Good Night, Daddy
Here's another portion of my personal Breviary. I pray through this from memory once I climb into bed at night. It's been a great way to consecrate myself to God and surrender to "the honey-heavy dew of slumber" (from Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare). The content of Good Night, Daddy is as follows:
The Our Father
Our Father, who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.
Amen.
Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep
Now I lay me down to sleep...
I pray the Lord my soul to keep...
If I should die before I wake...
I know my soul the Lord will take.
Dear Father...Please grant me a quiet night of peaceful rest and illuminating dreams. Speak into my heart what I need to hear; show me what I need to see. Teach me and train me as I sleep.
Lord Jesus Christ...Place a hedge of thorns around my heart, soul, mind, and body. Please protect me from the attacks and assaults of the enemy. Rise up, O Jesus, and defend me. Come quickly to my aid and rescue me from the fowler's snare. For Thou Art My Refuge and Ever Present Help in times of difficulty and trouble. Lord, I offer You these prayers in Your Name. May they burn timelessly before You...like incense.
Father...I want to walk before you in holiness, humility, purity, goodness, justice, faithfulness, and loving-kindness, and in presentness, paschal rhythm, equanimity, wholeness, mastery, gladness, prayerfulness, and thankfulness all the days of my life.
Father...I want to walk before you in holiness, humility, and purity of heart all the days of my life.
Holy Father...Please eradicate from my life all traces of pride, lust, greed, gluttony, envy, bitterness, and deceitfulness.
Holy Father...Please heal me on the inside; and, as You do, please help me to reconnect with my prayerful, tender-hearted, and somewhat mischievous sense of humor.
Dear Father...Help me to do the right thing every time and in every situation.
Dear Father...Circumsizse and sanctify my sexuality. As painful as it might feel at times, cut away that which doesn't belong, that which isn't me, that which isn't of You. Dear Father...set apart my sexuality for Your Holy and Righteous Purposes. Oh God...may it be Blessed by You and, to the praise of Your Glory, expressed, in and through me, lovingly, genuinely, and generatively. In the Name of Jesus, I ask these things.
My Monastic Vows
In the Name of Jesus, I vow…
To not be deceitful.
To not take what isn't mine.
To not engage in sexual activity outside of marriage.
To not take a human life (unless, of course, that life seems hell-bent on taking mine or that of someone close to me).
To not use food, stimulants, depressants, or alcohol.
To be kind—to myself and others.
To pursue intimate and divine union with God Almighty.
Limited as I am, to seek, in every moment, to incarnate the very Thoughts and Feelings of God.
To pursue life mastery—principally, through martial arts practice, holistic discipline, and meditative prayer. And…
To empty myself into other people—principally by coming alongside them as their slave and by living a life of genuine selflessness.
In and through these vows, O God, I pledge my heart to Heaven.
The JSD (Jiin Senshi Do) Ethos
For freedom's sake, I punish myself in training drive fear from my heart, and empty myself out before God. Like a rescue swimmer, I brave the deep so others may live.
The JSD Motto
Semper paratus..."Ever prepared..."
Semper fidelis..."Ever faithful..."
Semper volens..."Ever willing..."
De oppresso liber..."To find and free the oppressed...(having been found and freed myself)"
OOO-rah! "Godspeed! God-willing! Good hunting!"
The JSD Ethos
For freedom's sake, I punish myself in training drive fear from my heart, and empty myself out before God. Like a rescue swimmer, I brave the deep so others may live.
For freedom's sake, I punish myself in training drive fear from my heart, and empty myself out before God. Like a rescue swimmer, I brave the deep so others may live.
For freedom's sake, I punish myself in training drive fear from my heart, and empty myself out before God. Like a rescue swimmer, I brave the deep so others may live.
IKIGAI Weekly Blog Schedule (per The Training Trinity):
Mondays: Meditative Prayer
Wednesdays: Holistic Discipline
Fridays: Martial Arts Practice
