{"id":27019,"date":"2026-05-21T09:41:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T13:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=27019"},"modified":"2026-05-21T09:41:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T13:41:00","slug":"27019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=27019","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Collective Soul - Shine (Lyrics)\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/NAYHt6dEgK4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;opi=89978449&amp;url=https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch%3Fv%3DNAYHt6dEgK4&amp;ved=2ahUKEwi3yPuPvsqUAxXrIUQIHTPtNLQQuAJ6BAgPEAw&amp;usg=AOvVaw0pCKB_WRv_UcQUhDXkU_fP\">PRACTICING<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/cac.org\/themes\/practicing-just-this\/\"> \u201cJUST THIS\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lift Your Voice to God<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Thursday, May 21, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Carmen Acevedo Butcher shares a contemplative practice that allows her to accept \u201cjust this\u201d:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My name, Carmen, means song or poem, which is kind of perfect. I\u2019ve found that I can always sing, especially when things are difficult. We tend to think there are people who can sing, and then there are the rest of us, who probably shouldn\u2019t. But <strong>we can bring singing into our everyday lives as a contemplative practice. It creates these wonderful vibrations in our bodies and allows emotions and energies to move through us.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We don\u2019t need to know a song by heart. Even if we just remember a favorite verse or a line, we can make it our own. It doesn\u2019t have to be a hymn or a song that someone else recommends. We just need to <strong>find something that echoes with our hearts.<\/strong> It could be a line from Cole Arthur Riley or a Mary Oliver poem. We might go to Scripture to find a line like \u201cBe still and know\u201d (Psalm 46:10), or something in the Gospels. I like to jot the words down on a little note card and carry them around with me. Once we have our words, we can just start reading them, saying them, living with them, and letting a song come from there. We can make whatever kind of chant we want with them. For when we steep in words mindfully and repetitively, often a tune emerges spontaneously over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Acevedo Butcher encourages us to <\/em><strong>begin contemplative practice wherever we are in our lives:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>I don\u2019t think we wait until we feel like we\u2019re ready to do it. We don\u2019t have to wait until we\u2019re feeling good. We start even if we\u2019re tired. We start even in the middle of the mess. We start in the middle of a good day or in the middle of a difficult one. It doesn\u2019t matter. We start now.<\/strong> If we want to, we just start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If we wait<\/strong> to start singing\u2014or any kind of contemplative practice\u2014<strong>until we feel peaceful or worthy, we\u2019ll be waiting a very long time. Sometimes, we do a practice, and if we don\u2019t feel peaceful or holy immediately, we think we\u2019ve failed or are doing it wrong. <\/strong>But that\u2019s not the point. The point is that we do them like breathing, just in and out, over and over again. <strong>Fidelity to the practice brings about a healing alchemical effect.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sometimes I\u2019ll begin to sing, \u201cBe still and know that I am God,\u201d and at the same time I\u2019m thinking, \u201cI\u2019m so stressed out today.\u201d It turns into a little dialogue with God, \u201cWhy can\u2019t I be stiller and know that you are?\u201d All these thoughts go around, and <strong>this practice\u2014this repetition <\/strong>of \u201cBe still and know I am God\u201d\u2014<strong>holds the space of stillness and silence. <\/strong>We can pause and \u201cBe still\u201d enough to remember that we are made in God\u2019s image, and we can honor our own voice, God\u2019s voice within us. We don\u2019t have to wait for a special key. <strong>The key is already within us.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Reference:<\/strong><br>Adapted from Carmen Acevedo Butcher with Mike Petrow, \u201cTaking the Practice Out of the Monastery,\u201d\u00a0<em>Essentials of Engaged Contemplation<\/em>, Trimester 1, mod. 3 (Center for Action and Contemplation, 2025). Unavailable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Jesus Calling &#8211; Sarah Young<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<strong>Heaven is both present and future.<\/strong> As you walk along your life-path holding My hand, you are already in touch with the essence of heaven: nearness to Me. You can also find many hints of heaven along your pathway, because <strong>the earth is radiantly alive with My Presence. <\/strong>Shimmering sunshine awakens your heart, gently reminding you of My brilliant Light. Birds and flowers, trees and skies evoke praises to My holy Name. Keep your eyes and ears fully open as you journey with Me.<br>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0At the end of your life-path is an entrance to heaven. Only I know when you will reach that destination, but I am preparing you for it each step of the way. The absolute certainty of your heavenly home gives you Peace and Joy, to help you along your journey. You know that you will reach your home in My perfect timing; not one moment too soon or too late. Let the hope of heaven encourage you, as you walk along the path of Life with Me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>RECOMMENDED BIBLE VERSES:<br><strong>1st Corinthians 15:20-23<\/strong>&nbsp;(NLV)<br><strong><em>&nbsp; 20<\/em>&nbsp;But it is true! Christ has been raised from the dead! He was the first one to be raised from the dead and all those who are in graves will follow.&nbsp;<em>21<\/em>&nbsp;Death came because of a man, Adam. Being raised from the dead also came because of a Man, Christ.&nbsp;<em>22<\/em>&nbsp;All men will die as Adam died. But all those who belong to Christ will be raised to new life.&nbsp;<em>23<\/em>&nbsp;This is the way it is: Christ was raised from the dead first. Then all those who belong to Christ will be raised from the dead when He comes again.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional insight regarding 1st Corinthians 15:20:<\/strong> Jesus as the first part of the harvest was brought to the Temple as an offering (Leviticus 23:10-44). Christ was the first to rise from the dead and never die again. He is our forerunner, the proof of our eventual resurrection to eternal life.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional insight regarding 1st Corinthians 15:21:<\/strong> Death came into the world as a result of Adam and Eve&#8217;s sin. In Romans 5:12-21, Paul explained why Adam&#8217;s sin brought sin to all people, how death and sin spread to all humans because of the first sin, and the parallel between Adam&#8217;s death and Christ&#8217;s death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>Hebrews 6:19 (NLV)<\/u><\/strong><br><strong><em>19<\/em>&nbsp;This hope is a safe anchor for our souls. It will never move. This hope goes into the Holiest Place of All behind the curtain of heaven.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additional insight regarding Hebrews 6:19: God embodies all truth; therefore, he cannot lie, and we can be secure in his promises. We don&#8217;t need to wonder if he will change his purposes and plans. Our hope of heaven stands secure and immovable, anchored in God, just as a ship&#8217;s anchor holds firmly to the seabed. <strong>To someone truly seeking who comes to God in belief, God gives an unconditional promise of acceptance.<\/strong> When you ask God with openness, honesty, and sincerity to save you from your sins, he will do it. If this truth gives you encouragement, assurance, and confidence, grasp it. Don&#8217;t let go no matter what happens around you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Books &amp; Literature<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Today&#8217;s Prayer:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Lord,<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>As I journey with You, I&#8217;m reminded of heaven&#8217;s nearness. Your presence fills me with Peace and Joy, reassuring me that You&#8217;re leading me to my heavenly home. Help me keep my eyes and ears open to Your guidance along the way. Amen.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PRACTICING \u201cJUST THIS\u201d Lift Your Voice to God Thursday, May 21, 2026 Carmen Acevedo Butcher shares a contemplative practice that allows her to accept \u201cjust this\u201d: My name, Carmen, means song or poem, which is kind of perfect. I\u2019ve found that I can always sing, especially when things are difficult. We tend to think there [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27019"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27019"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27019\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27024,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27019\/revisions\/27024"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27019"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27019"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27019"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}