chris erdman

Greet the dawn as God’s holy gift;
awaken to the light within.
Tend the inner flame of love;
for God will give the sacred spark
when you unite mind, body, heart.

Keep watch over the speed of your words when speaking,
the character of your handwriting,
the quality of your eye contact,
the quickness of your mind to return to center
with each distracting thought.

Practice the grace of Sabbath-keeping,
and by doing so remember,
you were not born into the world for work alone,
but like your Maker to rest and feast upon the splendor of creation.

Open your heart to everyone you meet,
for the image of God resides in all.
Speak no empty word;
do and say all things
from a heart fed by the eternal spring—
unceasing, interior prayer.

Do not despair when ordeals assail you,
people reject you, and demons attack:
“for just as gold and silver are refined in the fire,
so is your soul in the furnace of humiliation”

Above all, love God,
and love your neighbor.
For love is the measure by which you shall be judged,
and when you love you lack nothing.

Treat your thoughts like leaves
floating along a gentle brook—
you may watch them pass;
and, on occasion,
lift one out of the flowing stream
to study it intently,
but always put it back again.

May Jesus’ words,
“Take nothing for your journey,”
keep you traveling light,
always moving in the direction of simplicity,
free from the burden of debt.

Do nothing for others that might rob them
of the need or possibility of growth—
their own mistakes and achievements
are better teachers than you are.
Have no script for their lives or yours;
watch, and pray that you may not play God.