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Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither. C.S. Lewis

New Year…but not so Happy

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Nothing is certain and nothing can be taken for granted. My planned “Happy New Year” wish to my readers seems hollow in the face of a phone call I just received telling me that a fine young man who was in my daughter’s high school class and whose parents are friends of mine was killed [...]

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Joyful Giving: A New Connection with Money

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Our connection with our own money informs so much of our behavior and attitude to others in life, as well as our Connection with Self and our sense of well-being. It’s the time of year that many churches are conducting Stewardship Campaigns. The Stewardship Chairman at my little church has done an amazing job over [...]

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Are you singing in the dark?

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Todays meditation on Acts 16:25-40 (in which Paul and Silas were singing hymns to God and inspiring other prisoners, even after they had just been flogged) from Forward Day by Day was first published in 1962. Authors are always anonymous: “The world always listens when we Christians sing in our midnight hour. What wins people [...]

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Connection Lessons from Sept. 11

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“There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief…and unspeakable love.” Washington Irving * * * * * * * No one who was older than a few years will forget where they were [...]

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“Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith”

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Book Review: Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott Just reading other reviews of this book took me on an emotional roller coaster–since I agreed with much of the praise as well as the criticism–so you can imagine what reading the book did. Anne Lamott is one of the most gifted writers I’ve known, [...]

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Mindfulness leads to Wisdom

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Book Review of Jack Kornfield’s The Wise Heart You don’t have to be a Buddhist to love The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology. In this truly wise book, clinical psychologist and Buddhist monk Jack Kornfield weaves together real-life stories with spiritual insights to show how to live with greater [...]

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Musical Visions of the Land

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Connection Messengers: Matthew Lyon and Christine Dickinson… “Earthpassage” My friend Mimi Meredith sent me a beautiful gift last winter to thank me for being part of her blog community. It was a wonderful CD called “Quiet Paths: Journeys Through the Forest,” by Matthew Lyon and Christine Dickinson. As soon as I heard it, I was [...]

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Prayer offers a less busy heart

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BOOK REVIEW: A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Paul E. Miller I wish I had read this book 30 years ago so that by now I would have re-read it several times. As faithful as I have tried to be to my spiritual habits, personal prayer has often eluded me [...]

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When you want to give up…don’t

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There are times in our lives when we’ve got to summon untapped reserves of strength, courage, and resolute endurance in the face of adversity. If we’re lucky, these times are few and far between, but sometimes we face a chronic or long-term situation–terminal illness or disability in ourselves or a loved one–in which these reserves [...]

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My attitude informs my actions…

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Heartspoken is an attitude…a frame of mind…an inclination of the spirit. I’ve found that when I can be Heartspoken in the essential connections of my life…Connection with Self, Connection with Others (personal and professional), Connection with Nature, and Connection with God…these connections are nurtured, sweetened, and strengthened. It’s not always easy; it doesn’t always come [...]

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Book Review: The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer

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I read The Pursuit of God on my Kindle, and my 14 pages of highlights and notes are testament to the fact that I found it highly interesting and helpful in my understanding of how to have a personal relationship with a living God. According to the book description, Tozer was so inspired that he [...]

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Exercise yourself unto godliness

Let any man turn to God in earnest, let him begin to exercise himself unto godliness…and the results will exceed anything he may have hoped in his leaner and weaker days. A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God I don’t know about you, but I’m really bad about making things harder than they need to [...]

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I am a Seeker

On my Facebook profile under Religion, I call myself a Seeker. This does not mean that I am trying to be politically correct or afraid to use the more specific words Christian or Episcopalian. It simply reflects my deep interest in–and respect for–all religions and anyone’s genuine journey of faith and seeking a better understanding [...]

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All you need to know is already inside you

Some well-meaning friends have warned me about getting into the topic of spirituality…”It’s controversial.” “It’s personal.” “It’s too broad.” Well, yes, these are all true, but if this is to really be a Heartspoken site about essential connections, I cannot in good conscience omit a part of life that, for me and for many of [...]

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A Way Through the Wilderness…

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Introducing Connection Messenger: The Rev. Alexander D. MacPhail Life does seem like a wilderness sometimes, doesn’t it? We’re blown by winds that are beyond our control. We’re scratched and bloody from making our way through thorny issues and prickly people. Sometimes we hear siren songs. Sometimes we hear banshees. When we’re genuinely seeking God, why [...]

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In the dark, the tiniest light is visible

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“But if my fire is not large, it is yet real, and there may be those who can light their candle at its flame.” A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God It’s easy to think that we’re failing God if we don’t do impressive things…if our sacrifice isn’t great enough…if our commitment isn’t passionate enough…if our [...]

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