An Invitation


As the daughter of a minister, I’ve been reading, hearing, and learning about the Bible for literally my entire life.  It wasn’t until I reached my thirties, though, that I was introduced to lectio divina (or sacred reading).  This practice—based on the idea that the biblical text is “living and active”—involves not only reading a passage of scripture for literal understanding, but contemplating it, and even inviting God to speak through the text to me, perhaps in a way that is immediately relevant to current struggles, joys, tasks, or season of life.  Descriptions of lectio divina can be found easily online or even at the public library; one of my favorites is here.

Because I’ve found sacred reading to be a particularly rich practice, I thought shadowwonder readers might enjoy it as well--especially if you're not familiar with it.  So, if you’d like to give it a try, the next few posts are for you. In them, you'll find a series of activities and questions which center on what may be a very familiar narrative. 

More on that soon.  But in the meantime, if you choose to participate, my hope is that you might be renewed and encouraged.

If you're ready for Day One, here it is.

Anne  


P.S.—Feel free to let me know if you plan to follow along . . . I'd love to know.  :-)

Comments

  1. Eileen SommiJanuary 3, 2014 at 1:58 PM

    Following. :) miss u @ 2rc.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anne Lowry PharrJanuary 5, 2014 at 8:27 AM

    Eileen! That makes me smile. Glad you can join in, and hope you are well. xo Anne

    ReplyDelete
  3. marishaJanuary 5, 2014 at 9:48 PM

    I'd love it, Anne! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anne Lowry PharrJanuary 6, 2014 at 12:47 PM

    Marisha . . . so glad to see your name here. Thanks for joining in, and hope your new year is off to a great start. ~Anne

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Resolution Fatigue

Image
Right away, I should get this off my chest: this is not a classic New Years’ post.   It’s more of a confession: Thinking about resolutions exhausts me. It’s not that I don’t want to make positive changes in my life.  But there are just so many that need to be made.   When I think about them, it’s like positioning my face a few inches from the nozzle of a fully-engaged firehose.  There’s no way I can take a sip, or even a gulp.  Instead, I’m gasping to get any oxygen at all. Whether it’s deciding how to spend a few free hours, or considering what I might give up for Lent, I have no shortage of ideas.  Quite the contrary.  I’ve been “blessed” with the ability (and never-ending-middle-of-the-night mental energy) to dream up countless “good” things to do.  Some might enjoy this version of “creativity.”  I am not one of them. Perhaps an illustration will help.  I’m not trying to fall asleep yet (so this will be on the short si...
Read more

One Word

A few days ago, I awakened with a single syllable echoing in my mind.   Not long or complex, but brief.   Clear.   Not burdensome or punitive, but light.   Inviting.    Not obsessed with the past, but future-oriented.    One simple word.       HOPE A verb meaning to cherish a desire with anticipation.   To expect with confidence. A noun describing the expectation of fulfillment or success.   Something or someone on which desires are centered.   A lovely, buoyant word.   But for me, also, challenging.   Strangely enough, maybe even frightening.   When I look at my day-to-day thinking, it’s easy to see that I tend towards the antonyms.   Doubt.   Worry.    Question.   Fear.   Distrust.     These feel much safer.   They are known territory.   They protect me from disappointment and unmet expectations.   They provid...
Read more

the oops

It all started as an accident.   An accident that somehow became an opportunity I’d been quietly hoping for. Let me explain: Weekends often find me making a quick visit to gypsymama.com, home of Five Minute Fridays and brainchild of Lisa-Jo Baker.   I simply love her weekly invitation to creativity, and I so admire her willingness to create a place for women to be heard and to encourage each another in our writing.   If you scroll through my blog, you’ll notice that more than a handful of posts have been inspired by her amazing one-word topics. On this particular December morning, I went to the site, read the prompt, set the timer, and began typing.   Nothing particularly new. But when the 5 minutes were up, I realized I’d put words to some fears I didn’t even know had been lurking in my mind.   [ Sidebar :   During graduate school, my thesis director had the irritating habit of “encouraging” me with this mantra: ...
Read more