Hello!

In response to this week’s review of Pilgrimage of a Soul, someone asked what I have against contemplative spirituality. I’ve heard some people apply the term to a quiet life of prayer. One in which you spend time in solitude to clear your mind and converse with God. That’s fine; we DO need quiet times of prayer. Unfortunately, the growing trend of contemplative spirituality that is popular involves a mixture of new age, eastern mysticism, and secular humanistic elements. If you are quietly and prayerfully journeying, and are focused on Christ…that’s ok. When you start trying to tap into the “god within us….spiritual oneness”, when you remove the focus from Jesus and place it on human reasoning or on yourself, and when you manipulate Bible verses to support your purpose…there’s a problem.
Simply expressed, contemplative prayer encourages the use of breathing techniques and repetitive chanting to achieve an altered state of higher consciousness. This is simply transcendental meditation (TM). Wrap TM in some scripture verses and throw in the backing of one or two big names and the end product is contemplative spirituality.
You can check out the review of Pilgrimage of a Soul at this link: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art38842.asp

On a brighter note, Pursuit of Justice by DiAnn Mills is scheduled to be released on October 1, 2010. Amazon.com is currently taking orders. The book, set in West Texas, is about FBI agent, Bella Jordan, who races to solve the murders surrounding the legend of the treasure of Spider Rock. Returning to West Texas means Bella must face the demons from her past.
If you, or someone you like, enjoy books similar to Nora Roberts (Angel Falls and Montana Sky), you’ll like DiAnn’s book. An award winning writer, DiAnn makes herself available to book clubs. There is a contact tab on her website, www.diannmills.com.
If you haven’t already read it, the review can be found here………….. http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art18111.asp
Blessings!
Lyn Sedmina, Christian Literature Editor
http://christianliterature.bellaonline.com
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