Sorry for not updating all summer; guess this will take more than a year to go through I’ll get back on this soon!!

These first weeks we focus on the God pearl

The golden, largest pearl is to remind us that we are not alone. Someone is with us, supporting us, accepting us, loving us.

There is a presence that calls for us, wants us, longs for us. A palm to rest in, a place to fall back on. It is the beginning and the end of the Wreath and it symbolizes the creation of life, as well as its path and meaning. It is about faith, as in trusting God. If God exists, nothing is hopeless or meaningless. Do I live the life I want to live?
Could it be different? The pearl is a reminder of that which is really essential in life. A reminder of the Holy presence. It has its own prayer, written by Martin Lönnebo. Hold the bead and pray:

You are eternal
You are close
You are light
I am Yours

(from pearlsoflife.org)

*Week 5: I have courage, cause I dare to shake!!!*

Exercise 5: To dare, even when you are scared

This week we shall use some time to wonder about the word *courage*. What is it? Courage is to win over your self, Martin bishop says in his book, the one who is most frightened need the most courage. Then he thinks back upon his childhood and remember that the most important thing he learned about being a man was that it was not allowed to tremble; the one that trembled had no courage one thought.

Later he found that to admitt to being afraid also is courage. To act even when trembeling is great courage.

Confessing: You are eternal. You are close. You are light. I am Yours.
Prayer: Yet I want your will, not mine. (Luke 22:42)

Memorable: I’m brave, course I dare to tremble.

Picture: Jesus in Getsemane

Thanks *)

Prayer, Lords prayer **), blessing.

*Week 4: Don’t rush!!!*

Exercise 4: To get quiet in body and soul

Remember Christmas night? Remember when the shepherds came to the stable telling about the angels and their words. Remember how Maria choose to hide this in her heart? Do as Maria: because even in your heart there is room for Heaven.

Fourth week in the journey, we still talk about rest. That’s because rest and quietness open doors into our self’s. The inner life is the worlds most unexplored continent!! We must rush slowly, because the journey to your heart is the longest, most important and fascinating journey you can ever do.

To find the quietness there is several ways, it doesn’t need to be difficult. Start by asking for God, ask him to come to you. Let the body and mind be listening and quite. Don’t think. Feel how the air flows in and out through your breathing. Don’t think. The feeling might not always be pleasant. Emptiness, painful memories, loss and so on is trials on the way to your heart.

Giving oneself over: You know and surrounds with tenderness the weak as well as the strong, the sick as well as the healthy. Thats way I give my self over to You without fear or reservation.

Memorable: but Mary quietly treasured these things in her heart and thought about them often. (Luke 2:19)

Picture: Maria as the Mother of meditation

Thanks *)

Prayer, Lords prayer **), blessing.

*Week 3: God loves filleryer!!!*

Exercise 3: To live in trust

In Norwegian the word for *RUG* - Fillerye - is made up of two words: fille and rye; the last one is much the same as the English word: rug, the first one is: rags(!). So a *fillerye* is a rug woven together by different kinds of rags! My grandmother one time actually woved together a fillerye out of plastic bags (those colorful from supermarkets and such) - the rug is so practical; I keep it in my car

Back to subject! God loves filleryer!!
I guess from time to time all off us can feel like leftovers or rags. Feel like we can’t be used to anything, since all we can offer are rags from our life. But when we weave, rags is the main ingredient. Without it the rug will be nothing, it won’t exist at all, to be honest.

To give God our rags is a precious gift, and an expression of high trust.

The Rugs Prayer: God, I’ll give you my rags, so you can weave something beautiful out of it

Memorable: God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important, (1. Cor 1:28)

Picture: Synkletika with the watering eyes
In the beginning there is struggle and a lot of work for those who come near to God. But after that there is indescribable joy. It is just like building a fire: at first it is smoky and your eyes water, but later you get the desired result.

Thanks *)

Prayer, Lords prayer **), blessing.

*Week 2: Say the Holy names, do the Holy sign*

Exercise 2: To forget ones name

This second week we shall keep our hands open. Other names for the open hands can be: GRACE, LOVE or FAITH. God is our ligth, even in darkness will he glowe; like the glow around the sun during toatal eclipse… Before you go further take a moment, let the hands paint the sign of Christ upon you while you say “In the name of the Fader, the Son and the Holy Spirit”. This to whom you belong.

Prayer: In the name of the Fader, the Son and the Holy Spirit

Memorable: As the deer pants for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. (Psalm 42:2)

Picture: John the dwarf by the church

John the dwarf sat in front of the church, while the bretheren sat around him and asked his advice. One of the other Fathers who saw this got jealous of John and said to him: “Your “pot”, John, is full of poison”. Father John answerd him: “Oh,yes, that is true. And this you can tell even though you only has seen it from the outside. If you got to see it from the inside, what would you then have said??”

Thanks *)

Prayer, Lords prayer **), blessing.

*Week 1: God lives in nothingness - that’s why he lives in your empty hands!*

Exercise 1: To start at the right place

This first week we shall exercise in doing nothing at all. We shall be open, empty, pure, poor in our selves. Faith is grace! The weave we shall weave is a work of God, if it shall become useful in heaven. Someone is weaving you. Empty hands are a sign for God. With our empty hands God can do!

Prayer: God, I give to you my empty hands!

Memorable: Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 5:3)

Picture: Maria
…and her meeting with the angel. She did not understand why and how, but bowed her head and said: *”I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true.”* (Luk 1:38)

Thanks *)

Prayer, Lords prayer **), blessing.

*) each day write down something you can give thanks for, a year from now you will have 365 great signs of Gods grace in you life!

**) you can pray the Lords prayer on the wreath, starting and stopping with the God pearl.