The gift of contemplation is eternally given; it is always there... It is that moment when the ache in my heart becomes so intense that I can no longer bear it. And in that moment, I cry out in my agony to the One I never knew and have always known. It is the moment when the depth of the ache becomes the depth of the knowing, the moment when I know that I am in the Presence of God.
~ from THE SMELL OF INCENSE, THE SOUND OF SILENCE by John W. Groff, Jr.
If you pass through raging waters
in the sea, you shall not drown.
If you walk amid the burning flames, you shall not be harmed.
If you stand before the pow'r of hell and death is at your side,
know that I am with you through it all.
Be not afraid,
I go before you always.
Come follow me, and
I will give you rest.
~ lyrics from "Be Not Afraid" by John Michael Talbot
