Harvesting a Spiritual Journal  Harvesting a spiritual journal is powerful and what I call the “secret sauce” to reaping benefits from the practice of keeping a journal.  In June we have been exploring the various aspects of spiritual journaling on the Tending the Holy Thursdays.   You can visit the past posts here: Why keep a spiritual journal 13 Tips on keeping a journal Types of spiritual journal And don’t forget I created a free resource for you called Keeping a Spiritual Journal Tip Sheet. You can get this free by clicking on the button at the end of the post. It is my hope and prayer that this series and the tip sheet will enhance your walk with God. I would love to have more email subscribers and to connect with you on social media. So if you don’t get Healthy Spirituality in your inbox, don’t forget to sign up. Community is also an important aspect of our faith walk. Harvesting Your Spiritual Journal Rereading and reviewing your journal writings offers insights, … [Read more...]

Difference Between a Vacation and a Pilgrimage What is the difference between a vacation and a pilgrimage? When this blog post is published I will be in Germany – visiting many of the Reformation sites in what used to be eastern Germany. Yes, we will see history, the geography, travel on a bus, walk cobbled streets, eat in open air cafes and probably drink a few German beers.  But this isn’t a vacation – it is a pilgrimage.  I am not a tourist; I am a pilgrim. Our group intentionally created a trip itinerary more like a pilgrimage than a vacation. We planned daily devotions to share as a group and decided a theme for each day based on what we were seeing. We even coordinated hymns for the daily plan. We have prayed for one another before the trip and as we get to know each other better I am sure the prayers will deepen. Our sense of community had already intensified through the Spirit before we meet in person. This process made me think about all the gifts and insights that … [Read more...]

Keeping a Spiritual Journal – Types Keeping a spiritual journal can be accomplished in different types or formats. Exploring this practice is the topic for June's Tending the Holy Thursdays.  Each month on my Thursday posts I pick one theme (or person of faith) to explore deeper. So far this month we have looked at why you would want to write a spiritual journal and you can read that post here.  Last week I shared 13 tips of keeping a journal.  Next week I will spill the beans and tell you about the practice within this practice, my secret sauce, that continues to inspire and deepen this practice on my faith walk. Each month I create an additional free resource for you based on the current topic, so this mouth there is a Keeping a Spiritual Journal Tip Sheet. You can get this free by clicking on the button at the end of the post. It is my hope and prayer that this series and the tip sheet will enhance your walk with God. I would love to have more email subscribers and to … [Read more...]

Keeping a Spiritual Journal Exploring the practice of keeping a spiritual journal is the topic for June’s Tending the Holy Thursdays. Each month on my Thursday posts I pick one theme (or person of faith) to explore deeper. This week we will explore why you would want to write a spiritual journal.  Next week will be the tips and how to’s, followed by different types of journals on the third week.  The last week I will share the practice within this practice, my secret sauce, that makes me such an avid journal keeper. Like usual I did create a Keeping a Spiritual Journal Tip Sheet and you can get this free by clicking on the button at the end of the post. It is my hope and prayer that this series and the tip sheet 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 oversend stuff to you – just tell you when a new post is published). AND PLEASE, those of you who never journal, stay … [Read more...]

Blessings Blessings – we use this word all the time.  "God bless you," we respond when someone sneezes. "Bless your journey," – we might say as someone leaves our presence. Blessings – a single word we could use to close our note or blog post comment. We may even pray using the word "blessings," even with a little sarcasm.  "Lord, give me patience to endure these blessings." But have you ever paused and thought about blessings. What does that word mean?  How can we intentionally use blessings as a spiritual practice? What is a Blessing? A blessing is a special prayer given from one person to another, as in sincerely wishing the best for somebody.  Another way of defining blessing is an unexpected, perhaps undeserved gift.  Or to give someone your blessing is to give them your permission, an approval to go ahead with their plan, such as when a young man asks his girlfriend's parents if he can marry their daughter. Blessing can be the words we say before a meal to … [Read more...]