March 14, 2024

How Are We Practicing Ramadan? Islam is not the religious background which has shaped me. I have not experienced practicing Ramadan in an intentional way. My interest in Ramadan is fueled more by my curiosity than by obligation. Ramadan is the name of the ninth month of the Islamic calendar which comes from Arabic for scorching heat or dryness. It is the month during which the Quran was revealed to Muhammad. The dates of Ramadan are based each year on... Read more

March 5, 2024

Having a Good Lent We are almost three weeks into the liturgical season of Lent. How are we doing? Are we having a good Lent? Fortunately, if we are not, we still have plenty of time to make it a good one. What does having a good Lent mean for us? For some of us, it is a matter of feeling particularly sorry and penitent. Some of us prepare for Easter by stocking up on eggs and candy, making sure... Read more

February 29, 2024

What Could We Do With One Extra Day? Many of us live our lives in a race against time. Our days are full of responsibilities and deadlines. We do what we can with the time we have. What could we do with just one extra day? Some of us simply react our way toward goals. We do not take time to look at the big picture or think things through, much less practice being mindful and aware. If only we... Read more

February 27, 2024

Searching for Light in the Darkness We live in a world of deep darkness, searching for light in the darkness. Darkness surrounds us, seeping into how we live our lives and see ourselves. Some of us are afraid of the dark and refuse to acknowledge its presence. The darkness makes some of us feel tired or frustrated. We want to stay in bed wrapped in blankets with our eyes closed. Maybe the darkness will go away. Some of us struggle... Read more

February 15, 2024

Listening to the Stillness of Lent Are we listening to the stillness of Lent this year? Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, the first day of the liturgical season my church calls Lent. Lent is not a season about giving things up. It is not a liturgical second chance when we have not followed through on our New Year’s resolutions. Lent is not primarily about chocolate or caffeine, alcohol or social media. We have begun a season about being honest with ourselves,... Read more

February 13, 2024

Spiritual Spring Cleaning A contemplative Lent is our opportunity to begin some serious spiritual spring cleaning and making space for God. The liturgical season of Lent is not about giving things up or giving them away. It is not about chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, or social media. During Lent, we take an honest, insightful look at who we really are. We reflect on what we hold onto and how it holds us back from becoming our truest selves. Looking ourselves in the... Read more

February 8, 2024

My Stepping Stones from Evangelical to Contemplative Spiritual life invites me to discover the stepping stones from evangelical to contemplative. The church of my childhood was evangelical. The Bible meant what it said. I learned the books of the Bible in order and memorized plenty of King James’ English. The spirituality in which I grew up was direct, uncomplicated, and reassuring. The more I studied the more I knew, and I knew truths other people needed to know. My one... Read more

February 6, 2024

We Strain to Catch a Glimpse of the Sacred It is easy for us to believe what we hold sacred is out of reach. We must strain to catch a glimpse of the sacred, the smallest echo. It is far above us. We struggle to capture a taste of it, to find its aroma. Is the Sacred Even There? There are days when we wonder whether there is anything sacred anywhere at all. The experience of sacredness can feel so... Read more

February 1, 2024

The Feast Day of Saint Brigid Today is the Feast Day of Saint Brigid, also known as Imbolc. Brigid of Kildare, or Brigid of Ireland is the patroness saint of Ireland, one of its three national saints along with Patrick and Columba. She founded the significant abbey of Kildare as well as other convents of nuns. We do not have a great deal of historical detail about Saint Brigid and her life. Much of the story we have is based... Read more

January 30, 2024

What Our Eyes See We trust what our senses tell us and what we experience. The things we can hear and taste, smell and touch and what our eyes see are the boundaries of our belief. Our lives are shaped by many things which are beyond what our eyes can see. We have heard Seeing is believing. The fact is, though, when we can see we do not need to believe. Belief becomes more important, and more challenging, as we go... Read more


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