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Tag: Sabbath

A Sabbath Creed

Wooden bench under a tree beside a calm lake at sunset reflecting silhouettes of mountains
July 18, 2026July 15, 2026 ~ James ~ Leave a comment

We believe that God is the Creator who rested,not because God was exhausted,but because God revealed a holy rhythm for creation. We believe that the world is sustained by God,not by our endless striving. We believe that every person is infinitely preciousand unconditionally loved,apart from what they produce or accomplish. We believe that Sabbath is … Continue reading A Sabbath Creed

The Art of Shifting Gears: Embracing Sabbath Rest and Vacation

July 29, 2024 ~ James ~ Leave a comment

I grew up learning to drive a car with a manual transmission. My dad drove a Volkswagen Super Beetle, and that's the car on which I learned to maneuver with a third pedal under the dashboard. There is a certain finesse in learning to change gears: reverse, first, second, third, and fourth. Later, I even … Continue reading The Art of Shifting Gears: Embracing Sabbath Rest and Vacation

Beyond the List: Finding Peace on A Friday

October 27, 2023 ~ James ~ Leave a comment

Tasks constantly weigh on my mind, urging immediate attention. However, I'm realizing that my often-neglected lists shouldn't consume my thoughts on the Sabbath. Yet, their persistent calls beckon even as I pen this blog post. "Attend to me! Attend to me…" they seem to chant, even as I find solace in my chair. I take … Continue reading Beyond the List: Finding Peace on A Friday

Rest Is Life-Giving

October 20, 2023October 20, 2023 ~ James ~ 1 Comment

Do lazy days make you feel rested or unproductive? I wonder if we have lost a sense of the need to rest. In a world that touts productivity as our ultimate goal, there seems little room to slow down. I wonder if we have begun to imagine living IS doing?! I fear we have demonized … Continue reading Rest Is Life-Giving

A Day Without Agenda

September 9, 2023 ~ James ~ 1 Comment

How do you relax? Sabbath. Every Friday is a day set aside for personal rest. The key to keeping it relaxing is to keep myself from forming some list of items that must be accomplished on that day. Relax and release are closely related words for me. Most of the days of my week seem … Continue reading A Day Without Agenda

  • Ripening Awareness: The Space Before We React
  • A Creed of Holy Mystery
  • Ripening Effort: Gentleness in What We Bring
  • A Grace-filled Creed
  • A Sabbath Creed
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You are infinitely precious and unconditionally loved for the gift you already are.

James Henry

Ripening Awareness: The Space Before We React - Infinitely Precious

In week seven of the Ripening series, James Henry turns to one of the quieter but most transformative dimensions of spiritual growth: ripening awareness. Building on the series' central metaphor — that transformation is less like achievement and more like a fruit slowly receiving what it needs to become what it already is — James explores what it means to notice a reaction rising in you before it becomes your automatic response.Drawing on his own practice of Centering Prayer, James describes how sitting in twenty minutes of silence, releasing thoughts as they arise, trains the same muscle needed in everyday conversation: the ability to catch a reaction — anger, defensiveness, the urge to walk away — in the split second before it takes over. He talks candidly about the amygdala's role in this process, the evolutionary logic of fight-or-flight, and why so many of our modern reactions aren't actually about survival at all, even though they feel that way in the moment.This episode offers a gentle, practical invitation: you don't have to react to everything that rises in you. Through simple practices like breath and pause, James shows how ripening awareness creates space — not to suppress what we feel, but to choose, with more freedom and presence, what we do with it.In This Episode:Why James chose the word "ripening" over "growth" for this seriesHow Centering Prayer trains the mind to notice and releaseThe role of the amygdala in reactive, self-protective responsesThe difference between needing to react and wanting to reactA simple breathing practice for creating space before respondingHow ripening awareness deepens presence with others
  1. Ripening Awareness: The Space Before We React 12:18
  2. Ripening Effort: Gentleness in What We Bring 12:53
  3. Ripening Release: Loving Without Grasping 16:02
  4. Ripening Enough-ness: I Am, and That's Enough 13:02
  5. Ripening Action: The Ripple You Never See 12:46
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