Devotion. How can we cultivate a deeper devotion to God? This is one question I ask frequently in my prayers and my journal. A question I hear in my spiritual direction practice. A question that arises from the hearts of the readers of this blog. I was pondering this the other day when I saw a book, an old friend, on my shelf that I hadn’t read for a while: A Testament of Devotion by Thomas Kelly. What a great find to reread and savor once again. A Testament of Devotion practically jumped into my hands. I wanted to find a classic to feature as this month’s Healthy Spirituality Book Chat and instead of my searching for one, it found me! “Deep within us all there is an amazing inner sanctuary of the soul, a holy place, a Divine Center, a speaking Voice, to which we may continuously return.” A Testament of Devotion The theme of this book is the discovery and exploration of the presence of God within us. Basically, A Testament of Devotion is five essays, titled: The … [Read more...]
Meet Amelia Bloomer
Amelia Bloomer. Ever hear of her before? I didn’t until recently when I read her fascinating story. She was featured on Lent Madness as one of the 32 Christians placed into a tournament-like single elimination bracket for 2017. She made it to the Final Four of this fun and educational match up of the faithful. I knew once I heard her story, she would be a great one to share here on this blog. Healthy Spirituality Friends, meet Amelia Bloomer. Amelia Bloomer’s Story Amelia was born in 1818 in Homer, New York and is known as publisher, social reformer, fashion designer, women's rights advocate, and a journalist. A member of the Episcopal Church, she fought not only for the rights of women, but also assisted poverty-stricken people through various charitable causes. She died in December 1894. Hard for us in the 21st century to imagine what it was like for women in the United States in the mid 19th century. Women were expected to keep silent – hushed by the culture, laws, … [Read more...]
A.W. Tozer – Person of the Month
A.W. Tozer – I bet you know his name and maybe read his books, such as the Pursuit of God or The Knowledge of the Holy. But what do you know about his man? Here at Healthy Spirituality we explore different faith practices and learn the stories of people of faith to fuel our faith and nourish a healthy spirituality. I love learning the background of others before us who walked in faith – so much wisdom and lessons in their stories. We discover our own story within their stories, all encompassed in God’s story. Let’s meet A. W. Tozer. A.W. Tozer – His Story Of course, the first question is what does the A. W. stand for? And the answer is: Aiden Wilson. Now you can impress your friends with that bit of info. Here are some highlights from his life: Lived 1897-1963. Became a Christian at age eighteen and was ordained at age twenty-three, serving in the Alliance Church . Wrote more than thirty books. He wrote the rough draft of the book he is best known for: … [Read more...]
Living a Life of Prayer
This month we have been exploring prayer on the Tending the Holy Thursdays. Each month on my Thursday posts, I pick one theme (or person of faith) to explore. The past few Thursdays, we looked at the flow and rhythms/habits of prayer and last week listed some tools and thoughts about prayer. I thought we’d finish with an example how one man’s passion for prayer led to his whole life becoming prayer. Each month I also include a free download to accompany the month’s topic. This month I took a PDF I offered one time last year and expanded it to include new information. “Prayer: 13 Ideas for Keeping Prayer Fresh” is available at no cost by clicking the button at the end of this post. I added ideas for prayer triggers and included a list of well-loved prayer from others besides adding new resources. It is my hope and prayer that this series and the download will enhance your walk with God. Be sure to sign up to get Healthy Spirituality in your inbox, so you don’t miss any of the … [Read more...]
A Look Inside the Life and Love of Katharina and Martin Luther
Next October many churches will observe the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. I am on my church’s planning committee for the activities for 2017 which include our pastor’s 50th year of ordination, our church’s 150th and the Reformation observance. Quite a year, isn’t it? A New Book about Katharina and Martin Luther A new book by my friend, Michelle DeRusha, called Katharina and Martin Luther officially releases next week on January 31. I am on her book launch team and was lucky enough to read an early copy. I am thrilled to have this resource for helping me teach others in my church about the life and love of Katharina and Martin. This well researched and wonderfully written book is essential for anyone wanting to know more about how they lived and how they found each other. I knew some things about Martin Luther, but not very much about his wife and former nun, Katharina. Michelle offers an insightful glimpse into what marriage and the rights – in honesty, the lack of … [Read more...]
Who was Marguerite Porete?
Who was Marguerite Porete? Last week we met two Beguines, Hadewijch and Mechthild. This week Marguerite Porete is coming for a visit. In October, we have been exploring who the Beguines were and been learning about several of the women whose names we know from history. This is part of Healthy Spirituality’s Tending the Holy Thursday series that highlights a spiritual practice or a person(s) of faith for several weeks, so we can explore the topic with more depth. You can check out the first post in the Beguine series here to catch up on the history about this fascinating group of Christian women from the 1300’s and then last week’s Beguine women here. As usual with each month’s theme, I have an additional FREE download for you. I created something different this month: a fun word search using words describing the Beguines. You can get this freebie by clicking on the button at the end of this post. Who was Marguerite Porete? Born in France in 1250 and is known as a Christian … [Read more...]
Who were Hadewijch and Mechthild?
Who were Hadewijch and Mechthild? Let’s meet these two Beguine women. Wait? Who are the Beguines? You can check out last week’s post here to catch up on the history about this fascinating group of Christian women from the 1300’s. In October, we will be exploring who the Beguines were and learn more about several of the women who wrote and whose names we know from history. This is part of Healthy Spirituality’s Tending the Holy Thursday series that highlights a spiritual practice or a person(s) of faith for several weeks so we can explore the topic with more depth, As usual with each month’s theme, I have an additional FREE download for you. I created something different this month: a fun word search using words describing the Beguines. You can get this freebie by clicking on the button at the end of this post. And two of the answers on the word search are those strange names in the title of today’s post: Hadewijch and Mechthild. Let’s meet these two ladies and find the … [Read more...]
Who are the Beguines?
Who are the Beguines? I didn’t know about these women, collectively called the Beguines, until I began my spiritual direction education 12 years ago. Just today I had a conversation with a friend and we both shared that our knowledge of strong Christian women from our history is weak. I told her about the Beguines and just knew I had to feature them on this month’s Tending the Holy Thursdays. Tending the Holy Thursday highlights for several weeks a spiritual practice or a person(s) of faith, so we can explore the topic with more depth. For October, we will learn more about who the Beguines were, then dive deeper into several of the women who wrote and whose names we know. As usual with each month’s theme, I have an additional FREE download for you. I created something different this month: a fun wordsearch using words describing the Beguines. You can get this freebie by clicking on the button at the end of this post. Who are the Beguines? I could probably write a book … [Read more...]