» contemplation

Toxic Hurry: The High Price of the Unexamined Life (3)

NRCC — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:54:14 +0000

Philosophical pragmatism was hammered out by a bunch of really smart guys in Cambridge, Mass. in the late 1800′s. It has become such a successful, American philosophy that it often bleeds out of the area in which it is so fruitful and effective, into other areas of our humanity in which it is decidedly not helpful – in fact, quite the opposite.

As Americans, if we would heed the warning in Jesus’ parable about not getting caught up in toxic hurry, we have to know what will derail us. Philosophical pragmatism will do it!

Have a listen,
Doug

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Toxic Hurry: The High Price of the Unexamined Life (2)

NRCC — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:51:22 +0000

Pragmatism: if it works, it must be good. Who would argue with that? However, when we think about making it the central organizing value in our lives (as many Americans do), there are some pretty negative, unintended consequences. If we want to not miss the party Jesus invited us to last week, we do well to rethink how deeply we allow pragmatism to go in our value system. Continue reading →

Toxic Hurry: The High Price of the Unexamined Life (1)

NRCC — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:07:41 +0000

We begin a new lesson today that will take several weeks. We begin with Jesus' parable about a man who invited a bunch of people to the party of their lives, only to have them miss this golden opportunity because of pragmatic concerns in their lives. Unexamined lives led them to hurried, harried lives that couldn't see opportunity when it was handed to them. So it is when we miss reading to our children, miss seeing the mystery and beauty in our jobs, our people, our city, and the rocks and tree that travel on this planet with us. This lesson is about why we drive ourselves into the blinding toxicity of hurry, and what we can do to step back from the impulses that push us there. Continue reading →

Examen of Consciousness

NRCC — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 17:05:01 +0000

This is such an important practice. I hope you have a listen. When our view of God changes, our view of prayer changes. Many simply stop praying… stop having a devotional habit. But that’s just not good for our souls. Better is to go back through history and find ways of “prayer” that feed us in our newly-emerging way of thinking about God. Examen is one of those ancient ways.

Have a listen,
Doug

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The Spirituality of How We Think About God (1)

admin — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:00:18 +0000

Today, we begin a short lesson together (only two weeks) in which we look at what comes to our minds when we use the word “God.” Usually, it’s a super-big-and-wonderful Person, a King, a Parent, a Bridegroom, a Righteous Judge. These are all metaphors for God found in the Bible that have found their way into the unconscious assumptions of many of us.

However, an interesting thing happens when we frame an image of God in our mind. We limit our experience of the Beyond-Our-Faculties-To-Comprehend, Divine to that which fits into our fixed mental image.

Today we look at dismantling our images.
Have a listen!
Doug

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Soul-Training: The Welcoming Prayer

admin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:40:54 +0000

by Doug Hammack

In this lesson we look at a very practical way to turn our prayer less into words, and more into awakening to the awareness of what God is already up to. It’s a contemplative practice for daily use called The Welcoming Prayer.

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