"Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?" If they would put half of this labor upon mortifying their appetites and their passions, they would gain more in a month than by all their own exercises in many years.

When: Tuesday, July 01, 2008 12:00 AM to Wednesday, July 02, 2008 12:00 AM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).
 
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Words written in red; Words of Jesus
And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, "Save, Lord; we are perishing." And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?"
Matthew 8: 23 – 27
 
The ignorance of some is greatly to be pitied, who load themselves with unwise penances of their devising, putting all their confidence in them, and expecting to become saints by their means. If they would put half of this labor upon mortifying their appetites and their passions, they would gain more in a month than by all their own exercises in many years.
— St. John of the Cross
 
Abba, Father, Lord God, thankful and aware I seek clarity, I look for change, I ask for Your help, and I pray for Your presence. Clarity to see through Jesus’ eyes, change to reflect His image from within me, help in discerning each moment with His heart, and the presence of You through Him in the Holy Spirit. I do not wish to create an image of You or belief in You that is not true; for what good or what would that prove. I do ask and pray that You would mold me into that which You intended me to be, according to Your will and for Your purpose. That You would use this time to show and teach me in Your ways, tuning my ear, focusing my eyes, likening my heart to that of Jesus. For I feel, know and accept my nature, but I feel, know and accept my source is You. So my faith is in Jesus, my hope is with the Spirit, and my love is for You; that You will finish the work You have begun in me, and that each day You will guide and provide me with what I need for that day, and the mercy and grace to get me through it. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
 
 
Audio books I am listening to and other books or readings I am reading:
The Art of Presence By: Eckhart Tolle In The Art of Presence, Eckhart guides you through seven hours of transformational insights that allow "presence to naturally arise" in you. With his one-of-a-kind instruction, you will learn how to ground yourself in the vibrancy of your "inner body" while simultaneously breaking free from the illusion of separation from the outside world.
The Brain That Changes Itself: Personal Triumphs from the Frontiers of Brain Science (Unabridged) By: Norman Doidge The discovery that our thoughts can change the structure and function of our brains – even into old age – is the most important breakthrough in neuroscience in four centuries.
The Shack Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack’s world forever. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant "The Shack" wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You’ll want everyone you know to read this book!
 
 

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