MRLPJ

While the practices of theoria (or contemplation) can take on a variety of nuanced forms in Christendom, they most often fall into one of two camps of contemplative practice: Camp 1: The pursuit of vision (that is, a vision of God). Camp 2: The pursuit of sanctification (that is, transformation in Christ). In the east [the Eastern Orthodox Church, etc.] the practices of theoria (or contemplation) are fueled mostly by one’s desire to see God (that is, to experience an intimate vision of Him). The contemplative practices in this approach most often entail the traversing of a progressive path of Divine illumination, like that laid out in The Ladder of Divine Ascent, an ascetical treatise written in the 7th century by St. John Climacus, an Egyptian monk. Here in the west, the practices of theoria focus more on the pursuits of biblical sanctification, wherein the one contemplating (or experiencing) God through worship and Scripture-immersion becomes more and more set apart (and made pure...

J esus to Me: “Dave… You can’t rightly call yourself M-my Loved One [M-my Beloved] if you don’t live as I live. And you can’t rightly live as I live without M-me. I am, in totality, The I AM of Your Life and Being. There’s no one beside M-me.” S criptures: “Remember the former things, those of long ago; I AM God, and there’s no other; I AM God, and there’s none like Me.”  —Is 46:9 Jesus speaking: “If you love M-me, you’ll keep M-my Commands.”  —Jn 14:15 Jesus speaking: “I AM The Vine; you are The Branches. If you remain in M-me and I in you, you’ll bear much fruit; apart from M-me you can do nothing. —Jn 15:5 The fallen nature was crucified with Y-you, Jesus. It was annihilated forever and for all times, spaces, and places. Accordingly, it is no longer I (the fallen I, because he [or she] was nailed to the cross and died with Y-you) who lives but Y-you who lives and expresses Y-yourself for, in, with, through, and (mysteriously unveiled) AS me… AS me!!  —Ga 2...

  Holy Trinity… In Your power, kill the devilish diseases within me; heal the wounds, injuries, and traumas I’ve sustained; dissolve or eliminate that which doesn’t belong; and raise to life or recreate that which is dead, damaged, or missing—or just asleep—but shouldn’t be. Heal my heart-mind, body, and personhood miraculously. Do that or show me how to do so myself. Either way, I’ll be eternally grateful to You and for You. O God… There’s residual hurt in my soul from the traumas I’ve suffered throughout my life. My reactive personas—which I created (on-the-fly and very early in life) to protect me from future harm and to “secure,” in almost any way possible, my emotional happiness—is killing me. Accordingly, let’s work together… 1/To heal me of the emotional, physical, and psycho-physical injuries that have plagued me for so long now. And… 2/To (when possible) heal and assimilate healthfully and healthily, or (when necessary) to dismantle, all such persona-constructs. Ho...