The Jesus Prayer

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HIT Praying (High Intensity Training)

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Apparently there is scientific evidence to show that we motivation decreases very quickly over time when it comes to exercise and the New Year. We join a gym and within a few weeks we've lost that interest and we end up cancelling the direct debit six months down having perhaps only gone half a dozen times. Will power is not enough. There has to be something that locks us in - like really enjoying doing it. There is a similar pattern when it comes to disciplines of prayer, but there is also a negative spiritual thought that needs to be addressed. This negative thought is that if personal prayer during the week cannot be done at for a substantial chunk of time then there is no point doing it all.  If you have read the Screwtape Letters by C S Lewis then you will be familiar with negative thoughts like this. The book imagines correspondence between a senior and junior devil who are trying to "redirect" a new Christian - "the patient" - by the subtle implantin...
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Lent 2 Homily - Liberal/Conservative Clash in Ancient Bible Editors

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Though the Sunday readings focus on Abraham's faith I thought it would be good to look at Abraham and Moses together. The more I read about Abraham in commentaries and looked at articles online the more it struck that his story is an archetype of a very different history from the people who looked up to Moses.  The fans of Moses and the fans of Abraham even have contrasting styles of Hebrew (Yahwist and Elohist). They reflect the different cultural stories between those who stayed behind after the Babylonian Exile and those who were deported. It struck me that the deported had a much more focused conservative faith while those who remained were more liberal and accommodated to the pagan culture around them.  Well, its the classic liberal/conservative clash! No doubt when the deported returned there was a long period of adjustment between the two versions of Judaism. The Hebrew Canon is a testimony to their sorting out their differences. Not that I am trying to demy...
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The double rainbow over Salcombe during the weekend seemed to really touch people. A moment of serendipity perhaps. We had a beautiful wedding in Salcombe for Mark Goddie and Jane Tyler, who have given so much of themselves generously to the local community over the years. The rainbow felt like the Divine hand was matching our thanks to them.  It was really surprising because the weather forecast was a bit 50/50 and yet the weekend here turned out to be dry. Mark and Jane had planned after the noon wedding to walk all the way through town to the Winking Prawn at North Sands. I wondered on Friday whether this would be possible considering how it poured down. Yet, dry it was, and we where able to meet them at the beach with laughter and Champagne.  Does God bless a community in a special way? Can there be places of grace that help us recharge and recover? There are many Biblical instances of this and the Hebrew nation seems to particularly have this God given mission, to...
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