I once attended a church conference where a Tent of Prophecy was set up in the parking lot. At some point in the conference we were invited to enter the tent and receive a prophetic word.
Eternity’s Sunrise: Verses On Joy
Last time I published a selection of quotes about joy and happiness. This week I offer some of my favorite verses on the same theme. To begin with, two poems by William Blake:
A Joyful Mystery: Thoughts on Happiness
In 2003 I published a book about joy entitled Champagne for the Soul. While working on the book, I began collecting quotes about happiness, a practice I continue to this day. I wish some of the recent quotes I’ve found could have made it into the original book. But as it’s too late for that, I present a few of my favorites here:
I Asked for Wonder: Abraham Joshua Heschel
In a preface to a book of his poems, Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote, “I did not ask for success; I asked for wonder. And You gave it to me.” A Jewish rabbi, his wise and prophetic words often speak also to Christians. Here’s just a sample of his writing from a wonderful anthology entitled I Asked for Wonder :
Horse and Train: How a Photorealist Portrays Angels (The Art of Alex Colville, Part 2)
Alex Colville’s art is full of black animals: dogs, cats, crows, horses. Consider his most famous painting, “Horse and Train.”
Dog and Priest: Which Is Which? (The Art of Alex Colville, Part I)
The Canadian painter Alex Colville (1920-2013) was that most curious of artistic hybrids, both a realist and a modernist. In fact art critic Jeffrey Myers, in an article entitled “Dangerously Real,” called Colville “one of the greatest modern realist painters.”
Let’s Pretend: Prayer as Serious Child’s Play
The backyard of our former house featured a neighborhood playground. While sitting on my deck one day, I overheard two little girls at play.
The Mirror of the Cross: A Meditation by Walter Wangerin
In mirrors I see myself. But in mirrors made of glass and silver I never see the whole of myself. I see the me I want to see, and I ignore the rest.
The Night Stair: Contemplative Prayer and the Spirituality of Sleep
One of the many books I hope to publish one day is The Night Stair: Reflections on Contemplative Prayer.
Be Still and Know: Contemplative Prayer
Walt Whitman’s poem “Song of Myself” begins with the line, “I lean and loaf at my ease observing a spear of summer grass.” This is not a bad way to begin the practice of contemplative prayer.