#ritual

Loss is a significant force that can serve as a catalyst for change. It can bring about an awakening, drawing out something sacred within us. ↗

— Mark Ireland

#spiritual #spirituality #change

Human beings seem to have a perpetual tendency to have somebody else talk to God for them. We are content to have the message second-hand. One of Israel's fatal mistakes was their insistence on having a human king rather than resting on the theocratic rule of God over them. We can detect a note of sadness in the word of the Lord, 'they have rejected me from being king over them' (1 Sam. 8:7). The history of religion is the story of an almost desperate scramble to have a king, a mediator, a priest, a pastor, a go-between. In this way we do not need to go to God ourselves. Such an approach saves us from the need to change, for to be in the presence of God is to change. ↗

— Richard J. Foster

#god #old-testament #pastor #priest #spiritual-mediation

Life and the universe are not a spiritless chance occurrence without a purpose, nor are they a trick performed by a supernatural magician." - A Time of Change ↗

— Paul Greene

#evolution #intelligent-design #islam #judaism #pyramids

To understand the love of being loving, radically changes us. People, in and of themselves, cannot give us happiness. Activities, in and of themselves, cannot give us happiness. One becomes a loving presence, a centre for Divine grace. ↗

— Donna Goddard

#change

Introverted seekers need introverted evangelists. It's not that extroverts can't communicate the gospel, either verbally or nonverbally, in ways that introverts find appealing, it's that introverted seekers need to know and see that it's possible to lead the Christian life as themselves. It's imperative for them to understand that becoming a Christian is not tantamount with becoming an extrovert. ↗

— Adam S. McHugh

#christians #evangelism #extroverts #introverts #spirituality

Our outer relationships are a mirror of the relationship and communication between our own inner male and female sides. Our outer relationships with a man or a woman are a possibility to understand our own inner man or woman. ↗

— Swami Dhyan Giten

#inner-man-and-woman #joy #love #psychology #relationships

That's death and life, you see. We all shine on. You just have to release your hearts, alert your senses, and pay attention. A leaf, a star, a song, a laugh. Notice all the little things, because somebody is reaching out to you. Qualcuno ti ama. Somebody loves you. ↗

— Ben Sherwood

#death

I was giving up. I would have given up - if a voice hadn't made itself heard in my heart. The voice said "I will not die. I refuse it. I will make it through this nightmare. I will beat the odds, as great as they are. I have survived so far, miraculously. Now I will turn miracle into routine. The amazing will be seen everyday. I will put in all the hard work necessary. Yes, so long as God is with me, I will not die. Amen. ↗

— Yann Martel

#inspirational #life #religion #spiritual #death

There is no life without death. ↗

— Kyle Idleman

#death

There is a connection between heaven and earth. Finding that connection gives meaning to everything, including death. Missing it makes everything meaningless, including life. ↗

— John H. Groberg

#life #meaning #spiritual #death