Wow I can not believe it has almost been a year since my last “daily” journal update.
I was reflecting back and re-reading my daily entries and meditations from early on in this blog. It reminded me of all of the cool things I was learning in the Spirit. Sure there was immense pain and trial, but through it God’s faithfulness was amplified and I was strengthened and encouraged.
The past week I had the priviledge of seeing John Michael Talbot twice in concert – just him and his guitar. John Michael was in pain with a herniated disc or two that caused him to have to sit with an ice pack. As he played and ministered in pain God’s supernatural grace was made manifest and I could feel the breath of the Spirit reminding me of that grace experience in the midst of my ‘pain’. Suddenly I found myself deeply missing my daily time of contemplation. I have devotional time, reading books, the Bible Study, etc – but not that deep time of contemplation and meditation that opened my heart up for a true communion with God that for years I thought were for people of another time. Daily life had given way to busyness resulting in spiritual atrophy. I was living my life somewhat as an urban monastic adopting as it were the Rule of Benedict to hold before me a framework of prayer, devotion and reading. Powerful times and powerful experiences! The Word of God in Scripture had never become more alive to me as it did in those times. The Holy Spirit manifested Himself with an outpouring of His gifts that still have me in wonder over the grace God poured out. Yet still I find I have let thorns and thistles come up and are now challenging the life that was bearing so much fruit.
It is important for me to make a priority of simplifying my life once again – I am not involved in personal training right now, no diet plans to manage for competitors, no Bible studies to prepare for, right now it seems God has placed before again a door of opportunity to get alone with Him and continue this Journey to the Deeper Life.
