“Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
Who may stand in his holy place?
Those who have clean hands and a pure heart,
who do not put their trust in an idol
or swear by a false god.”
who do not put their trust in an idol
or swear by a false god.”
Psalm 24:3 TNIV
“For Christ did not enter into a holy place
made with human hands,
which was only a copy of the true one in heaven.
He entered into heaven itself
to appear now before God on our behalf.“
Hebrews 9:24 NLT
“Certainly work is not always required of a man.
There is such a thing as a sacred idleness –
the cultivation of which is now fearfully neglected.”
– George MacDonald 
“People are doubtful and skeptical about the church,
they suspect and dislike the clergy,
they are impatient of theological systems,
but of Jesus Christ,
as he stands out to view in the sacred pages,
as they dimly realize him in their own best selves,
as they catch faint traces of him in the lives of his saints,
they have no other sentiments
than those of respect and affection.”
–Herbert Hensley Henson
19th century Anglican priest
Photos taken at St. Mary’s Retreat House in Santa Barbara CA where I met with Brother Thomas for the first time. He is not Abbot David, but we will enter into a contract for spiritual direction for 8 months and see where God takes us in that time. The setting for these meetings is glorious, one I had never seen and it is right next door to The Old Mission, where I go frequently. Just enjoying this view may be among the richest of the gifts of the next 8 months.
Joining with Sandy and Deidra at their Quiet Spaces for the weekend, with gratitude for each of them:
Sacred idleness. I love that. I’m hugging this whole quote. And I’m going to look into finding a nearby quiet place. I think I’d like to get away for some contemplative time.
What an encouraging thought for me this morning …He entered into heaven itself to appear now before
God on our behalf.
It sounds lovely, Diana. Hope you have a beautiful weekend.
Looks restful. I’m sure it feels that way, too. Found myself taking deep breaths while looking and thinking of your surroundings. Blessings.
Same to you, Patricia – and thanks for coming by.
It was restful – and refreshing for the work of the afternoon, too. Always nice to see you here, Joanne!
I love that section of Hebrews a lot. Hope your weekend is lovely, Glenda. Enjoy having your husband around!
Sandy – I see this comment in my inbox through blogger – but once again, you’re not showing up in disqus. Sure wish I knew why. But I thank you for coming by and leaving a small piece of beauty in my space.
I love the images of the mountain and then the stone paths and buildings put together. All things come through Him.
Amen, Michelle. Thanks for coming by today.
What restful images you’ve shared. I like your perspective in both word and image.
Diana — I had been wrestling with a thought about the holiness and accessibility of God — how they are not mutually exclusive, how they CAN exist at the same time. The first 2 verses you wrote bring clarity to my journey. I am so blessed by you!
This was sort of a hodge podge of words and pictures, kind of generally centered around our need for sacred space and time. That wondering led me to Hebrews where I was reminded that because of Jesus, ALL space is sacred when we go there with him. Glad you found it helpful, Jen.
Thank you, Susan – it was a beautiful spot.
That Henson quote? It gives me hope.
You know, it did me, too. That little list of complaints sounds so familiar – and it isn’t nearly as ‘current’ as we tend to think sometimes. This guy was pastoring and rabble-rousing nearly 150 years ago. He was described as a ‘controversialist.’ Sounds like he’s right in the middle of a lot of today’s discussions.
So glad you are entering into something new! And I love the blue in that labyrinth. I wrote a labyrinth poem several years ago.
I’m not sure I’m glad yet, but I’m working on it. This man is going to require a bit more ‘scheduled approach.’ Something I’ve not done AT ALL since retirement. It almost felt necessary to morph into a more relaxed form for my own devotional life. For many years, that life was pretty deeply entangled with my professional life, so I’m now thinking perhaps it’s time to insert a bit more form to things. But, as is my usual, I am resisting that internally. So…I’ll do the 8 months and see what happens. And I’ll try to trust that God is in this, too. It’s really tough to try and replace someone who so clearly came into my life at the direct hand of God with exactly the right approach and about 95% of the time, exactly the words I needed from one month to the next. Sigh.
sacred idleness…….love the way these words paint those intimate times:)
thank you for the beautiful wander,
Jennifer
Beautiful reminder.
I hope you have a blessed week! Happy July 4th!
You’re welcome, Jennifer – I like those words, too.