Dwelling Places: Phronema (FROH-nee-mah) and Light.
Hello Friends,
Time and life this month has been of joy and sorrow, and most precious, which has kept me a little behind in writing this.
Today, this week, and throughout the coming days, I invite you to join me on a path of word trails. Some of you, maybe most of you have walked a rocky, dirt covered, sandy, or paved trail with me, and if you haven’t you’re always welcome to.
But a word trail may be new to you or somewhat familiar. What I hope most of all with this word trail is that it will be spacious.
image shot @ Los Poblanos Open Space
“Our path gets ever brighter”
Proverbs 4:18
“...the path of the just is like the light of dawn,
That shines
Brighter and brighter
Until it reaches its full strength and glory in
The perfect day.”
Throughout the past couples months, I have had this word “Phronema” surfacing in my thoughts, occasionally rolling off my tongue, and captivated by its meaning. A word that embraces “process” excites me, it’s deep within the ways I see life, creativity, and engage with details.
Be this in photographing, or gazing at an artist’s painting, sculpture, or installation. And often on a walk looking closely at nature’s wonders– the wide open space, then the narrowing or zeroing in on the smallest of details, and then opening up more space and the layering of more details much like a life’s journey rather than the end result, product, or finality.
Phronema is a new word for me that came about from one of my readings—its meaning “thought process” or “how we think.” I am always fascinated by the mind set, how processing gives clarity and distinction to patterns of actions, living out the day to day and much more.
Phronema was introduced to me in Dr. Eugenia Constantiou’s book Thinking Orthodox, below are some of the resonating quotes from listening in to this new word:
“Comes from the Greek root phren” (24)
“In Romans 5:15, Paul uses phronema to promote unity of thoughts
“May the God of patience and consolation grant you [to have] the same mindset among one another according to Christ Jesus.” (26)
Phronema is translated with a variety of English words, such as “mind.” “mentality,” “thought,” “attitude,” “approach,” and “stance.” (29)
“It is difficult to define because phronema involves not just mental attitude but one’s entire way of life. It is “a scriptural, traditional, doctrinal, historical spirit” that “is reflected and existentialized in the liturgical life of the individual.” (29)
These are some of the chords lingering from this new word. I’m not going to dive much further into this word. But to share that it has given me a greater love for God’s mystery and workings in our lives, and other believers within the West and particularly the East. The Spirit of God is moving my heart beyond borders and walls once in place, and continues to lead me to discover the beautiful vastness of God’s love, salvation, and transformation into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.
I know I may sound vague. I often am. I am still learning. But also desire for you to discover something that is spacious and precious to you through walking word trails.
If questions arise, I invite you to contact me, explore and converse with a friend, or begin your own journey with this word phronema.
Another word trail,
LIGHT.
The beautiful collision of the new word phronema came at the same time with this old and familiar word LIGHT, in particular studying “Believers and the light of God.”
Over the course of this year, I continue to embark on and enjoy using word outlines from the back pages of my bible.
There is an intentional phronema when we look into the Scriptures, meditate, pray, and wonder about our interaction with God, who He is, in our world, in our communities, and within our being— mind, heart, soul, and the body.
The invitation is to offer you time with phronema and light to explore on your own.
So with this, I lead you off on your path to gaze upon the gift, the power, and radiance of our relationship with the light of God.
Below is the outline for Believer’s and the LIGHT of God:
—We are enlightened…. Heb 6:4, 10:32
—We are children of the light……1 Th 5:5, Mt 5:14
—We are called into God’s light……………..1 Pe 2:9
—We confess that the Lord is our light…Ps 27:1, Mic 7:8-9
—We walk in the light……………..Isa 2:5, 1 Jn 1:5, 7
—We live as children of the light……….Eph 5:8-11
—We shall someday enter the kingdom of light…….Col 1:12-13
—We look for a new heaven of only light…….Is 60:19, Rev 21:23, 22:5
—Our path gets ever brighter……..Proverbs 4:18
