Spiritual Life Can Be a Real Pain

Last updated on: April 18, 2015 at 4:40 am By Greg Richardson

I know people who seem to give the impression spiritual life is nothing but blissful comfort and joy. My experience of spiritual life is different. Spiritual life has lessons to change our lives, deep truths, inspiring examples. Spiritual life touches our most excruciating pain and unforgettable anguish. Spiritual life finds and fills us in our most challenging, painful moments. When loss or abandonment breaks our hearts, when illness or injury torments our bodies, when we cannot understand. Our lives are lived with pain. Sacred... Read more

Working for the Long Run

Last updated on: April 16, 2015 at 4:40 am By Greg Richardson

It is easy for us to get caught up in what needs to be done immediately. We have a list of work we need to do this morning, today, this week, and this month. Our long range goals are for this year. We work to make progress right now, and keep moving. We may not remember the projects and goals we worked on last year, or the year before. We have no idea what we will be working on next year, or... Read more

Leadership is Helping Things Grow

Last updated on: April 14, 2015 at 4:40 am By Greg Richardson

People who help things grow impress me. As a boy, I grew up surrounded by people who helped things like corn, soybeans, and other crops grow. I have never been a farmer, though my friends include farmers, gardeners, even landscape architects. It takes hard work and wisdom to help things grow. Much of the work happens before anything is actually growing. The ground needs to be fed and watered, prepared for planting. Ground that has been frozen or not produced... Read more

Spiritual Life is Beyond Words

Last updated on: April 11, 2015 at 4:40 am By Greg Richardson

It is a challenge to put spiritual life into words. Words do not seem to fit deep spiritual truths. Some words feel too small to express what cannot be measured or evaluated. We hold onto what we think the words mean for us, which can distract us from the depths of spiritual life. How we appreciate spiritual life seems to shrink to fit into our words. Many people rely on words from their experience to try to describe or explain spiritual life.... Read more

Making Life Work

Last updated on: April 9, 2015 at 4:40 am By Greg Richardson

We put a lot of time and attention into making life work for us. Sometimes everything fits, all the pieces work together well. We see ourselves doing a good job. Nothing catches us by surprise, everything is balanced and complete. Our efforts are paying off, life is working well for us. There are other times when life is like a puzzle we cannot solve. No matter how hard we try, there are extra pieces left over at the end. Just when we find... Read more

Leadership Believes in People

Last updated on: April 7, 2015 at 4:40 am By Greg Richardson

People are amazing. People are dazzling in their variety, their potential, their ability to surprise. Each person has their own unique perspective on their experience. Each tells their story their own way. It is impossible to understand a person based on how they look. We need to listen to the stories locked inside each of them to appreciate them. Believing in them is the key that unlocks the wonders hidden in each person. There are people who have never felt that... Read more

What Happens Now?

Last updated on: April 4, 2015 at 4:40 am By Greg Richardson

I belong to a liturgical church. We divide our years into liturgical seasons. One of those seasons, Lent, is ending. Lent is about assessing and making changes to find balance in our lives. Some people choose something to give up or do without for Lent, while others decide to develop new qualities or habits. I have talked with people who chose something challenging to give up this year who are eager for Lent to be over. They are looking forward to... Read more

Working Up a Sweat

Last updated on: April 2, 2015 at 4:40 am By Greg Richardson

We measure our strength by testing ourselves to find out how far we can go. Even when we compete against someone else, our truest competitors are ourselves. We build strength by pushing against our limits. We want to run faster, push harder, or create more innovative technology than we have before. We want to continue developing new skills, meeting new challenges. We work hard, pushing ourselves to get stronger. We want to become stronger, better, smarter, more accomplished each day. We want... Read more

Guest Post: The Practice of Invigorating Leadership Skills

Last updated on: March 31, 2015 at 4:40 am By Greg Richardson

Wendy Wolff believes in saying what needs to be said. She is a good listener and facilitator. Wendy appreciates the value both of contemplation and of action. She knows that life is personal as well as public. Wendy understands the importance of writing good letters. When her sister was killed in a car accident, Wendy found solace in writing letters to her sister, the drunk driver who caused the accident, and her teenaged son. Her letters sparked her Letter Writing Project. Wendy is a good friend to... Read more

Sparking the Fire of Spiritual Life

Last updated on: March 28, 2015 at 4:40 am By Greg Richardson

We all have times when spiritual life feels far from us. The fire within us has apparently gone out, leaving us alone in the cold and dark. The idea of sacred depth all around us, or even in us, seems ridiculous, laughable. We believe spiritual life should be comforting, supportive. We do not feel comforted or supported. Each step feels like a struggle. We do not want to let other people down, but we do not feel spiritual life within us. People try... Read more