The Slow Word Movement

6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. 7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.[c] 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.    If you've enjoyed the 21 Days of John,  Note the ways you drew close to Jesus. How did Jesus reveal Himself to You? What was it like to pray with scripture? Maybe you'd like to join The Presence Project and receive more helpful tools for building intimacy with God like this.

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene 11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don't know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). 17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'” 18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman,[b] here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. The Death of Jesus 28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Breath Prayer: Inhale: You gave everything Exhale: so I could be yours.

The arrest in the garden 3 So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. 4 Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?” 5 “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6 When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they said. 8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” 9 This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.”   Breath Prayer: Inhale: In your love, Exhale: I am never lost.

Jesus Prays for All Believers 20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you[e] known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”   Want to journey with others praying with John this February 2023?  Join the Presence Project group here.

12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.    

5-8 “I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can't produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples. 16 “You didn't choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won't spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you. THE MESSAGE   If you're interested in learning about the Presence Project and receiving other practices like this, go here.

15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[a] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” Want to join a community listening and sharing what they're hearing? Join The Presence Project Facebook group here.

Just before the Passover Feast, Jesus knew that the time had come to leave this world to go to the Father. Having loved his dear companions, he continued to love them right to the end. It was suppertime. The Devil by now had Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, firmly in his grip, all set for the betrayal. Jesus knew that the Father had put him in complete charge of everything, that he came from God and was on his way back to God. So he got up from the supper table, set aside his robe, and put on an apron. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples, drying them with his apron.  Want to follow along with the 21 Days of John? Get the newsletter here.

Jesus Anointed at Bethany Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint[a] of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. Follow along with the journey in John here.

31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there. 32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  

9 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” 34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

14 In the middle of the festival, Jesus marched directly into the temple and started to teach. 15 Some of the Jews who heard Him were amazed at Jesus' ability, and people questioned repeatedly: Jews: How can this man be so wise about the Hebrew Scriptures? He has never had a formal education. Jesus: 16 I do not claim ownership of My words; they are a gift from the One who sent Me. 17 If anyone is willing to act according to His purposes and is open to hearing truth, he will know the source of My teaching. Does it come from God or from Me? 18 If a man speaks his own words, constantly quoting himself, he is after adulation. But I chase only after glory for the One who sent Me. My intention is authentic and true. You'll find no wrong motives in Me. The Voice

13 So they picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves. 14 When the people saw him[a] do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, “Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!”[b] 15 When Jesus saw that they were ready to force him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself. Jesus Walks on Water 16 That evening Jesus' disciples went down to the shore to wait for him. 17 But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn't come back, they got into the boat and headed across the lake toward Capernaum. 18 Soon a gale swept down upon them, and the sea grew very rough. 19 They had rowed three or four miles[c] when suddenly they saw Jesus walking on the water toward the boat. They were terrified, 20 but he called out to them, “Don't be afraid. I am here![d]” New Living Translation Breath Prayer: Inhale: In Your Presence, Exhale: I am safe.   This February 2023, join The Presence Project Facebook group as we do 21 Days in John before Ash Wednesday. You can join here. If you'd like a calendar of the entire 21 days, get it here.

Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda[a] and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. [4] [b] 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” 7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” 8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath,   Join the Presence Project Facebook Group to grow with others listening to the lectio divinas. Get your free 21 Days of John Calendar here.

10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” 11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”   Join us this February 2023 doing 21 Days in John at The Presence Project Facebook Group here. Get your free calendar to follow along here. Listen. Savor. Pray and then share on the Presence Project Facebook Group.    

14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”[b] 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.   Join us this February 2023 doing 21 Days in John at The Presence Project Facebook Group here. Get your free calendar to follow along here. Listen. Savor. Pray and then share on the Presence Project Facebook Group.

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” 4 “Woman,[a] why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”   Get the free 21 Days in John calendar here. Join the Presence Project community doing this together here.

10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.   Get the 21 days in John calendar here. Follow along this February 2023 with the Presence Project Facebook group here.

14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” 17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”   Deepen your journey with this scripture. Here's a free mini-retreat for this Exodus 33 scripture with reflection questions and a video inviting you to experience the Presence of God where your future is full of worry. https://mailchi.mp/athirstforgod.com/quarterlyexamen?e=[UNIQID] 

All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it's not only around us; it's within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We're also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don't see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy. The Message Want a mini-retreat with reflection questions based on the Slow Word scriptures? Sign up here: https://mailchi.mp/fffd904c4a73/slow-weekend-starter-kit

It's an honor to study and create spaces for people to build attachment with God.  If you enjoyed this verse, “God's beloved;     God's permanent residence. Encircled by God all day long,     within whom God is at home,” and the invitation to ask God to form an image around this for us, you'll love The Presence Project Table of the Beloved. Join us here: patreon.com/thepresenceproject

“Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Receive a weekly mini-retreat featuring lectio divinas, reflection questions, and other resources in Summer's warm, compassion style: https://mailchi.mp/fffd904c4a73/slow-weekend-starter-kit

Then Job replied to the Lord: 2 “I know that you can do all things;     no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?'     Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,     things too wonderful for me to know. 4 “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;     I will question you,     and you shall answer me.' 5 My ears had heard of you     but now my eyes have seen you." Receive a mini-retreat based on these lectio divinas here: https://mailchi.mp/fffd904c4a73/slow-weekend-starter-kit

 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Receive a free mini-retreat in your inbox every weekend based on a lectio divina. https://mailchi.mp/fffd904c4a73/slow-weekend-starter-kit

12 Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.” NIV Get a free weekly mini-retreat with lectio divina here: https://mailchi.mp/fffd904c4a73/slow-weekend-starter-kit Support The Slow Word Movement videos and podcast at the $5 tier on patreon.com/thepresenceproject

“Arise, my Love,     my beautiful one, come with me. 11 See! The winter is past;     the rains are over and gone. 12 Flowers appear on the earth;     the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves     is heard in our land. 13 The fig tree forms its early fruit;     the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my Love;     my beautiful one, come with me.”   Go deeper here through reflection questions based on this scripture here: https://mailchi.mp/athirstforgod.com/centeringprayer_mini_retreat-8998656?e=[UNIQID]  

Search me, God, and know my heart;     test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me,     and lead me in the way everlasting.   A wonderful lectio divina for Lent or just a daily examen.

24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.[a] 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. Click the link below to experience the mini-retreat based on Ezekiel 36:24-28. I pray it deepens your experience of the Presence of God. https://mailchi.mp/athirstforgod.com/centeringprayer_mini_retreat-8968532

16 This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look;     ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it,     and you will find rest for your souls.     But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.'   Want to go deeper? Sign up for the Presence Project Newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/fffd904c4a73/slow-weekend-starter-kit

Psalm 84:4-7 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;     they are ever praising you.[a] 5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,     whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka,     they make it a place of springs;     the autumn rains also cover it with pools.[b] 7 They go from strength to strength,     till each appears before God in Zion.   Join patreon.com/thepresenceproject to go deeper. Small groups and a twice monthly teaching called Table of the Beloved.

This short, two-phrase lectio divina gives us a chance to dwell with our eternal God, allowing the Lord to imprint us with the image of a refuge.

All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it's not only around us; it's within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We're also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don't see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.  Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

Want more lectio divinas? patreon.com/thepresenceproject Join at the $5 level and receive weekly more weekly lectio divinas. If you are looking for a weekly mini-retreat surrounding each lectio divina scripture, sign up for my free newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/fffd904c4a73/slow-weekend-starter-kit

Join the Slow Word Movement here: http://www.athirstforgod.com/

Slowing down scripture so the Word can transform us.

Find out more about the Slow Word Movement here: aThirstforGod.com   Savoring the Word as the feast between us.

Slowing down the word so we can receive it in a fresh way.

Slowing down the word so we can receive it in a fresh way. The ancient practice of lectio divina encourages us to not just be informed by the word, but to be transformed.   Join the Slow Word Movement here: https://mailchi.mp/2dc9aa798d2d/revsummerjoygross

The ancient practice of lectio divina encourages us to not just be informed by the word, but to be transformed.   Join the Slow Word Movement here: https://mailchi.mp/2dc9aa798d2d/revsummerjoygross

Slowing down the word so we can encounter it in a fresh way.   Join the Slow Word Movement:  https://mailchi.mp/2dc9aa798d2d/revsummerjoygross Join the Presence Project: https://mailchi.mp/45d1fce7d557/thepresenceproject

Lectio divina encourages us to be not just informed by the Word, but transformed. When we slow it all down, we can encounter it in a fresh way. Join the Slow Word Movement: https://mailchi.mp/2dc9aa798d2d/revsummerjoygross   Join the Presence Project: https://mailchi.mp/45d1fce7d557/thepresenceproject

Slow down the word so you can experience it in a fresh way. Join the Slow Word Movement here: https://mailchi.mp/2dc9aa798d2d/revsummerjoygross and the Presence Project here: https://mailchi.mp/45d1fce7d557/thepresenceproject    

Slow down the word in order to hear it in a fresh, new way.   Join the Slow Word Movement: https://mailchi.mp/2dc9aa798d2d/revsummerjoygross   Also check out The Presence Project: https://mailchi.mp/45d1fce7d557/thepresenceproject

Such a tender moment. Jesus has a charcoal fire already started and invites the disciples to breakfast.   Join the Slow Word Movement with a once a week newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/2dc9aa798d2d/revsummerjoygross   And check out the Presence Project: https://mailchi.mp/45d1fce7d557/thepresenceproject Simple spiritual tools. Ancient Contemplative practices. Modern Brain Science.   Follow Summer on instagram @revsummerjoy and the blog athirstforGod.com

Come join the Slow Word Movement. Learn to rest and be transformed by the Word.  https://mailchi.mp/2dc9aa798d2d/revsummerjoygross   And find out how lectio divina and 11 other spiritual practices can transform our relationship with God: https://mailchi.mp/45d1fce7d557/thepresenceproject   Follow Rev. Summer Gross on instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/revsummerjoy/ or delve into the archives at  summerjoygross.com    

https://mailchi.mp/2dc9aa798d2d/revsummerjoygross

Listen to the Word in a fresh way through the ancient Christian practice of lectio divina. The Scripture becomes a portal to prayer.

Listening to the Scripture through the ancient Christian practice of lectio divina. Join the Slow Word Movement here:  https://mailchi.mp/2dc9aa798d2d/revsummerjoygross