Alert

Today's Advent word is ALERT.  In my own my life,  I have had and still have plenty of unanswered questions and situations that seem that there  will never be a resolution to them.  However, over the years I have realized that while 
I am  waiting I must not only be patient but I must also be alert otherwise I will God in the small things.  It is in the small things such as a phone call, a note, a letter in a mail, an unexpected encounter in grocery that God often speaks to us. 

 Like Elijah' experience, God speaks to us is in the still small voice or  in a dream like He spoke to Joseph.  If we are not paying attention, then we might miss these small events which might bring an answer to a problem or a resolution to a situation in a way that we had never thought of before.  In this time of being refreshed and renewed in the darkness of  being prepared for the next step to come,  may we stay alert and not miss out on God's demonstrations of love. 

Sprout

Merriam-Webster defines sprout as, "to grow, spring up, or come forth ."  The image of a plant growing comes to mind, the first shoot coming out of the soil. However sprout also leads to other images, a small child, food for a sandwich, a cable channel or a brand of baby food. 

 Many of us are now eating sprouts as food as not are they healthy but they also add crunch to our foods.  I like to think as crunch as something different.  Have you ever noticed how when chips to your chili or nuts to your dessert that it adds to the taste and gives a different perspective to the dish?  Sometimes our soul need a bit of crunch. 

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Advent is a time of birthing.  In this time of birthing the soul like the body needs a variety of nourishment.  Sometimes it is the most unlikely things,  for one person it might be running or for another it could be working at the food pantry or maybe its engaging in extended silence.  It is easy to do the same things over and over again.  What might add crunch to your spiritual life?  Is there a practice you have let of that you need to refresh?  Or maybe you need to step out of your comfort zone and try something new?  

For me this Advent, it is returning to writing.  Until I started writing these daily Advent reflections, I had not written any blog posts in over a year and I had not realized how much my soul was nourished by them.  Writing these reflections provides me with insight into how my soul is and also allows me a way of giving to others.  

Light

What do you think of when you think about light? - light as opposite of dark or light as in the electric light or as in the natural light of the sun or moon or maybe light as opposite of heavy or a perhaps a light day or job as in less responsibility

What about light as the place of God or the radiance of the Holy Spirit?  Evagrius Ponticus drawing upon Moses' experience in Exodus of experiencing the place of God on a mountaintop and seeing a light the color of the sky describes the mind as the place of God and the blue sapphire light as the light of the Holy Trinity.  While we may not see the light of God in the physical world, we can experience the visible light of the spiritual world.  In the Skemmata, Evagrius writes, "prayer is the state of the mind that comes to be from the single-light of the Holy Trinity." Even when the world around us seems dark, we can experience God in our souls through prayer.  This Advent allow your mind to become the place of God, a place where light shines and illumination occurs.  Let go that the radiance might begin. How is the blue sapphire taking root in your life?

Night

Night can be many things.  It is night time here in Tennessee right now.  It is dark and cold.  Night can be an interior time, a time of fear and unknown.  It can also be a time of creation.  There is no dawn without the night.  Dr. Alexander Shaia writes, "Darkness is where the new radiance begins."  Night is a place of birthing, a place of creation.  Jesus the Christ calls us to give him our burdens and he will give us rest.  Advent is a time of renewal and a time of creation.  It is the darkness of winter before the radiance of spring.  What are the dark places you are holding onto too tightly?  We have to choose to do the work of the dark, allowing the new radiance to begin.
I know for myself that certain things in my life did not change until I allowed them to be rather than tried to fix them.  New radiance does not come by pushing away the dark or ignoring the dark but by embracing all of its pieces and letting Jesus the Christ begin to radiate healing into those dark places bringing new growth.
What is the one thing that you can allow yourself to let go of and say I am not afraid I can let this darkness be a new beginning?

Visit http://www.quadratos.com to learn more about Advent and Dr. Alexander Shaia's work.

Focus

It is the third day of Advent and the question is are we becoming more intentional or already losing focus?  After all our world teaches us to always be looking for the newest thing to satisfy our desires.   Do we feel we must multi-task because it is expected or do we have the courage to slow down and listen? 
Focus is something that has always been extra hard for me even before the Internet and smart phones became the order of the day.  I tend to swing between the two extremes of being hyper-focused to the point of not being aware of anything else or so unfocused that I am not paying close attention to anything to the point at times of putting myself in harm's way.  Focus does not mean don't watch but rather choose what you are going to pay attention to.  Be intentional with your focus. 
How will you offer God your focus today?  How will you be intentional about Advent rather than jumping ahead to Christmas?  Scriptures tells not to be afraid or be in hurry or to worry but rather to seek and trust. 

Watch

On this second day of the Advent, the word is Watch.  Advent calls us to both an interior and an exterior watchfulness.  Internally, are we listening to God's still small voice

or is our soul being blown the wind grasping onto to whatever feels good.  Externally, are we watching for opportunities to serve?  Are we watching for those moments to love without exhausting ourselves?  

From the 21st Chapter of Luke: 34 “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, 35 like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

We are called to be alert and to pray, what is God putting on our hearts today? 

Journey

Today the Advent journey begins. It is the first day of the Christian year, a new dawn. It is a time of growing, waiting and anticipating. However, unlike other journeys, the Advent journey is an unknown one, we can set intentions and participate in Godly activities but we can only nurture what God is creating. Perhaps my friend , Alexander, says it best with these words, “Womb Time in God, ” and thus I wonder where is this journey going, can I wait?, can I trust? and can I participate? without knowing. Visit http://www.quadratos.com, to learn more about Alexander John Shaia’s work and the Four-Gospel Journey.