Anita Mathias: Dreaming Beneath the Spires

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Which strand of contemporary Christianity most appeals to you?

By Anita Mathias

Dreaming with God: Secrets to Redesigning Your World Through God's Creative Flow
My favourite Bill Johnson book

I was thinking about that this morning, as we’re choosing a summer conference for our family. We’ve decided on River Camp 2012.

So who do I most enjoy listening to and reading? Who opens the heavens for me? Whose teaching does my heart beat an enthusiastic Amen to? To which spiritual strand am I closest?
The answer, oddly–since I left a charismatic church in which I was very unhappy this Easter to move to a mainstream Evangelical church with just a twist of the spirit–is the Charismatic tradition.
I LOVE reading Bill Johnson’s books. The way the thinks, talks and experiences faith is similar to mine. Going to an ILSOM conference in Oxford led by John Arnott changed the way I pray. I learned soaking prayer there. I love listening to Heidi Baker, and reading her books. I am fascinated by the 24/7 prayer movement of Pete Greig. I am interested in the teaching of the father’s heart and the father’s love, as in Mark Stibbe, Arnott, Pioreck.

I also love reading John Piper, Dallas Willard and Richard Foster.

I enjoy meat, substance, things to meditate on. I love the places where theology hits life, where the Word and the Spirit meet. There one finds excitement for both mind and spirit.  I think wading in the shallows (as is the case with me)  or swimming in the depths of the Spirit (as I do occasionally, and want to do more of) is the most exhilarating experience there is.
How about you? Which strand of contemporary Christianity most turns you on?

Filed Under: random

A Prague autumn

By Anita Mathias

Thanks, Roy Mathias, for helping me write up, and choose photographs for this record of our brief 5 days in Prague!
And now, over to Roy:

What is the best time to visit Prague?   I have no idea, but we had a wonderful five days in late October autumn.  The city, being so old, is very compact;  walking is easy and interesting.

  The Church of Adam and Eve

The Church of Adam and Eve in Stare Mesto (the old town)

  The two towers of this church are called Adam and Eve. The yellow buildings in front of the church actually touch the church, and so one can only enter the church through a small side door. Our hotel was only two blocks from the church so we frequently saw it.  From the back it looks almost like Hogwarts:

Silhouette of the the towers of the Church of Adam and Eve.

InterestingWalking

Marionettes are one of Prague’s souvenirs, and Irene ended up taking home a Pinocchio.

Demonstrating how “easy” it is to make Pinocchio walk.
Everywhere you look there is something of interest:
An attractive manhole cover.
A wall plaque.
Best friends

Prague Town Hall

Prague has enjoyed many artistic styles.  The most recent is Art Nouveau.  Here is the town  hall–which included a cafe.  The guidebook told us to stop for a coffee and pastry, and not to miss the toilets!

Prague town hall
Prague Town Hall cafe — well worth a look

 Alphonse Mucha

There is museum dedicated to Alphonse Mucha (24 July 1860 – 14 July 1939), a leading artist in his day.  No photography allowed, so here are some pictures from the web.  Much of his work was work was in the form of advertising posters; like this for Job cigarettes.

Mucha poster for Job cigarettes (note the lady’s hair swirls like the cigarette smoke.)

His images are still a source of inspiration:

2010 Austrian stamp featuring Mucha’s painting of Sarah Bernhardt
A Mucha-inspired tattoo

When the German invaded Czechoslovakia during the spring of 1939, Mucha was among the first to be arrested by the Gestapo. During his interrogation, he became ill with pneumonia, and died soon after he was released.

 Prague Astronomical Tower

This clock tower, with the world’s oldest working astronomical clock (1410) is across the square from the Church of Adam and Eve.  Every hour a crowd gathers, the clock strikes, figures move, and real live uniformed humans at the top deliver a trumpet call.

Prague lock tower by night

Two figures looking out o the little windows above the two dials of the clock.  Below one sees the massed tourists.

Closer view
The very top of the tower.  The trumpeteers appear in the turrets.

 The Jewish Quarter in Prague

There are two outstanding attractions in the Jewish quarter.  The  Holocaust memorial and attached  Jewish Cemetery and the fantastically ornate Spanish synagogue.

As always, the Jewish quarter was very crowded.  Here we see graves one on top of another, up to 12 layers deep.  The setting is a shady walled enclosure.

Prague’s Old Jewish Cemetery

The Spanish Synagogue is in the Moorish Revival style, and hence the name.  The intriguing, though bland exterior

in no way prepares you for the interior, completely covered in rich gold, green, red, blue and black decoration.

Spanish Synagogue – view of upper gallery and ceiling from lower level
Spansish Synagogue — front where Torah Scrolls are kept–there is no “altar”.

Spanish Synagogue — looking straight yup at a skylight.  The suspended lights form one of many stars of David.
detail showing unusual pattersn.

Just outside the Spanish Synagogue is a statue of Franz Kafka

 The Cathedral of St Vitus — Prague

The cathedral and castle are on the opposite side of the Charles river from the center of town and the areas above.   Here are a few pictures taken on the way

Gateway protecting the Charles Bridge — for centuries bridge across the Charles River.

Here are two view of St. Vitus from the Charles Bridge.

One of the many statues on the bridge.

The cathedral is still quite a walk from here — we took a taxi, and were greeted by a buskers

An areal view from a distance
The South entrance to the Cathedral is called the Golden Gate

and the whole of the South side

The West entrance is like many other cathedrals:

The central panes of the Much window

the lower part of the same window

An unusual stained glass window.  It’s not the result of a shaky hand–it is really like this.  I do not recall the story behind it unfortunately.

There were numerous details like this:

The nave

A view of the multitude of spires on the cathedral

The cathedral is inside the grounds of Prague Castle.  Here is a a garret window in a near by building

Filed Under: random

Was your time, work and money lost or wasted? Or was it a seed?

By Anita Mathias

 

Look at these seeds. They will become mustard, barley, corn, wild rice, rice, red rice, wheat, lentils. And can multiply themselves indefinitely if their harvests are replanted.
Wouldn’t think that just looking at them, would you? They look hard and inert, as lifeless as pebbles.
* * *
I was thinking about an experience in my life into which I sunk much money, and much energy and effort and worry.
And what became of it?
Apparently nothing!
“Wasted” effort, wasted time, wasted energy.
Was it really?
Or was all I learned and did and experienced in the course of this experience, a seed which may bear fruit later.
·      * *
Rejoice always. In everything give things. Praise the LORD at all times (Ps 34:1)
We can thank God for everything, even experiences which seems flops, wasted, failures, because you see everything that has happened to us is just a seed.
It might look lifeless, hard, dry, with no trace of softness, or green, or fruit, or flowers, or vegetables, or millions of apples or blackberries.
But give it to God, put it in his hands, this seed of sad, wasted, apparently fruitless experience. Ask him to help it germinate
A 2000 year old Judean date palm seed, carbon-14 dated, recovered from excavations at Herod the Great’s Palace in Masada, Israel was germinated in 2005. A carbon-14-dated 1,300-year-old sacred lotus recovered from a dry lakebed in northeastern China was geminated in 1995. (Wikipedia)
* * *
We can ask God to bless our experiences of the past—the false starts, the abandoned projects, the failed relationships, the years we sweated over projects which failed, all the sub-optimal years. We can consider these things—the blurred years, the treasure hunts in which we never found the treasure– not as wasted, but as seeds, which can still yield a beautiful harvest. We can ask God to bless and fructify our past, as well as our futures.
For what is our past?
Seeds. Just seeds.
Place them in the hands of the Lord of the Harvest.
Take them, Lord, bless them, germinate them, and multiply them.
Amen.

Filed Under: random

The complete Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr

By Anita Mathias

Purple Serenity Evening Water
Image Credit

Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

This was written by Reinhold Neibuhr who wrote, the prayer “may have been spooking around for years, even centuries, but I don’t think so. I honestly do believe that I wrote it myself.”(Grapevine, 1950).

Filed Under: random

I can only imagine!!

By Anita Mathias

 So if Jesus were to walk into the room in which I sit typing, what would I do? We were discussing it at small group a couple of weeks ago.

What I think I would do is stare in wonder for a split-second, and then run up and give him a big bear hug. I have longed for him so long that’s surely what I would do.
That is what Mary did, when she saw him in the garden, so much so that he tells her, Noli me Tangere. Do not touch me.
But it depends on the guise in which he appears. When he appeared to John, his eyes were like blazing fire. 15  his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16  His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
And John falls at his feet “like one dead.”
If he comes in glory, I too would fall at his feet, in worship and awe.
Moses was told he could not see God: the glory would kill him.
When Isaiah has his joyful vision of the Lord seated on his throne with the train of his throne filling the temple with glory and of the seraphim around the throne, singing  Holy, Holy Holy is the Lord God of Hosts, the whole earth is full of glory, he is quite undone. “Woe is me,” he says. “For I am a man of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
So much depends on the aspect in which Christ will show himself to us. Will he be like a humble gardener, whom Mary attempts to bear hug? Or he his face be shining like the sun as the apostles saw him at the transfiguration so that even the brash Peter fell face down to the ground, terrified.
What will we do? We can only imagine.
I saw a documentary on Christian history in the well-done Christian theme park in Florida, The Holy Land Experience. It concludes with the Parousia, in which, one by one, people from every race and tongue and people and nation walk towards Jesus, absolute joy on their faces. I looked around me, and I saw people there in the audience, from every race and tongue and people and nation. It was a fore-glimpse of heaven. My eyes filled with tears of joy.
I love this life, but I so want to see you, Jesus, in the midst of it. And as for then, when I really see you, well, I can only imagine.




I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By your side

I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When your face
Is before me
I can only imagine

I can only imagine

[Chorus:]
Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I
fall
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine

I can only imagine

Filed Under: random

For him to see me mended I must see him torn, Mary’s Song by Luci Shaw

By Anita Mathias

Mary’s Song

by Luci Shaw

Blue homespun and the bend of my breast

keep warm this small hot naked star

fallen to my arms. (Rest

you who have had so far to come.)

Now nearness satisfies

the body of God sweetly. Quiet he lies

whose vigor hurled a universe. He sleeps

whose eyelids have not closed before.

His breath (so light it seems

no breath at all) once ruffled the dark deeps

to sprout a world. Charmed by doves’ voices,

the whisper of straw, he dreams,

hearing no music from his other spheres.

Breath, mouth, ears, eyes

he is curtailed who overflowed all skies,

all years. Older than eternity, now he

is new. Now native to earth as I am, nailed

to my poor planet, caught

that I might be free, blind in my womb

to know my darkness ended,

brought to this birth for me to be new-born,

and for him to see me mended

I must see him torn.

Filed Under: random

A caterpillar in a ring of fire: Martin Luther on Grace

By Anita Mathias

Brunnhilde in the Ring of Fire, Arthur Rackham

The wonderful seventeenth century theologian, Philip Melanchton and Martin Luther and Philip Melanchton debate grace.

Melanchton says grace is like one parent helping a wobbly toddler across the room to the other parent who crouches down with an apple.

Luther says No, it’s more than that!!  We are caterpillars in a ring of fire. Our only hope is that someone from above will rescue us.

So, when you feel there are impassable rings of fire around you, obstacles which seem impossible to overcome, don’t look at them, and be afraid. Look at the hand above, ready to rescue you.

Luther probably got the ring of fire from the Nibelungenlied in which Siegfried leaps over the ring of fire to rescue the beautiful Brunnhilde.


Jesus is our Siegfried.



Redeemer, redeem my heart again.

Filed Under: In which I am Amazed by Grace, random Tagged With: grace, Martin Luther, Melanchthon

The Bitten Apple, the Great iAm, and his iWord

By Anita Mathias

steve jobs reincarnated comic

I first went to America in 1987 as a graduate student in the Creative Writing Masters programme at Ohio State University. I supported myself by teaching a class in Freshman Composition (i.e. writing).
Well, Macs were relatively new then, and looked like this. And Apple had given Ohio State 20 of them on condition that freshman in the Writing Classes were taught to compose directly on the Mac. It’s second nature now, but, believe me, 24 years ago, it was a paradigm shift to do your first draft on the computer. Older writers then claimed first drafts turned out better if you physically wrote them out, pen on paper. (Which is, of course, BS.)

Well, so these 20 new computers arrive, in an Apple funded Mac lab, and they ask for volunteers to teach the classes. Which, it turned out, involved teaching the students to use the computers, as well as to write.
The bonus was you’d have 20 students, instead of 24, and one hour less of teaching. In its place, you just sat there and baby-sat them as they typed their drafts, forgot to save, lost their drafts, cried, then retyped it, now instinctively saving after each sentence, as I still do.
So of course, I volunteered to teach in the Mac Lab. All I wanted to do then was read poetry, and write poetry. Less teaching: great!! 
Of course, I had only been on a computer for a few hours before at that point. Somerville College, Oxford did not own one, and I used to cycle down to the Daily Information Offices to work on my graduate school applications and my magazine submissions. Odd how things have evolved in 25 years!
                                                 * * * 
And Apple’s brilliant bit of marketing worked with me, at least. When I graduated two years later from the Masters programme, I bought my first computer, a Mac. The computer, keyboard and printer cost $3260, which was almost exactly half the money I then had in my bank account. That tells you how much I loved the Mac!
And I’ve had Macs for the last 22 years, moving to Mac laptops when I was first pregnant and too tired to walk to my study, but able to work in bed. I now have a MacBook Pro.
I’ve also acquired a series of iPods, a convenient way to listen to books while doing housework, and an iPhone, which I thought was the niftiest, most brilliant and indispensable piece of technology ever invented, until the iPad came along, which is even better as one can compose long blog posts or emails on it pretty much wherever you happen to be, as well as handle blogs, twitter, facebook and the through-the-day exchange of ideas, information, inspiration and cheerful banter which have become so part of my modus vivendi.
                                            * * *
Intuitive Macs, iPhones, iPads: sheer genius. Their cleverness and capabilities are astonishing and delightful. The bitten apple continues to tempt.
Will they be supplanted? Within the decade, probably, just as blogs, facebook and twitter, this little Bermuda Triangle I so enjoy didn’t exist ten years ago, and so will conceivably be supplanted by the wannabes nipping at their heels. How? I have no idea, but a whole breed of hungry venture capitalists and geeks over in Silicon Valley are no doubt betting on it. 
So invest in the things of this earth with caution. Both money and your heart’s affections.
·      * *
And incidentally, Steve Jobs did not change the world, though he is a role model in making beautiful, brilliant things beautifully. He invented nifty cool, overpriced toys, which have greatly improved the lives of those who can afford them.
His rival, Bill Gates, may, however, change the world in a more profound way. He is investing the bulk of his fortune in philanthropy. Eliminating malaria, among other things. He is inspiring others to do likewise. He said, that if one came up to him with an idea to make a billion in coffee shops, he’s say, “Good,” but not interested. On the other hand, if you went up to him with a viable idea on how to cure malaria, he’d talk.
* * *
Good for Bill Gates. As our little publishing company steadily grows, Roy and I sometimes discuss the best uses of a possible financial surplus.
The best investment of a surplus for a Christian is to give it away. And I’m not being airy-fairy. It is truly an investment, if one believes Jesus (“Give and you shall receive, full measure, pressed down, flowing over.) And, again and again, I’ve observed “give and you shall” receive is true, and a sound financial principle.
And the second best investment of money, I think, is in health. Starting with one’s own health!!
·      * * *
And the best use of time? Tough one. We are made of four components—bodies, minds, emotions, and spirits, and should perhaps invest in all these.
The spirit is the most important, since it brings healing to the body, light to the mind, and sanity and wisdom to one’s emotions and relationships.
* * *
Vacare Deo. Make space for God. 
For the great iAm. 
And his iWord.
                                                     * * *
Simon Ponsonby, author of More writes, 
We live in the age of the IPod, IPad, IMac, IPhone, ITunes. Psychologists talk of an IGeneration, those whose lives are inseparably integrated with these technologies. But have you ever thought what the “I” before pod, pad, phone, etc stands for? Some suggest “Interactive” or “Intelligent”, others claim it is named after the initial of the surname of Apple designer Jonathan Ive. Actually the I means Internet. In practice, the I becomes the personal pronoun: my/I phone, my/I computer, my/I music, connecting me to my world. 
Have you ever thought of your Bible as your iWord? Kierkegaard said ‘When you read God’s word, you must constantly be saying to yourself “It is talking to me and about me.” The Bible is God’s iWord to you. It’s your portable heaven-wide-web, where God meets you, speaks to you, challenges you, equips you, and through you, can connect and communicate with the world.

Filed Under: random

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My Latest Five Podcast Meditations

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anita.mathias

My memoir: Rosaries, Reading, Secrets https://amzn.to/42xgL9t
Oxford, England. Writer, memoirist, podcaster, blogger, Biblical meditation teacher, mum

Hi Friends, I have taped a meditation; do listen a Hi Friends, I have taped a meditation; do listen at this link: https://anitamathias.com/2025/04/08/the-kingdom-of-god-is-here-already-yet-not-yet-here-2/
It’s on the Kingdom of God, of which Christ so often spoke, which is here already—a mysterious, shimmering internal palace in which, in lightning flashes, we experience peace and joy, and yet, of course, not yet fully here. We sense the rainbowed presence of Christ in the song which pulses through creation. Christ strolls into our rooms with his wisdom and guidance, and things change. Our prayers are answered; we are healed; our hearts are strangely warmed. Sometimes.
And yet, we also experience evil within & all around us. Our own sin which can shatter our peace and the trajectory of our lives. And the sins of the world—its greed, dishonesty and environmental destruction.
But in this broken world, we still experience the glory of creation; “coincidences” which accelerate once we start praying, and shalom which envelops us like sudden sunshine. The portals into this Kingdom include repentance, gratitude, meditative breathing, and absolute surrender.
The Kingdom of God is here already. We can experience its beauty, peace and joy today through the presence of the Holy Spirit. But yet, since, in the Apostle Paul’s words, we do not struggle only “against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the unseen powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil,” its fullness still lingers…
Our daughter Zoe was ordained into the Church of E Our daughter Zoe was ordained into the Church of England in June. I have been on a social media break… but … better late than never. Enjoy!
First picture has my sister, Shalini, who kindly flew in from the US. Our lovely cousins Anthony and Sarah flank Zoe in the next picture.
The Bishop of London, Sarah Mullaly, ordained Zoe. You can see her praying that Zoe will be filled with the Holy Spirit!!
And here’s a meditation I’ve recorded, which you might enjoy. The link is also in my profile
https://anitamathias.com/2024/11/07/all-those-who-exalt-themselves-will-be-humbled-the-humble-will-be-exalted/
I have taped a meditation on Jesus statement in Ma I have taped a meditation on Jesus statement in Matthew 23, “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Do listen here. https://anitamathias.com/2024/11/07/all-those-who-exalt-themselves-will-be-humbled-the-humble-will-be-exalted/
Link also in bio.
And so, Jesus states a law of life. Those who broadcast their amazingness will be humbled, since God dislikes—scorns that, as much as people do.  For to trumpet our success, wealth, brilliance, giftedness or popularity is to get distracted from our life’s purpose into worthless activity. Those who love power, who are sure they know best, and who must be the best, will eventually be humbled by God and life. For their focus has shifted from loving God, doing good work, and being a blessing to their family, friends, and the world towards impressing others, being enviable, perhaps famous. These things are houses built on sand, which will crumble when hammered by the waves of old age, infirmity or adversity. 
God resists the proud, Scripture tells us—those who crave the admiration and power which is His alone. So how do we resist pride? We slow down, so that we realise (and repent) when sheer pride sparks our allergies to people, our enmities, our determination to have our own way, or our grandiose ego-driven goals, and ambitions. Once we stop chasing limelight, a great quietness steals over our lives. We no longer need the drug of continual achievement, or to share images of glittering travel, parties, prizes or friends. We just enjoy them quietly. My life is for itself & not for a spectacle, Emerson wrote. And, as Jesus advises, we quit sharp-elbowing ourselves to sit with the shiniest people, but are content to hang out with ordinary people; and then, as Jesus said, we will inevitably, eventually, be summoned higher to the sparkling conversation we craved. 
One day, every knee will bow before the gentle lamb who was slain, now seated on the throne. We will all be silent before him. Let us live gently then, our eyes on Christ, continually asking for his power, his Spirit, and his direction, moving, dancing, in the direction that we sense him move.
Link to new podcast in Bio https://anitamathias.co Link to new podcast in Bio https://anitamathias.com/2024/02/20/how-jesus-dealt-with-hostility-and-enemies/
3 days before his death, Jesus rampages through the commercialised temple, overturning the tables of moneychangers. Who gave you the authority to do these things? his outraged adversaries ask. And Jesus shows us how to answer hostile questions. Slow down. Breathe. Quick arrow prayers!
Your enemies have no power over your life that your Father has not permitted them. Ask your Father for wisdom, remembering: Questions do not need to be answered. Are these questioners worthy of the treasures of your heart? Or would that be feeding pearls to hungry pigs, who might instead devour you?
Questions can contain pitfalls, traps, nooses. Jesus directly answered just three of the 183 questions he was asked, refusing to answer some; answering others with a good question.
But how do we get the inner calm and wisdom to recognise
and sidestep entrapping questions? Long before the day of
testing, practice slow, easy breathing, and tune in to the frequency of the Father. There’s no record of Jesus running, rushing, getting stressed, or lacking peace. He never spoke on his own, he told us, without checking in with the Father. So, no foolish, ill-judged statements. Breathing in the wisdom of the Father beside and within him, he, unintimidated, traps the trappers.
Wisdom begins with training ourselves to slow down and ask
the Father for guidance. Then our calm minds, made perceptive, will help us recognise danger and trick questions, even those coated in flattery, and sidestep them or refuse to answer.
We practice tuning in to heavenly wisdom by practising–asking God questions, and then listening for his answers about the best way to do simple things…organise a home or write. Then, we build upwards, asking for wisdom in more complex things.
Listening for the voice of God before we speak, and asking for a filling of the Spirit, which Jesus calls streams of living water within us, will give us wisdom to know what to say, which, frequently, is nothing at all. It will quieten us with the silence of God, which sings through the world, through sun and stars, sky and flowers.
Especially for @ samheckt Some very imperfect pi Especially for @ samheckt 
Some very imperfect pictures of my labradoodle Merry, and golden retriever Pippi.
And since, I’m on social media, if you are the meditating type, here’s a scriptural meditation on not being afraid, while being prudent. https://anitamathias.com/2024/01/03/do-not-be-afraid-but-do-be-prudent/
A new podcast. Link in bio https://anitamathias.c A new podcast. Link in bio
https://anitamathias.com/2024/01/03/do-not-be-afraid-but-do-be-prudent/
Do Not Be Afraid, but Do Be Prudent
“Do not be afraid,” a dream-angel tells Joseph, to marry Mary, who’s pregnant, though a virgin, for in our magical, God-invaded world, the Spirit has placed God in her. Call the baby Jesus, or The Lord saves, for he will drag people free from the chokehold of their sins.
And Joseph is not afraid. And the angel was right, for a star rose, signalling a new King of the Jews. Astrologers followed it, threatening King Herod, whose chief priests recounted Micah’s 600-year-old prophecy: the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, as Jesus had just been, while his parents from Nazareth registered for Augustus Caesar’s census of the entire Roman world. 
The Magi worshipped the baby, offering gold. And shepherds came, told by an angel of joy: that the Messiah, a saviour from all that oppresses, had just been born.
Then, suddenly, the dream-angel warned: Flee with the child to Egypt. For Herod plans to kill this baby, forever-King.
Do not be afraid, but still flee? Become a refugee? But lightning-bolt coincidences verified the angel’s first words: The magi with gold for the flight. Shepherds
telling of angels singing of coming inner peace. Joseph flees.
What’s the difference between fear and prudence? Fear is being frozen or panicked by imaginary what-ifs. It tenses our bodies; strains health, sleep and relationships; makes us stingy with ourselves & others; leads to overwork, & time wasted doing pointless things for fear of people’s opinions.
Prudence is wisdom-using our experience & spiritual discernment as we battle the demonic forces of this dark world, in Paul’s phrase.It’s fighting with divinely powerful weapons: truth, righteousness, faith, Scripture & prayer, while surrendering our thoughts to Christ. 
So let’s act prudently, wisely & bravely, silencing fear, while remaining alert to God’s guidance, delivered through inner peace or intuitions of danger and wrongness, our spiritual senses tuned to the Spirit’s “No,” his “Slow,” his “Go,” as cautious as a serpent, protected, while being as gentle as a lamb among wolves.
Link to post with podcast link in Bio or https://a Link to post with podcast link in Bio or https://anitamathias.com/2023/09/22/dont-walk-away-from-jesus-but-if-you-do-he-still-looks-at-you-and-loves-you/
Jesus came from a Kingdom of voluntary gentleness, in which
Christ, the Lion of Judah, stands at the centre of the throne in the guise of a lamb, looking as if it had been slain. No wonder his disciples struggled with his counter-cultural values. Oh, and we too!
The mother of the Apostles James and John, asks Jesus for a favour—that once He became King, her sons got the most important, prestigious seats at court, on his right and left. And the other ten, who would have liked the fame, glory, power,limelight and honour themselves are indignant and threatened.
Oh-oh, Jesus says. Who gets five talents, who gets one,
who gets great wealth and success, who doesn’t–that the
Father controls. Don’t waste your one precious and fleeting
life seeking to lord it over others or boss them around.
But, in his wry kindness, he offers the ambitious twelve
and us something better than the second or third place.
He tells us how to actually be the most important person to
others at work, in our friend group, social circle, or church:Use your talents, gifts, and energy to bless others.
And we instinctively know Jesus is right. The greatest people in our lives are the kind people who invested in us, guided us and whose wise, radiant words are engraved on our hearts.
Wanting to sit with the cleverest, most successful, most famous people is the path of restlessness and discontent. The competition is vast. But seek to see people, to listen intently, to be kind, to empathise, and doors fling wide open for you, you rare thing!
The greatest person is the one who serves, Jesus says. Serves by using the one, two, or five talents God has given us to bless others, by finding a place where our deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet. By writing which is a blessing, hospitality, walking with a sad friend, tidying a house.
And that is the only greatness worth having. That you yourself,your life and your work are a blessing to others. That the love and wisdom God pours into you lives in people’s hearts and minds, a blessing
https://anitamathias.com/.../dont-walk-away-from-j https://anitamathias.com/.../dont-walk-away-from-jesus.../
Sharing this podcast I recorded last week. LINK IN BIO
So Jesus makes a beautiful offer to the earnest, moral young man who came to him, seeking a spiritual life. Remarkably, the young man claims that he has kept all the commandments from his youth, including the command to love one’s neighbour as oneself, a statement Jesus does not challenge.
The challenge Jesus does offers him, however, the man cannot accept—to sell his vast possessions, give the money to the poor, and follow Jesus encumbered.
He leaves, grieving, and Jesus looks at him, loves him, and famously observes that it’s easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to live in the world of wonders which is living under Christ’s kingship, guidance and protection. 
He reassures his dismayed disciples, however, that with God even the treasure-burdened can squeeze into God’s kingdom, “for with God, all things are possible.”
Following him would quite literally mean walking into a world of daily wonders, and immensely rich conversation, walking through Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan, quite impossible to do with suitcases and backpacks laden with treasure. 
For what would we reject God’s specific, internally heard whisper or directive, a micro-call? That is the idol which currently grips and possesses us. 
Not all of us have great riches, nor is money everyone’s greatest temptation—it can be success, fame, universal esteem, you name it…
But, since with God all things are possible, even those who waver in their pursuit of God can still experience him in fits and snatches, find our spirits singing on a walk or during worship in church, or find our hearts strangely warmed by Scripture, and, sometimes, even “see” Christ stand before us. 
For Christ looks at us, Christ loves us, and says, “With God, all things are possible,” even we, the flawed, entering his beautiful Kingdom.
https://anitamathias.com/2023/09/07/how-to-find-th https://anitamathias.com/2023/09/07/how-to-find-the-freedom-of-forgiveness/
How to Find the Freedom of Forgiveness
Letting go on anger and forgiving is both an emotional transaction & a decision of the will. We discover we cannot command our emotions to forgive and relinquish anger. So how do we find the space and clarity of forgiveness in our mind, spirit & emotions?
When tormenting memories surface, our cortisol, adrenaline, blood pressure, and heart rate all rise. It’s good to take a literally quick walk with Jesus, to calm this neurological and physiological storm. And then honestly name these emotions… for feelings buried alive never die.
Then, in a process called “the healing of memories,” mentally visualise the painful scene, seeing Christ himself there, his eyes brimming with compassion. Ask Christ to heal the sting, to draw the poison from these memories of experiences. We are caterpillars in a ring of fire, as Martin Luther wrote--unable to rescue ourselves. We need help from above.
Accept what happened. What happened, happened. Then, as the Apostle Paul advises, give thanks in everything, though not for everything. Give thanks because God can bring good out of the swindle and the injustice. Ask him to bring magic and beauty from the ashes.
If, like the persistent widow Jesus spoke of, you want to pray for justice--that the swindler and the abusers’ characters are revealed, so many are protected, then do so--but first, purify your own life.
And now, just forgive. Say aloud, I forgive you for … You are setting a captive free. Yourself. Come alive. Be free. 
And when memories of deep injuries arise, say: “No. No. Not going there.” Stop repeating the devastating story to yourself or anyone else. Don’t waste your time & emotional energy, nor let yourself be overwhelmed by anger at someone else’s evil actions. Don’t let the past poison today. Refuse to allow reinjury. Deliberately think instead of things noble, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy.
So keep trying, in obedience, to forgive, to let go of your anger until you suddenly realise that you have forgiven, and can remember past events without agitation. God be with us!
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