SPIRITUAL RENEWAL
OUR VALLEY SANTA CLARITA
And Excerpt from the Book , Resisting Happiness , by New York Times Best Selling Author , Matthew Kelly
“ As you begin to go deeper and deeper into prayer , God will help you to answer four questions : Who am I ? What am I here for ? What matters most ? What matters least ?
By developing clarity around these four questions you will become a phenomenal decision maker . You will no longer find yourself saying yes to things because you are afraid you will offend someone . Your yes will become a firm , passionate , mission-driven yes . And your no will become a firm , unwavering no .
‘ How is your prayer life ?’ Great spiritual directors have been asking those they guide this question for thousands of years . It is a little like going to the doctor and having your blood pressure taken first thing . This question allows us very quickly to get a sense of a person ’ s spiritual health . Get into the habit of asking yourself the question and it will encourage you to continue to focus on the interior life .
The more you pay attention to your spiritual health , the more attuned you will be to your spiritual needs . When your body is hungry , your stomach growls . Your soul has ways of showing you it is hungry too . When I get impatient with my children or my colleagues , or a stranger , I know that my soul needs some attention .
Over time you will learn to listen to the cravings of your soul . Some days I crave silence . Other days my soul craves to serve others . There are times when you walk past the break room at work , catch a glimpse of a box of donuts , and immediately crave a donut . There are times when I catch a glimpse of a Bible and I have a craving to spend more time in the Scriptures . Before I ever started speaking and writing , I spent a lot of time sitting in empty churches and reading , reflecting , praying . The ten minutes a day grow into longer and longer periods of time . The demands of my work and family life no longer allow me to spend such long periods of time in quiet , empty churches . But that was a wonderful season in my life , and I often crave that experience again .
When I think about the spiritual journey that I am sharing with you in these pages , I feel I have been fortunate beyond my wildest imaginings . Few things delight me more than sharing with you what God has freely given to me .”.
God wants to bless you with spiritual vitality . Establish a daily habit of prayer . Start with the Prayer Process .
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