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Heart Cries of the Prodigal’s Mother

My son, where are you? My son, what did I do? Where did we go wrong? We had such high hopes and shared good things And then you were gone. It seems so long— My faith, once strong, is wavering. My Son, are you…

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October 18, 2020

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Helping Christians grow in their faith

I’m so thankful for Julia’s writings. As she encourages thoughtful, prayerful reading of the Bible, she reminds me that God is speaking to me constantly if I will only open my mind and heart to hear Him.

Praying through the scriptures has become a vital part of my time alone with God. It says in Romans 8:26 that "we do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us.” This practice has changed the tone of my walk with Christ as my flesh moves over and allows the Spirit to pray for me and reveal God’s desires for me.

As someone who enjoys Pilates, finding the relationship between Pilates and Spiritual Formation was an epiphany—a discovery that allowed me to seek and understand the person God had created me to be. Spiritual Formation gave to my life direction through scripture, prayer, study, and learning to embrace solitude.

My Spiritual Director has introduced me to Lectio Divina, Centering Prayer and other Spiritual Disciplines that have added so much value to my Spiritual Formation and Transformation. Lectio Divina gives me a clearer understanding of God within the Scripture, and helps me to discern God’s will for my life.

I feel the presence of God when I practice Lectio Divina. By becoming quiet and meditating on God’s Word, I am able to concentrate on what God is saying to me. It is truly a conversation with God.

Many things nurture my spirit: nature, music, especially old hymns, poetry with language that sings, literature that enlightens the human condition, many of the teachings of Jesus and passages from the Bible that encourage mercy, justice, peace, compassion, and most of all, love.

The Circle of Hope class, led by Julia Ledford, was an enriching time to my prayer life and reading of scripture. We spent time to center our thoughts on God’s Word through a centering prayer, several readings of a passage of scripture, silence and meditation. The centering prayer helped me to focus my thoughts on God. Taking this class has enriched the way I read scripture and how I pray.

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