Yes, we are half way through our Summer Book Blog. I've had some kind emails from folks who are reading the book, but have not had the time or comfort level to blog - and that's great! Some of the insights this book generates might not be comfortable for sharing, or might not come into clarity until days after you finish a chapter. The main thing is that folks are reading, praying and growing as Christians.
Since Chapter 9 warned against ARROGANCE, I will not blather on about me again. Instead, I offer:
1) No post for Chapter 10 until Monday. Feel free to comment on Chapter 9 here OR to summarize any of your thoughts from the first half of the book. Or just have a peaceful weekend - whatever God puts on your heart!
2) I'll share one devotional tool that has helped me. Psalm 95 is the traditional first Canticle in Morning Prayer. As Lucado notes about Psalm 23, the focus of Ps. 95 is on God. If you offer it as a morning devotion, try inflecting it to emphasize who it is all about:
O COME, let us sing unto the LORD; * let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving; * and show ourselves glad in him with psalms.
For the LORD is a great God; * and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are all the corners of the earth; * and the strength of the hills is his also.
The sea is his, and he made it; * and his hands prepared the dry land.
O come, let us worship and fall down, * and kneel before the LORD our Maker.
For he is the Lord our God; * and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness; * let the whole earth stand in awe of him.
For he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth; * and with righteousness to judge the world, and the peoples with his truth.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.
2 comments:
I made an amazing discovery last week--Travelling light has study guides! (DUH)
Irene and I have been taking turns reading the chapters with the one not reading responding to the Traveling Back, Traveling Up and Traveling On segments. The responding includes the special emphasis on reading the Bible passages.
We are finding this very rewarding. We get a deeper/fuller understanding of each chapter.
This chapter hit home with me, in that I thought...here's really something that I can do and make a difference. Today, on the way in to work I noticed a person in a more senior position expecting someone at work to hold the door for them. I thought: How arrogant. What things do I do in my every day life that gives the impression to people that I am this way? Small item, but I held the door for EVERYONE today. People above me, people below me, people at my level in the organizational structure. I also asked others on my team to try doing something for others this week....hold the door....look at someone below you in the structure in the eye and say "Good Morning". "How are you doing?". "Thank you for doing a good job", etc. We all need to lose some arrogance from time to time. I grew up arrogantly thinking the Episcopal Church was "better" than the churches attended by others. How did this arrogance contribute to my total complacency over the past 40 years? How could an "attitude change" 30 years ago, 20 years ago, 10 years ago, 5 years ago, and now make a difference? I will pray about this and ask for guidance from my Shepherd.
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