INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2015

  Sunday is International Women's Day 2015
Here's an opportunity to make it a special day of honour .

Lent Retreat - Women of the Passion
A retreat offers a chance to take a step back from the pressing concerns of daily life, to reflect prayerfully on the current state of your relationships, with God, with the people around you, and with the world. 

• To guide our prayer this year we are reflecting on the events of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus as experienced by the women in the company of Jesus.  Their lives were transformed by their encounter with Jesus.  
  This retreat will focus on more than Mary, the Mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, to look at peripheral characters like Pilate's wife and the maidservant at the house of the High Priest.
• As you pray with the material presented , we hope that you too will encounter Jesus in a new and profound way and that that encounter may have a transforming effect in your own life. We also hope that you’ll come to a deepened awareness of God at work in your life.
• You are invited to make this retreat by taking some time of prayerful reflection during Lent using the text and audio provided.  [Available as download]
  A new session of the retreat will be made available each week until Easter.

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Take the retreat at your own pace, in a place that suits you, using the text and audio to create a time of prayerful attention.  Instructions HERE.

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May we be blessed as a company of women on this International Day of Women as we recognize those who've gone before us and those who will follow after us as we leave a path worthy to be followed.

Appreciation to Pray As You Go and Sacred Space Ireland for creating and hosting.

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*Faith Filled Friday* RevGals Friday Fives *

SACRED SPACE: #SONGSonSUNDAYS 18.1.15

Welcome to Sacred Space

Taking time out to renew and refresh  God is speaking.  To us.  To me.    What do I hear? Where in my life do I encounter God? Where can I be with God?

Yeshua Jesus invites us to "Come and see..."

Begin today with acknowledging  God's Presence surrounding me around me, within me, deep within my being Freedom Reminding myself God has things to teach me, I ask for the grace to hear and allow them to change me. Awareness Where am I with God?  With others? Is there gratitude?  I give thanks. Something for which I'm sorry?  I ask and receive forgiveness. The Word I read the Word of God slowly, a few times over as I listen to what God is saying to me. Mark 2. 23-28

One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, his disciples began breaking off heads of grain to eat.  But the Pharisees said to Jesus, “Look, why are they breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?”

Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you ever read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry?  He went into the house of God (during the days when Abiathar was high priest) and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. He also gave some to his companions.”

 Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!”

New Living Translation 

Reflection What feelings are rising within me as I pray and reflect on God's Word? I imagine Yeshua Jesus sitting with me, beside me, and I open my heart to hear Him. The Pharisees conscientiously believe that observing the rules is what God asks of them. Their be-all / end-all rule of life. Yeshua Jesus knows God does not want to make our lives more difficult and does not impose arbitrary rules on us.  For Him, the be-all / end-all is the law of love. Do I believe in a God who wants only what is good for me? Am I able to talk to Yeshua Jesus about this? What rules govern my life? Would people who know me say that I follow the law of love? What does Yeshua Jesus say to me...?
Conclusion The Lord bless us and keep us.  The Lord make His face shine on us and be gracious to us. The Lord look upon us with favour and grant us peace.  Amen. *

#SONGSonSUNDAYS

Two Jesus Culture videos on today's theme -
ONE THING REMAINS *

and ROOFTOPS

* May God be blessed! [ and you ]  this day  * Today's  #SONGSonSUNDAYS is open for your links in comments. If you post to a blog, please include the FHC post link to allow others to connect. ~ Thanks for being part of today's Sacred Space ~
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*The Weekend Brew * Still Saturday * Little Things Thursday * Fav Things Thursday *

SACRED SPACE: CHRISTMAS SUNDAY 2 + #SONGSonSUNDAYS 4.1.15

Today I invite you to create some sacred space...  

An invitation to stillness.  Rest.   Then to re-enter your day renewed.
Choose a quiet time and space where you will be  undisturbed and undistracted. Be present to yourself and open to God's Presence. * "May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be acceptable in your Presence, ADONAI, my Rock and Redeemer." Psalm 19.15 CJB
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The Presence of God As I sit here, the beating of my heart, the ebb and flow of my breathing, the movements of my mind are all signs of God's ongoing creation of me. I pause for a moment, and become aware of this presence of God within me.
* Freedom I ask for the grace to let go of my own concerns and be open to what God is asking of me, to let myself be guided and formed by my loving Creator.
* Consciousness In the presence of my loving Creator, I look honestly at my feelings over the last day, the highs, the lows and the level ground. Can I see where the Lord has been present?
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* The Word I take my time to read the Word of God, slowly, a few times, allowing myself to dwell on anything that strikes me.
* Today's Readings Jeremiah 31.7-14 | Psalm 147.12-20 | Ephesians 1.3-14 | John 1.1-18 [When you are ready, return here to continue.]
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Conversation Remembering that I am still in God's Presence, I imagine Jesus himself standing or sitting beside me, and say whatever is on my mind, whatever is in my heart, speaking as one friend to another. * Conclusion Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, World without end. Amen * For today's #SONGSonSUNDAYS we have the stunning prayer,  LIGHT OF THE WORLD by Lauren Daigle Be. Blessed... *

* {enlarge lower right to view lyrics} *

We are so blessed.  Lets Live it.

Shalom.

* * Today's Sacred Space featured SACRED SPACE: the prayer book a prayer guide of weekly introductions followed by daily readings with questions to challenge thoughts that arise in the reading. Readings follow the church year, noting Advent, Lent, Feast days, etc. I have found the prayer book to be thoughtful and thought inspiring. I find that journalling my responses personalizes the spiritual journey that  practicing a daily sacred space offers. Published annually by avemariapress.com  Reviewed from my own library. * Shared with :
*Small Victories Sunday* *Inspire Me Monday* * Thursday Favourite Things * * 3D Lessons 4 Life* * FIND MORE FHC on PINTEREST | TWITTER | GOOGLE+ | GOODREADS | FACEBOOK | NETWORKED BLOGS | LIBRARYTHING * Tweet