Week 6 Reading
Anatomy of the Soul (P. 49-108)
How well are you paying attention to what you are paying attention to?
As you read the story of George and his daughter Kristin, what stood out to you? One P. 57 Thompson says “Like George, we can be inattentive to a great many things: our thoughts and feelings, the nonverbal signals we send and receive from others and our-selves, the memories from our developmental years. George was oblivious to the many things that were influencing his experience of God and life. He was missing the undercurrent feelings of sadness and guilt, how his facial expressions and tone of voice revealed his impatience and irritability, and his own mildly increased heart and breathing rates whenever he spoke with his daughter or about his daughter's problems. He was not aware of the activity of his brain stem and limbic circuitry or their influence on his behavior. Nor did he realize how they were shaping the development of his daughter's brain. More-over, ignoring these aspects of his brain's function resulted in his missing ways that God was attempting to capture his attention. Ignoring his brain was the equivalent of ignoring God.” What does this bring up for you? Pray and ask God to begin to reveal to you if there are parts of yourself that are disconnected.
P. 72 says, ‘In order for your experience to change, you must first change what you are doing.” What parts of your experience in life would you like to change (more joy, less stress, more purpose, certain relationships, etc)? What things do you need to change in order to start to change your experience? Have you changed at all (both habits and internal shifts) since starting Rehoboth?
“Your memory creates your future. That's because you imagine the future through the neural networks created by your past. It was true for the Hebrews, and it is true for you today. The experiences that will drive your responses in the future are embedded within your memory.” P. 83-84 Thompson emphasizes that our memories are not fixed; instead, they are reconstructed every time we recall them. This concept is grounded in the science of neuroplasticity — the brain's ability to form and reorganize synaptic connections, especially in response to learning, experience, or trauma healing. Each time we recall a memory, it becomes flexible, giving us an opportunity to reshape its emotional impact. Through practices like prayer, paying attention, storytelling, and safe relationships, we can reframe painful memories with compassion, understanding, and God’s presence. This process allows old wounds to lose their power, transforming them into stories of healing, growth, and redemption. If our memories shape how we respond to the future, how might inviting God into our past experiences change the way we live out our faith moving forward?
Did you struggle with anything you read about? (If no, you don’t need to write more)
Is there anything else you want to share?