Face to Face With Jesus
Close Encounters of the Transformational Kind
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
INTRODUCTION: Cultivating the Call to Discipleship
A. The Journal as a Tool
B. How to use this Book
“To everything there is a season…”
I. Winter: A time for Silence & Repose
1.January: Out of the Silence Came The Light
2.February: God, the True End & Scope of My Life
II. Spring: A time for Soil & Seeds
1. March: Breaking up Fallow Ground with New BE-Attitudes
2. April: Scattered Seeds
3. May: Root Then Fruit: Fundamental is Essential
III. Summer: A time for Blossoming & Blooming
1. June: No Diminished Returns
2. July: God Wants Living Fruit not Potted Plants
3. August: Fruit of the Spirit
IV. Autumn: A time for Reaping the Harvest
1. September: Attending the Garden
2. October: Only One Thing Needed
3. November: Watch & Wait & Listen
V. The End…The Beginning: A Time to Die…To be Born Again
December: After the Crucifixion Comes the Resurrection
EPILOGUE: “I am the Alpha & Omega, the Beginning and the End”
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
PROLOGUE
Several years ago I was a student at Pendle Hill, a Quaker school, retreat and conference center in Wallingford, Pa. In the spring term I took an organic gardening class. In that class we were given seeds of what would eventually become the food we would eat for our meals. I was given habanera chili pepper seeds. It was my responsibility to care for these seeds until they germinated, help prepare the soil in the garden where they would be planted, water and weed the plants as they grew to maturity and then harvest the fruit as the peppers became ripe. I watched as the tiny seed grew into a three foot high plant that produced many pendant shaped red peppers, three inches long and one inch wide with a blistering hot flavor. I then helped to prepare and cook these peppers, making a hot pepper relish that was out of this world. The process took about six months. I learned many lessons during this time.
I took the class because I wanted to be a part of actually growing the food I would be eating. A century ago that would be a normal way of life for most people. But now most of us eat prepackaged and processed food that we purchase from the local supermarket, not having a clue or a care of where it came from or who grew it. I wanted real organic food and I wanted to be a part of the process of growing, tending and preparing it.
Each step of that process reminded me of my growth as a disciple of Jesus and the development of my Spiritual Journey, beginning with a small seed of intention and growing into fruit that is reflected in my life decisions and in my actions. The knowledge I gleaned as I was producing physical food that would feed and nourish my body also became spiritual food that would feed and nourish my soul. These days a great deal of what we know about God and our Spiritual lives comes to us prepackaged and processed, from what other people think, or how other people live. I found that I wanted real spiritual food and wanted to be a part of the process of growing, tending and preparing it as my source of life to my soul and spirit.
Beginning and maintaining a garden is hard work. It involves plowing up fallow ground that has hardened over the winter, tenderly caring for the seeds as they germinate, making sure they get the proper light, air and water from the time the tiny roots break out of the seed coat until they actually are planted into the soil. Then the watering, the weeding, and the waiting until the plant matures and begins to bear fruit. And finally the day comes when the fruit is harvested and becomes the food that will provide the proper nutrients our bodies need to be healthy and strong.
We were required to keep a growth diary of the daily process of our seed and the work we did in the garden throughout the class. As I reread that diary it was as if I was reading my personal journal throughout my own Spiritual growth. One of the major lessons that I learned during this experience is that the plant itself has very little to do with its growth. Most of what made the plant good, healthy, and fruitful was the activity underneath it and around it. The foundation of the root system, the climate and atmospheric conditions, and the care and attention I gave that plant from seed to fruit caused it to flourish.
Spiritual development takes time. My development has taken thirty six and a half years longer than those pepper plants and is still continuing, but the process is very much the same. This book is about that process.
INTRODUCTION
The major theme of this Almanac of Devotions centers on cultivating the call to discipleship and stewardship through the keeping of a journal. In its pages you will find thoughts about what discipleship entails, ways to develop an intentional devotional life, and how to make use of a journal to record new things you discover about God, Jesus, the Bible, yourself and your message/mission here on earth.
I believe that discipleship in the life of a Christian means having a personal and intimate relationship with God, wanting to be fed and nourished by the life and teachings of Jesus found in the Scriptures and enlightened by the Holy Spirit. This relationship is a choice, an answer to the open invitation Jesus gave to his first disciples to “Come and follow me.” Once the choice is made to become a disciple of Jesus, we need to continue cultivating that relationship. That means spending time with him, learning from him and strengthening the roots of our relationship with him and with God.
Cultivation is an ongoing process. It requires certain tools. The main tool I use is journal writing. I can’t remember when I didn’t keep a journal.
I started in high school after reading Walden by Henry David Thoreau. In 1973 I had a personal “born again experience” with Jesus and that is when I made journaling an intentional practice. I try to write every day. I use my journal for a lot of different things such as recording my inner thoughts, meditations, notes from books that I am reading, writing projects, and conversations with God. It is my tool for remembering, recording, reflecting, and responding to daily events and circumstances that come across my path every day. It helps me become the author and autobiographer of my life. My journal is my daily companion and at times my closest friend, because within its pages I share the depths of my heart.
Anyone can keep a journal. There are no educational requirements, no formal pre-requisites. There are no rules to keeping a journal. It just takes time and the intention to sit down and allow thoughts, impressions and remembrances to come to mind and then be allowed to flow out on paper.
Don’t allow that external critic in your writing process. Keep perfectionism at bay during your writing time. You are writing for you and your eyes only. It’s ok to be messy, misspell words, even use bad words if you feel that is necessary. Just be as free as you can be. It’s entirely up to each of you what personality your journal will take on. It’s your own creation so there are as many types of journals as there are types of people. All feelings can be shared honestly, even those from the shadow side, and best of all it is the place where your wild and creative side can run completely uninhibited. Writing things out on paper keeps your mind from getting all clogged and cluttered. It is a truly freeing experience. Try it, you’ll like it.
I have organized these devotional readings around the seasons of the year (in the northern hemisphere) because while humans keep time in minutes, hours, days, weeks and months, God works in seasons: winter, spring, summer, fall, and then returns to winter again. Seasons seem slower than human time. They offer more time to rest and reflect, which I believe is the proper flow for devotional reading. Growth and maturity are neither instant nor immediate processes. They take time. These readings are not meant to inform or instruct, but rather to inspire you, both in your relationship with God and in your relationship with yourself as you reflect and record your thoughts and feelings in your journal. The journal is a place for finding your own voice and your own rhythm. It is the place for telling your story, in your own words. It is a good measuring tool for observing how you are faithfully cultivating the growth process of your life as a disciple.
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
My Goals for you as a reader:
1. Cultivate a personal relationship with God
2. Become a disciple of Jesus and the Scriptures.
3. Develop a Spiritual Practice of a Daily Quiet Time.
4. Develop a Spiritual Practice of Journaling.
My Objectives for you as a reader:
At the beginning of each season you will find:
1. An Introduction to the Season: This sets the focus and the pace of
the work you will be doing throughout the months of that season.
There are twelve devotions, one per month. You will find:
2. Scripture Readings: Read the Scriptures, using the method of
lectio divina. This is a slow and thoughtful reading of the words, in a quiet
and prayerful way, reflecting on the words and enjoying the savor of the
essence of God that they bring about as you read them. It is approaching
the scripture, not with your own ideas and agenda, but listening with your
heart to what God may be speaking to you as you read them.
3. An invitation to journal: This is your opportunity to interact with the
reading. Be honest in your reflections and your questions. This is YOUR journal to work with, no one else’s. I would suggest writing from one to three pages everyday but again, it’s YOUR journal.
4. Journaling possibilities for further reflection: These are two
exercises you may want to try. It will give you more time to develop
your journaling skills and give you some seeds for future writing projects.
a. Midrash Journaling:” Journal entries I’d like to see.”
One day I thought, “Wouldn’t it have been cool if the people in the
Bible had kept journals about their interactions with Jesus?” Since they didn’t, this is a midrash of sorts. A simple explanation of midrash is “filling in the gaps.” It’s putting yourself into the story and experiencing all that is happening. So for one of the characters in the Scripture reading, write what that character might have written as a journal entry for the experience you have read about. This is the fun part where you can let your creative imagination run wild!
b. Invitation to write a Seed to Sow: This will be the fruit of reflecting on the journal entries you have been writing throughout the month and writing the one main thought you might want to pass on to others of what you have learned during the month.
Remember, the overriding goal of all of this is to enhance the cultivating of your love of God and discipleship to Jesus. It’s spending time with them, learning from them, and strengthening the roots of your relationship with them. It’s responding to the invitation that Jesus gave to his first disciples and continues to give to us today. “Come and follow me.” It’s responding to his guestion, “Who do you say that I am?” So please, join those who say yes to the call, enjoy the process and may it prove to be a fruitful experience for you.
WINTER
A TIME FOR SILENCE & REPOSE
Winter is the season when all of nature lies fallow, stops producing and simply rests. There is a holy silence and stillness that falls over the land. And it is good.
A season of stillness and non-productivity is good for the soul as well. We all need a time of rest and refreshment to quiet our over stimulated senses from the harried life we live. If we observe a practice of stillness in the barrenness of winter, a strong root will go deep into our being and will keep us grounded when our seasons of growth and productivity begin in the spring of our lives. It is good when all of our activity comes forth from this place of inner stillness. The activity will be more fruitful and more holistic because it is coming from our inner being, where the Spirit resides, and from a place of rest, contentment and security.
Stillness as a spiritual practice is a quieting of the soul. It means not having to clamor for attention or shout to be noticed or heard. It is being secure in the Presence of God so that you can simply BE.
Deep stillness requires nothing of you. It is the result of undoing rather than doing. It is a letting go of activity and simply setting the soul to rest. Too much activity in the world today; too many thoughts and ideas forced upon us. In the action of doing things to know about God we actually seem to lose God. We crowd God out with our works and our busyness. If we are not still how can the Presence be among us? We need to stop: “Be still and know that I am God”(Psalm 46:10).
JANUARY
Out of the Silence Came the Light
Scripture Reading: The Gospel of John, Chapters 1-10
Invitation to Journal:
1. Read the Scripture using the method of lectio divina. Each time you read
the Scripture pay attention to new and fresh insights and record them
daily in your journal.
2. Record in your journal any personal reflections, questions, and reactions
you had while you were reading the Scripture passages.
3. As you read throughout the month remember and reflect on the following
goals:
• Develop and increase your love and knowledge of God
• Become a disciple of Jesus and the Scriptures.
• Develop and sustain a Spiritual Life Practice
Journaling opportunities for further reflection:
1. Write the midrash journal entries…”journal entries I’d like to see from:”
Week 1: Nicodemus
Week 2: Samaritian woman
Week 3: Woman caught in adultry
Week 4: Blind man Jesus healed
2. At the end of the month write a Seed to Sow in your journal, developing one main thought you would like to share from your reading and reflecting.
FEBRUARY
God, the True End & Scope of My Life
Scripture Reading: The Gospel of John, Chapters 11-21
Invitation to Journal:
1. Read the Scripture using the method of lectio divina. Each time you read
the Scripture pay attention to new and fresh insights and record them
daily in your journal.
2. Record in your journal any personal reflections, questions, and reactions
you had while you were reading the Scripture passages.
3. As you read throughout the month remember and reflect on the following
goals:
• Develop and increase your love and knowledge of God
• Become a disciple of Jesus and the Scriptures
• Develop and sustain a Spiritual Life Practice
Journaling opportunities for further reflection:
1. Write the midrash journal entries…”journal entries I’d like to see from:”
Week 1: Lazarus
Week 2: Someone in the crowd as Jesus entered Jerusalem
Week 3: Peter, after denying Jesus three times
Week 4: Mary Magdalene
2. At the end of the month write a Seed to Sow in your journal, developing one main thought you would like to share from your reading and reflecting.
SPRING
A TIME FOR BREAKING UP FALLOW GROUND AND PLANTING SEEDS
Spring is the season we start thinking about soil and seeds. We plan what we want to grow in our garden and then we start preparing the seeds. Every seed will produce a something, both in our gardens and in our lives. We live in a world of scattered seeds, a lot of people talking about God. Many books, magazines, daily devotionals, newsletters, and pamphlets containing articles and writings about God fill the bookstores. All of these are scattered seeds…by well intentioned sowers of seeds, telling us what they know about God and what they think we should know about God.
But it’s not really about the seeds or the sowers. It’s about the seed finding a place to grow, good soil in which to be planted. Good soil prepared and cared for, a place to put down roots, to grow and mature into healthy spiritual fruit.
Before Jesus explains the parable of the sower in Matthew 13, he says that “this people’s heart has become calloused.” A calloused heart is similar to ground that is hard because it has lain fallow throughout the winter. Spring is the time to break up the fallow ground of the garden and our hearts.
People are lost and hurting in this world, greatly in need of God’s love and compassion and healing. Are we a people who have calloused hearts? There are multitudes of religious programs and impersonal ways that can introduce people to God. There are a lot of people who believe they are doing God’s work here on earth. But is it effective and fruitful? Before the seeds can be planted we must first break up the fallow ground, both in the garden and in our hearts.
I think it’s time to stop simply scattering seeds and be more intentional in our commission of making disciples. First we need to apply the salve of God’s love to our hearts and then to the hearts of the people in this world so that the hearts are no longer calloused. This is preparing the soil to receive the seed. We need to handle tenderly the seeds of truth we give other people. God’s words are for healing and making people whole. They need to be planted in hearts that are prepared to hear them, the calloused hearts softened by the love and compassion rooted in the love and compassion of God. Then the seeds will grow tall into the plants that will bear good fruit.
MARCH
Breaking Up the Fallow Ground with New BE-ATTITUDES
Scripture Reading: The Gospel of Matthew, Chapters 1-9
Invitation to Journal:
1. Read the Scripture using the method of lectio divina. Each time you read
the Scripture pay attention to new and fresh insights and record them
daily in your journal.
2. Record in your journal any personal reflections, questions, and reactions
you had while you were reading the Scripture passages.
3. As you read throughout the month remember and reflect on the following
goals:
• Develop and increase your love and knowledge of God
• Become a disciple of Jesus and the Scriptures
• Develop and sustain a Spiritual Life Practice
Journaling opportunities for further reflection:
1. Write the midrash journal entries…”journal entries I’d like to see from:”
Week 1: Jesus in the desert
Week 2: One of the crowd listening to the Sermon on the Mount
Week 3: One of the disciples on the boat in the storm
Week 4: One of the people Jesus healed
2. At the end of the month write a Seed to Sow in your journal, developing one main thought you would like to share from your reading and reflecting.
APRIL
Scattered Seeds
Scripture Reading: The Gospel of Matthew, Chapters 10-18
Invitation to Journal:
1. Read the Scripture using the method of lectio divina. Each time you read
the Scripture pay attention to new and fresh insights and record them
daily in your journal.
2. Record in your journal any personal reflections, questions, and reactions
you had while you were reading the Scripture passages.
3. As you read throughout the month remember and reflect on the following
goals:
• Develop and increase your love and knowledge of God
• Become a disciple of Jesus and the Scriptures
• Develop and sustain a Spiritual Life Practice
Journaling opportunities for further reflection:
1. Write the midrash journal entries…”journal entries I’d like to see from:”
Week 1: Sower of seeds
Week 2: One of the disciples after the feeding of the 5,000
Week 3: Canaanite woman
Week 4: Unforgiving Servant
2. At the end of the month write a Seed to Sow in your journal, developing one main thought you would like to share from your reading and reflecting.
MAY
Root Then Fruit: Fundamental is Essential
Scripture Reading: The Gospel of Matthew, Chapters 19-28
Invitation to Journal:
1. Read the Scripture using the method of lectio divina. Each time you read
the Scripture pay attention to new and fresh insights and record them
daily in your journal.
2. Record in your journal any personal reflections, questions, and reactions
you had while you were reading the Scripture passages.
3. As you read throughout the month remember and reflect on the following
goals:
• Develop and increase your love and knowledge of God
• Become a disciple of Jesus and the Scriptures
• Develop and sustain a Spiritual Life Practice
Journaling opportunities for further reflection:
1. Write the midrash journal entries…”journal entries I’d like to see from:”
Week 1: The rich young man
Week 2: One of the laborers in the vineyard
Week 3: Scribe or Pharisee
Week 4: Judas
2. At the end of the month write a Seed to Sow in your journal, developing one main thought you would like to share from your reading and reflecting.
SUMMER
A TIME FOR BLOSSOMING & BLOOMING
The planting and waiting are over and the seeds of promise have grown into beautiful plants ready to produce the fruit I knew would eventually arrive. It is a delight to walk in the garden and see the blossoms bursting out of the green shoots. It doesn’t take long before the blossoms fall away and the tiny fruit begins to develop. Green pods that hold the peas, green tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini squash, yellow squash, and of course, the red peppers. All tiny replicas of what they will grow into. At this point, even though the fruit is in its infant stage, it is amazing to remember the tiny seeds I held in my hand at the beginning of their journey. Very quickly they mature and become what they are meant to be.
Soon the first fruits are ripe and ready to be eaten. This is the moment I have been waiting for, the eating of the fruit of my labor. The tradition at Pendle Hill is an evening of celebration. Chairs and tables are set, down by the garden. The ingredients of the meal are picked off the vines, taken to the makeshift kitchen, prepared, and then put on the tables where the people are seated and waiting patiently for the feast to begin. The evening is a smorgasbord of the senses. The eyes are filled with the various colors of the food, the nose is filled with the scents of the fresh cut vegetables, the ears are filled with the laughter and talking of friends gathered, and soon the mouths will be filled with the taste of summer, fresh vegetables freshly picked right off the vine. But first, we rise and gather in silence, to acknowledge our thanks for the bounty of God’s provision and blessings.
JUNE
No Diminished Returns
Scripture Reading: The Gospel of Mark, Chapters 1-5
Invitation to Journal:
1. Read the Scripture using the method of lectio divina. Each time you read
the Scripture pay attention to new and fresh insights and record them
daily in your journal.
2. Record in your journal any personal reflections, questions, and reactions
you had while you were reading the Scripture passages.
3. As you read throughout the month remember and reflect on the following
goals:
• Develop and increase your love and knowledge of God
• Become a disciple of Jesus and the Scriptures
• Develop and sustain a Spiritual Life Practice
Journaling opportunities for further reflection:
1. Write the midrash journal entries…”journal entries I’d like to see from:”
Week 1: Peter & Andrew or James & John
Week 2: Cured leper
Week 3: Levi
Week 4: Gerasene demoniac
2. At the end of the month write a Seed to Sow in your journal, developing one main thought you would like to share from your reading and reflecting.
JULY
God Wants Fruit Not Useless Activity
Scripture Reading: The Gospel of Mark, Chapters 6-10
Invitation to Journal:
1. Read the Scripture using the method of lectio divina. Each time you read
the Scripture pay attention to new and fresh insights and record them
daily in your journal.
2. Record in your journal any personal reflections, questions, and reactions
you had while you were reading the Scripture passages.
3. As you read throughout the month remember and reflect on the following
goals:
• Develop and increase your love and knowledge of God
• Become a disciple of Jesus and the Scriptures
• Develop and sustain a Spiritual Life Practice
Journaling opportunities for further reflection:
1. Write the midrash journal entries…”journal entries I’d like to see from:”
Week 1: King Herod
Week 2: Syrophoenician woman
Week 3: One of the disciples at 8:34-9:1
Week 4: The rich Man
2. At the end of the month write a Seed to Sow in your journal, developing one main thought you would like to share from your reading and reflecting.
AUGUST
Fruit of the Spirit
Scripture Reading: The Gospel of Mark, Chapters 11-16
Invitation to Journal:
1. Read the Scripture using the method of lectio divina. Each time you read
the Scripture pay attention to new and fresh insights and record them
daily in your journal.
2. Record in your journal any personal reflections, questions, and reactions
you had while you were reading the Scripture passages.
3. As you read throughout the month remember and reflect on the following
goals:
• Develop and increase your love and knowledge of God
• Become a disciple of Jesus and the Scriptures
• Develop and sustain a Spiritual Life Practice
Journaling opportunities for further reflection:
1. Write the midrash journal entries…”journal entries I’d like to see from:”
Week 1: The cursed fig tree
Week 2: One of the Scribes 12:30-40
Week 3: Woman who anointed Jesus
Week 4: Barabus
2. At the end of the month write a Seed to Sow in your journal, developing one main thought you would like to share from your reading and reflecting.
AUTUMN
A TIME FOR REAPING THE HARVEST
Autumn arrives and the earth looks like God spilled paint from the heavens. The trees are aglow with reds, oranges, and yellows. The trees are going out in glory, for the beautiful leaves will soon fall to the ground, returning to the earth, to rot and feed the depleted soil. The garden is also in transition. The blooming of summer has withered. The vines that grew strong and tall and held all the vegetables, are now drooping and depleted. They did their job well and now it’s time to rest. This time of transition could be sad. What was once a beautiful, bountiful garden, full of color and fresh food, is now a mass of empty vines lying on the ground. But these plant leftovers will be turned back into the soil and become the compost, full of life energy for next year’s garden. It is a beautiful cycle of life, death, life, that all living things will journey through.
As I look over the garden as it is being prepared for the barren season of winter to come, I remember the tiny seeds I watched break through their coating and develop those thin, hair- like roots. I remember putting those seeds in soil and caring for the tender shoots that grew, then planting and watering those seeds until they grew into a full plant, adorned with red peppers and how beautiful they looked hanging from the green vines. Then I remembered picking and preparing them into a hot relish and tasting the fresh fruits of my labor. The cycle came to an ending point but only so it could begin again. I smile, and secretly say, “well done garden…well done. Enjoy your rest. I will see you in the spring.”
SEPTEMBER
Attending the Garden
Scripture Reading: The Gospel of Luke, Chapters 1-8
Invitation to Journal:
1. Read the Scripture using the method of lectio divina. Each time you read
the Scripture pay attention to new and fresh insights and record them
daily in your journal.
2. Record in your journal any personal reflections, questions, and reactions
you had while you were reading the Scripture passages.
3. As you read throughout the month remember and reflect on the following
goals:
• Develop and increase your love and knowledge of God
• Become a disciple of Jesus and the Scriptures
• Develop and sustain a Spiritual Life Practice
Journaling opportunities for further reflection:
1. Write the midrash journal entries…”journal entries I’d like to see from:”
Week 1: Zechariah
Week 2: Mary
Week 3: One of the shepherds
Week 4: Simeon
2. At the end of the month write a Seed to Sow in your journal, developing one main thought you would like to share from your reading and reflecting.
OCTOBER
Only One Thing Needed
Scripture Reading: The Gospel of Luke, Chapters 9-16
Invitation to Journal:
1. Read the Scripture using the method of lectio divina. Each time you read
the Scripture pay attention to new and fresh insights and record them
daily in your journal.
2. Record in your journal any personal reflections, questions, and reactions
you had while you were reading the Scripture passages.
3. As you read throughout the month remember and reflect on the following
goals:
• Develop and increase your love and knowledge of God
• Become a disciple of Jesus and the Scriptures
• Develop and sustain a Spiritual Life Practice
Journaling opportunities for further reflection:
1. Write the midrash journal entries…”journal entries I’d like to see from:”
Week 1: The man who was robbed
Week 2: Martha
Week 3: The unfaithful slave
Week 4: You, on hearing the cost of discipleship
2. At the end of the month write a Seed to Sow in your journal, developing one main thought you would like to share from your reading and reflecting.
NOVEMBER
Watch & Wait
Scripture Reading: The Gospel of Luke, Chapters 17-24
Invitation to Journal:
1. Read the Scripture using the method of lectio divina. Each time you read
the Scripture pay attention to new and fresh insights and record them
daily in your journal.
2. Record in your journal any personal reflections, questions, and reactions
you had while you were reading the Scripture passages.
3. As you read throughout the month remember and reflect on the following
goals:
• Develop and increase your love and knowledge of God
• Become a disciple of Jesus and the Scriptures
• Develop and sustain a Spiritual Life Practice
Journaling opportunities for further reflection:
1. Write the midrash journal entries…”journal entries I’d like to see from:”
Week 1: The Pharisee & The Tax Collector
Week 2: Rich Ruler
Week 3: Zacchaeus
Week 4: Pilate
2. At the end of the month write a Seed to Sow in your journal, developing one main thought you would like to share from your reading and reflecting.
DECEMBER
THE END…THE BEGINNING: A TIME TO DIE…TO BE BORN AGAIN
December is the end of the year; the end of the growing cycle, the garden has been put to rest. The vines and left over vegetables are dead and returned to the soil. The cold of winter will freeze the soil and the land will be at rest. To all living things there is a time to die. But death is not the end. It is merely the conclusion of this part of the cycle. For the point of conclusion is also the point of beginning. “Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it dies, it bringeth forth much fruit.” (John 12:24) In the ending comes the promise of a new beginning.
It probably seems strange to be focusing on Jesus’ death and resurrection in December, when Christians around the world are preparing to celebrate Christmas, signifying the birth of Jesus. But without the crucifixion there would be no resurrection and without the resurrection there would be no Christmas. Jesus was born to die. He is that seed that falls to the ground and dies. And he is that seed that “risen from the dead becomes the first fruits of them that slept…For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (I Corinthians 15: 20, 22)
Jesus is The Promise…
DECEMBER
After the Crucifixion Comes the Resurrection
Scripture Reading: John, Chapters 20 & 21; Matthew, Chapters 27 & 28
Mark, Chapters 15 & 16; Luke, Chapters 23 & 24
Invitation to Journal:
1. Read the Scripture using the method of lectio divina. Each time you read
the Scripture pay attention to new and fresh insights and record them
daily in your journal.
2. Record in your journal any personal reflections, questions, and reactions
you had while you were reading the Scripture passages.
3. As you read throughout the month remember and reflect on the following
goals:
• Develop and increase your love and knowledge of God
• Become a disciple of Jesus and the Scriptures
• Develop and sustain a Spiritual Life Practice
Journaling opportunities for further reflection:
1. Write the midrash journal entries…”journal entries I’d like to see from:”
Week 1: One of the disciples/followers of Jesus
Week 2: You
Week 3: Jesus
Week 4: God
2. At the end of the month write a Seed to Sow in your journal, developing one main thought you would like to share from your reading and reflecting.
EPILOGUE
“I AM THE ALPHA AND OMEGA, THE BEGINNING AND THE END”
REVELATION 2:8
The cycle of this Almanac of Devotions is at its end. Hopefully you have enjoyed the journey through the seasons of the garden and the seasons of your growth as a disciple of Jesus.
It is my prayer that you have that you have come to know God in a rich and vital way and have grown to love Jesus and spending time reading the Scriptures. I also hope that a daily quiet time and journaling has become a Spiritual Practice that you have found useful and will want to continue.
Life as a disciple of Jesus is exciting. You are in relationship with God, whose love and mercies are new every morning; with the Spirit, who like the wind is fresh and free in its blowing, and rarely predictable; and with Jesus who gives one a firm foundation from which to grow. It’s all a part of the eternal cycle of life.
As you continue on your journey, I wish you love, joy, and peace. But most of all I wish you Jesus, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and
The End
SEEDS TO SOW
JANUARY Out of the Silence Came The Light
John 1
FEBRUARY: God, the True End & Scope of My Life
John 14 & 15
MARCH: Breaking Up the Fallow Ground with new BE-Attitudes
Matthew 5-7
APRIL: Scattered Seeds
Matthew 13:1-23
MAY: Root Then Fruit: Fundamental is Essential
Matthew 26:26-29
JUNE: No Diminished Returns
Mark 4:26-32
JULY: God Wants Living Fruit Not Potted Plants
Mark 11:12-24
AUGUST: Fruit of the Spirit
Mark 12:28-34
SEPTEMBER: Attending the Garden
Luke 2:8 & Luke 2:25-38
OCTOBER: Only One Thing Needed
Luke 10:38-42
NOVEMBER: Watch & Wait
Luke 9:28-36
DECEMBER: After the Crucifixion Comes the Resurrection
John 20, 21; Matthew 27,28; Mark 15,16; Luke 23,24
OUT OF THE SILENCE CAME THE LIGHT
John 1; Luke 10:38-41; Matthew 22:37-40
There is a huge difference between knowing about God and actually experiencing God. A lot of people know about God. We study theology and argue and debate issues about God. But are we experiencing God? Is the knowledge going from the mind to the heart? This to me is what worship should be. Not just more words or more information but inspiration. It is in worship that we should experience God, sit in his Presence and feel his love and acceptance. This is the “only one thing needed” in the story of Mary & Martha. Martha was busy serving Jesus while Mary was experiencing Jesus.
We have seen this tension before. “Many will say to me on that day,’Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me you evil doers!” (Matthew7:15-23) Again in Matthew 25:1-13, “Later the others also came. Sir! Sir! Open the door for us! But he replied, I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.” And again in Luke 13:22-27, “Sir open the door for us.” But he will answer, “I don’t know you or where you came from.” Then we will say, “We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.” But he will reply, “I don’t know you or where you came from. Away from me all you evil doers.” These are very sobering verses. People who thought they were believers (Christians) because of what they did or knew about Jesus, about God, are now being told by him that he never KNEW them. There was no connection, no relationship, just knowledge and theology about God.
God doesn’t want worker bees, people running around aimlessly doing things “in his name” for him. God wants a relationship with his people. He wants us to know him and plant his will in our hearts. Right relationship starts in silence and emptiness, not fullness and lifeless facts. God calls us into relationship with him, to be quiet before we speak, to know him before we speak of him and for him. Moses and John the Baptist prepared for their ministry in the quiet barrenness of the desert. Jesus followed in their footsteps in the sand of the desert before starting his ministry and then went out and called his disciples to “come and see,” to be with him for awhile, to learn of him, and walk with him before going out on their own. This is God’s seminary.
GOD, THE TRUE END AND SCOPE OF OUR LIVES
John 14 & 15
“She (Mary) will bear a Son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins (that is, prevent their failing and missing the true end and scope of life, which is God)” (Matthew 1:21 amplified). Is God really the true end and scope of our lives? In listening to conversations or watching television or observing how people busy themselves, I would wonder if God is even a blink on the radar screen of most people’s minds. Would people say I reveal God as the true end and scope of my life? I believe he is, of course, but does my life reveal that message? And how would my life reveal that? What do I talk about? What do I do during my waking hours? How do I respond and react to situations? How do I communicate and commune with other people? It seems to me that if God IS the true end and scope of my life, then the fruits of the Holy Spirit would manifest themselves in all of what I do and say.
There are some folks who use “church speak” in all of their conversations that make me uncomfortable. To me that is like wearing the robes of the Pharisees, so that people can see them and be impressed. I desire to wear the sandals of the fisherman who spent time with Jesus and people would know I had been with him.
When my brother worked in a deli making submarine sandwiches all day, we always knew when he entered the house because he carried with him the aroma of where he had been. Somehow we should carry the aroma of our time spent with God as we enter places and others would know where we have been.
BREAKING UP THE FALLOW GROUND
WITH NEW BE-ATTITUDES
Matthew 5: 1-12
It is easy for people to allow their hearts and lives to become like the hard ground of winter. We do the same things over and over by habit or we just are surrounded by so many difficult things that we simply shut down and stop feeling anything. It is then that we calcify and become hardened. Life is difficult. Often it is easier to do things like we have always done them, keeping our thoughts and attitudes the same, not allowing the shovel and hoe to penetrate the hardness so we can get a new and maybe different perspective of life. We see things as unfair or unjust or just plain sad, yet feel powerless to do anything about the circumstances or situations. So we become hardened, discouraged and cynical.
The people Jesus was speaking to were also living in difficult times. Many were poor, outcasts, discriminated against and even persecuted. Something drew these people to come and listen to this new teacher who was saying new things about a new kingdom that was coming, one that they could be a part of. His words were full of hope and speaking to their condition. But they were words that at first didn’t make much sense. The ideas he was expressing seemed upside down, not the usual ways things go. He was saying those who are “blessed, happy, to be envied and spiritually prosperous, are those who are poor, meek, persecuted and reviled against.” How could that be? How could people in those circumstances feel blessed? And then this teacher honors those who are merciful, pure in heart and are peacemakers. Be merciful, pure in heart, and peacemakers in a society that tortures us? How can this be?
Jesus’ words were cracking through and breaking up the hardness and futility that had grow around their hearts and minds just as a plow breaks up the fallow ground of winter so that new seeds can be planted. Jesus wanted to show them a new way of seeing their lives and their circumstances and create new attitudes and new ways to BE.
SCATTERED SEEDS
Matthew 13:1-23
We live in a world of scattered seeds, sound bites, and bullets, talking about God. Flip through the channels on any given day and you will hear preachers giving sermons, yelling and screaming about God, about the evil in the world, about end times, or what we need to be thinking, doing or believing. Many books, magazines, daily devotionals, newsletters, and pamphlets containing articles and writings about God fill the bookstores. Then there are the multitudes of churches with their multitudes of sermons and teachings on Sunday morning. All of these are scattered seeds…by well intentioned sowers of seeds, telling us what they know about God. With all that religion being scattered and spread, one would think this society and this world would be a much better place in which to live.
But it’s not really about the seeds or the sowers. It’s about the seed finding a place to grow, good soil in which to be planted. Good soil prepared and cared for, a place to put down roots, to grow and mature into healthy spiritual fruit. How does that happen? What makes good soil in people? Jesus says it is hearing and understanding that are the necessary elements of good soil. But what does he mean by that?
Before Jesus explains the parable of the sower he says that “this people’s heart has become calloused; they are ever hearing but never understanding, ever seeing but never perceiving.” Understanding is not only a mind thing; it is a heart thing. But what is a calloused heart and how does that prevent us from hearing and seeing?
“Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him” (John 12:37). It has always perplexed me that Jesus would go around doing all these miracles and healing people but all the Pharisees were concerned about was that he was breaking the rules. He healed a man and rather than be excited about that they argued with him because it was the Sabbath. He raised a man from the dead and they got angry. Where was their love and compassion? Surely they had passed by these people every day. How could they not see them and stop to help them? Is this calloused heart, blindness and deafness a consequence of a lack of love for God and a lack of compassion for God’s people? Were they not supposed to be the deliverers of love and compassion rather than merely the keepers of the law and rules?
Is this not true today? People are lost and hurting, greatly in need of God’s love and compassion and healing. Are we a people who have a calloused heart, ears that hear but never understand, and eyes that see but never perceive? There are multitudes of religious programs and impersonal ways that can introduce people to God. There are a lot of people who believe they are doing God’s work here on earth. But is it effective and fruitful? If it isn’t I would wonder how much of the religious work being done is actually God’s work. Jeremiah 2:13 says, “My people have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” Is this true of us today? If it is, then it is time to stop what we are doing and find another way.
I took a class in organic gardening one term at Pendle Hill, a Quaker Retreat & Conference Center. As a class we were responsible for preparing, planting and tending the garden that provides a lot of the food for the center. We did not simply scatter seeds. Each seed we planted was carefully nurtured until it germinated. Then we planted it in soil blocks, and watered it daily until the plant was big enough to go into the ground. Then we would take the soil blocks and put them out of the green house for a part of the day to harden them and get them used to the elements. Then we planted them in the soil that we prepared by digging and loosening up so the roots of these plants could dig deep in the ground to be fed and watered on their own. It was a beautiful experience to watch these plants grow tall, bear fruit and eventually be part of the salad we ate at lunches during the summer.
I think it’s time to stop simply scattering seeds and be more intentional in our commission of making disciples. First we need to apply the salve of God’s love to our hearts and then to the hearts of the people in this world so that the hearts are no longer calloused. This is preparing the soil to receive the seed. We need to handle tenderly the seeds of truth we give other people. God’s words are for healing and making people whole. They need to be planted in hearts that are prepared to hear them, the calloused hearts softened by the love and compassion rooted in the love and compassion of God. Then the seeds will grow tall into the plants that will bear good fruit.
ROOT THEN FRUIT: FUNDAMENTAL IS ESSENTAL
Matthew 26:26-29; John 6
We human beings generally want what we want and want it now; hence, impatience and wars. The root of fleshly desires is very strong and needs to be severed and uprooted. Then the seed of the Spirit can be planted in our hearts. The Spirit will root itself and become our instructor, leading us into a relationship with the person and teachings of Jesus (John 15: 26; 16:1-15).
We human beings generally want to live by feelings. “If it feels good, do it….If it doesn’t feel good, why do it?” Feelings are not fruits and to live by feelings can be shallow, impermanent and at times dangerous. My life as a disciple of Jesus must be solid and secure, like the taproot of a plant. We are not always going to feel good. Jesus didn’t feel good when he was praying in the garden of Gethsemane. He felt abandoned by God and by his friends and the very people he was going to be crucified for. If it had been me I would have said, “The hell with them. I am out of here.” He acted on the word he had from God, not on his feelings about it. This is difficult for me to do sometimes, especially in a culture where there is no Christ centeredness and the Scriptures are put aside very quickly the moment they interfere with what people want to do in their lives. Legalism is not the solution. It’s more a matter of BEING than doing. Using the Scriptures and the teachings of Jesus as the spring of living water we drink from and the bread that we feed on will give an inner direction to holiness, not an outer law or rule to be obeyed.
Fundamentalism has taken on a negative meaning these days. But fundamental simply means elemental, basic, and essential. It is the taproot that keeps things healthy, whole, and from going adrift. Jesus lived a fundamental life, rooted in God and Truth. I want to live that kind of a life.
NO DIMINISHED RETURNS
Mark 4:26-32
It makes me sad to walk into a book store and see the Bargain Book table. There, for $2.00 to $5.00, are the results of someone’s time and life energy that at one time sold for regular price. Diminishing returns to be sure. I have always wanted to write a book and see it displayed on the “Just Arrived” shelf, there in big, bold print for someone to buy and hopefully appreciate my time and energy to say something important and meaningful to them. But I wonder if that is still my dream when I see the Bargain Book table
.
You will not find my book on either the Just Arrived shelf or the Bargain Book table. You will find my book in my storage unit, safely packed away in boxes to be completed at another time. My dream world of being a writer was safely packed away in my mind as I participated in the real life that most of us live in. A life busy with responsibilities and duties that living in these times seem to drag us into. Family, home and work aren’t necessarily bad things but they often take precedence over our dreams of the life we’d rather be living.
The thing that always intruded and took over my illusive life as a writer was my work and my ministry. My work had always been with people, either as a camp director, a teacher, a counselor, or a church leader. Working with souls of others takes all the time and energy one has. There is very little space left for the great book to be written.
But then I reflect on those people who intruded in on my writing time and absorbed all my creative energy. One is a psychologist helping people become whole. One is a college professor who is enhancing the minds of business students who will be a positive power in the future world I live in. Several are environmental scientists working hard to help us survive on this earth and sustaining that survival for generations to come. A couple are ministers in the church truly working with the souls of the people in their care. There are a few lawyers, a camp director and yes, even a writer or two.
This expenditure of my time and life energy will not end up on any Bargain Book table. No diminishing returns here. Just full blooming trees and fruits developed from seeds that I have knowingly and unknowingly sown over the many years of my life. It seems that all books eventually end up on Bargain or For Free tables or on dusty bookshelves somewhere. But seeds grow into living, creative things that constantly contribute energy.
Someday I may walk into a book store and see my book on the Just Arrived shelf or even on the New York Times top ten list. But for now I’ll just enjoy the better world that is being made by those inspiring intrusions of mine.
GOD WANTS LIVING FRUIT NOT POTTED PLANTS
Mark 11: 12-24
A potted plant can get root bound which is unhealthy for the plant. It can’t get the proper nutrients from the soil and so it eventually dies. People can get root bound as well when they remain potted. People get potted and feel safe and secure within the boundaries of doing things the way they have always been done. This leads to spiritual mediocrity. Confined to a pot the roots have no where else to grow except around each other and then they start strangling one another. Roots need space to grow. People need space to grow. Potted plants and potted people need pampering. They are no longer free in the natural world where God provides for them. They need other people to water and feed them, and to nurture them.
One peril of a provided for people is that issues of control will always enter in and people respond to that control by often acquiescing to it. The trade off for the provisions and the care is a loss of freedom of being who you are. You are obligated to be who others think you should be. To remain in the supposed safety of the pot, or community, you may say and do things you don’t believe, just to make other people happy. You start hiding your beliefs so you will look the same as the rest of those in the pot, or community. You begin to kowtow to everyone and never take a stand on anything if it goes against the group. Phil Gulley writes in Life Goes On, “Once you get in the habit of forsaking your convictions in order to be liked, it’s hard to stop. I will catch myself nodding my head in agreement to things I haven’t believed in years, then later despising myself for my cowardice.” Eventually you will become crushed down, robbed of dignity and hope and the life will be strangled out of you.
I love indoor plants but I know that pots are not their natural God given habitat. People aren’t meant to be spiritually potted either. The Spirit can’t be captured by one group, one set of doctrine, or one set of beliefs. The Spirit is like the wind and while it has various patterns and waves it does not succumb to a static system.
Jesus makes us free to be all that we are meant to be in God. He is the giver of life and we are to be rooted in him, not potted in doctrine, rules, human philosophies or theologies. When we are rooted in the Spirit of Jesus, we have the freedom to grow into who we are and the freedom to worship God in the way God seeks to be worshipped, “in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23)
THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Mark 12: 28-34
As I think about what discipleship is and what it is not, I find myself continually seeing how simple it really is. It’s basically just following the two greatest commandments…love God and love one another. If all the people in the world simply did those two things what would life look like then? Of course, while the commands are simple, actually doing them is difficult. People are human and come with all kinds of baggage. It is hard to love people. People who harm you, annoy you, are annoyed by you, disappoint you, disrespect you, lie to you, and the list goes on. I find it easy to love people until they do that one thing that makes them unlovable. But we are called to love as God loves. “Looking beyond their faults and pouring love out on their needs.” (Brian McLaren) That’s sacrificial love and humans don’t like to sacrifice their rights and feeling, at least I don’t. We live in a society that doesn’t like to sacrifice, which makes it easy to follow the world rather than Jesus. Of course, it’s easier to follow the world in all things. That’s the problem. The world appeals to our flesh and the flesh doesn’t like to sacrifice. It wants to be pampered and feel good all the time. Everybody is here to make me happy, successful and feeling good!
The cost of discipleship is high. It is picking up my cross and following Jesus. My cross is where my flesh and my spirit intersect and I have to make a choice. Making the choice to follow Jesus is the choice of life and love and secures his presence with you.
It is a strange phenomenon. People who annoy me or I really don’t like will come up to me and at that moment in time I feel this deep love and concern for them. When they are not in my presence I can easily find all their faults and find all the logical reasons not to like them. Standing next to them I lose that ability and see them as human beings just trying to live out their lives. This must be the agape love manifesting itself at that moment. “Where two or three are gathered, I am in their midst.” (Matt 18:20) When I am face to face with someone, Jesus arrives and transforms what I feel for that person.
Eventually I would like to feel that all the time, especially in the annoying times or times of dislike moments. I feel more and more like all people are really just doing the best they can at dealing with life. That includes me. We are all human beings in all our imperfections. It really is easier when I just love people and not care about all the other stuff. If my heart is cloistered with God, then the only thing that can come out is love. That’s how Jesus was upon this earth. He knew people were imperfect but he simply loved them and they responded to that love. The power of love will remove the dross and align the imperfections. Jesus, reduce me to love!
ATTENDING THE GARDEN
CULTIVATION TAKES A LONG TIME
Luke 2:25-38
Cultivation takes a long time. I see how many years it has taken me to add and subtract things from my life to make it more in alignment with what it was created to be. It just doesn’t happen overnight. It all has been work and that takes time. People are so hurried these days. Being busy is a goal some people set for themselves. It matters little what one is busy at…just so one is busy doing something. I am not like that and I’m not sure I ever have been. I like process and enjoy the time that process takes. Being fallow is often just as important as being fruitful. While I live with intention, I don’t live driven. I make time for what is important and to me; that is simply being available to the moment at hand. It’s strange to watch people make themselves busy and then complain about how busy they are…as if there is some award to be won by being busy or some guilt erased because we are too busy to do something we know we should do. God never seems driven or rushed and he certainly does more than anyone else I know. He works in time and in season.
I feel very productive at times, but it has very little to do with what I was doing. It had more to do with my BEING. When I am cloistered with God, people respond to the love that pours out of me through no effort of my own. It is truly God in me. I feel easy and that is what people respond to. I have heard about being an empty vessel and at times I experience it. It is nothing I can manufacture, or even be trained in. It is simply tending the soil of my soul and planting the right seeds and allowing God to work it all through.
God is in the details, not just the end product. He isn’t driven by profit or production deadlines. He’s a process intender. How things get done is as important as getting things done. My times are in his hands. That is my sense of security and peace. That is the peace of attending to what needed to be attended to that Simeon and Anna knew and their reward was to see the child that would save the world.
ONLY ONE THING NEEDED
Luke 10:38-41; Luke 14:22-33
The cost of discipleship is high. Jesus said, “Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27). The cross is where the flesh and the Spirit intersect. It is the point where the decision to be aligned with God’s will or not be aligned with God’s will is made. The choice is always ours. We need to consider our choices seriously and intentionally just as a builder of a building, or a king going to war. The life of discipleship is an intentional lifE.
Intentional living is tending to and caring about the details. It is consciously and mindfully attending to life, not just simply letting life pass by us or allowing others to steer and direct us. The intentional life will be a simple life because it takes time to take care of things well. There are just so many things one can pay attending attention to.
I enjoy listening to the director’s notes that are now on DVDs. They describe all that went into making the movie the final product that shows for a couple of hours on a screen. Most movies take years of preparation. Nothing is instantaneous. Details are tended to in a delicate way, no matter how minute they may be. Inspiration doesn’t mean instantaneous. A foundation must be laid before inspiration can come. That is the process. There is intentionality and care put into every little detail. Will people see them? Will they notice the significance of the scenes of water in Yentle, the color red in The Sixth Sense, or the feather in Forrest Gump?
Martha was distracted, busy preparing to entertain Jesus. Mary was intentional in her devotion to Jesus. She chose to sit at his feet and listen to what he said. Mary chose the “only one thing needed” and Jesus honored that choice.
WATCH & WAIT & LISTEN
Luke 9:28-36
Peter gets all excited after experiencing the transfiguration of Jesus up on the mountain. It was, after all, a magnificent event. He is already to build things and do this and that for God. He tells Jesus what is good and what to do. God’s voice intervenes in Peter’s plans, acknowledging Jesus, and tells Peter to “Listen to Him.” We do way too much of the talking when we are in God’s Presence. He is the Creator of the universe. He is the one true God and Jesus is His Word to us. We need to be quiet and listen to Him!
God repeatedly throughout the Scriptures says to stop our way and listen to his. “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways.” (Isaiah 55:8,9) “Lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5,6)
How many times have we been like Peter? Seeing something exciting and then running around planning on building shelters to keep that something, yet all the while “not knowing what he was saying”? Often times it’s our shelters and establishments for our religious experiences that cause a majority of the problems of life these days. God’s plan is much simpler…”This is my Son, whom I have chosen, LISTEN TO HIM!”
DECEMBER
AFTER THE CRUCIFIXION COMES THE RESURRECTION
JOHN 20,21; MATTHEW 27,28; MARK 15,16; LUKE 23,24
December is the end of the year; the end of the growing cycle, the garden has been put to rest. The vines and left over vegetables are dead and returned to the soil. The cold of winter will freeze the soil and the land will be at rest. To all living things there is a time to die. But death is not the end. It is merely the conclusion of this part of the cycle. For the point of conclusion is also the point of beginning. “Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it dies, it bringeth forth much fruit.” (John 12:24) In the ending comes the promise of a new beginning.
It probably seems strange to be focusing on Jesus’ death and resurrection in December, when Christians around the world are preparing to celebrate Christmas, signifying the birth of Jesus. But without the crucifixion there would be no resurrection and without the resurrection there would be no Christmas. Jesus was born to die. He is that seed that falls to the ground and dies. And he is that seed that “risen from the dead becomes the first fruits of them that slept…For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (I Corinthians 15: 20, 22)
Jesus is The Promise…
Copyright © 2011 by Pat DeWitt-Thomas
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
Spiritual Journaling, Journaling & Devotionals
SPIRITUAL JOURNALING
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Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1998
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Inner Growth and Personal Discovery. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg
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JOURNALING
1. Rainer, Tristine, The New Diary, Los Angeles, CA: Jeremy P. Tarcher,Inc
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DEVOTIONALS:
1. Rupp, Joyce, The Cup of Life:A Guide for Spiritual Growth, Notre Dame,
IN: Ave Marie Press, Inc. 1997 (Theme)
2. Foster, Richard, A Year With God: Living Out the Spiritual Disciplines,
New York: Renevare Inc. 2009
3. Alive Now, Nashville, TN: Upper Room, (Quarterly)
4. Upper Room, Nashville, TN: Upper Room (Daily)
