Journey of Advent 2011 - Lectio Divina
It’s all Gift…
The idea of “first” is paramount in our understanding of life on planet earth. So during this Christmas season, take time to reflect on your “first” experiences.
I
take note of who sends me my “first” Christmas card. It is the same person each year. I, also, take note of who sends me the “most
holy” Christmas card. This
acknowledgement always goes to my “Loving Sisters of Baltimore Carmelite
Convent”. I think they must spend the
whole year in preparation of finding the right illustrator and meditation with
prayer for this blessed season. My years
of weekly study with them, in the past, continues to be rewarded.
My first Christmas present received during the Advent Season 2011 was a divine inspiration of how God has gifted me in my personal life. By extension, God gifts all of us, but so many are unaware of what or how spiritual and material gifts are manifested. The sad fact of the matter is that the notion of divine love as a fulfillment is so removed from many over the holidays. You don’t necessarily have to be duped into a belief of nihilism.
The people who I know who profess a personal relationship and earthly life with the Divine Christ subsist on daily scriptural readings and meditations. In a process of personal spiritual formation and the lectio divina, many consider the highest order of prayer.
Reference: http://www.crossroad.to/glossary/religious.htm
Lectio Divina:
"Lectio Divina", a Latin term, means 'divine reading' and
describes a way of reading the Scriptures whereby we gradually let go of our
own agenda and open ourselves to what God wants to say to us…
1. "Lectio (reading) where we read the Word of
God, slowly and reflectively so that it sinks into us. Any passage of Scripture can be
used....
2. "Meditatio (reflection) where we think about the
text we have chosen and ruminate upon it so that we take from it what God wants
to give us.
3. "Oratio (response) where we leave our thinking
aside and simply let our hearts speak to God. This response is inspired by our
reflection on the Word of God.
4. "Contemplatio (rest) where we let go not only of our own ideas, plans and meditations but also of our holy words and thoughts. We simply rest in the Word of God. We listen at the deepest level of our being to God who speaks within us with a still small voice. As we listen, we are gradually transformed from within."
This process of divine communion was thought to have been aptly described first by Origen Adamantius, born in Alexandria, Egypt in 185 A.D. The focus of this type of prayer is simply to know more deeply the incarnate Christ birthed within the soul of the believer.
Oh yes…material gifts, how could they possibly compare to divine riches?
Thank you to all those who think we need something anyway... Sometimes, we actually do...
There are so many sources of daily scriptures and meditations that I have been led to over the years. In the computer age, I have mine e-boxed from presentation ministries. I deconstruct those readings, and supplement with other readings as led by the Holy Spirit. My girls enjoy the responsorial songs found in the few minutes of devotion that we share in the morning...
Share your spiritual experience on the meaning of the Journey of Advent 2011, and the subsequent implications for the New Year 2012 with those of us who need to hear..the Divine words within you…
Speak to those with an ear to hear...
Be courageous, rise up, lectio divina, and prophesy…
School Discipline Disparity is Documented
Take a careful look at a national and local article below with several important links featured within them also:At the very least, I want to know that adequate school policy is in place, and that school authorities require planned discussions at each local school regarding student discipline policies, followed by careful documentation and analysis of what teachers and students seem to have most difficulty with class and behavior management.Upon a completion of an assessment, plans for improvement must be documented. Teachers and students must be held accountable. If teachers are having difficulty with class management, their skill level will be in need of improvement, and "in service" professional development coaching warranted. If students are "acting out" in class, counseling and, if absolutely necessary, "in school" suspension is preferable to long term "out of school" suspension.
American Education Week 2011
Visit and/or send a letter to your local school during American Education Week 2011 (November 13-19).
If you would like to share strategies and outcomes, feel free to do so on our blog. Staying engaged is essential for student, family, and community success!
Keeping the lines of communication open,
Pamela Ellis, Ph.D.
President
Harambee Conference, LLC.
www.harambeeconference.com
Destined to Die – A Contemporary Crucifixion in 2011
by Pamela Ellis, Ph.D.
Why did Jesus have to die? What did he do that was wrong? What crime did He commit?
Imagine Jesus being at Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA in the Year 2011 with friends, a place that he might frequent in that it would be a garden...a Garden of Gethsemane, a place where he was accustomed to meeting with those who enjoyed his companionship.
Upon the departure of Jesus and friends from the Italian Gardens, a group of men with lanterns, torches, and weapons appears. Jesus, knowing what was to come, goes forward to them to ask, “Who are you looking for?”
They answer him, “Jesus the Nazorean.”
He says to them, “I AM.”
Judas his betrayer was also with them.
When he says to them, “I AM, “
they turn away and fall to the ground.
So He again ask them,
“Whom are you looking for?”
They say, “Jesus the Nazorean.”
Jesus answers,
“I told you that I AM.
So if you are looking for me, let these men go.”
Simon Peter, who has a sword, draws it,
strikes the high priest’s servant, and cuts off
his right ear.
The servant’s name is Malchus.
Jesus says to Peter,
“Put your sword into its scabbard.
Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave
me?”
And Jesus touches Malchus’ ear and heals him. (John 18:4-11, Luke 22:51)
What? Why was Jesus given a cup; a cup of suffering, by His loving Holy Father?
How many modern day parents can
rationalize any suffering, i.e. the sacrifice of inordinate amounts of toys, money, clothes, vacations or
the performance of community service from their children for others...not to mention the thought of well-conceived government social
service programs paid for by tax dollars for others?
Oh yes, for others… for those in this world without the basic necessities of life on an ongoing basis due to the vagaries, i.e., uncertainties of life on this planet.
Would they not, instead, believe that their child’s self-esteem, and indirectly their own, would be jeopardized if they did not give them, practically all, that could possibly be fathomed or desired even though their choice would mean stark deprivation for others?
Who are we? What kind of people have we become, or even have always been?
We are people who make a daily choice to live either for God or, totally, for our own social, ethnic, class, or nationhood identification due to greed, as a quite possible unacknowledged reason.
God, the Father, prepared the Lamb, Jesus, before the foundation of the earth. He knew, beforehand, our desperate need, and also our desires, that are often so very contrary to our best interest, as well as the interests of others. (John 1:29, Isaiah 49:6, Jeremiah 1:5)
Oh, but for His finished work on the cross on our behalf, we could have not done this on our own...enter into His Holy Presence.
In our search for Jesus, now and for all eternity, let us consider how we may meet the needs of others, as he has done for us, subsequently acting towards eliminating the legitimate concerns of those ill-treated by the world systems in place.
Are we, too, destined to die? (Luke 9:23-25) “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gain the whole world and is himself destroyed or lost?”
The leaders of the day were insanely jealous of Jesus’ popularity and success as a teacher. So in their minds, there was only one of two alternatives. Jesus had to be silenced. Jesus had to die.
Have you encountered irrational reactions from others due to your God-given aspirations? Do you believe that you have encountered people who desire success and happiness for your life, or the opposite; people who exhibit tendencies of deprivation, isolation, or even as desired for Jesus, death?
May we celebrate with thanksgiving and
perseverance anew the life found in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ as
individuals and communities. Although,
first we must take and crucify base desires, thoughts, and actions that do not
emanate from our love for God, ourselves, and others, Oh Lord, on your
historical cross…a modern, contemporary crucifixion…in the Year 2011.
Dear Reader, your comments are certainly appreciated...
Making the Grade: The Seven C's of Teacher Evaluations
Who Wins...Who Loses?
The 2010 political race is a bellwether that reveals the travesty of American class warfare. The philosophy of human dignity and true freedom is what is at stake for the working and middle classes.
Is it surprising to anyone that people who could most benefit from social programs are the most ardent opponents of them? The ultra-privileged few oppose social programs as a point of pride, as if they were not lavishly assisted by others. Oftentimes, there is a deliberate choice by the wealthy to keep workers at a subsistence level to maintain their appearance of superiority.
Without resources to adequately fund education, infrastructure, and an administrative system by a government system, the alternative is a pure profit motive where trust would be solely placed in the hearts and hands of big business at the expense of a common good motive. Limited capitalism with governmental restraint of its adverse “self-only” mechanisms is a virtue.
Full human development, like health care services, is a basic human right, something that we want for everyone in a moral society. This requires a pooling of resources, i.e. taxation and insurance programs.
So why the opposition by many who make up the American mainstream? Joe Bageant, a Winchester, VA author notes, “These days, working-class Americans are conditioned to respond not as individuals whose opinions may differ radically from the opinions of their neighbors….They are conditioned to be, as essayist Lewis Lapham wrote, ‘happy villagers glad to wave the flags and wage the wars, grateful for the good fortune that placed them in the care of a sublime leader.’”
Do we really want the establishment of postmodern neo-fascism in America? Big business corporate titans cloaked by the actions of extremists buoyed by the support of the uninformed masses lacking the critical thinking skills to see that there really isn’t much interest in returning favors.
The observation by Author Chris Hedges that, “We stand on the cusp of one of the bleakest periods in human history when the bright lights of a civilization blink out and we will descend for decades, if not centuries, into barbarity” is no idle threat.
The U.S. spends far more than any other nation on earth on the military, 46.5% of the world’s total expenditure. Other nations highlighted in the study show significant restraint for the practice with China, France, UK, and Russia at 6.6%, 4.2%, 3.8%, and 3.5% respectively. (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’s 2010 Year Book ).
Military weapons and soldiers are sadly becoming our chief exports. How many of us truly want our sons and daughters offered as a sacrifice to the military industrial complex?
Freedom is secured with shared intellectual responsibility by all for a sane direction of American democracy, one nation working together, both locally and nationally, providing goods and services to people at home and abroad.
During this election, protect your right to an access to 21st Century information, i.e. a critical thinking education with consequent quality of life benefits for all Americans.
The constitutional preamble elucidates the vision of, We the people, that is primarily what government means, a due respect for many voices from a diversity of social identities that make up the American social fabric. If we lose human respect and affirmation, we gain instead shared degradation. We lose our individual, state, and national soul, and our freedom.
We all would do well in considering the wise words of the well-admired First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt who noted, “One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes.” Choose wisely, our present and future depends on it.
Pamela Sanders Ellis, Ph.D.
Community College Issues and Answers: An Ethical Leadership Framework
PowerPoint Presentation by Pamela Sanders Ellis, Ph.D.
What connotes successful curriculum integration of organizational values and personal ethics?
• Literature discussion, self-assessment of personal values, student role-playing, and journey mapping.
• Campus, state, and online leadership development academies to demonstrate professional ethical
identity success.
• Qualitative research that examines the experiences of individuals “on the path toward constructive
professional ethical development” (Harbour et al., 2007, p. 181).
Harbour, C. P., Anderson, S. K., & Davies, T. G. (2007). The consequences of compromised ethical identity development in community college leadership. In D. A. Hellmich (Ed.), Ethical leadership in the community college: Bridging theory and daily practice (pp. 61-76). Bolton, MA: Anker
Connecting the "Why to the How" in Math and Science Education
PowerPoint Presentation by Pamela Sanders Ellis, O.D., Ph.D.
The racial/ethnic and national achievement gap in STEM disciplines remains an area of concern for parents, educators, business leaders, and federal/state policy makers. Educational support programs/organizations and community service opportunities provide purpose, meaningful problem statements, and reasoning frameworks for students. Additionally, an understanding of social and physical interrelationships, self-reliance concepts with hands-on opportunities are explored by students in educational support program presentations of how systems develop, are maintained, and ultimately impact our everyday life.
JCODW Book Review Group
Hello Everyone! I just want to say how enjoyable last month’s dialogue was regarding the message from Nancy Pelosi to American daughters.
I especially felt that we did agree on a shared sense of legacy in respect to the democratic value of caring for others and not solely ourselves. We do understand how truly fortunate we are to have all that we have when so many live day to day without a good education, employment, and the basic necessities of life even still in our own county, country, and elsewhere on the planet.
Sarah, thank you for choosing this month’s book selection, “Whatever it takes”! This is the attitude that we need in our leaders and in all citizens to succeed in the 21st Century! It will take a commitment to “quality relationships” as a priority. Herein is where our true strength and security as individuals and as a nation lies.
I hope everyone will make a commitment to “push the envelope” by reading and discussing the issues! The book group is a phenomenal way to do this! Thank you Ginny for giving us a history of how JCODW was founded! Your vision and work ethic is needed in the U.S. Congress. You have my vote!
A Sunday Valentine
The loneliest day of the year is reported by many to be Valentine’s Day. The fact that Valentine’s Day falls on Sunday bears special significance. People who don’t profess or perhaps just take for granted a relationship with God, family, a significant other, friends and community members feel lonely. Even if we don't fall in either of these two categories, we are all still susceptible to feelings of loneliness. On this day, we are forced to examine what actions we should take or not take towards those we hold within the special bond known as love.
First of all, we must know what love signifies. What is the actual meaning of love? The definition, I suspect, poses the most difficulty. God is love, a simple and profoundly complex statement at once. (1John 4:8) God sacrificed himself for us. Love is self-sacrifice. Do we dare to do the same for Him and others?
Do we fully know God? No, we don’t. Nor can we fully know Him. (1 Cor. 13:12) God reveals Himself by degrees to those that He so favors and chooses. Let us, likewise, choose to love Him and others.
Creatively finding ways to say “I love you” is a challenge. As parents, a very special way to demonstrate love toward our children is to organize a treasured book of memories that contain cherished keepsakes that chronicle special moments in our children’s life journey. If your child ever experiences a time of loneliness (and most likely they will), they can reflect on the memories found in the pages to remember just how special they are to God, their family, and community.
Often times, there is a lack of positive affirmation in our daily experiences that over time can contribute to lowering of self-esteem in both children and adults. To prevent this process from occurring, plan special moments daily, weekly, quarterly, and yearly to assure that your child understands their importance in this world.
A daily devotional reading, a weekly church and family/social event, a quarterly field trip, and a yearly vacation are all ways to ensure that you and your children are experiencing life in its fullest while making historical legacy memories. In your self-giving, it is also important to reward yourself at times because you are very special also.
To all St. Valentine’s Day detractors, I know to some degree it is a “commercial” holiday. Truthfully, if something is good...genuine love is very good...there will be a market for it. What is the price tag for true love? “If a man would give for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly despised” (SS 8:7).
The more love you give, the more love you receive in return. To say that we love is one thing, to make special efforts on behalf of others follows in the footsteps of Jesus, the Divine Lover of our souls. Don't let His love be unrequited!
