Month: January 2016

A Chapter on Prayer and cookies for breakfast

Chapter three- Rule of Life Prayer Rule of Life- Charles LaFond Jesus came as The Word made flesh – God’s living word, to break down the barriers between God and God’s people.  Jesus modeled a life in which he rose early, hiked up mountainsides and sat in silence and darkness,...

preparing to write a chapter on prayer

  We are getting ready to consider our Chapter of the Rule of Life on Prayer.  This will tempt some to give up.  Don’t.  Prayer can be a very intimidating chapter  to write.  “Will I get it right?” will be a fear many will feel as they write.  Write anyway! ...

The Chapter on Prayer – why?

This week we will be looking at the chapter of our Rule of Life on Prayer.  Mornings are quiet and are nothing short of delicious and that is when I enjoy prayer. The air is cool, the sun is yellow and low and my gardens sparkle with nature’s baptismal waters...

Writing your Chapter on Silence

A sample chapter on Silence (and how your notes inform it) Before writing your chapter, go back to your notes on the subject at hand, the clippings you have assembled from Google, perhaps from a paper file (I try to keep a paper file on each chapter so that when...

SSJE Rule Chapter on Silence

Chapter TWENTY-SEVEN from the Rule of the Society of Saint John The Evangelist (http://www.ssje.org) - the monastery in which I was a monk for the novitiate. I offer this as further reflection material before we draft our new chapter tomorrow.   Silence   The gift of silence we seek to...

Notes on a chapter for SILENCE

"God spoke His eternal word in silence, and He wishes us to receive His words in silence. " Thomas Merton, The Monastic Journey.  NY: Image Books, 1977. …so the chapter to draft after the one on WORDS, is the one on SILENCE. Yes, it is time for a chapter on...

The WORD – a chapter in a Rule of Life

Last week, we discussed the work one need do to imagine and then research a chapter on a Rule of life.  here on out for a while till lent, we will look at various chapters, the notes needed, the scripture available, the famous minds on the subject and how to...

Drafting a Rule of Life chapter on Speech: a how-to primer

  Writing a Rule of Life need be neither complicated nor difficult.  Those are just thoughts.  “It is too hard.”  “I cannot write.”  “I do not know what I want or how I would like to live my life.”  These are just thoughts and that they are thought does not...

On Speech and Cotton in Virginia

Ever since I was a small boy, we often spent Christmas in Williamsburg.  Not only are these various wreaths beautiful and creative, but the ones with cotton pods always stand out to me.  Even back in the 60’s and 70’s Virginia had that dark side to its history - dark...