Generated by All in One SEO v5.0.0.1, this is an llms.txt file, used by LLMs to index the site. # Imago Dei Christian Community a community drawn to Christ ## Sitemaps - [XML Sitemap](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website. ## Posts - [Contemplative liturgy-June-2026](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-liturgy-june-2026/) - Contemplative liturgy June-26 - [Contemplative liturgy May 9, 2026](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-liturgy-may-9-2026/) - Contemplative liturgy-May-26 - [Contemplative liturgy-03-26](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-liturgy-03-26/) - Contemplative-3-26-Underhill2FINAL - [Contemplative liturgy-February 2026](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-liturgy-february-2026/) - Contemplative liturgy -Feb 26 - [Contemplative liturgy-January 2026](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-liturgy-january-2026/) - Contemplative liturgy -01-26 - [Contemplative liturgy-December 2025](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-liturgy-december-2025/) - Contemplative liturgy Dec-25 - [Contemplative liturgy, June 2025](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-liturgy-06-25/) - Contemplative liturgy-Keating 06-25 - [Contemplative liturgy-May-25](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-liturgy-may-25/) - Contemplative liturgy-05-25 - [Contemplative liturgy-March 2025](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-liturgy-march-2025/) - Contemplative liturgy-March-25 - [Contemplative liturgy-February 2025](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-liturgy-february-2025/) - Contemplative liturgy-Feb-25 - [Contemplative liturgy-January 2025](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-liturgy-january-2025/) - Contemplative liturgy-Hope-Jan-25 - [Contemplative service-November 2024](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-service-november-2024/) - Contemplative liturgy -Nov 2024 - [Contemplative service-October-24](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-service-october-24/) - Contemplative liturgy October 2024 - [Contemplative Service - June 2024](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-service-june-2024/) - Contemplative liturgy-Beauty-06-24 - [Contemplative Liturgy-Soul-04-24](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-liturgy-soul-04-24/) - Contemplative liturgy Soul Care-04-24 - [Contemplative service-03-24](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-service-03-24/) - Contemplative liturgy 03-24-Bounds - [Contemplative service-02-24](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-service-02-24/) - Contemplative liturgy 02-24-Buechner - [Contemplative Service-January 2024](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-service-january-2024/) - Contemplative Liturgy-01-24-Finley - [Contemplative service-June 10/23](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-service-june-10-23/) - Contemplative liturgy Hopkins-06-23 - [Contemplative liturgy May 13, 2023](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-liturgy-may-13-2023/) - Contemplative liturgy Psalms 05-23 - [Holy Saturday Contemplative liturgy-04-23](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/holy-saturday-contemplative-liturgy-04-23/) - Easter Sat.bulletin-23 - [Contemplative liturgy February, 2023](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-liturgy-february-2023/) - Contemplative liturgy Teresa-02-23 - [Contemplative service January 14, 2023](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-service-january-14-2023/) - Contemplative liturgy-01-23 - [Contemplative Service-December 10, 2022](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-service-december-10-2022/) - Advent liturgy22 - [Contemplative Liturgy-Saturday November 12-hybrid](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-liturgy-saturday-november-12-hybrid/) - Contemplative liturgy-Nouwen-11-22 - [Contemplative Services](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/contemplative-services/contemplative-services/) - We enjoy a special monthly Contemplative Communion Service with a wonderful consort of musicians including Anna Borowska (mezzo soprano), Helma Sawatzky (recorders, whistle, flute, percussion), Paul Woodyard (piano), Ruth Des Cotes (vocals, mandolin/guitar) and Trish Pattenden (vocals, guitar), who lead us through a Communion liturgy of music, silence and meditation from the writings of various - [Contemplative Liturgy-June 4, 2022 & recording](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-liturgy-june-4-2022-recording/) - Contemplative liturgy de Caussade-06-22 The link above is for the printed bulletin. To view the recorded zoom version of this service, follow this link. It will be accessible for 6 months from June/22. - [Letting Go](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/letting-go/) - IMAGO DEI: June 13th, 2013 www.imagodeicommunity.ca Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will gain it. Luke 17:33 In a meditation written just thirteen days before he died from pancreatic cancer, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin examined his life-long challenge with abandoning himself to God. The spiritual practice of - [Contemplative bulletin and recording-October 2021](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-bulletin-and-recording-october-2021/) - Contemplative liturgy-desire-10-21 https://www.dropbox.com/s/soqyq27pmdqkfsy/GMT20211003-014536_Recording_2560x1440.mp4?dl=0 - [Contemplative liturgy June 5, 2021](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-liturgy-june-5-2021/) - Contemplative liturgy-06-21 - [Contemplative liturgy May 1, 2021](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-liturgy-may-1-2021/) - Contemplative liturgy-05-21 - [Contemplative liturgy-02-21](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-liturgy-02-21/) - Contemplative liturgy-02-21 - [Contemplative liturgy-01-21](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-liturgy-01-21/) - Contemplative liturgy 01-21 - [Contemplative service January 9, 2021](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-service-january-9-2021/) - Contemplative service 01-21 - [Contemplative Service October 3, 2020](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/contemplative-services/contemplative-service-october-3-2020/) - Contemplative-Rolheiser-10-20 bulletin Songs for prayer: You are Everything https://imagodeicommunity.ca/wp-content/uploads/you-are-everything.10.10.mp3 My Soul Follows https://imagodeicommunity.ca/wp-content/uploads/my-soul-follows-hard-after-you.06.10.mp3 It is Good to Wait In Silence https://imagodeicommunity.ca/wp-content/uploads/it-is-good-to-wait-in-silence.05.10.mp3 Be Still and Know (live refrain) O God My Heart https://imagodeicommunity.ca/wp-content/uploads/God-My-Heart-Is-Open.mp3 Christ, Love of all Loving https://imagodeicommunity.ca/wp-content/uploads/christ-love-of-all-loving.08.09.mp3 May the Grace https://imagodeicommunity.ca/wp-content/uploads/may-the-grace-of-christ.07.10.mp3 - [Contemplative Service August 1, 2020](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/contemplative-services/contemplative-service-august-1-2020/) - Contemplative Service August 1, 2020 bulletin Contemplative service Ruysbroeck Send forth your light https://imagodeicommunity.ca/wp-content/uploads/send-forth-your-light.04.10-2.mp3 I Receive all I am https://imagodeicommunity.ca/wp-content/uploads/i-receive.08.09-2.mp3 How Gently https://imagodeicommunity.ca/wp-content/uploads/how-gently.10.10-1.mp3 O God my heart is open to you https://imagodeicommunity.ca/wp-content/uploads/God-My-Heart-Is-Open.mp3 Send your Holy Spirit (live) I Live, now not I https://imagodeicommunity.ca/wp-content/uploads/i-live-now-not-i-3.mp3 May the Love of the Father https://imagodeicommunity.ca/wp-content/uploads/may-the-love-of-the-father.02.10-1.mp3 - [Contemplative Service-July 4, 2020](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/contemplative-services/contemplative-service-july-4-2020/) - Bulletin for July 4 service, readings and lyrics: Contemplative liturgy-various-07-20docx Show me your ways https://imagodeicommunity.ca/wp-content/uploads/show-me-your-ways.05.10-2.mp3 Here I am https://imagodeicommunity.ca/wp-content/uploads/here-i-am.02.10-2.mp3 My Soul Follows https://imagodeicommunity.ca/wp-content/uploads/my-soul-follows-hard-after-you.06.10-2.mp3 My Soul is at rest https://imagodeicommunity.ca/wp-content/uploads/my-soul-is-at-rest.07.10-1.mp3 My Soul is thirsting (live) You are Everything https://imagodeicommunity.ca/wp-content/uploads/you-are-everything.02.10-1.mp3 In Your Light (You are the fountain of Life) https://imagodeicommunity.ca/wp-content/uploads/in-your-light.02.10-1.mp3 I will always bless the Lord https://imagodeicommunity.ca/wp-content/uploads/i-will-always-bless-the-lord-1.mp3 - [](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/communion-liturgies/40/) - COMMUNION LITURGIES for Imago Dei groups We have adapted various Communion liturgies for use in our Imago Dei groups. (these pdfs can be printed in booklet form for participants to read) COMMUNION LITURGY.ANGLICAN Communion liturgy.Celtic COMMUNION LITURGY.IONA COMMUNION LITURGY.TAIZE COMMUNION LITURGY.VOICES UNITED Communion liturgy.St.John Chrysostomos Communion liturgy.The Lord's supper Communion liturgy.Agape l - [A Biblical Apologetics for Contemplative Prayer](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/apologetics-for-contemplative-prayer/a-biblical-apologetics-for-contemplative-prayer/) - Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 1Pet. 3:15 As a way of giving account for the spiritual emphasis that we encourage at Imago Dei, we offer a Scriptural apologetics for the - [Cultivating the Spiritual Life](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/cultivating-the-spiritual-life/shared-practices-for-cultivating-the-spiritual-ife/) - "The Disposition of Prayer” (from a talk by Rob Des Cotes at Redlands United Church, Florida, Dec. 13, 2013) http://youtu.be/1S_VeBQQ1DE "Make every effort to add to your faith..for if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. " 2Pet. - [ON SPIRITUAL DIRECTION by Eugene Peterson](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/on-spiritual-issues/on-spiritual-direction-by-eugene-peterson/) - In looking for spiritual direction, I wanted someone who would take my life of prayer and my pilgrimage with Christ as seriously (or more seriously) than I did, who was able to hear the distinct uniqueness of my spirituality, and who had enough disciplined restraint not to impose an outside form on me. The first - [Guided Prayer Liturgies](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/guided-prayer-liturgies/guided-prayer-liturgies/) - CONTEMPLATIVE LITURGIES FOR GUIDED PRAYER : a prayer resource for individuals or small groups The following liturgies are designed to be used in groups but can also be of help for individual prayer times. Their purpose is to keep the mind focused and guided in a fruitful way as it explores the silences of prayer.It - [Highway to Heaven](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/highway-to-heaven/) - And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. Isa. 35:8 Imagine a multitude of people walking along a raised path in the wilderness. They are crowded together, having to move carefully as there are ditches on either side of - [Lost & Found](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/1222/) - “Suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, - [Trusting God With Our Inadequacies](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/in-god-we-trust/) - To the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. Rom. 4:5 In her biography, Before the Living God, the Carmelite Abbess Ruth Burrows writes about the pilgrimage of trust that she and her fellow sisters have long been on. She sees the development of - [No Just Another Old Person](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/no-just-another-old-person/) - Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an elder desires a noble task. 1Tim. 3:1 The Dene (pronounced Den-nay) are a Northern Canadian aboriginal tribe who govern themselves by a council of wise men. As is typical in many aboriginal societies, the male elders are chosen by the women. I once had the - [Let Everything In Me Praise the Lord](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/let-everything-in-me-praise-the-lord/) - God has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them we may participate in the divine nature. 2Pet 1:4 Makarios the Great was a Syrian spiritual director who ministered in the fourth century near the border area of Cappadocia (Turkey) and Syria. He was a disciple of St. Antony, the first - [What We Know to Be True](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/what-we-know-to-be-true/) - That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 1John 1:1 The testimony of a first-hand experience of God is what is most needed in our witness to the world - [Losing Our Reflection](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/losing-our-reflection/) - If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; John 15:6 “Without prayer, we lose sight of the meaning of our existence and the purpose of life.” So writes the desert hermit, Father Matta El-Meskeen. “We also risk losing the glory of our image,” he adds, - [Prayerful Inquiry](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/prayerful-inquiry/) - (Noah) sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground. But the dove could find nowhere to perch because there was water over all the surface of the earth; so it returned to Noah in the ark. He reached out his hand and took the dove and - [Standing In The Light](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/standing-in-the-light/) - Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Heb. 4:13 The prologue of John's gospel teaches us that the light of Christ shines on every person born (Jn 1:9). And we will experience either comfort or discomfort - [That Which Distracts us From Prayer](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/that-which-distracts-us-from-prayer/) - Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards Song of Solomon 2:15 Distractions are a normal, through frustrating, part of our maturing ability to pray. Eventually, we learn to ignore them—to realize that they are on the surface and that the place of prayer comes from a deeper place, in the - [No Turning Back](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/no-turning-back/) - When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." So God led the people around by the desert road. Ex. 13:17-18 Desert experiences are an inevitable - [Shared Feelings](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/shared-feelings/) - Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Rom 12:15 In his book, The Empathic Civilization, Jeremy Rifkin speaks of mirror neurons recently discovered in the brain that are the basis for human empathy. Empathy is the capacity we have to feel what others are feeling as though we were experiencing it ourselves. - [Conforming to the Fire](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/conforming-to-the-fire/) - Whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit. 1Cor. 6:17 Prayer calls us from the periphery of our lives to the center of who we are; from what is superficial in us to the most profound aspects of our being; and from the illusion of autonomy to union with God as - [A Way of Life](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/a-way-of-life/) - Make every effort to add to your faith, . . . for if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:5-8 I had lunch this week with Ray Simpson who is a pastor and founding member - [The High Risks of Love](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/the-high-risks-of-love/) - All night long on my bed I looked for the one my heart loves; I looked for him but did not find him. Song of Solomon 3:1 In his book, Love’s Endeavour, Love’s Expense, William Vanstone explores the virtues of God’s love by first outlining the characteristics of false love. He lists three marks which - [The Fruit We See](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/the-fruit-we-see/) - All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. Mark 4:28 A friend of mine is doing a doctorate in spiritual formation and studying Imago Dei as a model of spiritual direction-in-community. We got together a little while ago to discuss the process of formation - [This Too Shall Pass](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/this-too-shall-pass/) - “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” Mat. 26:42 In the story of Gethsemane as recorded in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus acknowledges his wish that the occasion for His suffering would be removed. Like any of us confronted by unwanted - [God Will Not Forget Us](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/1140/) - “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to - [Called To Be Saints](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/called-to-be-saints/) - Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. Heb. 4:1 There are forces in and around us that would prevent us from reaching the goal of our faith and we are cautioned by the writer of Hebrews - [There is More Gold Deeper Down](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/there-is-more-gold-deeper-down/) - We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. Heb. 5:11 As a kid I was always fascinated with stories of the north. Many of these had to do with the Klondike gold rush. One story often told is of - [From Fear to Faith](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/from-fear-to-faith/) - He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Mark 4:39-40 The apostle Paul tells us that we are to be transformed by the - [The Sustained Hope for Change](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/the-sustained-hope-for-change/) - God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance. Rom. 2:4 It’s often been said that God accepts you just the way you are, but loves you too much to leave you there. Because of such love, we are constantly inspired to make changes in our lives. Through the Holy Spirit, the Lord also sustains - [The Humbling Effects of Truth](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/the-humbling-effects-of-truth/) - Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the LORD, and humility comes before honor. Prov. 15:33 In his book, Heaven Begins Within You, Fr. Anselm Gruen describes the wisdom of the desert fathers as a “spirituality from below.” It’s a wonderful term that speaks of one of the more counter-intuitive paradoxes of Christian spiritual direction—that in order - [The Courage to Act](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/the-courage-to-act/) - Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. Joshua 1:6 Much debate took place among diplomats and political leaders during the 1930s over the type of relationship they should have with Adolph Hitler. Many spoke of appeasement and counseled a non-confrontational - [A Path Towards Stillness](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/a-path-towards-stillness/) - The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. Rom. 8:6b We learn much about the peace of God through the practice of silent prayer. We also learn about ourselves and how difficult it is to remain in this peace. Significant transformation is needed before we truly come to rest in God. What is your - [Finding God In Strength and Weakness](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/finding-god-in-strength-and-weakness/) - Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? Job 2:10 The book of Job begins with the same rhetorical question that it ends with— “shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” To discern God’s sovereignty in all our circumstances is a mature form of wisdom. And the submissive posture that it implies - [The Fruit of What We Follow](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/the-fruit-of-what-we-follow/) - By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. Mat. 7:16-17 When you are feeling anxious about life it is always good to ask yourself what spirit has led you to the state - [Delighting in the Sabbath](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/delighting-in-the-sabbath/) - He leads me beside the quiet waters. Psalm 23:2 For the Israelite, the essence of good life is measured by the quality of menuha it enjoys. Menuha means “tranquility.” Psalm 23, for instance, translates this word as “the quiet waters.” Menuha is what the practice of Sabbath promises to bring to our lives—still waters which - [The Perfecting of Love](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/the-perfecting-of-love/) - I want to test the sincerity of your love. 2Cor. 8:8 In his book, Drinking From A Dry Well, Thomas Green SJ suggests that there are three stages to a growing life of prayer that can be defined according to what we most seek in our relationship with God. These three stages can also be - [God's Story in Your Life](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/gods-story-in-your-life/) - You show that you are a letter from Christ,…written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 2Cor. 3:3 In the first week of the Ignatian Exercises we are invited to reflect on the story of our lives, asking God to - [The God of Second Chances](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/the-god-of-second-chances/) - Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, began to sink. Mat. 14:29-30 Peter was given only one chance to walk on water. He did well at first but then was broadsided by a desolating thought and - [A Heart United to God's](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/a-heart-united-to-gods/) - My heart says of you, "Seek his face." Your face O Lord, will I seek. Psalm 27:8 If your heart in any way longs for unity with God then you are certainly in the company of many saints who, throughout history, have also yearned for this same end. Our desire, in the words of St. - [Blessing God With Our Trust](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/blessing-god-with-our-trust/) - Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. Mat. 10:29 When my son was two years old we used to play a game of trust where he would jump into my arms from the roof of our Volkswagen van. I was - [Receive Your King](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/receive-your-king/) - “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” Luke 1:15 In the midst of all the wonderful bustle we enjoy each year at Christmas we do well to celebrate the peace and stillness for which this holiday is also associated. We need only bask in - [The God Who Comes](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/the-god-who-comes/) - As the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Luke 1:41-44 There is no greater satisfaction for us as Christian than to recognize the hand of God in our lives, or in the lives of those we love. Like John the Baptist in the womb, our hearts - [How Do You Wait?](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/how-do-you-wait/) - Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. James 5:7-8 Do you wait well, or do you wait poorly? - [Moving Beyond Fear](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/moving-beyond-fear/) - Mary was greatly troubled at his words Luke 1:29 In the story of the Annunciation, Mary’s faithful reply “Let it be unto me, according to your word,” has long been heralded as the epitome of trusting God. Without any real understanding of what the Lord is asking of her, Mary nevertheless gives unequivocal consent to - [Why Do We Pray?](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/why-do-we-pray/) - It (relationship with God) does not depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. Rom. 9:16 What first comes to mind when you hear the phrase, “spiritual discipline?” For some, these are words that immediately deflate the heart. We croak at the thought of seeing yet another well-intended spiritual resolution peter out from - [Keeping the Bar High](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/keeping-the-bar-high/) - If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? Jer. 12:5 For over twenty years I worked as a professional musician, much of it as a jazz flutist in Toronto and Vancouver. I’ve done a number of recordings, have performed internationally and have taught - [Established in Christ](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/established-in-christ/) - Continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. Col. 1:23 Spirituality is not something we accumulate. Nor is it a matter for which any language of acquisition is really appropriate. It is always a fallacy to think in terms of quantifiable spiritual growth in an economy - [Reacting Well](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/1000/) - A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Prov. 15:1 Our own reactiveness to life can serve to either increase or decrease whatever presents itself to us. This is especially so with regards to the life we meet in another person. Depending on the degree of our response we will - [Sent by God](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/sent-by-god/) - As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. John 17:18 Parenting, in its most basic sense, is simply a matter of nurturing the formation of children until they are old enough to be sent out into the world. We see a similar aspect of parenting in the formation - [Why Me?](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/why-me/) - Lean not to your own understanding. Prov. 3:5 When the Lord first called him to obedience, Moses’ immediate instinct was to look to himself and say, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Ex. 3:10). Isaiah too, when called by God to be a prophet to - [Staying With the Program](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/staying-with-the-program/) - Go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. Mat. 6:6 (NASB) According to Henri Nouwen, the chief task of the contemplative is to learn how to enter, and remain, in the solitude of - [Remember Me](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/remember-me/) - Do this in remembrance of me. Luke, 22:19 Our commitment to God is often expressed through the intentional act of remembrance. Much of the historical practice of our faith, as well as that of our Jewish origin, has been to deliberately recall the blessings and saving action of the Lord. In the Old Testament it - [Anticipating Heaven Each Week](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/anticipating-heaven-each-week/) - He has set eternity in the hearts of men and women. Eccl. 3:11 The idea that both the Sabbath and eternity share something of the same essence is an ancient one in Jewish theology where the Sabbath is welcomed each week as an anticipation of heaven. As one ancient tradition declares: "The world to come - [Faith-Walking ](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/faith-walking/) - "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." Mat. 14:28 What a wonderful allegory of the contemplative journey is the story of Jesus walking on the water and calling Peter to come and join him. It depicts so well the narrative of our maturing prayer life—from self-orientation to - [Teach Us To Pray](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/973/) - Lord, teach us to pray” Luke 11:1 In Luke’s gospel, the Lord responded to the disciples’ request by teaching them what we now call ‘the Lord’s Prayer.’ These words have since become the central utterance of the historical church. We are meant to embody them as the first concerns of our life. Though a beautiful - [We Bow Our Lives to the King](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/we-bow-our-lives-to-the-king/) - Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Phil. 3:20-21 The reign of Christ establishes itself on earth as - [No Longer Slaves](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/no-longer-slaves/) - Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and that the Lord your God freed you from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. Deut. 5:15 The Swiss theologian Karl Barth once wrote that a person is - [No Fear of Where I'm Going](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/no-fear-of-where-im-going/) - I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother. Psalm 131:1b-2a There is an old Christian folk song that expresses well the peace that comes to those who live in the experience of faith. The - [Re-Living Your Day](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/re-living-your-day/) - This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 St. Ignatius of Loyola stressed the importance of taking time to review our spiritual experiences in order to more deeply relish the truth of what they are saying to us. His Spiritual Exercises, for instance, begin with - [Swimming Upstream](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/swimming-upstream/) - Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. John 7:38 In his book, The Transforming Friendship, Dr. James Houston offers a helpful definition of the spiritual life when he says that we are "in the discipline of exercising the heart of desire for God." This - [Making Room for God](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/making-room-for-god/) - He has filled the hungry with good things Luke 1:53 Every saint has come to recognize the one basic requirement for a growing spirituality—that in order to be filled with the fullness of Christ, we must first be emptied of that which already fills us. As Mother Teresa so plainly puts it, God cannot fill - [Learning the Language of God](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/learning-the-language-of-god/) - If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and he is a foreigner to me. 1Cor. 14:11 Being immersed in a foreign language can be mentally exhausting. Every sign, menu or map represents a new learning curve as we try to decipher what - [The Positive Way](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/the-positive-way/) - In him (Christ) it has always been "Yes." 2Cor. 1:19 Throughout history, the spiritual path for many Christians has been largely defined in terms of renunciation of the world or of anything deemed unspiritual. It is called the via negativa. Through mortification of the flesh, self denial and abstinence, the spiritual life is understood as - [Our Three Relationships With God](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/our-three-relationships-with-god/) - In Him we live, move and have our being. Acts 17:28 “Dr. Doctrine” is a wonderful comic book series that can be found on the shelves of many theological libraries right alongside the classic tomes. The series sets up dialogues on complex theological issues in the idiom of a comic strip, a form that suggests - [Accepting our Humanity](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/accepting-our-humanity/) - “Ye shall be as gods.”’ Gen. 3:5 (KJV) “You shall be as gods.” This was the deception that so appealed to Adam and Eve that they were willing to confuse their humanity in favour of what seemed to be a better deal for their lives. How are we similarly tempted by such flattery in our - [For The Sake of the Church, Be Holy](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/for-the-sake-of-the-church-be-holy/) - Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." 1Pet. 1:15-16 The vocation of holiness is not something we often hear discussed among Christians in our day. For some reason it seems to be a value that we have - [Rooted In Prayer](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/rooted-in-prayer/) - He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. Jeremiah 17:8 Like the proverbial dust in the wind that inspired so many of my generation, much of my young adult life was spent wandering. Hitchhiking back and forth across North America, backpacking in Europe, moving from - [Thy Will Be Done In Me](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/thy-will-be-done-in-me/) - Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Mat. 6:10 There is no more succinct way of expressing the dynamic union of heaven and earth than in Jesus’ petition to our Father that “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” It is a prayer that has absolute implications - [St. Brendan (Irish Contemplative)](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/prayers/lord-i-will-trust-you/) - Help me to journey beyond the familiar and into the unknown. Give me the faith to leave old ways and break fresh ground with You. Christ of the mysteries, I trust You to be stronger than each storm within me. I will trust in the darkness and know that my times, even now, are in - [The Gentle Life](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/the-gentle-life/) - Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart. Mat. 11:29 Paul encouraged the Christians in Ephesus to ”be completely humble and gentle” (Eph. 4:2). Jesus also, from the perfection of His own example, invites us to emulate these same traits. They are evidence of grace in Christians who, because of their faith, - [Coming To Our Senses](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/coming-to-our-senses/) - When he came to his senses, he said, “How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my Father" Luke 15:17-18 There are two distinct life experiences that serve to re-awaken in us the need to “go back - [To Be One With The Father](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/to-be-one-with-the-father/) - The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind— Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, So they might be one heart and mind with us. John 17:22-23 (The Message) Many of us operate from a much more dualistic sense of spirituality than we ought to. We - [They Will All Know Me](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/they-will-all-know-me/) - No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. Jer. 31:34 I often think I have the best job in the world. As a spiritual director, I get a ring-side - [Take It To The Lord](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/take-it-to-the-lord/) - Acknowledge the Lord in all your ways and He will direct your path. Prov. 3:6 The trouble with our thoughts is that, for the most part, they presume to operate independently of God. And the countless speculations and often short-sighted conclusions they reach on important matters related to self, to others, to life and to - [Reflected Light](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/reflected-light/) - Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 2Cor. 3:16 Science and Scripture offer hints that our lives, as well as God’s, are both closely related to the nature of light. The apostle John tells us plainly that “God is light.” (1 Jn 1:5) and that Jesus is “the light that gives - [Catching Up With Your Self](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/catching-up-with-your-self/) - Each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honourable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 1Thes. 4:4-5 How often in the day do we push ourselves to be somewhere just ahead of where we actually are? Maybe it’s a deadline, - [Gratitudes for Prayer](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/gratitudes-for-prayer/) - Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Col. 4:2 So much good takes place in the mysterious environment of prayer. So many wrongs are set right. So many new foundations are laid. As I consider the many benefits of prayer I am so thankful to God for the countless graces that I can attribute - [Working From the Inside Out](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/working-from-the-inside-out/) - You know Him (the Holy Spirit), for He is with you and will be in you. Jn. 14:17 As Christians, we often operate more from of an Old Testament understanding of our relationship with God than that of the new covenant. More often than not we picture Christianity as a life that we live for - [Who Among You Would Be a Saint?](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/who-among-you-would-be-a-saint/) - Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity. Heb. 6:1 As much as we try to avoid any hint of elitism in matters of faith the fact remains that there are more mature understandings and experiences of faith that we are called to grow in. There truly are milkier - [](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/lectio-divina-2/lectio-divina-2/) - Contemplate the truth of these passages; read them slowly, meditatively, allowing them to arouse the heart to prayer. Let them simply remind you of your heart's chief desire--to be always close to God. Prayer in Practice; Simon Tugwell, Templegate Publ., Springfield, Ill. 1974 Far and away the most important thing for us, if we want - [](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/lectio-divina/lectio-divina/) - Contemplate the truth of these passages; read them slowly, meditatively, allowing them to arouse the heart to prayer. Let them simply remind you of your heart's chief desire--to�be always close to God. The Spiritual Life; Evelyn Underhill, Morehouse Publ. Harrisburg, Penn., 1937 A spiritual life is simply a life in which all that we do - [](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/lectio-divina-3/lectio-divina-3/) - Contemplate the truth of these passages; read them slowly, meditatively, allowing them to arouse the heart to prayer. Let them simply remind you of your heart's chief desire--to be always close to God. "My soul finds rest and peace in God alone." Psalm 62:1 Letter from Taize, Brother Roger, 2003. The Holy Spirit dwells in - [Meditations from Eugene Peterson](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/meditations-for-spiritual-life/meditations-from-eugene-peterson/) - Prayer is the cultivation of a grace-filled relationship with God. We begin experiencing ourselves and the world not as a problem to be solved, but as a reality in which God is acting. I want all of life to be intimate with the God who made, directs, and loves me. I want to do the - [Praying the Lord's Prayer](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/the-lords-prayer/praying-the-lords-prayer/) - Lord, teach us to pray. Luke 11:1 The Lord responded to this request by teaching His disciples what we now call "the Lord's Prayer." Ever since, these words have become the central utterance of the historical church. They are words that we are meant to embody as our first concerns of life. It is a - [The Daily Awareness Examen](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/awareness-examen/the-daily-awareness-examen/) - The Jesuits have a practice called the Awareness Examen in which, every evening, they pause to examine the effects the day has had on their hearts in light of God's calling. I have adapted the Awareness Examen from a few sources (especially John Veltri S.J.) for our purposes and have copied it below. I would - [St. Gregory of Narek](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/prayers/st-gregory-of-narek/) - Words to God, from the depth of my heart St. Gregory of Narek There was a time when I did not exist Yet thou hast created me; I did not beseech thee for a wish Yet thou hast fulfilled it; I did not come into the light Yet thou hast seen me; I had not - [ON CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/on-spiritual-issues/on-contemplative-prayer/) - Contemplative prayer is a conversation in which God's word has the initiative and we, for the moment, can be nothing more than listeners. Hans Urs von Balthasar The contemplative has to be clay in the hand of the potter, a clay which is molded through prayer itself, content not to know in advance where it - [ON COMMUNITY by Jean Vanier](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/on-spiritual-issues/on-community-by-jean-vanier/) - COMMUNITY AND FREEDOM Community is the place where we ideally learn to be ourselves without fear or constraint. Community life deepens through mutual trust among all its members. The more authentic and creative a community is in its search for the essential, the more its members are called beyond their own concerns and tend to - [The Mysteries of the Life of Our Lord](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/praying-the-gospels/the-mysteries-of-the-life-of-our-lord/) - (translated from Ignatius' text by Louis J. Puhl, S.J.) NOTE. In all the mysteries given below, all the words that are in quotation marks are from the Gospel itself, but not those that are outside the quotation marks. Usually three points are given in order to make it easier to meditate and contemplate on the - [St. Bonaventure](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/prayers/st-bonaventure/) - Lord Jesus Christ, pierce my soul with your love so that I may always long for you alone, who are the bread of angels and the fulfilment of the soul's deepest desires. May my heart always hunger and feed on you, so that my soul may be filled with sweetness in your presence. May my - [Contemplation of Place](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/praying-the-gospels/contemplation-of-place/) - Ignatius taught a method of prayer that he called a mental 'representation of the place' which consists in seeing in the imagination the material location of the Scripture we wish to contemplate (i.e. the temple, the mountain, by the Jordan, etc.) CONTEMPLATION OF PLACE A 'mental representation of the place' involves seeing, in the imagination - [](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/188/) - [](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/214/) - Most of the songs that we use in our fellowships are prayers, set to music. We draw from a variety of composers; from Taizé, Northumbria and Iona communities, among others. We also use original music, copied below, which you are also welcome to use freely (see pdf for sheet music). - [Meditations from St. John of the Cross 1](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/meditations-for-spiritual-life/meditations-from-st-john-of-the-cross-1/) - Contemplation is nothing less than a secret, peaceful and loving infusion from God. The road of contemplation is where God himself feeds and refreshes the soul directly, without the soul's help or meditation. There is a remarkable transformation of the heart's desires as a result of surrendering to God in our soul's center. Our desire - [Meditations from St. John of the Cross 2](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/meditations-for-spiritual-life/meditations-from-st-john-of-the-cross-2/) - Love is the inclination, strength, and power for the soul in making its way to God, for love unites it with God. They will see and experience your mild touch who withdraw from the world and become mild, bringing the mild into harmony with the mild, thus enabling themselves to experience and enjoy you. Pure - [Meditations from St. Frances de Sales](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/meditations-for-spiritual-life/meditations-from-st-frances-de-sales/) - Souls differ more widely from each other than do human faces. But however different souls might be, all of them ultimately have the same vocation--to glorify God by their holiness. When you come to Him, speak to Him if you can. If not, stay there. Be seen, and care for nothing else. Remain near God - [Meditations from Richard Rohr](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/meditations-for-spiritual-life/meditations-from-richard-rohr/) - "We must keep in mind that the purpose of the exploration of prayer is not to get anywhere. We cannot attain the presence of God because we're already totally in the presence of God. " "The prayer of words attempts to express our dependence on the great mystery of God. The prayer of silence is - [Abba, Father](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/abba-father/) - WE HAVE RECEIVED THE SPIRIT AS A CHILD OF GOD AND BY HIM, WE CRY "ABBA, FATHER" click for pdf sheet music - [Meditations from Teresa of Avila](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/meditations-for-spiritual-life/meditations-from-teresa-of-avila/) - The whole foundation of prayer must be laid in humility, and the more a soul humbles itself in prayers, the more God lifts it up. The nearer we draw to God, the more this virtue should grow; if it does not, everything is lost. Humility is the right road, and if we can journey along - [Meditations from Jeanne Guyon](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/meditations-for-spiritual-life/meditations-from-jeanne-guyon/) - here is nothing in this universe that is easier to obtain than the enjoyment of Jesus Christ. Your Lord is more present to you than you are to yourself; his desire to give Himself to you is greater than your desire to lay hold of Him. Abandonment is the key to the inward spiritual life. - [One Thing God Has Spoken](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/one-thing-god-has-spoken/) - ONE THING GOD HAS SPOKEN, TWO THINGS HAVE I HEARD THAT YOU O GOD ARE STRONG THAT YOU O LORD ARE LOVING click for pdf sheet music - [Find Rest My Soul](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/find-rest-my-soul/) - FIND REST MY SOUL IN GOD ALONE MY HOPE COMES FROM HIM HE ALONE IS MY ROCK AND MY SALVATION I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN MY SALVATION AND MY HONOUR DEPEND ON GOD HE ALONE IS MY ROCK AND MY FORTRESS I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN click for pdf sheet music - [May The Love Of The Father](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/may-the-love-of-the-father/) - MAY THE LOVE OF THE FATHER, THE LOVE OF THE SON THE SPIRIT OF LIFE, THE BREATH OF THE LORD MAY GOD'S PRESENCE, FILL YOUR HEART ABIDING IN YOU AS YOUR LIGHT AND LIFE ABIDING IN YOU, AS YOUR LIFE click for pdf music - [All Will Be Well](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/all-will-be-well/) - ALL WILL BE WELL ALL WILL BE WELL ALL THINGS, SHALL BE WELL click for pdf music - [The Breakfast of Campers](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/the-breakfast-of-campers/) - [Dogs 'n John](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/dogs-n-john/) - [The "Carpenter's Workshop"...so far](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/the-carpenters-workshopso-far/) - [Supper Club (contemplating their God-given desires)](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/supper-club-contemplating-their-god-given-desires-2/) - [Workshop: "Finding and Following your God-given Desires"](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/workshop-finding-and-following-your-god-given-desires-2/) - [Workshop 2](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/workshop-2-2/) - [Folk Night](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/folk-night-2/) - [](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/189/) - [Sunday Worship](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/sunday-worship-2/) - [](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/186/) - [Odds 'n Ends](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/odds-n-ends-2/) - [](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/184/) - [](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/183/) - [](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/182/) - [The Breakfast of Campers](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/the-breakfast-of-campers-2/) - [Contemplative Prayer Sessions](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/contemplative-prayer-sessions/) - [Painting: Contemplation of the Word](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/painting-contemplation-of-the-word/) - [Monthly Contemplative Liturgies](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/monthly-contemplative-liturgies/) - [Covenant Prayer](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/prayers/covenant-prayer/) - Covenant Prayer (Methodist prayer) I am no longer my own, but thine. Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee, exalted for thee or brought low by thee. Let me be full, - [St. Ignatius](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/prayers/st-ignatius/) - Take Lord and Receive Take Lord, and receive all my liberty, My memory, my understanding, And my entire will, all that I have and possess. Thou hast given all to me. To thee, O Lord, I return it. All is Thine, dispose of it wholly according to thy will. Give me thy love and thy - [I Will Search For The One My Heart Loves](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/i-will-search-for-the-one-i-love/) - IN THE CLEFT OF THE ROCK, IN THE HIDING PLACE SHOW ME YOUR FACE IN THE WHISPER OF THE WIND, IN THE SILENCE OF PRAYER, LET ME HEAR YOUR VOICE FOR YOUR VOICE IS SWEET AND YOUR FACE IS LOVELY I WILL SEARCH FOR THE ONE MY HEART LOVES YOUR VOICE IS SWEET AND YOUR - [How Gently](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/how-gently/) - HOW GENTLY AND LOVINGLY YOU AWAKEN MY HEART WHERE IN SECRET YOU DWELL WITH ME (RPT.) AND IN YOUR SWEET BREATH, FILLED WITH GOOD AND GLORY HOW TENDERLY YOU FILL MY HEART WITH LOVE (RPT.) click for pdf sheet music - [Darkness Into Light](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/darkness-into-light/) - YOU O LORD ARE THE ONE WHO KEEPS MY LAMP BURNING GOD TURNS MY DARKNESS INTO LIGHT click for pdf sheet music - [Be Still and Know](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/be-still-and-know/) - BE STILL AND KNOW, HE IS LORD BE STILL MY SOUL click for pdf sheet music - [Lord Have Mercy](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/lord-have-mercy/) - LORD HAVE MERCY, LORD HAVE MERCY ON US KYRIE ELEISON (RPT.) CHRIST HAVE MERCY, CHRIST HAVE MERCY ON US CHRISTE ELEISON (RPT.) (SOLO) LORD HAVE MERCY, LORD HAVE MERCY ON US KYRIE ELEISON (RPT.) click for pdf sheet music - [Show Me Your Ways, O Lord](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/show-me-your-ways-o-lord/) - SHOW ME YOUR WAYS O LORD TEACH ME YOUR PATHS GUIDE ME IN YOUR TRUTH TEACH ME, FOR YOU ARE MY GOD MY HOPE IS IN YOU ALL DAY LONG. click for pdf sheet music - [You Are Everything](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/you-are-everything/) - YOU ARE EVERYTHING, MY SOUL LONGS FOR YOU ARE EVERYTHING, MY HEART DESIRES click for pdf sheet music - [My Soul Magnifies The Lord](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/my-soul-magnifies-the-lord/) - MY SOUL MAGNIFIES THE LORD HIS PRAISES FILL MY HEART, WITH SPIRIT AND TRUTH LET ALL WITHIN ME BLESS HIS NAME I WILL EXALT HIM WITH THE LOVE THAT HE GIVES MY HEART click for pdf sheet music - [In Your Light](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/in-your-light/) - YOU ARE THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE I WILL DRINK FROM YOUR RIVER OF DELIGHT AND IN YOUR HOUSE I WILL REST IN THE SHADOW OF YOUR WINGS (men) IN YOUR LIGHT I WILL FIND MY WAY (women) IN YOUR LIGHT I WILL FIND MY WAY (men) IN YOUR LIGHT I WILL FIND MY WAY (women) - [Send Forth Your Light](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/weekly-meditations/send-forth-your-light/) - SEND FORTH YOUR LIGHT AND YOUR TRUTH LET THEM GUIDE ME LET THEM BRING ME TO YOUR HOLY MOUNTAIN TO THE PLACE WHERE YOU DWELL click for pdf sheet music ## Pages - [Welcome to Imago Dei Christian Community](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/) - Imago Dei Christian Community provides resources for the practice of prayer and the life of faith. It also models and encourages small fellowship groups for those who wish to pursue, in community with others, a growing communion with God in their lives. - [Contact Us](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/contact-us/) - Our journey with Imago Dei has been one of the most exciting things we have ever done in ministry. It is a truly life-giving ministry, even for its leaders. In the process of simply seeking the Lord's transforming presence we have learned much about the miracle of how the Body of Christ takes form and - [Subscribe to Weekly Meditations](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/subscribe-to-weekly-meditations/) - If you would like to receive a weekly meditation for encouraging your spiritual direction as well as upcoming events, you can subscribe through this form. By subscribing to our weekly emails or updates, you are giving consent to our privacy policy. Email address: First Name: (optional) Last Name: (optional) Country: (optional) United States of America - [Books: Strength to Strength](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/books-strength-to-strength/) - You can order "Strength to Strength" through Amazon.com from the back cover: Those whose strength is in you,… go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. – Psalm 84:5, 7 Too many Christians are more resigned than need be to a stumbling approach to spiritual growth. We presume that progress towards - [Imago Dei's Mission and Ministry](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/imago-deis-mission-and-ministry/) - Imago Dei Mission Statement Imago Dei seeks to provide A context for discussing Christ-centered and Biblically-grounded spiritual growth. Encouragement of spiritual growth for those seeking spiritual transformation. An extended community to support our responsiveness to God’s initiative in our lives. Support for strengthening individual and community devotion to God with a focus on contemplative prayer. - [Supporting Imago Dei](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/support-imago-dei/) - Thank Offerings If you have benefited in any way from the ministries of Imago Dei we ask that you consider supporting our work in the coming year. Our ministry is · to encourage a deeper spirituality in your life as a Christian · to help you recognize and welcome God’s transforming work in your - [Friends of IDCC](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/friends-of-idcc/) - Who are the Friends of Imago Dei Christian Community? Some of you have supported us financially in the work we are undertaking. Some of you have been guests at either our monthly contemplative liturgical services. Some of you have participated in the Practice of Prayer ministry we offer or have attended our prayer retreats. Others - [Books: Chinese Translations](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/books-chinese-translations/) - Chinese Translation of “Fan the Flame” and “Ultreia” A new Chinese translation that combines Rob’s two books, “Fan the Flame” and “Ultreia” is now available through Veritas Publishing in Hong Kong. If you can read traditional Chinese, or know someone who might be interested in these meditations for spiritual direction, the book “Entering His Journey” - [Starting an Imago Dei Group](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/starting-an-imago-dei-group/) - For anyone who has been introduced to the discipline of contemplative prayer there is great benefit and encouragement in meeting with others who share this longing. To facilitate a weekly gathering of people in order to spend time in worship, prayer, discussion, silence and communion with others serves God's purposes in us and we would - [Rob Des Cotes (Founder - Imago Dei)](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/rob-des-cotes/) - Rob Des Cotes founded Imago Dei in 2002. He became a spiritual director, retreat leader and pastor of Imago Dei. He is the author of four books of meditations for spiritual direction, Fan the Flame, Higher Than I and Ultreia! (Go Higher) and the final book, Strength to Strength. He and his wife Ruth have - [Songs for Prayer](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/songs/) - Most of the songs that we use in our fellowships are prayers, set to music. We use original music similar in style to that of the Taize, Northumbria and Iona communities, among others. You are welcome to use the music below freely. Abba, Father (pdf) https://imagodeicommunity.ca/wp-content/uploads/abba-father-1.mp3 All Will Be Well (pdf) https://imagodeicommunity.ca/wp-content/uploads/all-will-be-well.02.10-1.mp3 Be Still And - [Japanese Study Guides](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/japanese-study-guides/) - Japanese Study Guides We have begun translating some of our meditations and study guides into Japanese. Please feel free to forward this page to anyone you know who might benefit from these. The Colour of Rest.Ex.34.21 Guidance for the Blind.Isa.42.16 Fill it to the Brim.Jn.2.7 Giving your all to God.Rom.12.1 What do You want, Lord.1sam.3.10 - [Psalms for Prayer](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/psalms-for-prayer/) - On weekday mornings at A Rocha Brooksdale where my wife and I live we host a half hour of Contemplative Prayer for the staff, interns, off-site people as well as those staying at our Guest House. Three bells ring at 8:25am inviting all who can to join us for this time of self-offering that begins - [Chinese Study Guides](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/chinese-mandarin-study-guides/) - Chinese Study Guides We have begun translating some of our meditations and study guides into Chinese. Please feel free to forward this page to anyone you know who might benefit from these. We will be adding more meditations to this page as they are being translated. 1. Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in - [Personal or Group Retreats](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/personal-or-group-retreats/) - Personal or Group Retreats at A Rocha Brooksdale Many people in Imago Dei have already taken opportunity to come to the Brooksdale Guest House for personal retreats. If you are interested in more information about this Guest House, located on the site of a Christian environmental center (see www.arocha.ca) in rural South Surrey. - [Books: Ultreia (Go Farther)](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/books-ultreia-go-farther/) - You can order "Ultreia: Go Farther" through Amazon.com from the back cover: In the long journey of spiritual life we can often feel lost, tired, unmotivated, resistant or fearful that we are on a path that leads nowhere. It is at such times that we need to hear once again the song of the ancient - [Retreats Offered](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/upcoming-retreats/) - Note: If you are interested in hosting or facilitating a retreat, course, or day-seminar at your church or fellowship group please e-mail info@imagodeicommunity.ca for information. Some of the retreats below are ones Rob Des Cotes offered. Some of our Leadership team are now offering retreats as well. Return to Rest retreat February 21-22, 2020. You - [Meditations for Reflection](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/study-guides-for-id-groups/) - Meditations for Reflection The following are a selection of meditations that speak to the heart of the Christian spirituality that Imago Dei seeks to encourage. These are offered as an aid to those who are perhaps new to the emphasis of spiritual theology. They will also be helpful for those who wish to simply be - [Books: Fan the Flame](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/books/) - You can order "Fan the Flame: Meditations for Spiritual Direction" through Amazon.com. from the Introduction to "Fan the Flame" The Bible, as we know, is multi-faceted. It reveals different glories according to the angle from which we approach it. Those who work for social justice find a great foundation for their hermeneutics in Scripture that - [Books: Higher Than I](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/books-higher-than-i/) - You can order "Higher Than I: Meditations for Spiritual Direction" through Amazon.com from the Introduction to "Higher Than I" To desire more of God than we've ever experienced. To pine for what seems essential to life, and yet so lacking in us. To know instinctively that we just barely understand and live what Jesus has - [Finding Spiritual Direction](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/finding-spiritual-direction/) - Spiritual Direction: Those wanting encouragement in the life of faith and prayer might consider the benefit of one-to-one spiritual direction. The goals of spiritual direction are: to help in experiencing and keeping kindled the presence of the Lord in our lives to help appraise our life stories in terms of God's purpose to help create - [Imago Dei Groups](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/our-services/) - Imago Dei meets as a house fellowship in various locations across Canada and in other places in the world. If you would like information regarding current times or locations for any of our groups please check the weekly email list and contact the respective leaders as follows: Imago Dei Groups If you would like information regarding current - [Privacy Policy](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/privacy-policy/) - Imago Dei Christian Community is affiliated with the BC Mennonite Brethren Church, and is a network of small groups. We can be contacted through our website at https://imagodeicommunity.ca/ Our contact email is info@imagodeicommunity.ca Our physical mail address is 1620 192 Street, Surrey, BC V3Z 9V2, and all mail is handled only by our designated Leadership ## Categories - [Meditations for Spiritual Life](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/category/meditations-for-spiritual-life/) - Simple passages that remind you of your heart’s chief desire: to be always close to God - [Weekly Meditations](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/category/weekly-meditations/) - A weekly meditation for your walk with God. - [Lectio Divina](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/category/lectio-divina/) - Excerpts from the writings of spiritual directors past and present - [Cultivating the Spiritual Life](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/category/cultivating-the-spiritual-life/) - Recommendations for spiritual disciplines - [The Lord's Prayer](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/category/the-lords-prayer/) - an aid to daily prayer - [Awareness Examen](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/category/awareness-examen/) - daily exercise of recollection - [Communion Liturgies](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/category/communion-liturgies/) - [Prayers](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/category/prayers/) - [Lectio Divina 2](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/category/lectio-divina-2/) - [Lectio Divina 3](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/category/lectio-divina-3/) - [On Spiritual Issues](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/category/on-spiritual-issues/) - topical quotes on issues related to the spiritual life - [Praying the Gospels](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/category/praying-the-gospels/) - Ignatian Meditations on Gospel texts - [Guided Prayer Liturgies](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/category/guided-prayer-liturgies/) - readings to accompany contemplative prayer - [Contemplative Services](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/category/contemplative-services/) - monthly time of music and silence, with readings from various spiritual writers - [Apologetics for Contemplation](https://imagodeicommunity.ca/category/apologetics-for-contemplative-prayer/)