From the book: Coming Home to Your True Self by Albert Haase

"The great tragedy for many of us is that in growing up, we become self-made, independent successes who are weighed down with thoughts of the past and worries about the future. We lose touch with our true self, the person God created us to be. We live off-center and alienated from who we really are."

A newborn is focused upon the present moment and what is around him; he has no regard for the past or the future. He is in touch with what is immediate. So it should be with each one of us - to be present and focused on what is around us at the moment; however many times we are too busy worrying about the past and the future - and we miss the present.

June

"I met a priest who must have been about thirty. Something about him struck me - he had love to spare for everyone and his love wasn't conditional by whether we were good and it never changed when we were bad." Anthony Bloom

This is certainly a challenge for each of us in today's world. And might I add also here on the blogstream from time to time. Are you willing; am I willing to let it truly speak into the core of our spirit and allow God to infuse this knd of love in us to share freely so we can be 'God with skin on' where we are today? June

"Very often we are inattentive in prayer, our heart is not in it, and our prayer is not upheld by our life.'

"The first thing, then, is really to find words of prayer that are worthy of you and worthy of God. I say, 'worthy of you and worthy of God' because if they are good enough for you, then God can accept them, but if they are not good enough for you, leave God alone."
Anthony Bloom in Beginning to Pray

IN this second statement about the last phrase I think it reflects one's feelings at times - we think that our prayer is not good enough so feel God would not care or would not want to listen - so we do not validate it. Think of it this way - how would you talk to your best friend about what you want to pray about? And then realize that God really is the best friend you or I can have.

June

"We have no right to complain of the absence of God, because we are a great deal more absent than He ever is." Anthony Bloom

Where would an earthly relationship be if we acted towards another person like we act towards God?

June

Anthony Bloom quoting his father:
"Always remember that whether you are alive or dead matters nothing. What matters is what you live for and what you are prepared to die for."
Anthony Bloom in Beginning to Pray

Are we not more worried about living or dying than what we are living for and prepared to die for? It makes me stop and think - what and who am I willing to die for - and is it really the right choice? Or is there really a right choice?
JUNE