Loving the Lord and the neighbour

The act of attending to the Word as we engage with it is an expression of loving the Lord, and to do this with a view to supporting others in their process is, in Logopraxis terms, a key aspect of what it means to love the neighbour. The process of reading and marking aspects that capture our attention in the Text is done with a view to selecting something to work with; and the process of selecting something specific to work with is to be done with conscious attention.

·      Take your time to meditatively go over those parts of the Text that caught your interest when you first read through the reading.

·      Hold the selected portions of the Text in mind over a few days, perhaps reading through them whenever you get an opportunity. You’re looking to get a sense of what portion of the Text seems to resonate most strongly for you. What are you drawn to? What portion of the Text is reaching out to you to work with? Try to avoid analysing why at this stage. The aim is to choose something from what you noted when you first read through the Text, which will form the basis for developing a work task in Step 3.

·      So, just see what remains with you; and it could be that what you need to work with presented itself in the very first reading of the Text, or before you even finished reading it all …. or it might be that nothing seems to be presenting itself.

In any case, remember that the experience you’re having is a product of engaging with the Text. The Word always provides us with something to work with, and even in those times when nothing seems to stand out from the Text, we will still have our internal responses to that experience as material to work with and bring to the group.

Working in the Here and Now

Conscious attention brings our focus into the here and now, so that we can be present both to the Word as the Lord, and to our own responses as we read.  This is an incredibly useful practice for building a higher degree of sensitivity to recognising the quality of the spiritual associations that are present with us in any given moment.  This can apply to:

·      reading the Text

·      the effort to implement a task

·      being present to others in our Life Group

·      providing online summaries of our work

·      bringing a spiritual perspective when approaching aspects of daily life.

When our attention is consciously focused on reading for application rather than reading for information, our experience of the Text is enriched and becomes something active and living.  The Word in us responds to the Text that is before us, and the two meet in the heightened sensitivity that conscious attention creates.

How Are You Responding Inwardly?

It can be surprising what presents when we read with a view to observing our inner responses, and this can reveal thought processes that reflect the unconscious attitudes that we have towards the Text.  Attention helps us see more clearly what kinds of things we skip over, ignore, are drawn to, reject, or dismiss.  All our reactions and responses to the Text contain valuable material for inner work, and what the Lord as the Word would have us see.

Giving Up the Old Ways

The normal attitude to reading is a passive process from which we extract information, but in Logopraxis, we acknowledge that the Text as the Logos is active, and when holding this in mind as we read, we find that the Text is reading us even as we read it. We become present to the presence of the Lord in the here and now through the very act of reading.

When Struggling to Engage with the Text

If coming to the Text is a struggle, or staying with it is a struggle, or finding a principle or task is a struggle – then take the opportunity to step back and use the struggle as the basis for your work. Observe what the struggle brings up for you.  For instance:

·      What is your response to the struggle?

·      What kind of self-talk arises?

·      What is the quality of this dialogue?

·      Where does this come from?

Working with the Text in this way allows the Lord to build what is of Himself in us, as the basis for new ways of thinking and feeling.

Finding One Thing to Work With

We are just looking for one thing that can frame the focus of our practise for the two-week cycle. So, as soon as you come across something that you feel you can work with, just sit with that – it’s not necessary to read more.  See if you can then develop that particular portion of Text into a principle and task; and there’s more information on this in the next section – Step 3: Creating a Task.  Once you have the task, you may choose to go back and do the rest of the reading.

Am I Doing it Right?

You may wonder if you’re doing it ‘right’ – but there’s no need. Just follow the 6 Steps, and work with what comes up for you. Whatever comes up, whatever your experience, is what the Lord as the Word is offering you to work with.

The Lord as the Word Reads You

Try to be aware that in Logopraxis work, while to all appearances you are the one selecting something to work with from the Text, it is in fact the Text itself that is looking to work in you. Through the Text, the Lord supplies what’s needed for our work and regeneration.

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of the articulations and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account”. (Hebrews 4:12-13)

Summary

·      Take time to reflectively read the Text.

·      Hold the selected portions in mind over a few days before creating a task.

·      Reflect on what is reaching out to you.

·      Conscious attention is a vitally useful practice so that we can be present both to the Word as the Lord, and to our own responses as we read.

·      Reading with attention causes the Text to become alive in us, because the Word in us responds.

·      Attention reveals how we respond to the Text, how we ignore or resist certain aspects – and how this illuminates our spiritual mind.

·      With attention we become present to the Presence of the Lord.

·      The struggle to find a task is a valuable struggle and is a task in itself.

·      Do not doubt your process – whatever comes up is what the Lord as the Word is offering for your work.