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Oratio: To Be Nonviolent
Help me Lordto be nonviolentin thoughtin speechin actionto have peacein my heartmanifested as lovein word and deedeven in the faceof evilof hatredof persecutionto stand as Christ stoodbefore the world that hated himsaying forgive them Fatherfor they know not what they do ~Robert Van Valkenburgh
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Scriptio: Navigating With Love
What do you do when you have been afraid of the same thing for forty years? What if that thing is a person? What if that person is someone you love? One of, if not my biggest, spiritual struggles, is discerning the answer to these very questions. I pray almost daily for God to…
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Oratio: Stand In Silence
Make your standin silenceallow the Lord’sgood worksto be your voicethough your enemiesmay assail youspewing hatredgossip and slanderstand strongin the Lorddo not be movedto either defenseor retaliation ~Robert Van Valkenburgh
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Scriptio: He Means It
When I took my daughter and her cousins to the playground a few days ago, I let them play for about an hour and a half while I read my book on the bench. They were having a good time with each other, just being kids, and I was having a good time watching…
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Oratio: Out Of Darkness
By the grace of GodI will not live in darknessthrough his mercyI will bring my shameto lightI will bring my angerto lightI will bring my fearsto lightI will bring my temptationsto lightand in the light of the Lordin His truthand His lovethe evil one has no powerover who I am ~Robert Van Valkenburgh
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Scriptio: My Ego Is A Raging Storm
My ego is a raging storm that I cannot control. The harder I try, the more it overwhelms me. There are brief moments when it seems like I have tamed it, when it appears as if I have held the rains and winds at bay. But then the calm subsides, the storm overtake me,…
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Oratio: Inconvenient Love
We are not asked to loveit is not a mere suggestionwe are commanded to loveto love Godto love our neighborsto love our enemiesto pray for thosewho persecute usto forgive our fellowsseventy times seven timesthis is not convenient loveit is the hardest love to giveit comes with no worldly rewardnot even prideful satisfactionin fact –…
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Scriptio: Letting Her Love Me
My wife and I have been married for over fifteen years and it has taken the entirety of those fifteen years just to begin to learn how to let someone love me. I thank God for the fact that she is not only faithful, but persistent. She has never given up on me and…
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Oratio: Tethered To God
Prayertethers my heartto Godpreventing mefrom sinking too lowin depressionor being carried awayby grandiosityprayer keeps mewhere I must bewhich is right herereaching for heavensupported by earthin service to God ~Robert Van Valkenburgh
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Scriptio: Presence Is Prayer
So much of what we call prayer is about being present to the presence of God. This is true whether it is petitionary prayer, intercessory prayer, contemplative prayer, centering prayer, or ritualistic prayer like praying the rosary. When we pray, we place ourselves in the presence of God and, through whatever method we happen…