Helping Bring Spirituality to Life I recently participated in a panel for a church about the topic What Is So Great About Spiritual Direction, Anyway? I hope we helped bring spirituality to life for people. We talked about what spiritual direction is, and is not, and why anyone might want or need a spiritual director. Part of our conversation was about how the pandemic and the quarantine has changed the way we understand spirituality. We also talked about questions from the... Read more
The Sacred in the Everyday Many of us seem to think our lives are like a garden. We want clearly defined borders between the different parts of our lives. Some of us act like we do not want the various aspects of our lives getting confused or cross-pollinating. We expect to experience what is sacred at particular times in special places and do not look for the sacred in the everyday. It is easy for us to seek what is... Read more
Awake & Restless & Looking for Stillness Some of us try to go to bed and find ourselves awake and restless and looking for stillness. We might be full of regret about things we did, or did not do, during the day. Some of us find ourselves fixated on decisions we need to make or work we would like to complete. Anxiety or fantasies about what the future holds for us could be running through our minds. Our strategy might... Read more
Our Souls Cry Out For Something More We have survived the pandemic, protecting and preserving ourselves and whatever else we could. Some of us feel we have done more than we expected, more than we imagined we could. We have now arrived at a place beyond where we thought we could get, and our souls cry out for something more. There are times when what we have lost overwhelms us. Many of us have set aside people and possessions and... Read more
A Weekend of Sabbath Rest One practice I am working to develop this year is taking regular weekends of Sabbath rest. A Sabbath is time set aside for rest and worship. Much of how we understand our practice of Sabbath comes from Jewish traditions. The word comes from the Hebrew word for “seventh” and the Jewish Sabbath is on the seventh day of the week. Some of us understand a Sabbath not only in terms of worship. We may think... Read more
The Divine Heart: Seven Ways to Live in God’s Love Many of us have spent the last year or so struggling to keep going. We have been learning to live in ways which include keeping our social distance, wearing masks, and connecting with people virtually. Many of us have felt disoriented and sad. We seem to have lost our understanding of how to live in God’s love or connect to God’s divine heart. In The Divine Heart, Colette Lafia describes... Read more
How Our Words Fail Us Many of us live our lives surrounded by and filled with words. We believe we can understand what we can explain and put into words. Our confidence grows until the time when words fail us. Something deep inside us believes in the power of words. We live in a culture of articulation. Words are our way of understanding and controlling the world around us. We put thoughts and feelings into words the same way we... Read more
Spiritual Life Outside the Box Many of us seem focused on making sure spiritual life never escapes, never gets outside the box. We see spiritual life as separate and distinct from the rest of our lives. There is apparently a particular time and a specific place for spiritual life. Our work life, family life, and all the other parts of our lives are distinct from spiritual life. We experience our political life, including how we treat other people, as different... Read more
Early on an April Morning I walk out the door just before dawn breaks, early on an April morning. It is a fresh spring morning, and the day stretches before me full of potential adventures. There are a few tasks I hope to complete this morning, and I am taking time for walking and reflecting. My practice of pilgrimages around the neighborhood, on its best days, is a contemplative way to pay attention. Pandemic restrictions encouraged me to spend time indoors for... Read more
A Year of Isolation and Being Alone Many of us have experienced more isolation and time alone in the last year than we ever have before. Some of us feel as if our communities have been stripped away and stolen from us. We long for a return to living in ways we can get together with friends and spend time talking. Some of us have lost people who kept us from feeling alone, and we wonder if our isolation will... Read more
Strategic Monk
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