awareness and it’s affect/effect [daily examen]

Tonight, in the Gathering, we will practice the Daily Examen.  This has been an important practice in our pursuit of being more aware of God, of others, and our interior life.  We have a pdf of the practice available in on our Resources page.

A few steps to follow to enter into the Daily Examen:

* Slow down your mind, and enter silence.

* Breathe deeply in and out. On every breath in, pray for God's nearness.  On every breath out, pray for letting go of your life. (John 3:30)

* After a few moments, REWIND your day or week. Now scan through your interactions with people, words spoke, thoughts you thought, feelings you felt.  Scan over moments with strangers, co-workers, with friends and family.  Replay your actions, your work, your play, your moments alone.  As you do, look for the "thin places."

Samir Selmanovic, in his book, It’s All Really About God, writes,

“Thin places are stopping places where we, for at least a moment, step into what lies beyond the doorway of the world limited to our five senses. These experiences confirm our hopes and bind us to our beliefs. Two worlds become one.”

* While examining your moments - don't force it - relax and prayerfully breath deep.  this is not an exercise to find and share the most profound moment---it is an exercise in resting in God's nearness.

* After finding a moment to settle in on . . . consider the questions:

How is my Life Touched?

Is there an invitation here?

We are engaging the practice specifically to see where being AWARE of God and others and self is taking us.  We are not meant for passivity - for boredom - but for creativity and life (see further thoughts from Matthew Fox on this).  As a community, Convergence, and as individuals - How is the trajectory of our life influenced and resulting differently because of our AWARENESS of God?

We are asking the question within Convergence this way . . .

What affect (influence) is God having in our life?  What effect (result) is it causing in the path of our lives?