I’m thankful for tacos. Did you know, not only is today fondly called Taco Tuesday, but tomorrow, October 4, is National Taco Day? When you read this post, I will just be getting back from vacation so thought we'd need a light reading today. Let’s have some fun with this idea! Taco Trivia In 2016, Americans ate over 4.5 billion tacos!  That’s 490,000 miles of tacos, which could take you to the moon and back or, if you prefer, could, at 775-million pounds, equal the weight of two Empire State Buildings. No one really knows the full history of this yummy meal, but some experts report that the word “taco” came from the silver mines in Mexico in the 18th century. Tacos were the little explosives, pieces of paper wrapped around gunpowder and place into holes in the rock. When detonated, the ore was easier to extract. Yeah! I’ve eaten some hot sauce that exploded in my mouth, too. Others say the taco predates the arrival of the Spanish in Mexico during the 16th century. They … [Read more...]

Listening is a skill we all can improve in. This is one reason by Becky Harling’s new book, How to Listen so People will Talk, Build Stronger Communication and Deeper Connection, appealed to me. I know I don’t listen well. This is hard to admit for someone who is a spiritual director, but when I am listening to someone in that type of setting, I intentionally focus on hearing both the spoken and unspoken words. I quiet myself and pray to have my ego step out of the way. It is hard work, but I have learned to listen better through this practice. But problem is I forget to bring that skill into my other communications. Too often I allow my mind to drift, to rehearse my response, and let lose my mouth to interrupt. I talk when silence or just my presence would be the better gift to the other. I've written about my half listening before on this post.  Listening is key to all relationships. As the author writes, “I wanted to be a wise woman who listened and invested in her … [Read more...]

How do we pray? Prayer is one of the most referred to topics here on Healthy Spirituality. I believe prayer is an essential tool in our spiritual growth and knowing/worshiping God. A few month ago, the research organization, Barna, released the results of a study about how American adults prayed. They asked questions of a sampling of 1015 U. S, adults in June 2017. Self-identified Christians and past Christians comprise 888 respondents. You can read the report here for more details and some interesting graphics. How Do We Pray? Barna acknowledged that prayer is not only the most frequently faith practice, but is also complex and multifaceted. There are all sorts of prayers and ways of praying. Here are some of the insight I learned from this study: How do we pray? Amazingly 94% reported that they prayed at least once in the last three months, most often praying by themselves. Prayer was practiced alone and in silence with only 13% saying their prayers were audible. I can … [Read more...]

Ever wonder about wonder? Wonder is September’s Tending the Holy Thursday theme. Each month on my Thursday posts, I pick one theme (or person of faith) to explore in depth over several weeks. Each month I also include a free download to accompany the month’s topic. This month I have for you a resource called  “10 Ways to Wake Up your Wonder.”  This printable is available at no cost by clicking the button at the end of this post. Enjoy! What is wonder? A good place to start is exploring definitions. Take a moment and think about it.  What other words come to mind? Awe Fear Amazement Astonishment Beyond Words Reverence Marvel What would you add? 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 … [Read more...]

Have you tried prayer journaling? I am an avid journal keeper and I fully understand this is not everyone’s favorite practice. But writing our prayers in a journal can be a wonderful spiritual discipline. At the very least, this practice records our prayers. Why Write Out Our Prayers in Prayer Journaling? Writing helps us to articulate our relationship with God. We find the words to express our concerns and even our faith when writing them out on the pages. Gives us a place and process to organize our thoughts. I often see themes emerge as I write. What a safe place to explore our hopes, dreams, fears, joys, and concerns. Provides a record for my answered prayer and for insights over time as we pray. Keeps prayers and conversations with God we have so they’re not forgotten I hear myself in my journal – so often our voice is drowned out by the noise of the world and my own internal chattering I miss my true desires and what God is whispering to me. Sometimes I am surprised … [Read more...]

SLOW – say the word aloud. Slow glides leisurely from our mouths like the dawdling drip of Ketchup from a new bottle. Even the last syllable – the W – becomes a deep exhale if spoken in a long drawn out measure. NOTE: I tried to post this article earlier today and it kept sending you to another page. sorry. Some crazy tech issue. I am reposting and taking a few things out so see if that helps. Thanks for being patient. I am learning slow in a new way. LOL In the discussions in this blog, with my spiritual direction clients, and among friends, everyone complains about the hurriedness of our society. The rush of instant messaging, the impatience waiting for our coffee to heat up for one minute in the microwave, and the disbelief summer is almost gone. I saw a post this morning on Facebook reminding us to start shopping – only 125 days till Christmas. Yesterday many of us breathed in the majesty of the solar eclipse. My hubby and I lingered in our driveway, chatting with … [Read more...]