The church calendar has a period of the year called Ordinary Time.
Historically, after Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost, the church enters a long period known as Ordinary Time — stretching from the day of Pentecost (or, in the Anglican Church, Trinity Sunday) to the start of Advent — about half of the liturgical year. As foreign as it might seem to some Protestants, this division of the year is still adopted by Roman Catholics, Lutherans, and Anglicans. I stumbled upon this discovery only recently, and was intrigued by it.
How do you choose to live during ordinary time? Are you generally bored and blah? Or do you open yourself to what a moment may have to offer?
Living in the moment is learning how to live between the big moments. It is learning how to make the most of the in-betweens and having the audacity to make those moments just as exciting.
Morgan Harper Nichols
Learning how to live between big moments, in the moment, as plain and as ordinary as it might seem. We are called to this ALL OF THE TIME. Awake. Aware of the Lord in our midst. Sparked to life by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Maintained by God’s strength. Eyes fixed on Jesus, heart surrendered. Looking about for the inspiration that comes from the Trinity. Beyond our own selves, thoughts, ideas.
Living in the Moment. Have you ever tried that? How long can you maintain it? Frank Laubach tried it. Below is a description of his writing about the matter.
Frank Charles Laubach (September 2, 1884 – June 11, 1970), from Benton, Pennsylvania was a Congregational Christian missionary educated at Union Theological Seminary and Columbia University, and a mystic known as “The Apostle to the Illiterates.” One of his most widely influential devotional works was a pamphlet entitled “The Game with Minutes.” In it, Laubach urged Christians to attempt keeping God in mind for at least one second of every minute of the day. In this way Christians can attempt the attitude of constant prayer spoken of in the First Epistle to the Thessalonians. The pamphlet extolled the virtues of a life lived with unceasing focus on God. Laubach’s insight came from his experiments in prayer detailed in a collection of his letters published under the title, Letters by a Modern Mystic.
I first heard of Frank Laubach when I was trained in the Adult Literacy Program. Laubach had written a program (still in use today) to teach reading to adults. It was quite rewarding to work with adults who wanted to learn. About the same time I had discovered Brother Lawrence and have for all the years since then tried to Practice the Presence of God daily, hourly. It is no easy feat, especially in this current world of constant distraction. Laubach wrote of his attempt to do the same thing Brother Lawrence lived. They inspired me to continue on with the practice.
Ordinary time. Not a holiday. No Christmas gifts or turkeys or penitent heart of Lent. Just living day-by-day with Christ in me, the hope of glory.
25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Colossians 1: 25-27 NIV
On any ordinary day would the Lord who searches hearts find you listening for His voice, practicing His presence, at any given moment? How about a moment later than that? It is a discipline that has benefits I struggle to describe. He is nearer than we realize. He is our constant Companion. Perhaps this is how the early disciples lived and followed Him after His death, resurrection and ascension? They had no hymnals, no published Word, no organized church as we understand it. Pursue Him and be rewarded by your efforts. Listen to the first 15 seconds of the video below! Sums it up for me!
Treasures in Plain Sight, A Christian Blog 