” Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ” Matthew 22:37 ” And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7 The words from Deuteronomy are from God, through Moses. Before the quote, he says the same thing that Jesus quotes from in Matthew. So, Jesus is clearly Jewish in his faith. I think all the things that Jesus says in his ministry comes from a Hebrew understanding. His parents were Jews, and all his disciples were Jews. His spirituality was all wrapped up following the God of the Old Testament. In most cases , he was calling the people back to the Creator of this world.
How do I keep connected to this God of Jesus of Nazareth ? 1) I read the Bible. I do not read it for rules, but for the story. I do not read it to preach all the time. I read it to nourish my soul. It is a devotional kind of reading the Word.
2) I meet with a spiritual director. At present it is Judy Martin, who is a farmer, writer, wife, mother and grandmother. I tell her how I am doing with God, and she listens, responds and prays for me and with me. I also meet with other ministers ( we meet over Zoom tomorrow ).
3) I walk in the mornings by myself, mostly in silence. Sometimes I sing a Taize song , ” Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom “
4 ) I write this daily blog, Ponder Anew . I write it for myself, for you, the reader, and probably for God. It has a lot of questions and mystery to it because I am still searching to love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul and mind.
5 ) I take many pictures of flowers. I take them when the flowers are budding, when they are in full bloom, and when they are dying. I do not know why. I am not a real gardener. Maybe, just maybe, I do it because it models the life cycle of myself. I am dying and resurrecting and waiting to bloom everyday. I am thinking out loud here. 6) I pray.
What kinds of things do you do to connect to the living God of heaven and earth ?
Searching for the strength and shalom of God together. AMEN
Fred
Soaring like Vultures lifted up by unseen Hands Trust, silent enters my fears Monica Pieper Landoni 202
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