8.2.08
Yet another change and shift in how this blog will be written. The whole cynical mode just doesn't work, given the ease of descending into depression I have. So, I shall endeavor to follow the title of the blog. How that will take shape I am not sure. Yet, my ideas and beliefs have not changed, in that we have been led astray the last 7 years especially. We as a country are greatly divided, and the freedoms we so strongly "believe" in have slowly and methodically been stripped away. The biggest pain to me comes from administration's notion that it is being guided spiritually and by faith. In my mind and view, the current war on Iraq is based on false witness and coveting, which in turn has led to murder and theft. For those keeping score, I have named 4 commandments. This is the same party which purportedly supports the Ten Commandments in the public sphere, or has a base of support from those who would have this. Um....I thought breaking commandments was bad....Least that is what my translations say. And the rhetoric on Iran is eerily similar.
This Lenten period finds me trying to pray the Hours again. Self discipline in prayer has been an issue for me, since I need to do it more. I've noticed that when I get into a habit that is constructive (such as meetings and prayer), life flows easier and simpler for me. Page 417 of the Big Book (BB) has pretty much become a guiding line in my life: acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. By praying the Hours in a consistent manner, there is a semblence of structure with which I could hang the rest of my day. My plan is to try and hit five of the Hours, three at minimum. If I remember correctly they are: Prime (6:00), Terce (9:00), Sext (12:00), None (15:00), Vesper (18:00), Compline (21:00), Vigil (0:00), Lauds (3:00). I think there is one more, but I'm not sure. I am trying Terce-Compline, using my OSL Book of Rites as a model. THe reason is not to elevate myself above others, or think that I am better than others, but to connect to God and discern His will for me (as in the 11th Step). My biggest pitfall in many of my criticisms (hence why this blog has shrunk since I last wrote) is a holier-than-thou/cynical diatribe which easily sets me up for a cataclysmic plummet in mood. One can critique without being cynical. I hope to do so, and still keep my ego in check.
This Lenten period finds me trying to pray the Hours again. Self discipline in prayer has been an issue for me, since I need to do it more. I've noticed that when I get into a habit that is constructive (such as meetings and prayer), life flows easier and simpler for me. Page 417 of the Big Book (BB) has pretty much become a guiding line in my life: acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. By praying the Hours in a consistent manner, there is a semblence of structure with which I could hang the rest of my day. My plan is to try and hit five of the Hours, three at minimum. If I remember correctly they are: Prime (6:00), Terce (9:00), Sext (12:00), None (15:00), Vesper (18:00), Compline (21:00), Vigil (0:00), Lauds (3:00). I think there is one more, but I'm not sure. I am trying Terce-Compline, using my OSL Book of Rites as a model. THe reason is not to elevate myself above others, or think that I am better than others, but to connect to God and discern His will for me (as in the 11th Step). My biggest pitfall in many of my criticisms (hence why this blog has shrunk since I last wrote) is a holier-than-thou/cynical diatribe which easily sets me up for a cataclysmic plummet in mood. One can critique without being cynical. I hope to do so, and still keep my ego in check.
Labels: Take three......
