BOOK Pre~VIEW :: The Power of Pause by Terry Hershey

The Power of Pause: Becoming More by Doing Less

by

@Terry_Hershey

Loyola Press
235 pp

My best girlfriend turned me on to this book not long ago. And because The Power of Pause is designed like a devotional I haven't read much of it yet... thus the preview vs. review. However, so far I am quite impressed with Terry Hershey and his book. With our daily schedules getting out of hand, we need all the help we can get to slow down!

Rather than go on about how good I think this book is going to be, I will let the author tell us himself.

Click here for The Power of Pause book trailer with Terry Hershey.  Blessings...

Living Life Lessons :: UNLIMITED ACCESS!

Since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have also obtained access through Him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. ~ Romans 5:2

One day several years ago, I was missing my children who were grown but had been estranged from me for a long time. Then God gave me the above Scripture. With the verse came a vision of hope, a vision of my family fully restored, that has since come true. But before it did I had to lean on this verse for almost four years using the process below.

HOPE: forms the image according to God's Word

We have something for which we hope... our marriage restored, a spouse's sobriety, children's struggles, finances... Whatever your specific needs are, if they line up according to God's Word you can wrap them up in hope, keeping the vision of what you want to see before your eyes, not looking at things the way they are in the natural. 

FAITH: rises in our spirit, giving substance to the image in the heavenly realm.

If you are a Believer and have faith in Jesus Christ, you have access to God's grace; which is His favor and blessings. As we tap into this faith, it rises up within our spirit. We bring out our hope package that is filled with our vision, then by way of our faith we send our hope to God.

GLORY: is the physical manifestation of God's goodness in the natural realm.

Because we have access by faith into God's grace we can stand in the hope of God's glory. As we keep our hope vision in front of us, thanking God daily for His favor, mercy and goodness, we can rejoice because this hope will not disappoint.  Attached to our faith we have sent our hope vision to God. In His perfect time, God then sends our vision back manifested by His glorious goodness into our physical realm. 

Today my family is fully restored! We are walking proof of God's glory. 

Here is the confession I stood on for four years:

I have access by faith into God's grace where I now stand; I rejoice in the hope of God's glory!

Take a few moments to get refilled with this song by the Robbie Seay Band http://youtu.be/Wz3vyyy01aw

Photo Courtesy of 123rf.com

Celebrate Discipline :: PRAYER

Prayer is standing in the presence of God with the mind in the heart; that is, at the point of our being where there are no divisions or distinctions and where we are totally one. ~ Henry Nouwen

SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES: habits that nurture spiritual growth; exercises unto godliness

PRAYER: personal conversations with God; expressing our concerns and listening to His response.

The season of Lent is a wonderful time to consider our prayer life. Most of us would be embarrassed to admit how little time we spend praying. With all the advances of our day it seems we could find more time for prayer. However, today's technologies often bring more distractions unto madness. Rather than bring guilt, I come with possible solutions and maybe a new perspective that can help usher us into a place of solace where The Source of Peace awaits.

Sometimes it seems like praying is a waste of time; we feel like our thoughts are floating out into the universe. But as our prayer life goes, so goes our spiritual growth. Prayer isn't just about our own godliness. As warriors in the spiritual battle, without prayer we fight unprepared and defensless. Something that has been very convicting to me is to think about people of other religious beliefs... Hindu and Muslims pray multiple times per day at set increments.

Shouldn't we Christians be as devoted to our prayer time?

For the last year I've been learning about Benedictine Monasticism. As a way of living out the command to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) the monastic pray the Liturgy of the Hours seven times per day. St. Benedict teaches that by returning portions of our most precious gift of time, we are practicing a basic form of hospitality to God; making room in our schedule for the entertainment of God's Presence. It is from that divine foundation that other forms of hospitality derive. Wow! How can we not want to pray after that?

This apparent "wasting" of time on God is the wisest possible use of this precious gift!

Often we do everything but pray. We want something more "substantial." Even studying the Bible, going to church, talking to the pastor or receiving counsel seems more tangible than prayer. But it's time to roll away the stone of prayerlessness. It's the most prohibitive obstacle on the road to a believer's victory. ~ Beth Moore

Types of Prayer

There are many ways to pray but today we are going to focus on Contemplative prayer.

Contemplative Prayer: a receptive waiting with hearts awake to God's presence and His Word.

Breath Prayer: is a form of contemplative prayer that is linked to the rhythm of our breathing. When we breath in we call on a biblical name or image of God, and when we breath out a simple God-given desire. This is one of my favorite types of prayer to use as I'm going to sleep at night.

Breath in: "Holy One," breath out "keep me true."
Breath in "Lord Jesus," breath out "have mercy on me." 

Centering Prayer: is a form of contemplative prayer where one seeks to quiet the scattered thoughts and find stillness in Christ's presence. By centering prayer on simple words like Jesus, Father, love, peace, or a phrase from Scripture. With these words we linger with God and open our hearts to His presence.

Postures of Prayer

In what position is it best to pray? Here are a few biblical postures for prayer:

• Walking: a nature walk can be a sweet time of companionship with the Father.
• Standing: is a way of giving honor to the majesty of God
• Outstretched Arms: opens the core of our body up toward God.
• Prostrate: lying face down puts us in a place of submission and obedience.
• Kneeling: expresses reverence and humility before God.

Final Thoughts

I'm not here by any means as an expert in prayer, quite the contrary. I am on my own spiritual journey and only wish to share the things God teaches me.

As for prayer, I have found that setting aside a specific time helps me tremendously. If it works out today, great. If not, I'll try better tomorrow. Another thing, when God brings a certain person to my mind, I take that as a prompt to pray for them.  A few helpful points...

1. Set a regular scheduled time for prayer.
2. Before praying, listen for guidance first.
3. Pray with expectation!

We each have to find what works best for our schedules, personality types and temperament. The most important thing is that we take time to companion with our heavenly Father. 

As we put these habits into practice prayer continues within us as we are go about our day. Prayer become the active presence of God's Spirit guiding us through life.

Take a moment to pray with this beautiful song by Celine Dion and Josh Groban  http://youtu.be/jhxIjRO6Wj

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RESOURCES:

Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster
The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard
Spiritual Disciplines Handbook  by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald S. Whitney
So You Want To Be Like Christ? by Charles R. Swindoll
The Way of the Heart by Henri J. Nouwen

The Road to Recovery :: STEP TWO

STEP TWO: 

Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. ~ Philippians 2:13

PRINCIPLE TWO: (Celebrate Recovery)

Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to him and that he has the power to help me recover.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ~ Matthew 5:4

At this stage of our recovery journey we are beginning to find peace with God; faith is birthing within our heart and soul. Our spirit has been pricked by the Holy One, nudging us back home to a safe place ruled by Love.

When we humble ourselves by recognizing God's power it brings us to a place where we can believe for more, we become able to receive the strength we desparately need to recover. Only through honest transparency about our weaknesses, our hurts, habits and hang-ups, can we truly find healing. We will never be totally free until we yield ourselves to God.

God knows all our dirty little secrets but he needs us to know that He knows. Not to rub our nose in them, but when we can feel ashamed for the right reason, when we have a true sense of regret for our past actions, maybe, just maybe, we can learn from them.

Principle Two is the Hope principle. Here is the acrostic from Celebrate Recovery:

H - Higher Power  

For everything comes from him; everything exists by his power and is intended for his glory. To him be glory evermore. ~ Romans 11:36

O - Openness to change 

Throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes.  ~ Ephesians 4:22-23

P - Power to change 

Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. ~ Psalm 25:5

E - Expectation to change  

I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again. ~ Philippians 1:6

By admitting our powerlessness in Step One we moved from a life filled with pain and suffering to one with hope. Our hope grows when we believe that a power greater than ourselves, Jesus Christ, can and will restore us to sanity.

Are you struggling today? Is your life one of insanity and despair?

Don't delay. Call out to Jesus. He alone has the power to change your life.

He is your Hope for a better tomorrow!

Reflect on hope in Christ as you listen to our Road to Recovery theme song by David Zasloff: http://youtu.be/yHIO_1JlBKc

Resources:
Celebrate Recovery Bible
Life Recovery Bible
The Twelve Steps for Christians