Have you ever gone on a God Hunt? A God Hunt begins when you teach yourself to look for God’s hand at work in the everyday occurrences of your life. Here’s one of my personal God Hunt Sightings:
This week Karen is in the Dominican Republic directing a film shoot for Medical Ambassadors International. She would appreciate your prayers as you read these blogs. Filming in another country, on a low budget and without knowing the language can be tricky indeed. Shoot crews are well aware of their need for God’s help. Thank you.
The Divine Offices: A Manual for Prayer by Phyllis Tickle includes four of the seven Daily Offices: Morning Prayer, Noontime Prayer, Evening Prayer and Compline.
I love reading the Morning Office early with my husband—but even so, there is rarely a week where we hit a perfect score—Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. So during this Lent, I had a bright idea: I could read the four daily offices by myself without my husband (what a thought!). It has been a rich journey so far. Today’s reading was for the “Wednesday Nearest to February 17” (I am writing these blogs mid-week, in order for them to be edited and sent to our dear friend Dean Wilson, who sets them up and posts them)—quite a system to devise a reading plan that takes people through the year, no matter what year.
The flap copy on the book says, “The Divine Hours is the first major literary and liturgical reworking of the sixth-century Benedictine Rule of fixed-hour prayer. This beautifully conceived and thoroughly modern three-volume guide will appeal to the theological novice as well as to the ecclesiastical sophisticate. … The third and final book in the set, Prayers for Springtime, provides prayers, psalms, and readings for this season associated with rebirth.”
The Midday Office for the Wednesday nearest to February 17 is Psalm 113:
“Hallelujah! Give praise, you servants of the Lord; praise the Name of the Lord.
Let the Name of the Lord be blessed, from this time forth for evermore.
From the rising of the sun to its going down let the Name of the Lord be praised.
The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.
Who is like the Lord our God, who sets enthroned on high but stoops to behold
the heavens and the earth?
He takes up the weak out of the dust and lifts up the poor from the ashes.
He sets them with the princes, with the princes of his people.
He makes the woman of a childless house to be a joyful mother of children.”
This is becoming a rich Lenten feed. You are also welcome at the table.
I spy God!
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Award-winning author Karen Mains has long had an interest in spiritual formation and the obedient Christian walk. She has written about the God Hunt in her book by the same name, The God Hunt: The Delightful Chase and the Wonder of Being Found. A hardback copy can be ordered from Mainstay Ministries for $10.00 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. Contact Karen at info@mainstayministries.org and she will be happy to autograph a copy for you.
Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, “Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains.” In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.
Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags, Africa bags. This micro-finance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.
For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. They are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.
Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.