The Convent

Iona arrives - 'The Convent': Wednesday 14th June BBC2 9pm
Last year's ground-breaking 'The Monastery' made riveting viewing as we watched the journey of 5 ordinary men who spent 40 days in Worth Abbey with life-changing results.  This year's series about four women promises to be no less intriguing.  Visit the Poor Clares mini site on the series. Andrew

focus

Maybe the strength of the Jesus Prayer is that it focusses on Jesus; it continually draws you to relate to Him, to consider Him, to believe in Him, to experience His compassion for yourself and ask it for others. The witness John wrote that Jesus said these words: "Believe in God, believe also in me.' (John 14:1)

Subversive shopping

How can the simplicity of Jesus Prayer Spirituality be reflected in our lifestyle? I was thinking about a concept of 'subversive spending'; our consumer advertising promotes the expectation that we'll buy top of the range products and spend more than we 'need'. How about if when we shop, we buy the simpler, 'adequate' product, and always donate the difference between the cost of that and the higher end product to those in need? Andrew

going slow...

I'm grateful to Chandy for sending me this snippet: from Mrs. Lettie Cowman’s book, Springs in the Valley (pp. 196-197), comes this interesting tale from African colonial history: 

It was a century or more ago that in the deep jungles of Africa, a traveler was making a long trek. Natives of the area were hired to carry the loads. The first day they marched rapidly and went far. The traveler had high hopes of a speedy journey. But the second morning these jungle tribesmen refused to move. For some strange reason they just sat and rested. When asked about the reason for this strange behavior, the traveler was informed that they had gone too fast the first day, and that they were now waiting for their souls to catch up with their bodies. 

There are times when our lives move so fast, that we need to slow down and let our souls catch up with us --not literally, but figuratively. God bless, Andrew

the memory of god

Rowan William recently said that we are 'held in the memory of God; tell those who are forgotten that God remembers them'. A prayer cord helps you remember God and that God remembers you. His book on the spirituality of the desert fathers and mothers (from which Jesus Prayer spirituality came) is Silence and Honey Cakes: The Wisdom of the Desert
a prayer: "Lord you never forget me, even though I often forget: I am your project."

The Jesus Prayer and Orthodoxy - again...

A while back I commented that there are no links to Orthodox teaching on the Jesus Prayer on this site. Well I'm glad to say that 'an orthodox' has posted some helpful links:
Orthodox Church in America on the Jesus Prayer
On the Prayer Rope
On practising the Jesus Prayer
St. Theophan the Recluse on Prayer

The Jesus Prayer and Orthodoxy

While away on Lindisfarne I met a group of Orthodox pilgrims - it dawned on me that there aren't any links or references to the Jesus Prayer on this site relating to the Orthodox church - what an omission! Do you know a good Orthodox site with accessible teaching on the Jesus Prayer I could link to? Let me know in a Comment. Andrew

Worship 'Trick'

Worship 'Trick' No. 30 from Jonny Baker is about making Jesus Prayer Ropes. Read it here: Jonny Baker's Worship Trick No. 30