Thursday, September 21, 2006

Paying Attention

When you come before God ... find a quiet, secluded place.
Matthew 6:5-6, The Message

"It takes time to develop a life of prayer: set-aside, disciplined, deliberate time. It isn't accomplished on the run. I know I can't be busy and pray at the same time. I can be active and pray; but I cannot be busy and pray. I cannot be inwardly rushed, distracted or dispersed.

In order to pray I have to be paying more attention to God than to what people are saying to me, to God than to my clamoring ego. Usually, for that to happen there must be a deliberate withdrawal from the noise of the day, a disciplined detachment from the insatiable self."

The Contemplative Pastor


"Paying Attention", God's Message for Each Day by Eugene Peterson.

No comments: