Here is the audio file from Day 1 of the Thankfulness Email Campaign:

If you would like to receive a daily email, featuring exercises intended to build gratitude and thankfulness, email otherjeffcampbell7@gmail.com

If you prefer a written description to the audio file:

Hi.  And Welcome to the faith-ing project.  This is the first of our exercise of grattitude-building email campaign.  Most of of the exercises over the next couple weeks will be simply written down.  Today is special for a couple of reasons.

The first is that there is a lot of material to contend with.  It can feel a little clunky to handle this much information written down.

The second is that today is really intended to lay the ground work.  The idea is that today gets us to the doorway of grattitude. Tomorrow, we can go inside.

A little prep work is necessary because some times there are some things we have to work through.  If you are anything like me, it might be that you are tempted to wait, before you feel ready to be greatful  . The struggles and stresses of life can sometimes steal all of our attention. But the truth is, those stresses will always be there.  It is simply not realistic to expect that we are going to get past these things. I suspect that the best we can do is to recognize the world is a multi-faceted place, filled with lots of different experiences.  If there is a better recognition of the different kinds of things that life is full of than Eccliastes 3, I don’t know where that is.

Today’s exercises is, in short, an attempt to really grapple with a part of this chapter of the bible… So,

 

With no further ado, let’s begin.

Find a calm space.  Dim the lights, turn off your phone, and try and make sure you wont be disturbed for the duration of the time you have set aside for this spiritual practice.

 

Place your feet flat on the floor.

 

Release your stresses and obligations.

Breathe deeply.  In through the nose….

Out through your mouth.

 

And, again.  Filling up your lungs beginning at the bottom, filling them, all the way up.

Exhaling them, thoroughly, and with the next breath, on the inhale, focusing on the words:

 

There is a time for everything,

As you exhale, considering this:

   There is  a season for every activity under the heavens:

As you inhale, consider that there is a

2     a time to be born

As you exhale, realize that there is a time to die,

 

With your next inhale, hold the words There is

   a time to plant

With your exhale: there is a time to uproot,

 

Inhale: There is     a time to kill

Exhale: There is a time to heal,

 

Inhale: There is a time to tear down

Exhale: There is a time to build,

 

Inhale: There is a time to weep

Exhale: There is  a time to laugh,

 

Inhale: There is a time to mourn

Exhale: there is a time to dance,

 

Inhale: There is a time to scatter stones

Exhale: There is a time to gather them,

 

Inhale: There is a time to embrace

Exhale: There is a time to refrain from embracing

   

Inhale: There is    a time to search

Exhale: There is a time to give up,

 

Inhale: There is a time to keep

Exhale: There is a time to throw away

   

Inhale: There is a time to tear

Exhale: There is a time to mend

 

Inhale: There is a time to be silent

Exhale: There is a time to speak

 

Inhale: There is a time to love

Exhale: There is a time to hate

 

Inhale: There is a time for war

Exhale: There is a time for peace

Now, continue these slow, peaceful breaths.  And spend a moment consider that there is a time to be thankful, even as we continue to struggle with whatever we struggle with.

 

And as this audio file comes to an end, move into a time of thankfulness for all the rich and varied experiences available to us.  

This is Jeff from the Faith-ing Project.  Thanks for joining us today!

If you are participating in the campaign, via email or just by reading daily on the website, please leave a comment below!  I would love to hear about how the experience was for you.

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