Author: Jonny N
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Visio Divina (baptised in gold)
I had the privilege of being able to spend some time in a couple of London’s galleries & museums this summer. Of all I saw, this sculpture particularly struck me, partly, I suspect because I was not expecting it. We stumbled upon it on the fourth floor of the V&A, tucked in the corner of…
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Songs of Lament (hold me now)
One of the many gifts of the Hebrew Scriptures are the expressions of lament which are given voice throughout. The Psalms record many of these — with cries of of “how long O Lord?”, “Why Lord?” … “when Lord?” Note these words from Psalm 6: Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal…
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Half-Day Retreat
If you find yourself with a half-day to give to quiet and reflections, yet find yourself unsure how to use this time. Please use the following resource which has some helpful suggestions for you. It maybe you just need a break, downtime and rest — in which case simply give yourself time to do that!…
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Slow work, patience and trust
Above all, trust in the slow work of God.We are quite naturally impatient in everythingto reach the end without delay.We should like to skip the intermediate stages.We are impatient of being on the way to somethingunknown, something new.And yet it is the law of all progressthat it is made by passing throughsome stages of instability—and…
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Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina is an ancient way of praying scripture. This practice has been used throughout church history and continues to be a nourishing discipline for Christians from all traditions. The Latin/Benedictine name, Lectio Divina, may sound unusual to us now — it essentially means: “sacred reading”. This engaging with scripture is reflective and done in the…
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Examen (a variation with postures)
I’m grateful to the author Ian Adams for bringing this version of the Ignatian Daily Examen to my attention, in his book ‘Running Over Rocks’. This practice fits particularly well at threshold moments, such as the end of a day. The five stages correlate to fives gesture, incorporating our whole self into the prayer. Open…
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Centering Down: Palms Up, Palms Down
Author and teacher Richard Foster describes a prayer practice sometimes known as ‘Palms up, palms down’, it has also been known by the The Quakers as Centering Down.This version of the prayer uses gestures in order for us to “embody the prayer”: First: identifying and releasing our burdens (palms down) Second: receiving God‘s grace (palms…
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Breath Prayer
Breath prayer, is a wonderfully simple form of prayer. It is sometimes known as a ‘prayer of the heart’. For me it its a physical prayer — a prayer of the body — with an emphasis more on posture and inner orientation . In this prayer we receive each breath as a gift — a…
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Welcoming Prayer
Background & Introduction Welcoming prayer addresses three core human needs: affection and love, security and wellbeing, a sense of control and agency. In particular circumstances or stressful situations we can find ourselves over attached to these core needs. In the process we can loose sight of the bigger picture, forget our awareness of God, freedom…
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Poised for action
This photo by Leonardo Battista of Peregrine hunting Starlings at roost is one of the most inspiring and provocative images I’ve seen this year. Leonardo’s camera has captured a still moment with stark contrasts. We see the starlings dart around — twisting and turning — their separate forms barely discernible. In contrast the Peregrine is…