Share your Word for 2015
In ancient times, wise men and women fled out into the desert to find a place where they could be fully present to God and to their own inner struggles at work within them. The desert became a place to enter into the refiner’s fire and be stripped down to one’s holy essence. The desert was a threshold place where you emerged different than when you entered.
Many people followed these ammas and abbas, seeking their wisdom and guidance for a meaningful life. One tradition was to ask for a word – this word or phrase would be something on which to ponder for many days, weeks, months, sometimes a whole lifetime. This practice is connected to lectio divina, where we approach the sacred texts with the same request – “give me a word” we ask – something to nourish me, challenge me, a word I can wrestle with and grow into. The word which chooses us has the potential to transform us.
- What is your word for the year ahead? A word which contains within it a seed of invitation to cross a new threshold in your life?
Share your word in the comments section below by Tuesday, January 6, 2015 and you are automatically entered for the prize drawing (prizes listed below).
A free 12-day online mini-retreat to help your word choose you. . .
As in past years, I am offering all Abbey newsletter subscribers a gift: a free 12-day online mini-retreat with a suggested practice for each day to help your word choose you and to deepen into your word once it has found you. Even if you participated last year, you are more than welcome to register again.
Sign up here and you can start your mini-retreat today. Once you subscribe you will receive the first email within an hour and then one email each day for 12 days. Your information will never be shared or sold.
Win a Prize – Random Drawing Giveaway on January 6th!
I am delighted to offer some wonderful gifts from the Abbey and friends and supporters of the Abbey’s work:
- One space in the upcoming online Abbey retreat Illuminating the Way: Epiphany and New Year Retreat with Monks, Mystics, & Archetypes (a fabulous way to begin the year!)
- A copy of Dana Reynolds‘ fabulous gold medal winning novel Ink and Honey
- A 6-week self study course from Dana Reynolds: Your Sacred Life Artisan’s Book of Wonderment
- A New Year Sacred Reading from the Ronna Detrick (let a woman from scripture accompany you into the new year!)
- A copy Betsey Beckman’s fabulous dance of The Creation on DVD (be inspired to dance into the new year)
- A copy of As I Lay Pondering from Kayce Hughlett (a wonderful book of daily reflections to accompany you into the new year)
- A 2015 calendar from Stacy Wills featuring her alcohol ink paintings (be blessed with Stacy’s stunning images each month)
- A copy of Richard Bruxvoort Colligan’s new album Love Stands With, with songs based on justice-oriented Psalms (be moved by powerful music to inspire your heart to prophetic action in the coming year)
- 4 people will win a copy of Sick and You Cared for Me: Homilies and Reflections for Cycle B with one reflection by Christine, plus also Richard Rohr, Rob Bell, Jan Richardson, and many more!
- 4 people will win their choice of self-study online classes from the following: Creative Flourishing in the Heart of the Desert: A Self-Study Online Retreat with St. Hildegard of Bingen, Soul of a Pilgrim: An Online Art Retreat, Seasons of the Soul, Lectio Divina: The Sacred Art of Reading the World, or Eyes of the Heart: Photography as a Contemplative Practice.
So please share your word (and it would be wonderful to include a sentence about what it means for you) with us below. Subscribe to the Abbey newsletter to receive ongoing inspiration in your in-box. Share the love with others and invite them to participate. Then stay tuned – on January 6th I will announce the prize winners!
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804 Responses
“Attunement”
This for me is about growing in living attuned to the Spirit of God present within myself, in others and creation – through meditation, and seeking to be present to God’s presence in the people, situations and nature I encounter. This I hope will then also help me to be more attuned with the Spirit in my thoughts, attitudes and responses.
My word for 2015 is GROW…I desire to GROW IN WONDER-
in the launching into new growth of evolving consciousness
which in turn- empowers the entire world .
Lucia
Pure, my sacred word is pure.
I want to enter 2015 with purity of vision and a pure heart to be open and uncluttered for the enormity of His heart to penetrate. I long for the longings of His heart — and I tremble with excitement at what He will teach me and lead me through in the coming year.
“Flourish”
No mater where I am or what I am doing, I want to flourish and do it with an authentic flourish!
My word is “courage”. God has been supporting and nudging forward in spite of my fears. God has been ever faithful and I want to honor that with the courage it will take to move forward in a different way. Similar to the reading, I need to go “home by another way.”
Blessings
d
My word finally became clear today. It is ‘finding’. I’m seeking to find my path firward as my children begin the process to leave home.
“Gate”
Jesus is the gate to new life, (John 2:7)
He is the way into a new relationship with God.
My word for 2015 is ‘gentleness’. I have discovered that I am quite opinionated and can be quite acerbic in my delivery of these opinions … often delighting in the delivery itself. I am longing to develop a mature kind of ‘gentleness’. I will still have an inquiring mind but want to learn the grace of ‘gentleness’. I want to be gentle with, not only others, but with myself. Not so much critical thinking and criticism and a whole lot more grace … as in the grace of ‘gentleness’.
“Fire” chose to be my sacred word for 2015. I’m a “water” person. My prayer and intention is to remain open ~ all year long ~ to signs, symbols and daily encounters of/with “fire” including: celebrative bonfires, campfires, fireworks; glow and comfort of hearth fires; and to refiner’s fires.
My word for 2015 is “follow”. I wanted my word to be “lead”, but the Lord corrected me and impressed upon me the need to be His follower and to be transformed from the desire to lead and have Him” follow” me. Ex 40:36 Now whenever the cloud lifted and moved from the tabernacle the Israelites set out on their journey following the cloud. I long to be obedient and ‘follow” His lead, waiting upon Him when necessary, always ready and expectant to “follow” Him when the Spirit stirs.