supremacist of nine Black people who were in a Bible study in a church in Charleston, South Carolina.  Why does forgiveness appear over and over in the Christian tradition? How could forgiveness be honest or even sensible in an environment of systemic injustice? This is about forgiveness for deep woundings, not about forgiving someone who takes a parking spot you want, or won't move over to allow you a seat on the bus or train.  In order to know what a thing is, be sure of what it is NOT. None of these ideas represent true forgiveness. Forgiv...

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we have also forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. What is our daily bread? Consider this prayer poem about "daily bread." God, I thank you all good gifts come from you. Directly from you. Directly from you through people. Directly from you through the natural world. Directly from you through institutions and organizations. Directly from you through memory and history and wisdom from times past. Give us today Breath, breath, and more breath... Courage Words Actions Breath, breath, and more breath Peace Purpose Focus Energy Breath, breath, and more breath Determination Curiosity Community Connection Commitment Understanding Life. Breath, breath, and more breath. Give us today the courage to speak truth to power. Give us...

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Right now, let's focus on the phrase about God's will that says "on earth as it is in heaven." We are still inviting God more deeply into our experience and also into the environment in which we live. We are inviting God's rulership again, but now we are inviting God to rule in our world. We are asking for God's rule on eatrth as God rules in heaven. This is an expansion of the request "your kingdom come." We are asking for God's will to be done immediately and without question. This begins with me, not with others. God's will is what I do, not what I impose. We are asking for God's will to be understood and known to be good. In heaven, God's will is unques...

I hope all of you are enjoying and learning something you can apply from my series on the Lord's Prayer. I have enjoyed sharing ideas about the prayer Jesus taught us. This week, I'm taking a break from the series. It will continue next week. This week, I'm sharing some things I've learned---meaning things I know to be true--since my life began to change as a result of the pandemic. These lessons began to appear in mid-March of this year. 1. Wishing doesn't  lead anywhere . A wish only has meaning when accountability, motivation, purpose, and energy are attached. Without these things, wishes become drugs. They make us feel good for a while, but nothing has really changed. 2.  People can't be counted on to see their best interests or act in their best interests . Time is needed to clear the mind and see the true landscape during times of panic or uncertainty. You may not be clear. Those around you may not be clear. 3.  Tragedy or loss can be a cal...

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we have also forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. It may seem as if "your kingdom come" and "your will be done" are duplicates or repetitions. What are the differences? Imagine this: a ruler may be in charge of a kingdom and still meet opposition or objection to to her or his rulership. Isn't it true today thay many can't or don't accept or believe in God or in God's right to rule what God has created? "Your will be done" can be understood to mean "your will happen." (From the Greek lexicon in the Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible (NIV), edited by Spiros Zodhiates,1996). When we pray "your will be done", we are saying "your will happen." We may begin thinking of ourselves and t...

Our Father in heaven hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts as we have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. "your kingdom come..." is an invitation for God to rule as King: absolute and unchallengeable, good and loving. But, you may say, isn't God already in charge? Think about how often you have not lived up to God's standards and you will see the need for this part of the prayer. This invitation for God to rule begins and ends like this: Rule in me. Rule in my thoughts, speech, and actions. Rule where I am and where I go. Rule in community life, political life, economic life, and social life. Rule in my priorities of care and concern for all life. Finally: Rule in visible, loving power over all creatures and all creation. How many of these words will you include in your prayers? How many ...