“I recently read Tools Matter: Beginning the Spiritual Journey. [1] I walk away with two actions that I can immediately implement. I hope you find them helpful too.
Watching Our Thoughts
this post may contain affiliate links
“This watching of our thoughts is probably the most effective way of managing our thoughts.” I am not my thoughts. I can step away from my thoughts and observe them. I can acknowledge their presence. What do they tell me? They might inform me that I feel worried, anxious, angry, lonely, sad or unconfident. This is not who I am. This is how I feel and I will be best served if I let them go. “We are not our thoughts. If we do not think about them and go into the commentary and the emotional valences attached to these thoughts, they simply dissolve like a vapor in the air.”
Manual Labor
“The practice of manual labor is when each touch of the hand to the device of labor is single-minded; God springs up and there’s Presence.” God is in all of my work. When I clean the dishes, vacuum the family room, and help my child with his homework, God is present. At work, when I read my multiple emails, perform the same task over and over and over again, or respond to an angry client, God springs up and is present. God is in both the smallest and the largest tasks. God is in both the exciting and mundane functions I perform. Why wouldn’t He be. This forces me to think differently about all of my daily tasks. If God is present then I need to be present, focused and do all work to the best of my ability!
If you enjoyed reading this post, please recommend and share it to help others find it.
Go Further
Tools Matter: Beginning the Spiritual Journey by Mary Margaret Funk
Thoughts Matter: Discovering the Spiritual Journey (The Matters Series) by Mary Margaret Funk
Discernment Matters: Listening with the Ear of the Heart (The Matters Series) by Mary Margaret Funk
Humility Matters: Toward Purity of Heart (The Matters Series) by Mary Margaret Funk
Lectio Matters: Before the Burning Bush (The Matters Series) by Mary Margaret Funk
A Journey of Discernment with the teachings of Mary Margaret Funk and other contemplative voices by Contemplative Outreach, Mary Margaret Funk: This e-course explores the contemplative approach to discerning the small and large decisions in life, which comes from cultivating a life practice of unceasing prayer (whatever types of prayer that may encompass for you). Discernment means sorting our thoughts and following the impulse of grace given by the Holy Spirit. As Sr. Meg writes, “Since we are not our thoughts, we can observe them rising and follow the ones that are from God.” This is a way of coming more awake and discovering the spark of divinity burning in our hearts.
[1] Mary Margaret Funk, Tools Matter: Beginning the Spiritual Journey, (Liturgial Press): 2013
Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks – This is a great way to listen to books with your cell phone while you drive, walk or relax at home. I frequently listen in my car during my commute to and from work. I’m a proud affiliate.
A Simple Immediacy: Desert Wisdom for Advent by Cynthia Bourgeault: The Desert Fathers and Mothers of the fourth and fifth centuries are arguably the first Wisdom School in Christian history. At first in trickles and then in waves, they fled into the deserts of Egypt and Syria to escape the increasing imperialization of the Christian Church and to live in a simple immediacy with the Risen Christ. In the process, they generated an extraordinary body of practical teachings on the spiritual practices underlying this life of deeper awareness and mystical union.
Wisdom for Living: The Parables of Jesus by Thomas Keating, Contemplative Outreach: When rightly understood, the parables help us to see how extraordinary a wisdom teacher Jesus really was, and how revolutionary, in the best sense of the word, was the content of what he taught and to which he bore witness by his life and death.
Soulful Aging by Thomas Moore: As everyone knows, we are growing older all the time. But growing older is not the same as aging. Many people seem to grow older without going through the challenging life processes that make you a real person of substance and character. That kind of aging requires saying yes to the opportunities and difficult issues that life presents.
How might your life change if you were steeped more deeply in the wisdom of the Christian Mystics? Drawing on the best available writing on the topic of Christian Mysticism both ancient and modern, Contemplative Light is offering a special course on the Christian Mystics Sacred Lives: An Introduction To The Christian Mystics.
The Divine Transformation: Essentials of Christian Mysticism – Welcome to a comprehensive introductory through intermediate level course on both practice and perspectives of these timeless teachings from the Christian Mystical and Contemplative traditions! Whether you are a long-time practitioner looking to solidify your understanding and framework for practice or a beginner interested in immersing yourself in this teaching, this course can serve as a rich resource.
Contemplative Practices: 5 Ways of Consenting to the Divine – Learn methods practiced by Christian mystics for centuries to consent to the action and presence of God within, including Centering Prayer, The Examen, Lectio Divina, Christian Meditation, and the Jesus Prayer.
Writing as a Spiritual Practice: This course helps you to access the rich spiritual stories that lie deeply within you. Words are powerful. The words that you write can be used to:
- help you understand yourself better – and therefore divine God’s purpose in your life
- facilitate healing of spiritual wounds
- minister to others more effectively
- share your testimonies of how God has worked in your life
How to Write a Devotional: Plus How to Get Them Published – If you read devotionals, you already know how they can be a true blessing. A devotional can uplift you when you’re feeling discouraged, sad or lonely. It can allow you to feel a keen sense of fellowship with another Christian, even if the two of you never actually meet. And, if you are feeling called to write devotionals, know that you have a unique opportunity to bless others and make a genuine difference in their lives. This course takes you step by step through the process, and then guides you towards publishing, if that is your goal.
Drawing from the wisdom of monastic life, modern psychology and best practices in personal productivity, the Monk Manual provides a daily system that will help you find clarity, purpose, wisdom, and peace in the moments that make up your life.