“In a world where there is a wealth of information, there is often a poverty of attention.”- Ken Mehlman, G. W. Bush’s presidential campaign manager Leighton Ford wonders whether, as we’re continuously bombarded by information via the world-wide-web, there is any way for us not to pay attention. Since we’re usually in a state of […]
“We live in an age of continuous partial attention.” -Microsoft researcher Linda Stone In Chapter 6 (“Active Life: A Slower Pace in a Faster World”) of The Attentive Life, Leighton Ford defines Terce as the marker of midmorning. Terce is the time when we take a break from our morning routine to refocus on the Holy […]
Following his discussion of contemplating, abiding, and indwelling in Chapter 4 of The Attentive Life, Leighton Ford ponders how we can take those wonderful concepts and translate them into our own “prime time”. The author states that he finds it helpful to think of abiding as a continual conversation we have with God, in which […]
Indwelling is the third word that Leighton Ford believes aptly sums ups the intent of Prime. Indwelling involves our internalization of moral values rather than unquestioning assent. It is by dwelling in the things we know that we truly understand their meaning. Indwelling is an imperative for living a new and abundant life in Christ. […]
As Leighton Ford states in Chapter 4 of The Attentive Life, if contemplation means to look at life in God’s presence with fresh-washed eyes, we need to stay in touch with Christ by abiding in Him. While the word abiding may convey a sense of passive coziness, abiding- like contemplation- has a more robust sense. […]
In Chapter 4 of The Attentive Life, author Leighton Ford states that 3 words aptly summarize the intent of Prime: contemplation, abiding, and indwelling. Contemplation will be discusses in today’s blog. When most of us hear the word contemplative, we think meditative- like a monk sitting for hour with his eyes closed and hands folded, […]
“Prime is that hour of the day when we pray not to get it over with, but to make everything a prayer.”- David Steindl-Rast Prime, Leighton Ford states in Chapter 4 (“Prime Time: Our Root System”) of The Attentive Life, denotes the hour of deliberate beginning of the day. We are reminded that everything we […]
As Leighton Ford concludes Chapter 3 of The Attentive Life, he postulates that preoccupation is a key contributor to inattentiveness. He states: “A space- whether a house or a mind- that is preoccupied is so crowded that it has little space for anything else to enter.” How, then, can we come to attention to God, who […]
In Chapter 3 (“Daybreak: The Hour of Beginnings”) of The Attentive Life, author Leighton Ford notes that Lauds, which comes before dawn “as the first light begins to finger into the day”, is the hour that transitions us from darkness into light. It is a time of awakening not only to the new day, but […]
Not only does God provide for us during sleep, He constantly searches for us. In Chapter 2 of The Attentive Life, Leighton Ford tells the story of Vincent Donovan, a missionary to the Masai people of East Africa. In Vincent’s conversation with a Masai elder about the elder’s struggle with faith and unbelief, the elder explained […]
When we don’t get enough sleep, it is difficult to be attentive to God. A recent survey found that many Americans get less than 6 hours of sleep per night and that 75% of us experience sleep difficulties several nights a week. Sleep deprivation may result in irritability, impatience, and inattentiveness. As Leighton Ford concludes […]
“For darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”- Psalm 139:12-13 (NIV) “Vigils is the womb of silence, the darkest hour.”- David Steindl-Rast Leighton Ford notes in Chapter 2 (“The Birthing Hour: Time Before Time”) of The Attentive Life that Vigils, also known […]