The Clallery

  Group spiritual direction is for spiritual formation, which often involves inter-disciplinary subjects, praying about each other’s encounters in life, for reorienting our hearts towards the Triune God. ~ Clara, The Clallery

 “Jesus did not just quote Scripture and tell people to obey it. In fact He did so rarely, and even then often gave it an unexpected twist. He realized that the secret of desiring something lies more in the imagination than the will. So He constantly worked on people’s imagination. He was a master of the dramatic action and the apt reply. He did and said eminently memorable things that gripped hearts and minds. In all this He had one overriding aim. He stated it at the very beginning of His ministry after His temptations: ‘The time has arrived; the kingdom of God is upon you. Repent, and believe the Gospel’ (Mark 1:15).” ~ Ford, David F. (1997, 2004). The Shape of Living: Spiritual Directions for Everyday Life.   Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, p.66-67. A Bible passage to ponder... John 3:1–21 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come fr...

 “The vocabulary of the Christian faith contains many descriptors for relationships of superior quality. It includes, for example, shalom, that wistful desideratum of the ancient Jews. In the New Testament the descriptive language includes fellowship or koinonia; later it has come to contain community and communion, with their etymological suggestions of intimate sharing. The best words are not the hierarchical ones (arch-this and uber-that), but the co-words of mutuality and partnership.” ~Glen G. Scorgie and Kevin S. Reimer. ‘Spirituality inCommunity’. Dictionary of Christian Spirituality. Eds. Glen G. Scorgie,‎ SimonChan,‎ Gordon T. Smith,‎ James D. Smith III. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011.p.79. Bible passages to ponder... Psalm 133 How good and pleasant it is     when God’s people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head,     running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard,     down on the collar of his robe. It...

Scientific oriented people and artistic oriented people manifest “love” in different ways. People in science express their love through rationality, such as wearing masks and keeping social distancing would be a loving manner towards your neighbours; people in arts show their love through emotions, such as countenances and physical gatherings would be a loving expression towards your neighbours. Hopefully, the technology of video conferencing would be able to play an intermediate and temporary way of bridging the two. Whether you choose to meet online or in-person, may all be thankful to the love from above and beyond! ~ Clara, The Clallery

Houston's book is more in a theological perspective with a touch on historical heritage; Keller's book is more about His presence, correction, and intimacy. Both are great books! Now as I am typing, suddenly "Hearing God" by Dallas Willard came to my mind. I think I need to reread Willard's books again in the near future.

 

  Welcome to "The Callery": A Gallery for Clarifying, Cherishing, Living...  "The Clallery" (clallery.com) is a cyberspace gallery for people to clarify and to cherish our lives together. Lives could often become quite disoriented in the midst of our busyness, and we would love to display pieces of artwork and the short stories behind them which may allow us to reflect quietly, to converse with our Triune God: to be redeemed, rejuvenated and reoriented ourselves towards our creator in joy and at peace on entering healthy relationships with people and matters. About "Visio Divina"... “Contemplative nature of Visio Divina encourages us to sink into God’s presence within, allowing thoughts and emotions to be released which interfere with experiencing union with God”. ~by Karen Kuchan, "Visio Divina: A New Prayer Practice for Encounters with God, (New York, NY: Crossroad, 2005), p.27"

 

 

"God is far less concerned about your behaviors than you think He is, and He is far more concerned with your heart than you’ll ever know. I’m not condoning sin. But I am saying that the heart is the issue—if you get the heart in right alignment with God, the behaviors follow."  ~ Rob Reimer, "Soul Care: 7 Transformational Principles for a Healthy Soul", Carpenter's Son Publishing (2016). Bible passages to ponder... Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart,     for everything you do flows from it. Psalm 51:10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,     and renew a steadfast spirit within me.