How do you create a consistent reading plan? Reading more books has been a yearly goal of mine for the past few years. And one I failed. Ok, maybe not a letter grade of "F" but certainly in the "C-" range. Yes I borrow books from the library.Yes I love buying books. Amazon addict here. And don't take me to a book store – I will disappear for hours.Yes I am always adding additional bookshelves. Yes I do love reading as it expands the mind, refreshes the heart and nourishes my soul. I have great intentions. I have twice declared on this blog my focus to read more (here is an example ) and yet my pile of unread books multiple each year like unsupervised bunnies. Even gathering dust as dust bunnies do. In 2019 I created a shelf in my office and selected some of the books that called out to my heart for reading. I read one. Failure. But I persist and am trying once again to read more this year, especially these unread ones summoning for attention and … [Read more...]
Honoring the Passage of Time – a Decade Review
Honoring the passage of time? How do we heed time on its swift journey? One moment it is January 7 and * blink * we are celebrating Christmas 2020. Time flies. Many psychologists will confirm that time really does zip by faster each year, Of course, time doesn't change its speed – each minute, second, moment is the same length as another. But mentally and maybe even spiritually, our perception tells us time zooms ahead at warp speeds. Reflection is a wonderful and effective spiritual practice for gently hitting the brakes and slowing life down a bit. Each December I reread my journal entries from the past year and write up highlights, key lessons, words and verses that resonated with my spirit and how I experienced God those 12 months. These yearly summaries capture time and help me honor the passage of time and the journey I am on. “People overestimate what can be done in one year, and underestimate what can be done in ten.”J.C.R. Licklider Besides a yearly … [Read more...]
The Spiritual Practice of Being Curious
"Be curious" This phrase was advised by a speaker I heard a few weeks ago in her talk about learning to observe ourselves – our behaviors, our patterns, our self – talk. "Don't be judgmental. We tend to criticize ourselves so easily. We get upset that we continue to do what we don't want to do. Overeat. Gossip. Allow self-doubt, fear, and disappointment to overtake our hearts. Don't judge yourself so harshly. Be curious, instead." The Spiritual Practice of Being Curious What a wonderful trait/skill to develop. I would rather respond with curiosity, then with shame and anger any day! Being curious allows us to be more objective in viewing our responses in our thinking, doing and feeling. Being curious shines the light on patterns and to give name to what we experience. Being curious gives us the space to step back to study, to learn and to ask questions. Being curious reveals options to our behavior and thoughts we never realized before. Being curious gives us … [Read more...]
How Creativity Connects with Wisdom
How is my exploration into creativity this year leading me deeper into wisdom? Wisdom, one of my three WWW's that frame 2019 for me, has been elusive to name, capture, and apply, but I am beginning to see her lessons appear in odd places. One of these hiding nooks is creativity. I write. I want to express a unique voice and with God's help, birth inspiring and innovative thoughts and ideas. A writer desires to create something new, yet often finds another writer wrote this before, better, and even more beautiful. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9 Nothing new under the sun. I am discovering creativity often begins on rented land. An idea emerges, is nurtured by others, handed over to the next artist who adds his or her own spirit to its life. As I study creativity, I am reading interesting bits of wisdom from other artists about this process: "Everything that needs … [Read more...]
Walking an Unclear Path – A Labyrinth Experience
Have you ever walked a labyrinth? Walking a labyrinth is a spiritual practice that I seek on retreats and to be honest, whenever I see one inviting me closer. Based on the form of a circle and the spiral, this practice is an ancient and powerful symbol of wholeness and transformation. It is found in cultures throughout the world and has been added to many retreat centers as a form of walking prayer. Some of the earliest ones were found in Greece dating back to 2500-2000 BC. The path becomes a metaphor for the spiritual journey and for life, itself. The labyrinth is not a maze. Mazes have many paths and dead ends and they evoke a very different feeling than when we walk a labyrinth. A labyrinth is a unicursal with only one path in and the same path out. Its path meanders its way to the center. Walking this path enables you to experience peace, listen deeply, and reflect on where are you in your life. Some find healing or new ways to celebrate. Occasionally nothing is … [Read more...]
The Spiritual Practice of Wonder
Wonder is one of my three W's for 2019. The spiritual practice of wonder enriched my silent retreat earlier this month. As I stilled my heart and mind, God's wonders revealed themselves more and more and soon I was surrounded by delights found in his creation. What is Wonder? According to the dictionary, this experience is “a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable.” Another way of saying this is: “rapt attention or astonishment at something awesomely mysterious or new to one’s experience.” This sensation often carries an element of surprise or seeing something new or in a fresh way. There may be hint of curiosity and joy too. Spirituality and Practice offers this insight: “Wonder begins in the senses, comes alive in the imagination, and flourishes in adoration of the Divine. It arises from our natural curiosity about the grand adventure of life.” Why Not Wonder? What stops us from this gift … [Read more...]
What is a Silent Retreat?
What is a silent retreat? I mentioned on several social media posts about the silent retreat I attended earlier in August. I was amazed at the questions about this type of spending time with God. The interest in the deepening of our relationship with our Creator is growing and I am finding more people curious about what this practice may bring to their spiritual journey. Going on retreat is an essential spiritual discipline for me. Time for silence and learning informs the mind and forms the spirit. I leave refreshed, renewed, transformed – not quite the same as I arrived. What is a Silent Retreat? Mother Teresa said, “We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature – trees, flowers, grass – grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence. We need silence to be able to touch souls.” A spiritual retreat is an opportunity to slow down to spend time with God. Leaving behind the … [Read more...]
Visio Divina – The Practice and Resources
Visio Divina deepened my time with the Lord at my recent silent retreat. This a slow contemplative prayer practice similar to Lectio Divina or sacred reading. Visio Divina is Latin for divine seeing and involves praying with art and allowing God to speak to us through the use of an image. Prayerful consideration of and interaction with a photograph in the magazine, icon, piece of art, or other visual representation invites us to experience the divine in a unique and powerful way. This is the statue from my recent retreat that brought me closer and loved deeply by God. This practice enhanced my time with the Lord as I listened with the eyes of my heart, soaking in his love and gazing at this art piece. Meeting God Through Art: Visio Divina Meeting God Through Art: Visio Divina. – A Guided Prayer Journal with Images from the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a new book by my friend. Therese Kay. This book accompanied me on my retreat and inspired me to explore various art and … [Read more...]