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The Richness of Inner Simplicity

The Richness of Inner Simplicity. Avenue Vineyard March 03, 2013. Can you remember the “ Parable of the Sower?” – Matthew 13:1-23 .

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The Richness of Inner Simplicity

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  1. The Richness of Inner Simplicity Avenue Vineyard March 03, 2013

  2. Can you remember the “Parable of the Sower?” – Matthew 13:1-23

  3. “We feel honestly the pull of many obligations and try to fulfill them all. And we are unhappy, uneasy, strained, oppressed, and fearful we shall be shallow.” Thomas Kelly, A Testament of Devotion

  4. “We have hints that there is a way of life vastly richer and deeper than all this hurried existence, a life of unhurried serenity and peace and power. If only we could slip over into that Center!” Thomas Kelly, A Testament of Devotion

  5. “Life from the Center is a life of unhurried peace and power. It is simple. It is serene. It is amazing. It is triumphant. It is radiant. It takes no time, but occupies all our time. And it makes our life programs new and overcoming.” Thomas Kelly, A Testament of Devotion

  6. “For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me— the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!” Jeremiah 2:13

  7. “Society...was regarded by the Desert Fathers as a shipwreck from which each single individual man had to swim for his life…These were men who believed that to let oneself drift along, passively accepting the tenets and values of what they knew as society, was purely and simply a disaster… Thomas Merton

  8. They knew they were helpless to do any good for others as long as they floundered about in the wreckage. But once they got a foothold on solid ground, things were different. Then they had not only the power but even the obligation to pull the whole world to safety after them.” Thomas Merton cont’d

  9. Luke 10:38-42 Mary and Martha

  10. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

  11. “The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer; and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament.” Brother Lawrence

  12. “I’m not ________ enough.”

  13. “It is a difficult lesson to learn today, to leave one’s friends and family and deliberately practice the art of solitude for an hour or a day or a week. For me the break is most difficult…and yet, when it is done, I find there is a quality to being alone that is incredibly precious. Life rushes back into the void, richer, more vivid, fuller than before!” Anne Morrow Lindbergh

  14. 1. Practice Silence. 2. Use daily routines for intentional God time. 3. Invent little prayer games. Make it fun. Practical Suggestions

  15. 4. Respect the God-given cycles of life - cycles of eating, cycles of sleeping, cycles of work, cycles of play. 5. Refuse to live beyond our means emotionally. Practical Suggestions

  16. 6. Exercise - keep a record of all your activities for one month. Rank them: • Absolutely essential: 1 • Important but not essential: 2 • Helpful but not necessary: 3 • Trivial: 4 Practical Suggestions

  17. 7. Learn to practice and really value the simple act of presence. Practical Suggestions

  18. “More and more, the desire grows in me to simply walk around, greet people, enter into homes, sit on their doorsteps, play ball, throw water, and be known as someone who wants to live with them. It is a privilege to have the time to practice the simple ministry of presence. Still, it is not as simple as it seems. Henri Nouwen

  19. My own desire to be useful, to do something significant, or to be a part of some impressive project is so strong that soon my time is taken up by meetings, conferences, study groups and workshops that prevent me from walking the streets.  It is difficult not to have plans, not to organize people around an urgent cause, and not to feel that you are working directly for social progress. Henri Nouwen cont’d

  20. But I wonder more and more if the first thing shouldn’t be to know people by name, to eat and drink with them, to listen to their stories and tell your own, and to let them know with words, handshakes, and hugs that you do not simply like them but truly love them.” Henri Nouwen cont’d

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