Do you practice honoring the Sabbath? If so, in what ways do you remember this sacred time of rest and refuge? In November, Sabbath is the theme for Healthy Spirituality’s Tending the Holy Thursday series where I highlight a spiritual practice or a person(s) of faith for several weeks, so we can explore the topic with more depth. It is my hope and prayer we all can learn something new, gain ideas, and be motivated to dig deeper into this practice. How is God inviting us into Sabbath? As usual with each month’s theme, I have an additional FREE download for you. I knew I wanted to learn more what the Bible said about Sabbath and was surprised at the number of verses referring to Sabbath. Then I began to dive into quotes from the writings of others who pondered the Sabbath and I was amazed at the nuggets of wisdom I discovered. So I compiled them for you into a PDF called “Quotes and Verses to Ponder About the Sabbath” and you can obtained this resource by simply clicking the … [Read more...]
Monthly Musings –What I Learned in October
Monthly Musings Each month I pause and take a look back at what I am discovering, learning, and exploring in life – I call these my monthly musings. I believe strongly in living a reflective life as a spiritual practice. We rush through life, often missing the lessons, enjoying the highlights and sleeping through what we should be paying attention to. Capturing these special moments gives meaning, depth, and delight to life. Let’s wake up to the wonders in the ordinary all around us. I record what I notice on the pages of my Monthly Musing Journal. You can use anything, scrapes of papers, a journal or a calendar. Copies of my Monthly Musing Journal are available on Amazon and are a convenient way to keep track of the little things in life we often miss. Or if you want to click the button at the end of this post to get a free copy of my one sheet Monthly Musing handout. October Monthly Musings Lessons Learned The trees light up with fire here in northwest Ohio in … [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...]
Quotes to Ponder
I love reading quotes to ponder. If you have been reading Healthy Spirituality for very long, you know I love quotes – concise bits of wisdom - to breath into our souls and meditate in our mind. I have been writing some long posts lately and think a shorter one is in order. How about some quotes to ponder today? The following words have been lingering in my heart lately and stirring up conversation between my deeper self and with God: Without faith there would be little meaning in my life. I should be ‘a mere pillar of darkness in the dark.’ Observers in the full enjoyment of their bodily senses pity me, but it is because they do not see the golden chamber in my life where I dwell delighted; for, dark as my path may seem to them, I carry a magic light in my heart. Faith, the spiritual strong searchlight, illumines the way, and although sinister doubts lurk in the shadow, I walk unafraid towards the Enchanted Wood where the foliage is always green, where joy abides, where … [Read more...]
The Powerful Possibilities in Pondering Questions
The Powerful Possibilities in Pondering Questions Questions can be a powerful spiritual tool that helps us hear God, stretch and grow and stay alive, not dormant and stale. What are the powerful possibilities in pondering questions? For a long time, I thought life consisted of finding the answers and playing by those rules. I didn’t like the tension between knowing and the living in the gray area of unknowing. I used to seek the supremacy of feeling you are in control, having your act together, wearing the prettiest mask. Questions leave us unsettled and searching. Questions magnify what we already know that we don’t know and are not in control. Questions rouse us from our comfort zones to enter the unfamiliar mystery of life and faith. As I gain the wisdom (HA!) of the second half of life, I am finding I like to stay with the questions longer – lingering in their unfolding. The green bud of curiosity and taking that second bite of an emotion or situation and allowing … [Read more...]
What is the Zeigarnik Effect?
What is the Zeigarnik effect? I never heard this phrase, the Zeigarnik effect, before until a few weeks ago, then suddenly I hear/see it in multiple places. That usually is a sign for me to stop and listen: wisdom is bubbling up to teach me something… You have experienced the Zeigarnik effect but didn’t know its name. Ever wonder why a story that ends with a cliffhanger lingers in our mind? The infamous “to be continued…” Yep, this mental tension now has a name! The Zeigarnik effect is how our brain reacts to unfinished tasks by continuing to bring our attention to them. Once we finish, our brain eliminates them. Bluma Zeigarnik and the Zeigarnik Effect A Russian psychologist named Bluma Zeigarnik observed, in the 1920s that waiters could remember customers’ orders that were not paid better than those already completed and paid. Her further experiments showed that humans remember the incomplete, the unfinished, more than what is done, thus stimulating us to keep moving … [Read more...]
Monthly Musings –What I Learned in September
Monthly Musings Here are September's Monthly Musings. Each month I pause and take a look back at what I am discovering, learning, and exploring in life – I call these my monthly musings. I believe strongly in living a reflective life as a spiritual practice. We rush through life, often missing the lessons, enjoying the highlights and sleeping through what we should be paying attention to. Capturing these special moments gives meaning, depth, and delight to life. I record what I notice on the pages of my Monthly Musing Journal. You can use anything, scrapes of papers, a journal or a calendar. Copies of my Monthly Musing Journal are available on Amazon and are a convenient way to keep track of the little things in life we often miss. Or if you want to click the button at the end of this post to get a free copy of my one sheet Monthly Musing handout. Monthly Musings - What I Learned in September Lessons Learned My series on hospitality drove home to my heart that this … [Read more...]
5 Lessons about Cultivating a Welcoming Spirit
CULTIVATING A WELCOMING SPIRIT I believe in lifelong learning and fostering curiosity. Hospitality is NOT a gift that comes naturally to me so I am taking the chance to discover new things about this spiritual discipline. This month I have been exploring the practice of hospitality and cultivating a welcoming spirit as the topic for September’s Tending the Holy Thursdays. So far I have shared an overview of hospitality, tips for nurturing a welcoming spirit, especially for those of us who are introverts, and quotes and resources for this discipline. You can click on the highlight words in the previous sentence to find those blog posts if you didn’t get a change to read them. When I feature a spiritual practice or a person of faith I usually write an additional resource to share with you. This month I wrote a free download to accompany this study, titled “15 Thought-Provoking Definitions of Hospitality.” You can get it at no cost by clicking on the button at the end of the … [Read more...]