Leading from a God-Centered Place: Beyond escaping chaos.

Introduction

Hi and Welcome...

Some pointers and tips as you navigate this blog. You have come here seeking to lead your life from a God-Centered Place, or perhaps because you clicked the wrong google link. But regardless if you plan on sticking around this is an overview of how things work here. This blog is interspersed with images and texts for you to read. The purpose of the images are for you to pause and reflect, possibly pray. Perhaps something is stirred in your spirit, or maybe you just think they're pretty. The texts are where the "meat" of the material is located. You will want to spend time reading, digesting, pondering there. The "work" of the course is contained in the texts, your processing and application of them. However, the images are there for you to go back to quite intentionally. Occasionally our brains become overloaded with information and we need time to process what we are learning. The images are there to give your brain that needed break and because quite often God will speak through beauty. If I could take you into nature and have you read and digest on a mountaintop I would but this is my attempt to bring the beauty to you. You will also notice icons being used as images. They are not something commonly used within Western cultures; try to keep an open mind and see if they speak to your spirit.

Thank you so much for reading.

Shalom

Controlling one's thought-lives is a beginning step on the journey of leading your life. But it is a beginning step and one we will continually return to. One of the steps that can be helpful to attempt is to practice the presence of the Divine. As we learned previously there is no more preferential place to pray. "In regard to place, it should be known that every place is rendered fit for prayer by one who prays rightly, for in every place sacrifice is offered to me . . . says the Lord, and I desire therefore that men pray in every place” (Curtis). There is no place where we cannot pray. But similarly it is an aid on the journey toward a God-Centered life to begin intentionally noticing where we see and feel God. Often called "Practicing the Presence of God" this is more than just unceasing prayer it is practicing an intentional awareness of God's movements and actions in our lives. Different than praying over the dishes this may be experienced through a feeling you have in the presence of a friend or a stranger. Or the feeling of holiness invading the space as you hear a painful story of a coworker. In that moment you are aware of a Presence greater than yourself. Sometimes God is calling to action in those moments but just as often He may be comforting you in that moment. The Presence of God is not limited to the ways anyone lists of presenting itself. He is as varied in his presentations to individuals as the people who inhabit the planet.

One of the ways that God is commonly experienced is through nature. I have included several photographs below. I would like to you take some time with whatever picture speaks to you and see if God has anything to speak to you about as you ponder the image. Perhaps a feeling will stir in your spirit. Make a note of that. Perhaps that doesn't happen for you. With a similar intentionality that pondering the pictures below requires, begin to give more conscious thought to your daily life as you are living it. See if you can begin to observe the moments that occur throughout your day as they are happening and practice what we call noticing, by looking for God in those moments. We'll talk more about why in the next lesson.

Photo credit Mark Larsen

Leading from a God-Centered Place

What is the Way

Introduction

Hi and Welcome...

Beyond escaping chaos.

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