Via Dolorosa

I have been crucified with Christ;
and it is no longer I who live,
but Christ lives in me;
and the life which I now live in the flesh
I live by faith in the Son of God,
Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Psalm 104:24-35

"How many are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number— living things both large and small.
There the ships go to and fro, and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.
These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time.
When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.
When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.
When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.
May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works-
he who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke.
I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the LORD.
But may sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more. Praise the LORD, O my soul. Praise the LORD!"

Create in Me

Thank you, God of Life;

you want me to live, not die.

Palm Sunday

will I lay my cloak before you,

when they arrest you on olive mountain,

or pull it tighter around me,

fading into the ranks of the deserters;

will I shout
'Blessed is the one who comes
in the name of the Lord!'
when they parade you
before the authorities,
or will I tell any one - and every one - around me
I never met you in my life;

will I lay my palm branches at your feet,
as they march you to Calvary,
or use them to put more stripes
on your bloody back;

will I run behind you
when they carry you to the tomb,
or turn away
as the ashes of my hopes
are rubbed into the wounds in my heart?

Psalm 16

Preserve me, O God, for in thee I take refuge.

I say to the LORD, "Thou art my Lord; I have no good apart from thee."

The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; thou holdest my lot.

I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.

I keep the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

Thou dost show me the path of life; in thy presence there is fullness of joy,

in thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.

Best Efforts

This from my favorite blog, and group at Facebook, Contemplative Christianity

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=info&ref=mf&gid=91977721683

http://contemplativechristians.com/

Heart of Love: Turn our Lazarus lives into resurrection love. Use the failures of our best efforts to be the locations of your transforming grace. In our powerlessness to do, draw us into divine union to you, our heart of hearts. With Christ, in the unity of the Spirit. Amen.

(Lyrics by Porcupine Tree)

As the cheerless towns pass my window
I can see a washed out moon through the fog
And then a voice inside my head breaks the analogue
And says

"Follow me down to the valley below
You know
Moonlight is bleeding from out of your soul"

I survived against the will of my twisted folk
But in the deafness of my world the silence broke
And said

"Follow me down to the valley below
You know Moonlight is bleeding from out of your soul"

"My David don't you worry
This cold world is not for you
So rest your head upon me
I have strength to carry you"

(Ghosts of the twenties rising Golden summers just holding you)

"Follow me down to the valley below
You know
Moonlight is bleeding from out of your soul
Come to us Lazarus
It's time for you to go"

Silent Worship

Fade away each wild emotion;
Every care and sorrow cease;
Breathing silent, calm devotion
Rest each soul in perfect peace.

Linked with Christ in tender union
All our hearts with love o'erflow,
Holding secret, sweet communion
Borne by angels to and fro.

Thus our souls may live forever
Drinking in eternal Truth,
Never more from bliss to sever,
Joyous in immortal youth.

Through the ages none can measure
Love shall wing our prayers and praise,
It shall be our dearest treasure
And the solace of our days.

~ Aaron Southwick (1830-1909)

Come Holy Spirit

"God must become an activity in our consciousness."

Meditation ~

Reflection

Stations of the Cross

Fear Not

"I do not fear Satan half so much as I fear those who fear him."

~Saint Teresa of Avila

My Lord God

The Great Divide

I have run to the ocean
Through the Horizon
Chased the sun
I've waited for the light to come,
And at times I would give up
You have
Wrapped your loving arms 'round me,
And with your love I'll overcome.
You have
Loved me when I was weak,
You have
Given unselfishly,
Kept me from Falling...Falling
Everywhere but my Knees!

You set me free!
To live my life
You became my reason to survive the great divide
You set me Free!

I've been on Heaven's doorstep,
With the Door open,
One foot inside
I've cried out...God give me answers!
Please hush child I'll tell you why
You have
Loved me when you were weak,
You kept
Giving unselfishly,
Kept you from
Falling...Falling
Everywhere but your Knees!

You set me free!
To live my life
You became my reason to survive the great divide
You set me free!

Oh...our love is beautiful
Oh...oo...oh...Isn't it beautiful?
Times have changed
But you remain
My everything
Our Love is Beautiful
Stood by my side
Helped me survive
My great Divide
Isn't this beautiful.

You set me free!
To live my life
You became my reason to survive the great divide
You set me free.

The Transfiguration

Simple Gifts

"This lovely old tune is often listed as traditional or anonymous, but it was composed by Joseph Brackett, jr., a member of the Shaker community in Maine, in 1848. It's lyrics begin: "'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free." For me, the tune possesses a simple joy."

http://www.youtube.com/user/RickHomanSongs

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