Chapter 2BE MINDFUL, NOT MINDLESS The importance of being in the moment
One of my favourite pieces of research, and by extension favourite stories to share, explores the experiences of a group of seminarians back in the 1970s.
The Princeton Theological Seminary (PTS) sits within Princeton University, just south of New York, in the United States. Established in 1812, PTS defines itself as a school that unites piety of the heart with ‘solid learning’. It is a training centre for church leaders that specialises in preaching — what they describe as ‘the cure of souls’, evangelism and missions.
People joining the priesthood tend to see it as a calling rather than just an avenue to fulltime employment. They internalise and embody the teachings of the Bible and use parables such as The Lost Coin, The Rich Fool and The Unmerciful Servant to preach and cure souls. Whether you know these three parables or not, I reckon you'd know the parable of The Good Samaritan.
It's a parable that Jesus shares in answer to a lawyer who asks how he can achieve eternal life.
Jesus responds, ‘What is written in the law? How do you read it?’
The lawyer says, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all ...
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