tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17595469923281476942012-02-20T10:23:57.286-08:00Christian Spiritual Formation and Soul CareAnitanoreply@blogger.comBlogger501100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-8865668181527496512012-02-10T12:55:00.000-08:002012-02-13T13:26:07.823-08:00

Last Saturday, Marilyn and I, attended my presbytery's Mission Summit 2. Thanks to Pam who shared the information. Besides Pam and Biff, Jon from my church missions team was also there. (Full disclosure: Pam and Jon co-chair Missions. I'm a member of the team. I took a leave of absence last couple of years to serve as a deacon. This year, I'm yet to attend Missions meetings even though my deacon

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-48088425825452726872012-02-10T10:52:00.000-08:002012-02-10T13:19:05.211-08:00

My divinely led fact-finding mission of who are the poor in OC (similar to the poor in the Bible and when Jesus walked the earth) continues, amazingly. Here's the epiphany I had today. Background: Earlier this week, I visited Isaiah House and if you haven't read my post about that visit yet, you might want to do so; it may make this post clearer. That post's title - Homelessness in the OC -

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-74667711915541548722012-02-09T20:26:00.000-08:002012-02-13T12:57:37.870-08:00

Yesterday, my Poverty and the Gospel class went on a field trip to Isaiah House, where we hung out with women who have no homes. After about an hour or so, we went downtown, and helped serve meals with another church group to men who have no homes. I'm still trying to put everything I learned together but here's a bit of it: 1) I was pleasantly surprised by Isaiah House. A large Victorian home,

Anitanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-50578132788290109642012-02-09T16:00:00.000-08:002012-02-10T17:04:07.024-08:00

When Helping Hurts Mission Summit 2, Presbytery of Los Ranchos February 4, 2012 A discussion group based on When Helping Hurts: How To Alleviate Poverty without Hurting the Poor... and Yourself by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert.  What do you think of the when you hear the phrase "When Helping Hurts"? Any particular stories come to mind? Any images or thoughts? What does "being made in the

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-68472697097552557732012-02-02T10:32:00.000-08:002012-02-06T10:50:54.891-08:00

One of my convictions about Jesus and what it means to be a follower of Jesus - the incarnational aspect of Christ giving up a life of privilege to come and be with us, suffer and die for us in the end so we can be reconciled and enjoy that life of privilege in eternity with him - is beautifully expressed in this short poem by Dorothy Sayers: Hard it is, very hardTo travel up the slow and stony

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-4548061554812817792011-12-05T12:05:00.000-08:002012-02-13T14:32:43.926-08:00

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, Philippians 1: 9 Relationships is a word I hear often in my church.  We're called to live in relationship with God and one another, near and far away.  It's because we value relationships so much that our church doesn't just give away money but tries to build and maintain relationships as agents of

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-70527846191150464892011-05-14T22:02:00.000-07:002011-05-15T07:39:52.477-07:00

Last year our Garden Club discussed Jesus' parable likening the small mustard seed which grows to a huge tree to the Kingdom of God and we discussed the importance of doing small things with great love. Today, at our May Garden Club meeting we looked at the same two verses again and read the IPC Kingdom Story (see below for complete text). It reminded me of my own childish dreams. As a child,

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-50022484592278455452011-04-07T19:51:00.000-07:002011-04-07T19:52:21.878-07:00

As part of my study of The First and Second Letters of Peter (New Testament, Bible), I read and reflected on the famous love passage in I Corinthians Chapter 13.  John MacArthur, the author of the study guide I am using, writes that we are to love other members of Christ's body, his church, like this!  Reading the passage made me realize that it is hard for me to love myself or even my own family

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-20902085683046274492011-04-02T11:27:00.000-07:002011-04-02T11:57:36.348-07:00

I am reading a bunch of books and doing a whole lot of things.  God, in his usual marvelous way, is orchestrating it all.  I will share two little things here about friends and neighbors that I've read or experienced and heard but I won't share my takeaways; I'm going to let you, led by the Holy Spirit, dot the i's, cross the t's and make all the connections for your very own experience of our

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-25710454503848592112011-03-23T21:26:00.000-07:002011-03-23T21:32:41.382-07:00

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is the light in him is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5 Hello dear flock, Well, the Sun is/was out!! The past several days have been dark, cloudy, cold and rainy as we've been experiencing Southern California's last little bit of winter. Some welcome such blustery weather, even relish it... people in Seattle for instance,

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-21852854451461824862011-03-22T21:42:00.000-07:002011-03-25T14:39:05.223-07:00

My notes from Beth Bolsinger's presentation at the Irvine Pres. Joint Elders-Deacons meeting. Healthy boundaries - help us order or limit (constrain) relationships - we're safe, accepted, loved, we flourish. Expectations & rules are articulated and shared (mutually held). What would a Church with perfect boundaries look like? It would have direct communication; No hidden agendas; Respect for

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-46770359322139561862010-12-04T12:34:00.000-08:002010-12-04T23:02:08.637-08:00

 Mid-week, I found out, can be a pretty inspirational time to enjoy the beach. Marilyn and I've been experimenting going to the beach at different times. This week we went on a Wednesday around 3 pm. Driving on the curvy, hilly road, tantalizing glimpses of a tranquil, flat ocean caught our attention. It wasn't "sparkling like diamonds" as Marilyn had noticed a day earlier driving the same road.

Anitanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-65075674530001528902010-11-23T13:46:00.000-08:002010-11-24T11:01:22.126-08:00

I've been thinking about miracles lately. Do real miracles still happen today? What is the connection between miracles and prayers? Quite frankly, I'd become a bit indifferent about miracles as there have been a lot of celebration of miracles as well as prayers asking for miracles in my community of faith.  I knew that my blasé attitude was wrong and sure enough, God brought another modern-day

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-42169135469787758682010-11-15T12:57:00.000-08:002011-02-02T10:27:50.462-08:00

"In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life." James 1: 21. Struck by our new pastor's sermon on The Letter of James, chapter 1, and hearing it anew in The Message version he read to us, I'd selected it as our Bible study verse for our Garden Club June meeting. Very appropriate for our venue, for in November, the group met again

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-48179759419348273222010-10-31T16:24:00.000-07:002010-11-08T21:24:03.863-08:00

On October 9, members from our Garden Club met at The Vintage Lady in Old Town Tustin. Cathy, the owner, showed us to how to put together a "fairy garden." Container gardening has now become a whole new world for me to explore! Below are some of the pictures from that demonstration. After the demo we relaxed with two of my favorites, both home-made, poi bread by Suzanne and hummus by Suhair.

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-78678849800902936012010-09-12T22:34:00.000-07:002010-09-12T23:11:44.715-07:00

Job 12: 8a ask the the plants of the earth, and they will teach you was the Bible verse we studied briefly and Natural Pest Control the topic of our Sept. Garden Club get-together. Here is a copy of the presentation as a pdf file. Over the delicious taco salad bar lunch we realized that we're morphing into a Pray-Eat-Play Garden Club! Also, the word about us is buzzing around because today, two

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-57784676595179923772010-08-16T18:28:00.000-07:002010-08-16T19:01:55.029-07:00

Inner Peristyle Garden Outer Peristyle Garden East Garden - what we think might have been the family & slave Play Garden Herb Garden - fragrant herbs and fruit Orchard of pomegranates, figs, apples and grapes I greatly enjoyed the Architecture and Garden Tour at the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades (Malibu). The 4 gardens to which our group was introduced included: Inner Peristyle

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-89604462742742032172010-08-02T10:17:00.000-07:002011-02-02T10:40:15.408-08:00

What would you like the IPC Garden Club to be & Ideas for Meeting Topics - April/July 2010  Note: Names have been removed for web privacy purposes Respondents 1 & 2 (co-leaders of the Garden Club, related posts are here (Missio Dei) & here (Sprouting Up))Gardening to build local communities Gardening as Christian Soul Care & In Memory of our Moms Gardening as a global service project –

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-8755841038085616852010-05-14T21:47:00.000-07:002010-05-15T11:29:26.560-07:00

For quite some time now I've been thinking about peas, how modest the plant is in my garden with its tiny sweet flowers, delicate, attractive leaves, and graceful, tasty peas. I love growing peas! They take so little space. Yet, they produce so much and need very little attention. Just drop the seeds directly into containers and place them in a sunny spot. Give them regular water and they'll grow

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-40157856002354914582010-04-30T17:40:00.000-07:002010-04-30T17:40:23.583-07:00

Join the Garden Club for a field trip/garden tour this May! "Real Gardens by Real People" Mary Lou Heard Memorial Tour on May 1st, 10 am - 5 pm. The Mary Lou Heard Memorial Garden Tour is a yearly, self-guided charity event in OC held by the Mary Lou Heard Foundation (MLHF), a California nonprofit organization. The complete list of gardens can be found on the web http://www.heardsgardentour.com/.

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-85461790021941682872010-04-14T17:39:00.000-07:002010-04-30T17:39:16.475-07:00

Our first Garden Club meeting on Saturday, 10 April, was such a feast for our bodies and our souls that I'm beginning to think we well and truly met in the Garden of Eden. Incidentally, the Garden of Eden was mentioned in our day's meditation verse (Genesis 2:15). 12 of us met (6 couldn't make it this time) and our Triune God was definitely present! Suzanne and Andy had laid out a wonderful feast

Anitanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-5943958918050725512010-04-13T18:00:00.000-07:002010-04-15T18:31:37.849-07:00

What must the busy OC gardener do in April to keep the garden looking great all summer and year long? The answer to this and a preview of what to do in May, from the Master Gardeners Calendar for the OC, is below along with some of my notes. I've also added a category of Shows/Events to highlight local garden events/shows.   Thanks to the UCCE Master Gardeners for developing this nifty calendar

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-77204333273363347682010-03-15T17:00:00.000-07:002010-04-15T16:17:26.920-07:00

Whether you're a passionate gardener or just want to learn about gardening, we invite you to join us at our next Garden Club meeting. April is not only the best time to plant succulents, tropicals & Mediterraneans in SoCal but its also the best time to start gardening again or for the very first time! We'll be meeting on Saturday, April 10, 10 am - 12 noon at the home of Andy & Suzanne near

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-60346630420189562482010-03-04T22:49:00.000-08:002010-03-05T09:58:37.033-08:00

This is dedicated to 24-year old Sean, now with the Lord. Sean is the beloved son/grandson of my flock members (parents & grandmother). He passed away suddenly on Feb. 22, 2010. His sudden death has left a huge hole in the hearts of many in my community whether or not they knew this joy-filled, people-loving, Christ-following, young man.  For some time now, even before the first traumatic event

Anitanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-72869457854155077052010-02-28T22:10:00.000-08:002010-02-28T22:58:55.738-08:00

I planted bulbs for the very first time last fall - daffodils, blue iris, and freesia - and I'm just beginning to enjoy them. My first daffodil bloomed the other day! William Wordsworth's famous poem about daffodils, I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud, was one of my favorites in school. The sight of a field of daffodils fills Wordsworth with pleasure long after he's left them and whenever he's in a

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-65064332696830001482010-01-14T22:03:00.000-08:002010-01-15T09:10:15.920-08:00

Beloved Daughters is the current exhibition at the San Diego Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park. It features photographs taken by an American artist-activist, Fazal Sheikh from two prior exhibitions, Ladli (beloved daughters) and Moksha (heaven). Yesterday, a friend and I saw it. The photographs are stunning and I will never be able to forget the eyes - dark, beautiful eyes - of the

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-27738381675987107162009-12-26T21:19:00.000-08:002012-02-17T15:51:02.998-08:00

I've been divinely inspired this year to blend my traditions and create a unique dish: Christmas Biryani. Biryani is a festive dish and growing up, my mother cooked biryani every Christmas. Sadly, I don't have her recipe and I've never been able to re-create it. Now, God, in his grace, has inspired me to come up with my own.  I cooked it, a couple of times this year, in honor of my mother who

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-84237007656058441322009-12-02T06:51:00.000-08:002009-12-04T11:20:28.413-08:00

My very first pea of the season! This is the Dwarf Gray Sugar Pea that I planted as a seed in October.  I am delighted. It is a tiny but most beautiful flower. I'm watching it daily so I can see how it turns into the sugar snap pea :). According to my seed packet, the Dwarf Gray Sugar is a heirloom variety and has the very best leaf tips, tops, tendrils and flowers for eating besides the peas.

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-37513882243070863512009-11-06T14:01:00.000-08:002009-11-06T14:38:38.071-08:00

"The Great Leveling" is a scene, and probably the only one (although don't quote me on it) in the 2003 movie Luther, played by Ralph Fiennes, which portrays the violence of the 16th century Protestant Reformation. I was supposed to show this movie scene wed; remember I am introducing the Ignatius Spiritual Exercises to Wednesday Bible Study ladies at my church. Anyway, this scene was going to set

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-50698349626566582632009-10-28T13:54:00.000-07:002009-10-28T22:04:19.258-07:00

"A reign of love to rise from within our hearts" is what God wants and this is what we can see happening too with Jesus' miracle healing of the woman in the synagogue. The woman did not ask Jesus to heal her. In fact, Jesus pulls her out of the crowd and tells her: "Woman, you are set free from your ailments." Then, he lays his hands on her and she straightens up, is healed. Jesus' healing, as we

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-87070103349723640062009-10-28T13:39:00.000-07:002009-10-28T14:23:34.451-07:00

Our exploration of the Ignatius Spiritual Exercises, last week, led us to a vivid and deeper understanding of Jesus' rejection in his hometown of Nazareth. It seemed people were ready to hear Jesus and even praised his graciousness. But they quickly became hostile when they realized that Jesus had not read the complete Isaiah prophecy. Jesus, however, "walks right through them." As we continue to

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-12152836692283022352009-10-16T15:59:00.000-07:002009-10-16T16:10:39.941-07:00

On 14th October, we started the fourth week of our study Choosing Christ in the World. Here's the Lectio passage and also, the lecture slides: Scripture for Lectio: Psalm 139 Scripture for Lecture:Matthew 6: 25-34 Lecture slides: Consider the Lilies Jesus is totally counter-cultural because he commands us, his disciples, not to be anxious about our bodies, our lives, what we'll eat or wear.

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-60806569206769037802009-10-07T16:36:00.000-07:002009-11-04T22:19:43.091-08:00

To know Jesus, as we learned last year in our year-long study of John, means to become enlightened, to step out of darkness, to walk in light. In John, Jesus is always pointing to God and the spiritual realities but the disciples and others keep focusing on the physical.  We're starting the third week of our study Choosing Christ in the World. Here's the Lectio passage and also, what I shared

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-64892099541869274112009-10-01T23:41:00.000-07:002010-09-25T16:05:28.415-07:00

Today, my twenty-something said: "Mom, we haven't had that good food of yours for some time now." My heart leaped inside my chest. "Good food?" I queried. "Yes, fish and greens and all that stuff you cook. I need to eat your good food." What better motivation for someone who doesn't like to cook and has, this last week, served lasagna dinner two evenings in a row besides allowing Panera Bread,

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-61495445545125868372009-09-30T14:48:00.000-07:002009-09-30T15:26:53.498-07:00

I am enjoying introducing our women's Bible study to the Ignatius Spiritual Exercises using Fr. Joseph Tetlow's Choosing Christ in the World. Week 2: September 30, 2009   Scripture: Isaiah 54: 6-10 Lecture Slides: God’s Covenant of Love & Peace, Not Fear Movie Clip: Scenes 1 & 2, Main Title/”Spare Me” & In Fear of God, Luther (2003 movie) Today, we explored a few of the many powerful images in

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-87871237959470861952009-09-29T20:23:00.000-07:002009-09-30T16:26:11.528-07:00

Irvine Presbyterian Church's women's Wednesday Bible Study started on the first day of fall this year, Sept. 23. Our fall study is titled Choosing Christ in the World: Experiencing God through Scripture and we are meditating on different passages from the Bible each week/day. Our weekly study format when we meet is: 8 – 8: 55 am small group leaders time; 9 – 9: 55 – small group time, 10 - 10: 10

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-50687011288507264022009-09-16T22:00:00.000-07:002010-09-02T03:16:20.057-07:00

How can I count the ways Rev. Barbara Buck has grown me in Christ? They're too many; I can't. I will, however, try to share a few. In this post, I'll share the email I sent to our Interim Sr. Pastor on 12 May 2009. It's a gentle introduction to why I appreciate and love Barbara so much. Barbara started a Women's Monday night Bible study a long time ago and it was her "baby." Last couple of years

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-68283359421757706902009-09-10T21:41:00.000-07:002009-09-10T23:21:32.478-07:00

Maria, my friend, a very accomplished working woman (IT business owner), and a fabulous mother, inspired me to share these recipes for a soul care dinner: salad + smoothie. The recipe for salad comes from my friend Suzanne, who served me, what she called, a Japanese somen salad last month. I was instantly captivated by the colors of the salad - pale pink ham, bright green lettuce, sunny yellow

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-78554464589444984172009-09-04T18:09:00.000-07:002009-12-04T11:00:05.345-08:00

Erin Dunigan wanted to know more about the Irvine Pres Garden club idea that is now percolating in our midst. Here's the story. Missio Dei, as you know, is the "sending of God." My story begins with a question, God, where do you want to send me, where should I go? As I asked this question, I also felt led to pray for a specific grace: for God to increase the desires in my heart for the things

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-6233466440458856912009-08-22T19:13:00.000-07:002009-08-22T20:26:50.068-07:00

I've been hearing about Christian spiritual direction for a few years now and been intrigued. Suddenly, it seemed to me, lots of people were getting trained as Spiritual Directors or finding themselves a Spiritual Director. Naturally I've been trying to find out more about it. I even browsed the website of Spiritual Direction International, a membership organization with people from many nations

Anitanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-24411800431655613462009-08-17T20:24:00.000-07:002009-08-20T10:33:20.933-07:00

The Irvine Presbyterian Church Women's Retreat, Living in the Kingdom: Inviting the Power of Heaven Into the Reality of Our Lives was on Aug. 14-15, 2009. The speaker was Rev. Libby Vincent, Ph.D..I was able to attend the Aug. 14, friday session of the retreat; sadly, I wasn't able to attend the Aug. 15, saturday session because of my final Ignatius Spiritual Exercises training workshop. Our

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-23949730326975471132009-08-06T08:07:00.000-07:002009-08-06T12:53:19.094-07:00

I could also have titled this post as a question The Presbyterian Way of Ignatian Christianity? especially when I realized that something akin to what happened long ago - ecumenism - in the Church of South India may now possibly be happening with American Christian denominations :). Keeping in mind that I am a non-starter when it comes to ecclesiastical polity be it Presbyterian or another, let

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-26339639771897693792009-07-06T20:07:00.000-07:002009-07-06T21:20:43.502-07:00

The Codex Sinaiticus, a manuscript handwritten on animal hide in the 4th century, which contains the New Testament Bible, is now available online at http://www.codexsinaiticus.org/en/. I first read this today on Yahoo! News and then in The NY Daily News. This is a great boon for Biblical scholars since the physical Codex was previously distributed among 4 different libraries with most of it being

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-22727241318795315102009-06-19T09:32:00.000-07:002009-06-19T11:07:24.215-07:00

I've now officially completed The Ignatius Spiritual Exercises (ISE) for the first time (A side note: Henri Nouwen did the 30-day retreat twice, I found, when I read The Road to Peace: Writings on Peace and Justice). I started the 9 month long retreat, as it is called, last September 2008. My commitments were simple: 1) to spend one hour alone daily with God and journal this experience, 2) to

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-74830716931510864592009-06-08T09:47:00.000-07:002009-06-08T20:20:30.458-07:00

Martin Seligman, a professor and the founder of Positive Psychology was a speaker at the 2004 TED Conference. In the 20 minute speech (video below) he shares his research into 1) The Good Life, 2) The Engaged Life and 3) The Meaningful Life. These 3 types of lives are apparently the happy ones. Seligman also explains a few things that make people happy - flow, eudaimonia - and identifies six

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-50853005593101990032009-05-27T20:57:00.000-07:002009-05-29T20:54:36.403-07:00

The June 2009 issue of The Atlantic Magazine has a very interesting article, What Makes Us Happy by Joshua Wolf Shenk; it is the review of a 72 year long longitudinal study of 268 Harvard college men. BL: Few are happy. But for those of us looking for the key to happiness or the way to live well, here's a clue. The study did find that men with strong sibling (or family) relationships and deep

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-23586253648546895712009-05-20T08:36:00.000-07:002009-05-20T19:12:51.138-07:00

Our Women's Bible Study on Monday evenings this year started September 15, 2008 and will have their final end June 1, 2009 with what our fearless leader Helen calls, a fellowship dinner and movie night. The Bible study had three sessions: Fall with 10 study sessions from Sept. 15 - Nov. 17 and a fellowship dinner on Dec. 1, Winter with 11 study sessions from Jan. 12, 2009 - March 25, and Spring

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-49938671918802824012008-09-01T16:35:00.000-07:002009-05-20T08:03:32.320-07:00

I attended the IPC summer mini-retreat that was held August 22-23, 2008. Lauretta Patterson (the wife of IPC's first pastor Ben Patterson) was the featured speaker and she gave three talks: 1) "Staying Focused": Leaning into clear vision, 2) "Staying Steady": Keeping the view from the peak, and 3) "Staying Hopeful": Pressing into prayer with Jesus. Her talks asked questions that I'd asked and

Anitanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-29055941926560638332008-06-09T19:59:00.000-07:002010-09-02T02:56:25.401-07:00

Once I came back to Christ, I couldn't spend enough time with God. I wanted to feel his presence in my every moment, waking or asleep. Therefore, in spring 2007, I started to do the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. I used the Jesuit Spirituality web pages and began to do the Spiritual Exercises from there. These exercises are meant to be done under the direction of a mentor (or spiritual director

Anitanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1759546992328147694.post-61958585518070651352008-06-08T16:42:00.001-07:002008-06-08T17:58:11.949-07:00

The two year anniversary since I came back to Christ is drawing near. Thanks to the abundant, amazing grace of God, my eyes continue to be on Christ and it seems to be entirely appropriate to journal my past and my future. That is what I hope to do and reflect in these pages, my motto: Eyes on Christ.So, what brought me back to Christ? Believe it or not, it was the Gita. The Bhagavad Gita, as

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