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SOUL FOOD
This page has the introductions to various articles, sermons, notes, news.
Have a look at the synopsis for each one and then click "read more" to take you to the full article.
“Cursing” of the Fig Tree and Cleansing of the Temple
Mark 11/12-22:
A puzzling story from Mark's Gospel leads us to examne the metaphor of Jesus cursing the fig tree and overturning the tables of the money changers. What do these acts mean and what can we infer from them for our lives? The common view is that the fig tree represents Judaism and leads to anti-Semitic atitudes. I want to put a different understanding.
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Fishing and Beach Breakfast
John 21/1-14
In times of stress and uncertainty we tend to return to what is known and comforting. This story challenges us to see differently and to experience a more abundant way of living from the other side of the boat"!
Instead of doing everything in the same old same old way, ....
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Part 1 - Shadow-Boxing - Sharon Grussendorff
Sharon explores the place of our "Shadow" in the process of transformation. Our befriending of the shadow area of our lives leads to the freedom we all long for.
Part 2 - Peter's Shadow - Sharon Grussendorff
Sharon continues to explore the place of our "Shadow" in the process of transformation.
In Part 2 of this series, Sharon helps us see the "shadow" side of Peter's life and relationship with Jesus.
We can also recognise the way Jesus is using every event and response in our lives to bring about transformation.
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Part 3 - Shadows and Wells - Sharon Grussendorff
Sharon continues to explore the place of our "Shadow" in the process of transformation.
In Part 3 of this series, Sharon looks at the story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the Well. She gives a background to the woman's life experience and shows how Jesus tenderly draws out her reality. We see the remarkable transformation in her and so we can relate that to our own discovery of Freedom in Jesus
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Heartfulness – Transformation in Christ,
A 4 Day Retreat at Coolock House, South Coast, KZN
Here is a short report by a participant at this retreat.
There will be more news in Finding Ground of any similar retreats offered in the near future.
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The Divine Presence Within
History has given us a record of religious buildings being built "for the glory of God". We live in a time to know that God does not live in buildings made by hands, but within each of us. The awareness of that reality is what is needed. So rather than focus outside ourselves on churches and temples, what about going inwards and preparing a spiritual centre?
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Spiritual Direction - Spiritual Companionship
Dave Geber has written an article for Finding Ground, explaining the ancient practice and process of Spiritual Direction, which can also be called Spiritual Companionship.
After reading this contribution, you might like to consider finding someone near where you live who offers Spiritual Direction, to talk about the possibilities.
Read Dave's very helpful article here
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GRACE
Sharon Grussendorff spoke recently on the subject of Grace, in a new and fresh way, exploring the subject from various angles.
She introduces the subject in this way:
"Such a simple word, but so very difficult to get hold of. And I fear that I am going to be using too many words to try to describe something that cannot be grasped through words, but has to be experienced through encounter with God. But in my experience words can be used by God to nudge us in the right direction."
Widen your experience of grace by reading the whole talk here:
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DYING WE LIVE
Death is a subject we would rather not consider, yet it is the most certain event in our lives. Birth and Death go together.
T.S. Eliot expressed it brilliantly in "The Journey of the Magi":
This set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly,
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
Consider in this piece, the place of death in our lives. To help, there is a YouTube clip of Steve Jobs' speech at Stanford University in 2005.
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How to Pray "The Daily Examen"
A great way to pray is to look for God’s presence in your life.
More than 400 years ago St. Ignatius Loyola encouraged prayer-filled mindfulness by proposing what has been called the Daily Examen.
The Examen is a technique of prayerful reflection on the events of the day in order to detect God’s presence and to discern God’s direction for us.
Try this version of "The Daily Examen".
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The River of Communication and Trust
Ezekiel's vision of the river flowing from the Temple in Jerusalem towards the East and into the Dead Sea, can be looked at in Contemplative ways, with the help of David Bohm's understanding of Dialogue.
Vernon Lund explores this further:
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A Time of Waiting
Sharon Grussendorff explores the time of waiting between death and resurrection.
She writes: At Easter we focus on the death and resurrection of Jesus, but we often miss the time in between - the time in the tomb. When we consider the time that Jesus spent in the tomb, it was a time of waiting and darkness.
This cycle of death - waiting – life is also echoed in the image Jesus described in the week before his own death: "Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over." (John 12:24-25)
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The Human Condition
Sharon Grussendorff uses a scientific concept as an analogy of the human condition.
She writes: To begin, I want to talk about a scientific concept, as I am going to use it as an analogy of the human condition. This is the concept of gravity. Everything that has mass exerts a force of attraction on everything else that has mass. This is the reason that we are attracted to the earth. The Earth has a huge mass (roughly 6x1024 kg), which is why we feel the gravitational attraction towards the earth much more than we feel the attraction towards one another.
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Washing our Feet
Sharon Grussendorff explores the story of Jesus washing Peter's feet from a different perspective.
She says: When reflecting on this story we usually look at Jesus' washing of the disciples’ feet as the key challenge to us, inviting us to have more of a servant attitude, as he did. And this is an important challenge to us. But today I want to shift the focus a little bit, and look at Peter's response to the situation. This is an interesting one to reflect on in terms of our own responses to God.
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Letting Go
Sharon Grussendorff uses the story of the rich young man asking about the kingdom of God.
She points to a key: In the story Jesus gives this man a clue at the very start: he asks him "Why do you call me good? No one is good—except God alone."
The man answers: "Yes, but I have been so good. I’ve kept all the commandments."
Jesus answers: "Okay then, if you want to be perfect, do this impossible thing. Sell your possessions and give to the poor."
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Emotions and Self-Compassion
Sharon Grussendorff
Sharon says: It is interesting that many spiritual teachers recently have been saying that one of our biggest problems in the west is that we have lost any sense of self-compassion, and that is what is making our society so sick. It looks like it is the other way around in our extremely self-centered, self-pampering western society, but that it not what is meant by self-compassion.
I found it very interesting to read the definition of self-compassion on Wikipedia: Self-compassion is extending compassion to one's self in instances of perceived inadequacy, failure, or general suffering.
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God Within
Vernon Lund
Inspired by Richard Rohr's writing about the True Self, I have attempted to look at the story of Jonah as the conversation between The True Self and the False Self.
Here is the quotation that stimulated my exploration:
"I promise you that the discovery of your True Self will feel like a thousand pounds of weight have fallen from your back. You will no longer have to build, protect, or promote any idealized self-image. . . . You have finally discovered the alternative to your False Self."
Richard Rohr: "Immortal Diamond: The Search for Our True Self", (to be published December 2012)
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Spiritual Transformation
Sharon Grussendorff
The cycle of death – burial – life was described by Jesus in the week before his own death: "Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over." (John 12:24-25) Sue Monk Kidd describes this cycle as separation, transformation and emergence. She writes: "By repeatedly entering the spiral of separation, transformation and emergence, we're brought closer each time to wholeness and the True Self.”
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What is grace if it is deserved?
Ashleigh Williams
Here are two experiences, that when taken together give the author new insights into snares, both physical and spiritual. This is particularly helpful for those who have been caught in the snares of religious legalism.
She writes: "On Saturday I went on a snare patrol, we look for and disable snares in indigenous forests and grasslands. Snares in our country are mostly made by twisting wire or barbed wire into slip-knot kind of loops and placing them along animal trails."
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You are God manifest as you
Vernon Lund
Genesis says we are made in the image of God. How do we go beyond our reason and experience that reality in our whole beings?
Thanks to Rabbi Rami (Shapiro) we have a way of understanding in our bodies, that we are made in the image of God.
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