Discernment is difficult, especially in a time with multiple options. Choosing what to do or where to go next is like finding just the right cereal in the grocery store breakfast aisle.  Lots of great tasting choices and many healthy selections. Me? I want a clear, easy, quick decision. I want God to flip on the directional sign from heaven showing me where to go. Just tell me, Lord. The discernment road isn't always smooth. The path shrouds in fog and we get weighted down in mud as we slough through a decision. Sometimes it's our fault. Sometimes it's an act of obedience to keep moving forward building our spiritual muscles. Sometimes I hear God plainly and other times, struggle to hear my own voice. Discernment isn't easy. To discern mean more than to understand or to make a decision. Dis mans apart and cernere mean to separate. Thus from all the options before us we ‘separate apart’ those that seen uniquely suited to us. We do that when making a decision … [Read more...]

How are you discovering wisdom? This is a dark time and we need help and guidance daily. Words help me grow – God's word. Words from others – both written and spoken and more experienced, more articulate, more, yah, just more. Here are some collections of quotes about wisdom I shared a few years back. More stretches me. More enlightens me. More - the great More - reminds me God is always more – more than I imagine and more mighty that any evil on earth. Here are some recent earthly wisdoms - that have expanded my mind, enlarged my heart and stretched my imagination.  Enjoy exploring and discovering wisdom with me. "That at any given moment, we have the power to say: This is not how the story is going to end.Maybe, just maybe, we need to embrace that gift today."  Terry Hershey.  I love his daily dose of insight and inspiration.  Here is the link to his Sabbath Moment readings. He is quite the storyteller and brings not only wisdom but encouragement and delight to my … [Read more...]

"I arise today" is the phrase for me launching each new day. I stir, one eye half open peeking at the time on the clock and stretch my arms over my head while still tucked under the cool sheets. There is an old joke.  Some people wake up and say, " Good God it's morning."  Others start with their day with "Good Morning, God." I am in the Good Morning, God group. Good morning, Lord brings a smile to my heart and a push to get moving. The Holy Spirit rouses my soul and pushes my get going button to full throttle.  Ok, not full throttle. Often, I putter and stall, then I recall the phrase, "I arise today." This is a prayer, also called the Deer's Cry, attributed to St. Patrick.  Here are the words. I arise todayThrough the strength of heaven;Light of the sun,Splendor of fire,Speed of lightning,Swiftness of the wind,Depth of the sea,Stability of the earth,Firmness of the rock.I arise todayThrough God's strength to pilot me;God's might to uphold … [Read more...]

Interested in spiritual retreat tips? I recently blogged about my usual way of going on retreat – in a group at a retreat center – and how Covid had cancelled all these types of events.  I then scheduled my own retreat at a hermitage.  While there I noticed insights that I thought may be useful to you for your next retreat.  Paying attention is a key practice all the time as his presence coats all our times and he is so willing to show us his lessons. Here are a few photos of the hermitage at the Lady of the Pines, Fremont Ohio and 10 spiritual retreat tips.  10 Spiritual Retreat Tips Give yourself grace – Every retreat I have participated in, this one included there is a time to slowly let go and enter into the stillness and silence.  I forget the outside noise and inside chatter need time to slowly drip away and space for quiet and God to gently appear.  The first evening and some of the first full day becomes the entrance way, the threshold, the … [Read more...]

Discernment is one of the main reasons people seek out a spiritual director. They genuinely desire to hear God clearer and experience the divine in a deeper way for guidance and growth. Discernment is intentional decision making in the light of God. This essential spiritual practice is one we keep learning about on our entire walk with God.  I have featured this practice several times in the past here and here on Healthy Spirituality. One of the difficulties in discernment is the multiple options we now have in our lives. Maybe we can choose between something wrong vs right or hateful vs. loving, but what about those gray areas with many in-between choices?  Most of our possibilities fall in the middle of the spectrum with a large range of advantages and disadvantages. Good Better Best Use in the Foggy Middle One technique I have been using when discerning my next right step is to list the viable and realistic choices and then rate them: Good, Better, Best.  To be … [Read more...]

I desperately need my annual spiritual retreat. I shared a post here on Healthy Spirituality in early March about getting ready to go on a silent retreat. I craved the time away with God.  With joy, I anticipated the silence. I diligently prepared, prayed, and planned. Things don't always turn out like we want or need, do they? Need I say more than one word:  Covid. Retreat canceled. Actually, my retreat was one of the first things to be scratched on my filled calendar and came as a shock. Looking back its deletion was the first domino of a string of tumbling that continues to fall. Creating My Own Retreat I have retreated at home in the past (see this blog post for some ideas) but getting away to a quiet area offers more depth for me. I am a spiritual director and have several directees creating their own retreats. One in a cabin he owns in a woods. Another at home. They inspire me. I called the retreat center and found out while they were not hosting formal … [Read more...]