WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL
Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. ~Genesis 2:7
As we journey into the practice of being fully present, we begin to notice how easily we are pulled away. We grow uncomfortable or bored and so our minds begin to overpower our spirits again. I am sure God knew that would be a difficulty humanity would face as he made them of both dust and spirit. He knew we, like Him, would need to find balance between the two. Dust (or the physical) is our starting point. It is where our physical bodies and minds are domain, but it is in the spiritual side of us that connects with the unseen aspects of life. It is where love and hope and connection with the Trinity dwells. Most of us, however, have not spent a great deal of time allowing our spirits to take the lead. We were pushed and shoved often tearfully as children into the “real world.” Most of us are really good at functioning at the helter-skelter pace of the mind and often we push our bodies far beyond their physical capacities and then wonder why we are so lost and physically drained. We have lost the balance between mind, body and spirit. It is the spirit that takes over when we sit quietly waiting for God to speak. It is the practice of presence that opens the door to the unseen world that surrounds all of us. It is the practice of presence that allows the body and mind to fall in line with the heart.
God has always known we would struggle, yet He has continued to walk along side of us as we struggle. That is what presence reveals to us as we begin to practice it and open ourselves up to His presence with us and with others.
Mary Oliver poem expresses the struggle beautifully in her poem below.
The Living Together
The spirit says:
What gorgeous clouds.
The Body says: Good,
The crops need rain.
The spirit says:
Look at the lambs frolicking.
The body says:
When’s the feast?
The spirit says:
What is the lark singing about?
The body says:
Maybe it’s angry.
The spirit says;
I think shadows are trying to say something.
The body says;
I know how to make light.
The spirit says;
My heart is pounding.
The body says;
Take off your clothes.
The spirit says; Body,
How can we live together?
The body says; Bricks and mortar
And a back door.
Practicality is good but not at the expense of the music of all of God’s creation. We were meant to bear the image of God…all of it, not just the sides that we like.
Prayer
Help us Abba to learn to let go and to play at your feet once again. Help us to give to you all of our beings, not just the sides we have been told by the world that they are worthwhile. Let us fall deeply into your arms and just be.
Amen
Upcoming Events
February
26th // Ash Wednesday @ Alamo Heights Baptist Church 7am & 12pm
28th-29th // IF: Women’s Conference
March
20th-21st // Men’s Retreat
IF: Women’s Simulcast Conference
At the IF: Women’s Conference, we will gather on the evening of Friday February 28 and Saturday morning and afternoon on the 29th at Alamo Heights Baptist Church. Registration is $50, which includes dinner on Friday, a light breakfast and lunch on Saturday and snacks throughout! We will watch a simulcast of IF speakers, worship together, and enjoy yummy meals with one another! Feel free to contact Terri at terri@theparksa.org if you have any questions. To sign up you can click here.
Foster Adopt Month of Love
The month of February is the “Month of Love” so we’re inviting parishioners to send “love” notes of prayer and encouragement to foster families in San Antonio. Prayers and notes of encouragement will be sent to foster/adoptive families across San Antonio, demonstrating the love of God for them and inviting parishioners to intercede on their behalf. It also gives parishioners a tangible way to “care for the orphaned” as we are called to do. Sign up at theparksa.org/fosterlove. You can email the Foster/Adopt Ministry team at fosteradopt@theparksa.org with any questions or for other volunteer opportunities.
Men’s Monthly Prayer Nights
The men’s prayer group for Midtown meets on the third Thursday of the month and the Mac Terrace group meets on the third Friday of the month. These are parish specific prayer meetings. To receive more information from a parish pastor, you can click here.