It’s all about heart!

It’s been over a year now since the global pandemic disrupted all of us.  For our congregation, the disruption happened to coincide with our pastor’s sabbatical and became the catalyst that shaped the congregational sabbatical.  Aimed at creatively nurturing mind, body, and spirit, several resources and opportunities have been provided for practicing our faith and moving us toward recovery and healing.

And what we realized is that it is all about heart!
Our physical hearts beat to pump life-giving blood to every cell of the body, keeping us physically alive; but our spiritual hearts are at the core of spiritual healing and wholeness.

In a spiritual sense, says pastor Ben Godwin, our heart is the engine of our whole being, the core of who we are.  He wrote “Your ‘heart’ is your true character, nature, attitudes, and motives—the real you on the inside. There are over 900 references to the heart in the Bible (most refer to the spiritual heart not the physical organ). The heart is so important that Scripture tells us to make it a top priority to protect it from negative influences.”

One key verse is, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life” (Pr. 4:23, NLT).
Studies have confirmed that mind, body, spirit are connected and tending to spiritual matters facilitates healing in the body and mind.   James Finley reminds us to “…explore as part of your ongoing process of finding the ways to meditate that are most natural and effective for you. What matters is not which method of meditation you use, but the self-transforming process by which meditation leads you into more . . . openness to God. . . .”

During the month of July, we have been concentrating our attention on building (and re-building) our spiritual resiliency. The spiritual resources for prayer, bible study, meditation, and ways of practicing our faith are essential for faith formation and our spiritual health, not only as individuals but collectively.  As we begin to use them daily and practice together, they provide nurture for our souls, and strengthen our relationship with God. It’s this heart-to-heart relationship with God that transforms us as we learn what it means to love and to be loved unconditionally.

Explore this week’s spiritual resources here or connect to previous resources here.  Don’t forget to express your heart feelings, learning, or insight by designing a square for our paper quilt! Click here for more information.

Blessings and Healing on the Journey,
The Ministry Team (Janis Brown, Lori Bryant, Paul DeArman, Mary Alice Do)