“The self that begins the spiritual journey is the self of our own creation, the self we thought ourselves to be. This is the self that dies on the journey. The self that arrives is the self that was loved… — David G. Benner Copy Share Image
“Some Christians mistrust or de-emphasize the role of the senses in spirituality, considering them to be inferior to reason and cognition. Such a view fails to appreciate the indispensable part of human personhood the senses actually form. It falls into the gnostic error of denying human embodiment. Because Christians affirm the goodness of the physical body and believe in the… — David G. Benner Copy Share
“Love reconnects us to life. The truth of Christ's life is that life is love and love is life. There is no genuine life without love. Self-interest suffocates life. Life implodes when self-interest is at the core. This is why the kingdom of self is based on death. Ultimately, taking care of Number One takes care of no one. For… — David G. Benner Copy Share
“Self-acceptance always precedes genuine self-surrender and self-transformation.” — David G. Benner Copy Share Image
“Watch particularly for traces of God in other people. Since humans are that part of creation most directly reflecting the divine image and likeness, it should be here that we most readily sense traces of God. Cultivate the spiritual habit of looking through Spirit-filled eyes at those you encounter and watching for Jesus. Recall that he said that he is… — David G. Benner Copy Share
“We do not pray so that we can get God's attention. We pray so that God will get our attention.” — David G. Benner Copy Share Image
“Most broadly understood, lectio divina involves receiving God's revelation wherever it occurs. This means that there are other media beyond Scriptures that can also be engaged with in this same prayerful way. We can, for example, apply it to the reading of a book or article. In fact, it is very appropriately used when reading something devotional-say, for example, the… — David G. Benner Copy Share
“Paying attention is being open and awake - ready to be seized by whatever is present to us in the present moment. This is… — David G. Benner Copy Share Image
“Teresa of Avila says that the important thing in prayer is not to think much but to love much. The head is not a… — David G. Benner Copy Share Image
“The personal costs of counseling also remind us why it is so necessary for a counselor to experience continuous renewal through Scripture, prayer, and… — David G. Benner Copy Share Image
“If we are honest, most of us have to admit that prayer is often more of an obligation than something arising spontaneously from desire… — David G. Benner Copy Share Image
“Prayerful paying attention is not scrunching up our willpower and tightening our focus, but simply opening our self to what we encounter. This makes… — David G. Benner Copy Share Image
“silence is God’s first language; everything else is a poor translation.” — David G. Benner Copy Share Image
