Tag / mindfulness

picture of Jesus
by Karen Twinem

Abiding in Jesus Eliminates Anxiety

Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

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 15:4-5 New International Version (NIV)

Abiding in Jesus ends worry. So how can we remain in Jesus, as other translations say?

Brian Hedges on Christianity.com wrote:  “I believe three things are implied: connection, dependence, and continuance. Don’t think of these as three successive steps, but as three interwoven aspects of abiding.” 

1. Connection

A branch is connected to the vine, and a vine to the branch. This is what theologians call “union with Christ.” This union (or connection) is mutual.

2. Dependence

While the branch and vine are connected, the branch is depends on the vine. The vine is not dependent on the branch. The branch derives its life and power from the vine. As John 15:4-5 says, we are dependent on Jesus for everything that counts as spiritual fruit. Apart from him, we can do nothing.

3. Continuance

Abiding also involves continuance. “Abide” in Greek (meno) means remain, stay, or continue.

How Can This Become Reality Rather Than a DREAM?

I believe the first step is to practice the presence of God.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to You.

James 4:8

Become increasingly aware of God’s presence. This requires developing habits that allow you to feel more connected, dependent and constant in Him. The Bible calls this abiding or walking in the Spirit.

This is something that I have been working on for about 20 years.  At first, it takes trust in God’s power and discipline on my part.  Eventually it becomes easier and easier. God worked with me (even an anxious mess like me!!) to develop an increasingly undivided heart toward Him.

And, as it says in Psalm 16:11, “In your presence, there is fullness of joy.” Joy in the presence of pain and suffering is, indeed, a gift from God.

Do you want more of God in your life? Or does that thought frighten you? We are all in different places. If you’re scared, that’s OK. God loves you. Let me introduce you to a person who abided in God so completely that we still talk about it 400 years later.

Meet Brother Lawrence

Nicholas Herman, born around 1610 in Lorraine, was one of the best-known Christians who practiced the presence of God. Lorraine was then a Duchy of France. A parish priest named Lawrence educated Nicholas, who became well read and very interested in a life with God.

Nicholas fought as a soldier in the Thirty Years War. He sustained a near-fatal injury that left him disabled. He was in chronic pain for the rest of his life.

At mid-life, he entered a newly established monastery in Paris. There, he took the name Brother Lawrence and became the cook for the community. The community grew to over 100 members. After 15 years, his duties changed. He worked in the sandal repair shop. Even then, he often returned to the busy kitchen to help out.

While repairing sandals or working in the kitchen, Brother Lawrence discovered and then followed a pure, uncomplicated way to walk continually in God’s presence. For some 40 years, he lived and walked with God at his side.

After his death, some of his letters were collected. Joseph de Beaufort, representative and counsel to the local archbishop, first published the letters in a small pamphlet. The following year, de Beaufort released a second publication. He titled it ‘The Practice of the Presence of God’. In this work, he included the content of four conversations he had with Brother Lawrence as introductory material.

In this small book, Brother Lawrence explains how to continually walk with God. His direct approach to living in God’s presence is as practical today as it was 400 years ago.

Start With Continual Conversation

De Beaufort wrote:

Brother Lawrence related that we should establish ourselves in a sense of God’s Presence by continually conversing with Him. It was a shameful thing to quit His conversation to think of trifles and fooleries. We should feed and nourish our souls with high notions of God, which would yield us great joy in being devoted to Him.

He said we ought to quicken and enliven our faith. It was lamentable we had so little. Instead of taking faith for the rule of their conduct, men amused themselves with trivial devotions which changed daily. He said that faith was sufficient to bring us to a high degree of perfection. We ought to give ourselves up to God with regard both to things temporal and spiritual and seek our satisfaction only in the fulfilling of His will. Whether God led us by suffering or by consolation all would be equal to a soul truly resigned.

So do you have any “trivial devotions that change daily?” Do you think about “trifles and fooleries?” Yes. Me, too.

Brother Lawrence’s life also reflects the Benedictine tradition of ora et labora … work while praying and pray while working.

We have a disadvantage over Brother Lawrence in that we live in a loud time.  Many Christians, we try to combat that through quiet in the morning and perhaps quiet time at night.  But the world often wins during the day. 

The Holy Spirit Works Through Habits

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Hebrews 11:6 New International Version (NIV)

When we become Christians, we receive the Holy Spirit who is with us all the time.  We can trust God to help us build habits that make us more aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit. These habits keep us connected to God.  This is not just for the extremely devout, but can be accomplished by all of us.  What we do need is faith.

There are many ways to draw near God.  Each individual can find the best way for them among many different habits. You might be drawn to one or more of these things.  The goal is not the habit, but to commune with God on a more consistent basis.

Walking in God’s presence has been absolutely essential for me to live with joy and peace under the difficult circumstances of having loved ones with mental illness and all that comes from this. I put my habits into a routine called a Rule of Life. I call this Christian mindfulness.

Kenneth Boa wrote a book called “Life in the Presence of God: Practices for Living in Light of Eternity.”   He also has created a free PDF with many exercises and habits to help you. You can find it here.

Boa notes that we must trust God’s work through the Holy Spirit in our hearts and minds. No book or training guide can get us there, only God.

Here are some of the exercises:

The name of Jesus

Repeat Jesus’ name or some other short phrase, such as “Come Holy Spirit,” to yourself when you are walking, standing in line, waiting and so on.  It also helps to say it when you are in bed going to sleep. 

The thank you walk

When you feel upset or stressed, go for a quick walk.  Thank God for the good things you see around you:  the sky, the clouds, the grass, the flowers. 

The gratitude journal

Record what you’re grateful for in the following categories:

The glory of God’s creation: ____________________________

A material blessing: __________________________________

A relational blessing (someone in your life): _______________

A spiritual blessing: __________________________________

Cards with a Bible verse

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances;for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

This one is a good start.  As other verses speak to you about God’s presence, write them down on cards as well.  You can rotate, and hopefully, memorize these verses to use to connect to God.

Flash prayers

Select situations when you will do a flash prayer, such as:

  • Upon waking
  • While sitting down for a meal/eating
  • Before making or answering a phone call (at work or home)
  • While sitting in traffic at a red light
  • While waiting in a line
  • When lying in bed about to fall asleep
  • Other: _________________________________

Flash Prayer Examples:

  • May I love and serve you and others today.
  • This is the day the God has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.
  • I thank you in all things.
  • I love you, Lord.
  • By your grace, Lord
  • Where would I be without You, Lord?
  • Unite my heart to fear Your name.
  • Other: _________________________________

Seeing God in Encounters

For each person you meet:

  • Assume God is working in that person somehow.
  • Ask yourself, “Is there some way I can share the love or presence of Christ with this person?”

Practicing this with everyone you meet may feel too overwhelming. So start this exercise with category of people: family members, colleagues at work, those who serve you (e.g., waiters/waitresses, cashiers, salespeople, or postal workers), or anyone you meet for the first time.

Imagine how attractive Christianity would be if we were all joyful and at peace with God all the time. Jesus wants us to abide in Him. And we can.

Jesus can help this worried woman
by Karen Twinem

Living in the Present: Jesus’ Teachings on Worry

In Matthew 6:34, Jesus of Nazareth gives some strong commands about worrying. This verse impacts me in multiple versions of Scripture.

Revised Standard: “Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.”

NIV: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

The Message: “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”

WORRY IS NOT FROM GOD

What situations cause you to obsess about the past or worry about the future? For me, seeing someone I love suffer from mental illness is extremely painful. The nature of the illness is that symptoms come and go unpredictably. I never know what today brings. I tend to obsess over the past with “what ifs” or “if onlys” as well as to dread the future.

No matter the cause of our worry, it is never from God.

Jesus commands us not to worry. To help that happen, he says we only need to think about one day: today. In reality, none of us knows what today will bring. But we know, from Jesus, that we can expect trouble in this life.

The Rev. Dr. Robert Allen Hill, in a 2009 commencement address to the seminary, said we actually can expect trouble every day. His rule: “Expect it. Accept it. Address it. Forget it.” Refusing to worry gives us additional strength to do this.

Give Your Entire Attention to what God is doing now

Therese of Lisieux said her sole concern was to carry out the will of God as it was revealed to her second to second. “I just keep concentrating on the present moment. I forget the past and preserve myself from worries about the future,” she wrote.

Two related spiritual disciplines cultivate this ability: recollection (meeting God within yourself) and the practice of the presence of God. These practices are what I mean by the term Christian mindfulness.

Recollection is also called centering down. Below is one simple method:

  • Sit still in a quiet place.
  • Hold your palms down on your lap.
  • Offer up all your thoughts and anxieties.
  • Turn your palms up once your mind is calmer.
  • Receive peace from God.

The practice of the presence of God cultivates alertness to God at all times. You relate to His constant presence through brief acts of recognition and prayer. This allows each activity in your life to be an opportunity to meet God. How?

  • Focus on one activity at a time.
  • Invite God into this activity.
  • Love the person in front of you.
  • Express gratitude to God when the activity is done.

Isn’t Mindfulness Buddhist?

Much talk about mindfulness comes from a Buddhist slant. It has a different philosophical foundation and a different goal from the Christian form. Some Buddhist techniques can be transferable to a Christian with the extremely important addition of focus on God.

Buddhists look at the moment. Christians look at God in the moment.

The present moment is the only place where you can meet God. So we must give up fantasies, impossible dreams, “what ifs” and “if onlys” in favor of living in the present.

Christian mindfulness sees every moment, every person and every activity as an opportunity to meet God. To do this, we must be “all there” in the moment, giving love to God and people.

My guardrails in this practice are a vibrant spiritual life and a commitment to God’s will. I am a structured person. So I keep lists of things I feel God wants me to do in my station in life. (Retired writer, wife, mother of an adult child with schizophrenia, mother and mother-in-law to my other kids, small group leader, and, best of all, Grandma!) Then I do the next right thing, as my husband says.

Christian Mindfulness Can Eliminate worry

“For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind,” 2 Timothy 1:7 says.

Worry comes from a spirit of fear. It is often is a response to stress. Biomedical literature suggests that individuals are more likely to have a stress response if they:

  • Feel they have little control over stressors or are chronically disempowered.
  • Feels they do not have predictive information about how long or how intense the stressful situation will be.
  • Do not have many outlets to vent frustration.
  • Do not have adequate social support for any confinement caused by stressors.

Christian mindfulness reduces the stress response. Being fully present empowers people to take small steps and create real changes to their external environment. So the brain has less opportunity to build scenarios and forecast troubled times ahead.

Inviting God into every situation from brushing your teeth to having that tough conversation with your teenager changes everything. God helps you deal with whatever happens when the time comes.

PRaying the Scripture eases chronic worry

Praying the Scriptures is another spiritual discipline that eases worry. I often pray in the first person, reading the Scripture and saying “I” for “you” or “we.” Here are prayers from three Scriptures, for example.

  • Based on Philippians 4: 6-7: God, whatever today brings, help me not to worry about anything, but in all my prayers to ask You for what I need. Help me to always ask with a thankful heart. And please send your peace, which is far beyond my understanding, to keep my heart and mind safe in union with Jesus.
  • Based on Ephesians 3: 19-21: Help me to come to know your love, even though it can never be fully known. Help me to be completely filled with the Holy Spirit, your very nature. To You, who by means of Your power working in me, are able to do much more than I can ever ask for, or even think of. To You be the glory.
  • Based on Matthew 6:34: “Therefore I will not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

This keeps the mind busy translating the Scripture into prayer. And it brings peace. God will help you with whatever bad thing is stuck in your worried mind. Just concentrate on his presence.

God is in this shower
by Karen Twinem

Is God in the Shower?

Of course. God is in the shower with you. And you can experience it through Christian mindfulness.

This practice allows us to walk in the presence of God in the present moment. Even when we are getting wet.

Showers often are the opposite of Christian mindfulness. (Much more so than baths, but that’s another post.) You turn on the water, get in and suddenly you are pondering yesterday’s meeting. Or that talk with your kid’s teacher. Or what to say to your spouse about the unfinished project that’s taken up the coffee table for weeks.

Why shower like that when you can experience the joy of the Lord as the water sprays on you? It just requires attention and gratitude. If you decide to pay attention to the experience, it can become a calming, precious part of your day.

When you turn on the water, thank God for running water, for hot water, for soap. Many people in the world do not have these things, and you do.

As you clean yourself, pay attention to the smells. Right now I have lavender, rosemary and mint in my shampoo and conditioner. And there’s a spray of eucalyptus hanging from the shower nozzle. God made all these scents. So express gratitude for that.

You can also thank God for a body that works (at least for the most part). And for hair, if you have it. You can wash scars while you thank God for successful operations or, in some cases, beautiful babies.

When thoughts about other people (past, present or future) occur, notice. Lift them up to God in prayer briefly, and get back to experiencing your senses.

As you dry off, offer up prayers for people without the things you take for granted. And ask for the grace to maintain a clean mind, mouth and heart in the day ahead. I usually end the experience with worship music as I dress.

Finding God in water is a good experience. So try to enjoy God’s presence in the shower. You may want to do it everyday.

illustrates use of commonplace book
by Karen Twinem

Start a Commonplace Book in 2025

Stay close to God’s heart by starting a commonplace book in 2025. You can do this as a journal, a notebook or even my choice, a card file.

In any form, commonplace books are not journals. Instead of writing down your thoughts or activities, you write down quotes, Scripture, ideas and observations. You can write out impressions you receive in prayer. What an easy way to remember these things!

Leaders and writers throughout history have made commonplace books, which achieved widespread use in the Renaissance and the 19th century. They are gaining popularity again today. When you create your own, you join a group of people like Thomas Jefferson and Mark Twain.

To get started, simply select a blank journal or notebook. You can also buy a stack of 3″-x-5″ index cards and a card file box.

Your commonplace book contains:

  • Quotes from Scripture that seemed to be aimed right at you.
  • Statements that seems to come to your mind from God’s heart.
  • Wise words from sermons, Bible studies and small group activities.
  • Comments made by your spiritual director or a close Christian friend.
  • Snippets from books and podcasts that move you.
  • Drawings or picture that speak to you.

I have been using 3-by-5 cards for this purpose since the late 1980s. It’s amazing how cards that are more than 40 years old can still feel instructive. I add to the collection whenever I read something that seems directly right at me.

I use the cards daily: one card a day when I am planning my schedule. I also put them on the refrigerator, stick them to a bulletin board and use them as bookmarks.

For example, I placed this remark from an interview with Richard Foster in Mimi Dixon’s book “Worth Celebrating” on a commonplace card this week:

“Now I would like to provide one simple counsel as you go forward in this with-God life. How about us making our lives one grand experiment in bringing holiness and hilarity together in one life-giving unity! Let’s combine seeking after God with an ease and lightheartedness in our spirituality. Maybe even levity and freedom of spirit.

“This combination of a life focused on the divine Center with a lighthearted spirituality is seldom seen in our day. It is an occupational hazard of religious folk to become stuffy bores. So, perhaps we can relax a bit and enjoy being present with God. Maybe we can even have a good belly laugh at ourselves whenever we get too intense!

“I don’t mean this in an outward or showy way. We need to not “try” to be joyful. Instead, we simply invite God to produce deep within us a well of life bubbling up and flowing out. We can ask to experience a deep river of divine intimacy, a gentle river of holy living, a dancing river of jubilation in the Spirit, and a broad river of unconditional love for all people. Such a river of life will surely draw others in.”

Now … isn’t that a quote worth revisiting time and again?

by Karen Twinem

Using Loved Ones as Mindfulness Bells

Your mindfulness bell can talk to you. And ask for things. And even be difficult at times. How? Just decide to use a loved one … your spouse, your child or even a pet … as a mindfulness bell.

A mindfulness bell is a sound that reminds you to stop and turn your attention to the present moment … to the person in front of you. Like many people, I’ve had apps to schedule mindfulness bells during the day. 10 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., 6 p.m. … like that.

Having your bell be the sound of a selected person is different. You never know when they will want your attention. So, when they speak to you, you practice Christian mindfulness:

  • Stop
  • Take a breath
  • Ask for God’s presence and help
  • Focus all your attention on loving the person

This idea came from reading “The Mindful Family Guidebook: Reconnect With Spirit, Nature, and the People You Love.” Its author, Dr. Renda Dionne Madrigal, is a Turtle Mountain Chippewa, a clinical psychologist and a certified mindfulness teacher. She sees mindfulness from an indigenous American viewpoint, which has many differences from my own.

Her idea of using your child as a mindfulness bell appealed deeply to me. Dr. Madrigal calls this “an informal stopping-and-noticing practice.” Just as many of us stop and pay attention when our phone app (or even the telephone) rings, Dr. Madrigal suggests we stop and pay full attention when our child wants us.

My children are grown. I’ve decided to use the practice with my husband and a very shy cat.

Don’t have the experience of stopping for a mindfulness bell? Dr. Madrigal suggests that you try an app for a few weeks to get used to it. A good one is the Insight Timer app.

It’s easy to pretend that you don’t hear the 14th call of the day. And it’s easy to feel that your tasks are more important than a mindful response to someone else’s need. But doing this will exercise your attentiveness muscle while building your ability to live in the moment.

by Karen Twinem

Feel God’s Love

Do you feel that God loves you? Really feel it?

I’ve struggled with that over the decades of my life. A way to make God’s love feel more real came in a booklet from Renovare. This Christian nonprofit provides resources to help people feel the fullness of life in God through spiritual practices.

The booklet, “Learning to Hear God: Two Listening Exercises” opens with wisdom from the nonprofit’s co-founder, Dallas Willard. You can obtain a PDF or a copy of the booklet by clicking here.

The first exercise, written by Trevor Hudson, guides us in creating a “beloved charter.” This is a statement composed of Scriptures about God’s love for us. In the exercise, Hudson has us slowly read Scriptures that remind us of how God loves us. You can use Hudson’s list or select your own, perhaps using a Bible promise book.

Some of the scriptures that Hudson included are:

  • 1 Samuel 16: 7
  • Psalm 139: 13-16
  • Matthew 6: 25-26
  • Luke 12: 6-7
  • Romans 5: 6-8
  • Romans 8: 28
  • Ephesians 2: 4-8
  • Titus 3: 4-7

Another list of verses is found here on biblestudy.com.

Look through the verses and see which ones speak to you. Then convert any general language to specific language that sounds like God speaking directly to you. Use the phrases in those verses to weave together a statement of how God feels about you.

This is mine: The Lord my God is with me, a mighty one who saves. He rejoices over me with gladness. He quiets me by his love. He exults over me with loud singing. He strengthens and helps me. Even the hairs of my head are all numbered.

I printed the statement and put it on my desk. So I see it when I sit down to work. It’s a good reminder that God loves each of us. Especially you. Especially me.

by Karen Twinem

Three Books to Survive a Turbulent Election: A Book Guide

Three books are helping me through the hard times of this election cycle: “Trusting God in the Present” by Fr. Jacques Philippe and “Centering Prayers: A One-Year Daily Companion for Going Deeper into the Love of God” by Peter Traben Haas. The second author has just released a Volume 2 of “Centering Prayers,” with the subtitle “Daily Peace for Turbulent Times.”

Fr. Philippe’s book is called “your spiritual direction manual to trusting God in the midst of difficult times.” Only 50 pages, the book points out that hard times push us to a stronger, more vibrant commitment to God. It has a 4.8 rating out of 5 stars on Amazon and a 4.6 rating on Goodreads.

Fr. Philippe offers practical and wise answers for our concerns when the world seems to be a mess. For example, he challenges our typical questions to God, especially during hard times. Why is this happening, for example. Do we need to know the answer to that question to live our lives today? The author says probably not.

Instead, Fr. Philippe suggests that we accept the situation and ask instead: “What does God want of me here? What is the right way to live through this? … What good, depending on me, can I do today that no one else can do?”

Even in the worst situations, he says, “we can discover a good to be accomplished, a step to be taken for our own personal progress.” Fr. Philippe encourages each of us to adopt an attitude of responsibility rather than to feel like a victim. Then God can step in to help us:

  • Accept the reality of the difficult situation
  • Change our questions to those that will give us actionable answers
  • Take one step at a time mindfully
  • Discover the answers as they emerge

It goes without saying that we invite God into the situation with us. Walking mindfully through it one step at a time is Christian mindfulness at work.

I also recommend Peter Traben Haas’ two prayer books with a short daily prayer that helps to open us up to God so He can reframe our attitudes. I’ve been using the books at the end of centering prayer each morning. His prayers are beautiful, and I plan to continue even after the election drama ends. The first prayer book has a 4.6 rating on Amazon and a 4.5 on Goodreads.

Here’s an example:

God of Liberation and Connection: Your love anoints my life with the charism of joy. I see how much you help me be more than just me. Your love is a fusion molding me into a we. Amen

What are the books and resources that are getting you through hard times? I’d love to know.

woman deep breathing
by Karen Twinem

Breathe in Serenity

Christian mindfulness is a certain path toward serenity, and yet anxiety can still suddenly overwhelm us. Often it’s an understandable response to a bad situation. Before you can think to say “I trust you, God,” you drop head-first into an ocean of dread.

Breathing with intention is the best response. After all, you have to breathe it anyway. So using Christian mindfulness as you breathe calms you down while quickly reconnecting you to God’s presence. The technique is simple.

  • Stop and sit down. (If you are feeling dizzy, lie down and close your eyes.)
  • Set an alarm for at least five minutes.
  • Invite God to sit with you.
  • Breathe slowly and deeply, in and out. Pay full attention to your breathing. As thoughts arise, offer them up to God as prayers and return to concentrating on your breath.
  • When the alarm rings, offer a prayer of thanksgiving for your ability to breathe.
  • And return to practicing the presence of God.

This practice does wonders. It underpins many Christian mindfulness exercises in this blog.

One point of caution: If you have a daily challenge with severe anxiety, it’s important to your soul, as well as the rest of you, to seek medical help. Generalized anxiety disorder is a diagnosable condition. You can get help with medicine and therapy to stop the storms swirling in your brain.

Jesus has given us the gift of His peace, unlike any other kind in the world. Intentional breathing exercises help us calm down and welcome back His presence after a big upset.

by Karen Twinem

When God Says “Stop and Rest”

I thought I was giving my all for Christ. But my blood pressure got to 198/93. I got shingles. And my left foot was numb. So God said something unexpected: Stop and rest.

Life has been very difficult since I got a spinal fusion last spring. The recovery looks fine on x-ray. But my whole left side has been in terrible pain. The latest possibility is nerve root inflammation. Who knew my nerves had roots?

Before I got to the neurologist, my ex-husband died, alone and friendless. This is the fellow who tried to kill me in 1985, abused our kids and continued to be verbally abusive to me up to our last telephone call.

Unfortunately the police found his body in a motel in our town, far from our oldest child. I knew God wanted me to help my child with the cremation, private family service and collection of his property. So I did. The price was high.

But then God told me to stop and rest … through my husband, my spiritual director and pastor and private prayer. In fact, He also told me to do something I really love: to enjoy Him. I do enjoy God, especially when I pray, practice His presence, read about Him and … yes … rest in Him. My beloved spiritual director suggested that I give up my service to the church for a year to get back into good condition. So I am.

How does it look to rest every day? For someone with my over-active sense of responsibility and fear of laziness, it’s a challenge. I’ll bet it’s a challenge for you, too. Even those of us who regularly practice a Sabbath, may have a hard time figuring it out.

The how is a two-step process:

  • Figure out how you’ll rest.
  • Figure out when you’ll rest.

Block out 15 minutes on your schedule every day to relax and do what makes you calm: a walk outside, a breathing exercise inside, just sitting outdoors or anything else. You can be alone or with someone else. Just stop and rest.

If you are working, you can rest in a lightly used restroom. You can close your office door. You can rest during lunch. You can stay 15 minutes later to rest before going home. If you are home in the midst of family life, you can go outside. Sit in the car. Close the bedroom door before or after dinner. You can do it! Enjoy God. Every day.

Jesus invited his disciples to “come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while” when the ministry got especially busy. (Mark 6:31) And as Isaiah 30: 15a says: “For thus the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel has said, ‘In repentance and rest you will be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength.’ ” Let’s trust the Lord enough to give ourselves 15 minutes of rest a day.

by Karen Twinem

Remember Hiroshima

Today is the 79th anniversary of the United States dropping an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Then, a few days later, we dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki. Although we had some idea about the kind of death and devastation it would cause.

Mahatma Gandhi said at the time that these bombs would make peace a necessity. Peace has not come.

And, as the World War II generation around the world dies off, actual memories about the two actual uses of atomic bombs die, too. It’s more important than ever to learn about these events so we do not duplicate them.

Christian mindfulness calls for prayer and fasting today as a way to express sorrow over the deaths of these two cities and a combined 226,000 civilians. We as Americans in particular have an obligation to be responsible for making a more peaceful world.

Here is a prayer of lament and repentance:

Above the clamor of our violence, your word of truth resounds, O God of majesty and power. Over nations enshrouded in despair, your justice dawns.

Grant your household a discerning spirit and a watchful eye to perceive the hour in which we live. Hasten the advent of that Day when the weapons of war shall be banished, our deeds of darkness cast off, and all your scattered children gathered into one.

We ask this through him whose coming is certain, whose day draws near: your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

“Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers”