Leave It to Leaves
Leave It to Leaves
This past spring, my husband and I moved to Pennsylvania after having lived in the South for the past eleven years.
One of the changes I found myself recently needing to take advantage of was a forecasted warmer fall day…
Spiritual Resources for Activism
Criticism of “thoughts and prayers” often appear on protest signs, charging that “thoughts and prayers” don’t change anything.
Of course, there is some truth to that.
If we think and pray but take no action, what have we done?
How…
The Holy Gaze of Art
Have you ever let words fall away?
I don’t mean a week long silent retreat or a time of quiet meditation in your day.
Rather, have you ever placed books, articles, podcasts, news and teachings of others aside to deeply…
An aid to coping with anxiety
Reflecting on their challenge with generalized chronic anxiety, one person found they fell into five fairly distinct classifications:
Worries about disasters which, as later events proved, never happened (about 40% of their anxieties). Worries about decisions they had made…
How do I listen to others?
“How do I listen to others?
“As if everyone were my master speaking to me their cherished last words.” Hafiz
For those of us who offer spiritual companioning, coaching, therapy, or pastoral care, we spend a good bit of…
The Spirituality of Dialogue
I am excited to explore what is for me a new adventure in the spiritual formation program: the spirituality of dialogue.
There is the far-too-narrow notion that spirituality is strictly one’s own business, something cultivated within one’s self with God, or in the company of others in prayer and Lectio Divina.
But I’ve come…
A Sense of Wonder
Winters where I live, along the rugged coast of Maine, are a test of character.
The snows make their first appearance in November and remain a regular if occasional presence through May.
When the first real blizzard comes, it drops…
Help your church members grow spiritually this year
A student in one of my online classes asked a great question:
How do I encourage members to reflect and think theologically?
I’m having a hard time coming up with an example of what that would even look like in…
Doodling with God: An Active Prayer
Everyone can doodle! No skill required! The movement of coloring and drawing can help you center and see your unspoken prayers.
Below are two simple ways to begin. You will need a sheet of paper (or a journal like this…
Advent Resources: Walk a Labyrinth
The labyrinth is an ancient symbol and path found in many cultures. In our tradition, it is used to represent the Christian journey, walked to deepen one’s relationship with God. The path in is the path out.
Walking a labyrinth…
For the Bookshelf: Exploring Spirituality, An Ecumencial Reader
Exploring Spirituality: An Ecumenical Reader, edited by Kenneth J. Collins, is a collection of twenty-four essays in which Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, and Methodist writers describe the unique forms of spirituality that have emerged from their traditions.
…
And Jesus Wept: a good idea
There is a very poignant moment in Scripture that gets little exegesis, it seems, but it touches the deepest nerve of a people in mourning for the loss of the character of their nation. Like our own.
It is the…
Practicing Kindness
In my sermon for Reformation Sunday (October 25th), the Rev. Fred Rogers was one of my key examples for the sermon titled “We are All Members of the Family of God.”
The line from his song reverberated with me.
“It’s…
Love Those Classics
Every once in a while, at my former church, we’d break out the old (and I mean old) hymnbooks for a Wednesday evening hymn sing.
People would call out the numbers of their favorite hymns to the song leader and…
Soul Tending: An Exploration of Practices for Spiritual Nourishment and Growth
We have entered into an unusual and deeply challenging season in the life of the world.
Whether we wanted to go there or not, we are now in many ways wandering this wilderness together and apart.
Many of us are…
