A Little Book of Meditations

By Allen A. Sweet and C. Frances Sweet

We are now getting old. Recently, we closed our office, and in an old storage cabinet found notebooks filled with handwritten notes recording our mediations from a time over thirty years ago. These meditations are based on advice given to us by our numerous spiritual advisers from that period. Even now we still can remember many of these meditations while reading our handwritten notes. We commend these meditations to you. Each meditation contains its own unique starburst of insight. May these meditations bring to you the same joy and enlightenment they have brought to us. Only the advice they gave us and the retellings of our spiritual advisers own encounters with God are worthy of repeating. Each meditation is given its own page (or pages) and a number (1 to 36) for easy access. Each meditation is independent in its own right and is not directly related to any of the other meditations.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Feb 7, 2018
• ISBN: 9781532041921

Allen A. Sweet

Allen A. Sweet received his doctorate in electrical engineering and physics from Cornell University, as well as a BTS from the Episcopal Diocese of California’s School for Deacons. He has written two previous books. C. Frances Sweet received a BA in social science from San Francisco State University and a BTS from the Episcopal Diocese of California’s School for Deacons. Ordained to the permanent diaconate in 1991, she has served many parishes and hospitals in Southern California and in the San Francisco Bay area. Fran is married to Allen, and together they have seven grown children and one grandchild. Born in Germany and a farmhand by trade, Fritz Jaensch holds a BA and MA in history. He is the translator of Siberia and Northwestern America, 1788–1792.

Book preview

1. THE MESSAGE

The message is the message

2. THE CHALLENGE

Be grateful for the challenge because it is by meeting our challenges that we grow.

3. THE MOUNTAIN

We are all like mountain climbers. The paths of our lives are like the climber’s ropes. At the bottom of the mountain, the climber’s ropes seem very far apart, because we think our lives are so much different from the lives of others when we are young. As we ascend, sometimes we find the Ropes of our lives becoming entangled with the ropes of others. It takes cooperation among the climbers to unsnarl these ropes, just as our lives must be set on straight paths with our neighbors from time to time. Sometimes climbers fall. It is up to their neighbors to catch them before they fall all the way down the mountain. It is our responsibility to reach out and catch a falling neighbor, and get him or her back on track. Sometimes we too may fall, and we depend on the aid of our neighbors to rescue us from falling too far.

As we reach the top of the mountain, it becomes clear to all climbers that our paths are not so different after all. The top of the mountain is very small, and all paths (ropes) converge at the top. All paths lead to the same conclusion. It really doesn’t matter where we start, as long as we stick with climbing and from time to time are rescued by our neighbors as we ourselves rescue our neighbors while ascending the mountain of life.

4. EMOTIONS

What we call emotions are in fact spiritual entities. Some can be very frightening. If they have become too strong within you, or within someone you care about, they may need to be exorcised. The process is a little like weeding a garden. Emotional entities often act in cooperation like the gnarled roots of a tree. This combination of emotional entities must be exorcised one entity at a time, which may prove to be a long, difficult, and frightening, process. The exorcist must have great bravery, confidence, and faith in the success of the work he/she is performing.

Emotional entities behave like viruses, they can be caught and transmitted to others. In extreme cases the exorcist must confront the emotional entity with the words of Jesus and a cross. Most of all, the exorcists must confront the emotional entity with bravery and faith in the success of his/her mission

5. EASTER

High holy days are often celebrated in the spring, the planting season. These holidays celebrate thanks and hope. Easter is what Christians celebrate as their spring high holy days. Christians pray and give thanks that Jesus willingly gave up his life on earth that others should grow and live. At the same time Christians express hope the high ideals Jesus taught are possible to attain. There is much misconception among Christians about the Dying myth. If Jesus died for your sins why do you need to hear his words? It is not a virtue to hold to the death the things that you must hold dear. Is it possible that Jesus’s greatest gift was one of courage and bravery? If he had this almighty power why didn’t he prevent his own murder? A murder that brought down heavy karma on both Pontius Pilate and the crowd. Is it possible that when they became adversaries they had their own courses to