Spiritual Direction in the Current Christian Climate

March 12, 2019 By Teresa Blythe

Increasingly, people “done with Christianity” are showing up in spiritual direction. White evangelical Christian support for Donald Trump through a troubled presidency is causing some young adults to “break up with their church” and others to avoid church altogether.i I saw the statistics and heard lots of commentary on this, but it was a gut-punch to read what pastor and writer Jayson D. Bradley (@jaysondbradley) posted on Twitter recently.ii This post drove home to me how serious it is when... Read more

Works Without Faith Can be Deadening, Too

January 9, 2019 By Teresa Blythe

Within the Christian context, most of us know the passage in James that says “faith without works is dead.” And that is certainly true. But what I observe in many churches (especially progressive liberal ones) is that “works without faith are deadening.” Both are true — they are two sides of the same coin. We are over the age-old conflict that pits contemplation and action against one another (activists complaining that contemplatives need to get off their meditation cushions and... Read more

Advent Meditation for Christmas Eve: Lectio Divina with Matthew’s Nativity

December 24, 2018 By Teresa Blythe

There are only two stories of Jesus’ birth in the Gospels — Luke’s and Matthew’s. For this prayer, we will be using lectio divina (praying with scripture) with Matthew’s nativity story. When praying scripture, it is more important that you allow the scripture to speak to you than it is to intellectually understand it. There is a time and place for interpretation and historical context, but lectio divina is not about putting it all together and making sense of scripture,... Read more

Advent Meditation for Dec. 23: Praying the Nativity

December 23, 2018 By Teresa Blythe

Our Advent imagination prayer is getting closer to the manger! Today’s passage around the Nativity has the angels departing for heaven and the shepherds taking to the road to Bethlehem to check out this birth for themselves. As you imagine yourself part of the shepherd’s caravan, see if you can catch the emotion so close to the Nativity scene. The Practice Begin by turning your attention to the presence of God in prayer. Ask for the awareness of how God... Read more

Advent Meditation for Dec. 22: Praying the Benedictus

December 22, 2018 By Teresa Blythe

One of the most beautiful passages in Luke’s gospel is the prophecy of Zechariah, a poem known as the Benedictus. Zechariah was a priest married to Elizabeth and in their advanced age they conceived a long awaited child — a boy who would become John the Baptist, a relative of Jesus. Zechariah didn’t believe the angel Gabriel when he said that Elizabeth would bear a child, so as a sign of his lack of faith, Zechariah was stripped of his... Read more

Advent Meditation for Dec. 21: Imagining the Heavenly Host

December 21, 2018 By Teresa Blythe

As we continue our Advent imagination prayer with Luke’s birth narrative, we spend more time today with the shepherds, angel and the multitude of the heavenly host. Imagination prayer has a long history. St. Ignatius of Loyola built his Spiritual Exercises — a set of meditations, reflections and practices to draw a person’s heart deeper toward Christ — on imagination prayers. He invites us to become part of the scene as our minds imagine what it might have been like in... Read more

Advent Meditation for Dec. 20: Prayer of Desire

December 20, 2018 By Teresa Blythe

Desire is a popular emotion in Advent. Advertisers use our superficial desires in the hope that we will want and buy things we (and our gift recipients) probably don’t need. This prayer looks at our deeper desires — the ones that come from God and inspire us to fulfill what God wants for us. This is a good prayer to use when you feel like your desires are getting out of hand. It allows you to give them over to... Read more

Advent Meditation for Dec. 19: A Second Dialogue with Scripture

December 19, 2018 By Teresa Blythe

When Jesus begins a story with “What do you think?” we are invited to share exactly what we think about the story in scripture. The following is an illustration about what it means to be faithful. So, what do you think? The Practice Matthew 21:28-32: The Parable of the Two Sons 28 “What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 The son answered,... Read more

Advent Meditation for Dec. 18: Journaling As Prayer

December 18, 2018 By Teresa Blythe

Advent is a time of reflection, and one of the best ways to reflect is journaling. Paying attention to what has been, what is, and what we hope will be in the future — just as Mary pondered the mystery of what God was doing in her life, we ponder the same. It may not feel as dramatic as Mary’s experience, but it is still very important. Journaling to connect with God has a long history with Christians. Much of... Read more

Advent Meditation for Dec. 17: Prayer Walk

December 17, 2018 By Teresa Blythe

Advent heralds the beginning of winter, a time when many of us seek comfort and warmth inside our homes. This prayer invites you to bundle up and go outside for a little while. It’s a great practice for people who find they need to be doing something active in order to focus on God. Mindful walking is a devotional practice in many religions. It is prayer in motion, walking calmly and confidently in God’s presence. It differs from your daily... Read more