Prayer beads

This summer as been a blessing and I want to share part of my journey. I want to start off my thanking my bible study leader, Yoly and Lisa along with everyone else at Appleton Alliance Church. Going back to when I was in middle school and high school I would go to AAC but sadly never considered what I was learning to be meaningful, in one ear and out the other. I was to focused on what time is it, how many more songs are we singing, how much longer until we get home, and so on. I never…

Several juxtapositions dominate the relationship between the traditional academic life and a spiritual life. In a time when traditional Western thought advocates a dualistic approach of either/or, the relationship of spirituality to the academic life of a university could never be more at odds. For many, the potential ambiguity of spirituality undermines the very structure and pursuit of specific truth universities hold dear; however, the study and practice of spirituality encourages academic…

In the New Testament, Jesus made a very bold statement to us. In Mark 11:23 Jesus said: (Mar 11:23) For truly I say to you that whoever shall say to this mountain, Be moved and be cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he said shall occur, he shall have whatever he said. This amazing statement still continues to strain our faith to grasp the fullness of what He meant. In June of 1974, a man named Charles Capps was teaching at a faith seminar in…

Describe the stereotypes associated with Native Americans; how do they compare and contrast with stereotypes connected to Jews and Catholic immigrants? How would you explain the five characteristics that best describe Catholicism compared with the four dominated categories of Native American religion? One of the stereotypes associated with the Native Americans is regarding their religion. Native American had their religions regarding their culture but for the Jews and Catholics they did not…

ever get over. As a child Cecil grew up in a household with seven siblings, two sisters and five brothers. They had a wonderful mother and father to help them stay on the right track. His mom was a very strong woman. She believed in the power of prayer and knew that God would work out any situations that came in her household. She taught her children to be the same way. When things got them down, they knew the best thing to do was pray. She also taught them to pray just to thank God for his…

Ernest Hemingway’s “Now I Lay Me” (1927) covers the effects of post traumatic stress disorder on Nick after he is wounded in the war. Nick suffers from some form of panic as his mind creates a severe terror after he is bombed in the night. Unable to sleep because he is afraid of dying, Nick instead chooses a form of self-care which relies heavily on his own memory of scenes from his life before the war, his religion and his favorite pre-war pastime. While it seems that Nick is coping with his…

face down on the floor and say their prayers to several deities silently. When the service began, the priest invited me into a small sanctuary, roped off on each side, forming a clear path to the deity Sri Venkateswara. The priest began the service by walking up to each person carrying a tray with four cups, the cups had kumkuma, haldi, milk, and water in them. He approached each Hindu person and seemed to ask them questions, I assume he asked them their prayer requests, they would respond…

Observation: The student body section of the football game was most noticeable on the Heritage side and all the students seemed to be in one homogenous clump, with the exception of one or two separated groups and individuals. However, upon closer glance, the glaringly obvious racial divide clearly split the group of students down a chasm of social segregation. The divide appeared to be general accepted and almost unnoticed by the students, nothing beyond the ordinary, and the behaviors…

Not a Day Sooner In every encounter, people who cross our path leave a part of themselves with us. Their words, wisdom, or humour is a gift of God. I find that the Holy Spirit will call to remembrance some of these unusual moments to illustrate a truth or impress a teaching upon the heart of another, and all we are doing is telling a story. Jesus was a master real-life storyteller, and that is why His teachings impact us in life today. There is a Christian commentator who hosts a program…

discernment in dialoguing through spiritual elements within counseling. There must exist the ability to read the client holistically and be open to opportunities that grant time for prayer, and or spiritual / religious dialogue. While in session, assumed prayer may not always be beneficial. Rather, listening for opportunities for prayer, and narrating that thought process may be a more beneficial path? Perhaps the client was sexually abused by their pastor. Maybe the client was forced to pray…