My First Experience With Lectio Divina - 775 Words

My first experience with lectio divina began almost 2 years ago through a book called Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton. During that time I was trying to discern God’s call to ministry and where to attend seminary. With a brief summary of lectio divina and my devotion in hand, I Samuel 1, Hannah’s plea for a child, I was overtaken by a profound connection between Hannah and me and our need to give birth and nurture – a baby for her and my place in ministry for God. As I quickly learned, the hearing of God’s voice requires a significant effort to rid one’s self of life’s distractions to receive a message beyond the words that are read. Then and even now, after reading the full text of Magrassi, the most salient points of lectio divina to me are the four acts of reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation, with special emphasis on contemplation. As with many adults with families, jobs, school, etcetera, time is a precious commodity. Lectio divina is a beautiful reminder to not approach Scripture with the perfunctory, lackadaisical attitude of ‘just getting it done’. The four acts help to focus the reader, create space for contemplation, and also to give structure to that time with God. Magrassi stresses that the Bible is living, and therefore, gives life (p. 28). As such, we can come to Scripture with expectant heart intent on receiving a personal message from God. My prayed reading first involved an attempt to clear my mind as much as possible of all previous readingsShow MoreRelatedThe Confession And On The Trinity1672 Words   |  7 Pagesthe section titles the literal Meaning of Genesis in order to show Gods love through three visions of God. According to Duprà © and Weisman, â€Å" we experience three kinds of vision: one through the eyes, a second through the soul, and a third through the intuition of the mind (Duprà © and Weisman pg. 71).† Most humans in society are expected to understan d the first of all the visions. To see through the eyes as spiritual vision is expected for most humans. However, to see things in a corporeal way throughRead MoreA Study On Presence Centered Youth Ministry1445 Words   |  6 Pagesown transformational journeys, but that is the situation with Presence Centered Youth Ministry. Thesis for Presence Centered Youth Ministry One must really dig into the book to get to the thesis. That is not to say the introduction and the entire first chapter is ineffective, quite the opposite is true. It is necessary to understand the context and transformation of King’s life in order to appreciate the thesis. The thesis is on the final page of chapter 1 and like the rest of the book, it is notRead MoreThe Goals And Processes Of Inductive And Deductive Processes1791 Words   |  8 Pagesparticulars. Praying in Scripture Often called the Lectio Divina, this simply means that as we read His Word, we can also pray it. It is about integrating our prayer and Scripture life for greater spiritual stimulation that leads to greater understanding of our Lord and then greater application of His precepts. As we read God s Word, we can and should be praying to our Lord, too. This combines... (There is a more in-depth article, The Lectio Divina? on our Bible Study Methods channel.) Not onlyRead MoreSt. Teresa of Avila: The Unperfect Saint1417 Words   |  6 PagesContrary to common belief, saints are not perfect. Saints simply seek Christ more than anyone else. Saints understood the need for Christ in their own lives through their own experiences. St. Teresa of Avila did not live a perfect life, although she strived to after her conversion. St. Teresa, after living in the world, realized her desperate need for a personal relationship with God, but by no means was she perfect. Teresa Sà ¡nchez Cepeda Davila y Ahumada lived in Avila, Spain where she was bornRead MoreWhich Way to the Plain of Enlightenment? Essay2182 Words   |  9 Pagesmeditation. This is one of the most amazing parts of the conference a chance to truly learn another culture from which then they can be compared. To understand why meditation is so important one must embrace the history of Buddhism. It started with the first Buddah, named Siddhartha Gautama who was born into royalty in 563BC and from birth was prophesized to be a great religious leader. In his early twenties he came to understand what death, sickness, and old age were. Previous to this his father shielded