The spiritual practice of study unearths wisdom and treasures for our spiritual journey. Going deeper through study nourishes the mind, heart, and spirit and leads to a healthy spirituality. In March, we are exploring how this practice as a spiritual discipline strengthens our faith. Each month on my Thursday posts, I pick one theme (or person of faith) to explore deeper. I call this series Tending the Holy Thursdays. As usual I created a free download for you and this month it is something different – an infographic called “The 7 C’s of the Practice of Study.” You can get this infographic for your reference and even use as a bookmark at no cost by clicking on the button at the end of the post. It is my hope and prayer that this series and the download will enhance your walk with God. The following two weeks here on Healthy Spirituality, we will dive deeper into the 7 C’s of the Practice of Study. Last week I introduced this topic with the post “Nourishing a Healthy … [Read more...]
March Merriment
March Madness Merriment How about some March Madness Merriment? Winter dreariness is getting me down. The news, arguments, and tensions wear on my nerves. I need some joy, a touch of laughter, and something whimsical to ponder. And March is my birthday month so why not write about something light, inspirational and fun today! Brain Pickings printed an insightful article about Hermann Hesse's wisdom about busyness. Here is one quote that jumped out for me: "I would simply like to reclaim an old and, alas, quite unfashionable private formula: Moderate enjoyment is double enjoyment. And: Do not overlook the little joys!" Let’s have some March Merriment! Middle Name Merriment Did you know and miss that March 10th was National Middle Name Day? I know I missed that celebration. What is your middle name and how did you get it? My second name is Anne and I was named for my great Aunt Anna. And yes, as Anne Shirley would say proudly (if you watched Anne of Green … [Read more...]
Nourishing a Healthy Spirituality – The Spiritual Practice of Study
Nourishing a Healthy Spirituality - The Spiritual Practice of Study A healthy spirituality balances the nourishment of the mind, heart, and spirit. The spiritual practice of study is one habit that feeds us and keeps us going on this journey of life. In March, we will explore how the practice of study as a spiritual discipline to strengthen our faith. Each month on my Thursday posts, I pick one theme (or person of faith) to explore deeper. I call this series Tending the Holy Thursdays. As usual I created a free download for you and this month it is something different – an infographic called “The 7 C’s of the Practice of Study.” You can get this infographic for your reference and even use as a bookmark at no cost by clicking on the button at the end of the post. 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 weeks (I promise I never over … [Read more...]
Look Up! March Overflows with Optimism
Are you an optimist? March is Optimism month and a great time to look at this quality and mind/heartset. It may surprise those who know me well, but my basic personality is pretty negative. I made the choice as an adult to value optimism and actively practice this approach to life. I even have a presentation I offer on retreats on the importance of optimism. What is Optimism? The dictionary defines optimism as a tendency to look on the favorable side of events and conditions. The belief that good ultimately predominates over evil. The glass is half full mindset. It is believing that you are responsible for your own happiness and that more good things than bad will happen to you. Some people – usually the pessimists – call us optimists Pollyanna’s, but I think most optimists do have more realistic views of life that given credit for. The Practice of Optimism Professor Martin Seligman conducted research on optimism and wrote a classic book on the topic, Learned Optimism. … [Read more...]
5 Prayer Tools to Strengthen Your Prayer Life
In February, we have been exploring how to strengthen your prayer life – one of the most frequently asked questions I hear. Prayer is a foundation for all healthy spirituality and most of us have a strong desire to be with God more deeply in prayer. The last Thursdays on Tending the Holy Thursdays we’ve looked at the flow of prayer and 3 practical prayer habits. Next week I will tell you the story of one man’s habit of unceasing prayers and how he lived a life of prayer. Don’t forget to get the 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 prayers 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 … [Read more...]
3 Practical Prayer Habits to Strengthen Your Prayer Life
How to strengthen your prayer life continues to be one of the most frequently asked questions when I lead retreats, see the results of this blog’s readers survey, and in my spiritual direction practice. Prayer is a foundation for all healthy spirituality and most of us have a strong desire to be with God more deeply in prayer. Exploring our prayer life and ways to strengthen and enhance how we prayer is this month’s Tending the Holy Thursday series. Each month on my Thursday posts, I pick one theme (or person of faith) to explore. Last week I wrote about the flow of prayer and invited you to be aware of how you pray and what draws you closer to God and what pulls you away from him. I hope you did observe something in the flow of prayer throughout your day that strengthens your prayer life. This week I am sharing 3 practical prayer habits - triggers, types, and time - to strengthen our prayer life. Next week we will explore some prayer tools that can help us and the last … [Read more...]
Are You Ready? Lent is Coming Quickly
Lent is coming quickly. Are you ready? I know, I know what you are thinking. You just got Christmas put away. You barely remember your New Year's resolutions. And the Super Bowl is finally over. You can’t begin to think about the next holy season yet. But you can do a few things to get your heart and mind ready for the Lenten Season. Let’s talk about Lent this Tuesday and next week I will share with you some practices to consider trying during Lent. What is Lent? First, what is Lent? The 40 days before Easter, not counting Sundays, comprised the season of Lent. It begins on Ash Wednesday which this year falls on March 1. The word comes from the Anglo-Saxon word “lencten” meaning spring. The symbolism of 40 days represents the time Jesus spent in the wilderness preparing for his ministry and being tempted by Satan. I like the sound of spring, but hesitate at the temptation and wilderness portion. LOL Traditionally Lent is a time of repentance, fasting, and … [Read more...]
How to Strengthen Your Prayer Life
One of the most common answers shown in last fall’s readers’ survey was this concern: How to strengthen your prayer life. Prayer is a foundation for all healthy spirituality and most of us have a strong desire to be with God more deeply in prayer. Exploring our prayer life and ways to strengthen and enhance how we prayer is this month’s Tending the Holy Thursday series. Each month on my Thursday posts, I pick one theme (or person of faith) to explore. Prayer became an obvious choice after reading the survey results. 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 prayers from others besides adding new resources. It is my hope and prayer that this series and the download will … [Read more...]