Ride Your Donkey, Carry Your Cross

By Reggie Venter

“God is love.” [1 John 4:16]. This is a big statement with huge implications for our lives. Ride your Donkey, Carry your Cross explores God’s invitation to love Him and love others through Reggie’s personal journey of love, in verse and spiritual writing, undertaken mostly during times of deep reflection on Scripture or while on retreat. To truly love brings both joy and pain. We see this in the life of Jesus Christ and we may expect the same in our lives as we follow Him. Created in the image of God we, like Jesus, are meant to exemplify this love among ourselves. Often our experience of human love, imperfect as it is, helps us to understand and desire God’s unconditional love for us.

Reginald Kenneth Venter worked as a psychologist in industry as his call to the priesthood unfolded. Today he is a retired Anglican priest of 37 years, who has been trained by the South African Jesuits in Ignatian Spirituality. He directs individuals in deepening their relationship with God, directs individual and group retreats and helps train prayer guides and spiritual directors. He has a passion for the Scriptures, for working across church denominations and expressions and, more especially, for working with priests, ministers, pastors and other church leaders. Reggie’s deep desire is that God will draw His daughters and sons into a deeper relationship and service of God. He is greatly honoured and blessed by God to be instrumental in this.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Reggie Venter
• Release date: Jul 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005520755

Book preview

Ride your Donkey, Carry your Cross

Reggie Venter

Copyright © 2020 Reggie Venter

Published by Reggie Venter Publishing at Smashwords

First edition 2020

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without permission from the copyright holder.

The Author has made every effort to trace and acknowledge sources/resources/individuals. In the event that any images/information have been incorrectly attributed or credited, the Author will be pleased to rectify these omissions at the earliest opportunity.

Published by Reggie Venter using Reach Publishers’ services,

Edited by Rendale Snow for Reach Publishers

Cover designed by Reach Publishers

P O Box 1384, Wandsbeck, South Africa, 3631

Website: www.reachpublishers.co.za

E-mail: [e-mail]

Contents

Foreword

Introduction

1. Early Writing

What is it?

The Wonder of Three

In My Heart Forever

That Special Place

Yellow Rose

Captivating

Tough Love

2. Retreat Writing

Ode to the Spiritual Guide

Caterpillar and Butterfly

Freedom in Christ - A Pentecost Poem

I Stand in Awe

The Wedding of the Lamb

In Step with the Creator

A Breath Away

God’s Love

Spiritual Director Training

Upon Entering Retreat

Waiting

A Heart with God

Mother Mary Comes To Me - A prodigal son returns to his Mother

Reggie’s Magnificat

JOY

Truths of Faith

Goldfish Bowl

Beginning and End

Springs of Salvation

Response to Psalm 1

3. Spiritual Writing During my Journey with my Friend, Our Lord God through the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius in Daily Life

What is it like to be the Bride of Christ?

Second Week Review Poem

The Mystery of Being and Presence

A Donkey for You

The Last Biscuit

No more Words

A look at the week

Meditated on the following poem by Diedrich Bonhöffer

Psalm of Salvation

Holy Saturday Change

Easter Joy

Truly

Ownership of Salvation Freedom

4. Recent Writing

All

God’s Size

Just A Little Bit Of You

Dedicated to all the many people in my life who have helped me get to know Friend Jesus better and encouraged me in my walk with Him. Not least to Helaine Deacon who prayed that very first prayer with me.

Foreword

"That best portion of a good man’s life,

His little, nameless, unremembered acts,

of kindness and of love."

(William Wordsworth)

It has been a real joy for me to write this foreword for Reggie’s spiritual poems and prose – Ride your Donkey, Carry your Cross. This little booklet could very well have simply been called Love.

Reggie is a deep, gentle, sensitive and loving person with a calm strength. He walks very close to our Lord and has been a pilgrim on this journey since childhood. He has a great love for the Trinity God.

Like most of us, Reggie’s life has not been without deep pain and sadness. He has borne that deep pain with fortitude and hope. He is a humble man with great understanding and a charism to listen to others. He is able to acknowledge both his strengths and his limitations. Reggie’s nickname could be Playful as he has a sparkling sense of humour. He has a childlike joy which touches others – sometimes without them even realising it. He has a sincere trust in God’s message that highlights his gift of encouragement.

Reg’s life has been a series of different callings. He hears the voice of Jesus calling him personally and he follows. He was called to friendship with God as a little boy. As a young man, while still serving in the church, he studied and registered as a psychologist. Later, he was called from this first profession into the ordained Anglican priesthood. Many happy years were spent in different parishes where Reg shared his counselling skills in pastoral counselling. More importantly, he shared his friendship with