Happy Thanksgiving from my house to yours. Today is Thanksgiving in the U.S. A time to give thanks to God for all he gives us. Take a moment to ponder all his gifts. Think about what we miss or ignore that provide for us. Breath in life. Behold the present. Be thankful for all things. A year ago I printed a free download titled "Questions to Nurture Gratitude" for you to ponder. If you want it again or didn't get it last year just click the button below to get your free gift. Thank you. Click Here to Receive the List May your day be filled with gratitude! … [Read more...]
What I am Most Thankful for this November
This Thursday in the U.S. we will be observing Thanksgiving. Though this holiday seems to focus more on food than being grateful, I have been thinking about what I am most thankful for this November. Often we offer our gratitude for the big, obvious stuff – the blessings God sends, our loved ones, friendship across the years, our favorite foods, health and even life itself. But this year my prayer have expanded. Thankful Challenge My challenge to myself and I invite you to join me, is to dig a little deeper and think beyond the obvious to those behind the scenes moments and people that need to hear our gratitude. Here are some examples: Thankful for the truck driver who brought the food to the processor or the distribution center, the workers who unloaded the food and those who stocked the shelves at the store for our convenience. Thankful for the farmer who raised the turkey, the potatoes, the wheat for our bread. The scientists who create new seeds to produce the food … [Read more...]
Advent Adventures
Don't forget to join the Advent Adventure, beginning today on Facebook live at 2:30 eastern on my author page and learn more about this holy time. Monday the topic will be what actually is this season and why is it important? Tuesday: We will explore the themes and roots of this time in the church calendar before Christmas. Thursday: I will share lots of tips and resources and ideas to honor this season. If you can't join me live, catch the replay. On the video I will share with you exciting news about my new book and a free Resource Guide. Let's explore this holy season together. This year Advent begins November 27. … [Read more...]
Thoughts and Tips about the Sabbath
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...]
7 Days of Soul Care – A Book Review and a Spiritual Practice
Soul Care Soul care? How do you take care of your soul? I believe health is multidimensional. Most of the time we think about our physical health when we consider wellness and beneficial activities for our health. Occasionally we consider our mental and emotional health and may at least once a year on April 15th ponder our financial health. How do you practice caring for your soul? With intention? With regularity? With daring risks of leaps out of your comfort zone? Or even the small steps of living each day in love with God? What is soul? It's like electricity - we don't really know what it is, but it's a force that can light a room. Ray Charles 7 Days of Soul Care 7 Days of Soul Care - A Guide to Letting God Do the Extraordinary with Your Ordinary by Dolly Lee is just now being released and is a wonderful, simple book to help you focus on taking care of your spiritual health. This book will accompany me on my next retreat or could be used as a daily devotion. … [Read more...]
Do You Tend or Ignore the Sabbath?
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Exodus 20:8 Sabbath. Do you tend, celebrate, honor a day weekly or do you ignore, neglect, and forget this command from God? To be honest, I am not a good Sabbath keeper. I know, I know it is only one day is set aside to honor God, but I know myself and I am not fully remembering to honor that day. Like the practice of hospitality which I share a few months ago, this is another spiritual discipline I get a failing grade in. Tending to this topic will be a remedial lesson for me – I hope you join in the exploration. In November, we will be exploring Sabbath as 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. It is my hope and prayer we all can learn something new, gain ideas, and be motivated to dig deeper into this practice. As usual with each month’s theme, I have an additional FREE download … [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...]
5 Things Everyone Should Know about Smiling
Can smiling be a spiritual practice? I think so. Ok - all together now – say cheese and SMILE! Smiling is powerful and is a practice that not only brings delight to our spirit and to others, but also can transform the world. Just think: Smiling costs nothing. A smile takes only a quick second but can offer encouragement beyond our imagination. Smiling creates good will and joy and nourishes relationships. World Smile Day Did you know the first Friday in October every year is World Smile Day? I didn’t until recently know about its history. You might not know his name but Harvey Ball, a commercial artist from Worcester, Massachusetts created the well-known smiley face in 1963. Remember the scene from the movie Forrest Gump when Tom Hanks is jogging and wipes his face on a tee shirt and the man sees the smiley face and gets the idea. A funny reenactment of the birth of this image. But I digress… Harvey Ball became discouraged about the over-commercialization of his … [Read more...]