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The Mind as the Spiritual Eye

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How do we purify our spiritual eye?

Jesus said, “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (Matthew 6.22-23).

The physical eye perceives the outward or literal sense of things. The intellect or mind, once purified and re-established in a relationship with God, perceives God and from him receives perfect direction for life. Instead of just being limited to a book or good advice from a friend, the intellect receives intuitive direction from the Spirit. Continue reading “The Mind as the Spiritual Eye” →

Stilling the Inner Person in Prayer

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The Jesus Prayer

Hiermonk Alexei (formerly Fr. Paisius Altschul) is the most Godly and Christlike person I know. A link to his ministry is: https://stmaryofegypt.net/category/monastery. Over 20 years ago, he introduced me to the Jesus Prayer and to a fantastic book, “The Way of the Pilgrim.”

The Jesus Prayer provides space for God to meet with us and to encounter us on his own terms. As a Baptist, my traditional method of prayer resembles placing an order at the drive-through window of a fast-food restaurant. I tell God what I want, say “thank you,” and go my way – often forgetting what I asked for in the first place. Continue reading “Stilling the Inner Person in Prayer” →

The Intellect as the Helm of our life

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“Steering” the kingdom of self

The intellect or mind is designed to direct people like the helm of a ship. The intellect is designed by God to be the dominant leader or ruler of the personality.

Since the Fall of humanity (Genesis 3), the intellect or mind has been wounded and is now subject to disruption by the desires imposed by powerful passions. It is only by God’s grace and spiritual discipline (enabled by the Holy Spirit) that we can be healed and overcome the passions. Continue reading “The Intellect as the Helm of our life” →

The Role of the Intellect in the Spiritual Life

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The “dust particle” practice

Everything we do begins in the mind with thoughts. The author of Proverbs is entirely correct when he says, “As a person thinks in their heart, so they are” (Proverbs 23.7 paraphrased).

The Greek word, “nous,” is a key word in the Bible. It is difficult to convey the full meaning of “nous” in the English language. The word, “mind,” is often how it is translated in the Bible. “Intellect” may be a better reading. The mind or intellect is the spiritual vision that we all possess. It implies a direct, intuitive appreciation of truth, where we apprehend the truth not simply as the conclusion of a reasoned argument, but we simply see that something is so. Continue reading “The Role of the Intellect in the Spiritual Life” →

Newspaper Prayers: Friday, August 11th

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Headlines from the New York Times for Friday, August 11, 2017

Trump Doubles Down on Threats Against North Korea as Nuclear Tensions Escalate

President Trump escalated his war of words with North Korea on Thursday by declaring that his provocative threat to rain down “fire and fury” might not have been harsh enough, as nuclear tensions between the two nations continued to crackle.

Rejecting critics at home and abroad who condemned his earlier warning as reckless saber-rattling, Mr. Trump said North Korea and its volatile leader, Kim Jong-un, have pushed the United States and the rest of the world for too long. Continue reading “Newspaper Prayers: Friday, August 11th” →

Newspaper Prayers: Thursday, August 10th

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Headlines from the New York Times for Thursday, August 10, 2017

At Least 50 Migrants Drown as Smuggler Throws Them Into Sea

BEIRUT, Lebanon — The migrants — average age 16 — were fleeing two desperate places, Ethiopia and Somalia. They were headed to the shores of another, Yemen.

But early Wednesday morning, as they were about to reach land, they were thrown into the Arabian Sea by a boatman they had paid to take them across the water, according to the United Nations migration agency.

At least 50 of them drowned. Continue reading “Newspaper Prayers: Thursday, August 10th” →

Newspaper Prayers: Wednesday, August 9th

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Headlines from the New York Times for Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Trump Threatens ‘Fire and Fury’ Against North Korea if It Endangers U.S.

President Trump threatened on Tuesday to unleash “fire and fury” against North Korea if it endangered the United States, as tensions with the isolated and impoverished nuclear-armed state escalated into perhaps the most serious foreign policy challenge yet of his administration.

In chilling language that evoked the horror of a nuclear exchange, Mr. Trump sought to deter North Korea from any actions that would put Americans at risk. But it was not clear what specifically would cross his line. Administration officials have said that a pre-emptive military strike, while a last resort, is among the options they have made available to the president. Continue reading “Newspaper Prayers: Wednesday, August 9th” →