Introduction to The Color of My Heart
When I finished writing “A Moment for Christ” in 2008 I thought it was the complete reflection of my spiritual journey. I was wrong; instead I see I am at the beginning of a longer journey, one that will require continued processing of God’s past, present and future actions in my life.
This last year (2008-2009) has been extraordinarily profound for me. I have discovered by sharing who I am in my writing I am opening the door for others to share in the intimacy of Christ in their own lives with me. Although seemingly subtle, crossing the boundary of this unknown challenged me to embrace it to an even greater extent. You will find an even broader range of intensity in my meditations from breathless experiences to my significant and numerous struggles with long periods of not perceiving the presence of God. Faith of course allows one to follow the contours of whatever God has in mind.
With the exception of the last few pages, my thoughts are not presented in a time line fashion but rather in the sequence in which they were written. Please keep in mind that these thoughts are fragments of my life and everyone has their own unique story. For reasons I am still not quite able to explain I feel compelled to tell my story. Perhaps these forty vignettes will provide an opportunity for you to immerse yourself in your own moments. Ultimately, I believe what we do with the results of our own stories, otherwise known as the fruit, shows the true color of our hearts.
The Color of My Heart Table of Contents for the collection of individual 40 poems in the book.
The introduction above is included in the collection of 40 Christian poems in the The Color of My Heart within the Immersive Prayer website. The poems are also available in book form on Amazon in Paperback or . All Proceeds go to Charity. |
Additional Thoughts about my Poetry
I believe my writing fits snugly into the category of grounded mystical Christian theology. I have studied, written, and spiritually and physically applied this practical concept in my life for nearly two decades. I have never seen or participated in what some might call a vision or phenomenon. However, I appreciate that they may be a reality for the person or group, and God has provided them with deep consolation. For me, consolation is the beginning of a two-way relationship with God.
My own experiences are more intellectual in nature because I lean toward engineering and science. The reality for me is that God is always present because we are his tabernacles. We constantly miss His surfacing of lighter than a feather touch because we are a physical people. We talk about opening our hearts to this love, but technically, our intellect gets in the way. I have been trying to prove this virtually every day for well over a decade by documenting what I believe are grounded mystical thoughts in various ways.
The tragedy of 9/11 was a significant transformative moment in my spiritual life because of a first hand experience. I am re-dedicating the thoughts and prayers associated with my Christian Poetry to all those affected.
Would you like to contribute related thoughts to these reflections of the contemplative material of this Web-based ministry? Do you see God’s grandeur everywhere and unconditionally enjoy sharing the love of Christ that you have inside? Are you willing to be anonymous in what you would share? If so, email me.
Prayer for young families:
Lord, let the young families of our communities get to know your joy, peace, comfort, and love despite the world’s distractions.
Attributions:
This site has written permission from New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) to use Bible passages.
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Peace,
Jerry