The book, Ruthless Trust by Brennan Manning, begins with this story and quote from his spiritual director: “Brennan, you don’t need any more insight into the faith, you’ve got enough insights to last you three hundred years. The most urgent need in your life is to trust what you have received.” Recently I revisited my bookshelves and this book, Ruthless Trust, called to me. Don’t you love to slowly reread an old favorite and savor its wisdom once again in your life? I needed this book at this time in my life; I am sure God knew that. I needed to dig deep and ponder trust in my spiritual journey just as Brennan Manning did in this book. Here is some of his wisdom: “Trust is our gift back to God and he finds it so enchanting that Jesus died for love of it.” “Childlike surrender in trust is the defining spirit of authentic discipleship.” “Trust was not some feature out at the edges of Jesus’ teaching; it was its heart and center.” “The biggest obstacle on my … [Read more...]
I Am Becoming a Person Who…
I am becoming a person who… how would you complete this open-ended sentence? As a spiritual director I like to collect prompts like this one plus wonderful assortment of thought-provoking questions to use as I listen in sacred space with another soul. I often find these nudges also linger into my heart too. What a good spiritual practice to try that invites a quiet reflection and life review. I like the emphasis on the word “becoming” as it gives me hope in what could be and permission to try again when I fail. Here are a few of my reflections on where I am at this season of my life: I am becoming a person who notices and names her emotions better now as I live in this second half of my life. I am becoming a person who is learning to value being with people even as an introvert. I am becoming a person who knows her limits and boundaries. I am becoming a person who knows herself well enough to know it's important to keep showing up even when I don’t feel like … [Read more...]
What are Your Essential Spiritual Practices?
“I am amazed on how you continue to write in your journal,” Jo said during my group spiritual direction group. “I have learned the hard way,” I answered, “I am more lost, more scattered, find myself drifting aimlessly without this practice. I need to journal.” I thought about my words as I drove home - a statement of fact about how the spiritual practice of journaling grounds my life and brings me closer to God. I smiled remembering how my answer to her just tumbled out of my mouth. I didn’t just enjoy journaling, wanting to journal, but I needed, deeply craved/required, this discipline. What are your essential spiritual practices? Sometimes I feel like a toddler searching for her lost blanket – tangible connecting points for this little child of God to touch her Master. Finding the practices that come naturally to each of our own spiritual personalities and naming them – will help ground us and hold us especially in difficult times. For me as I wrote above, journaling is … [Read more...]
Practical Discernment Tools from a New Book by Emily P Freeman
One of my favorite authors, Emily P Freeman, just released a new book, How to Walk into a Room. The host of a wonderful weekly podcast too, Emily accompanies us as we discern the decisions we face in life. As a spiritual director, discernment is often the doorway that directees seek an appointment with me - they are at the crossroad. Do I stay? Or do I leave? And how will I know? Emily’s new book is a practical tool for discernment, full of helpful clarifying questions. Here is her description of the contents: “If life were a house, then every room holds a story. What do we do when a room we’re in is no longer a room where we belong? What do you do when you start to feel a shift and must decide if it’s time to make a change? When it comes to navigating big decisions about when to stay and go, how can we know for sure when the time is right? Though we enter and exit many rooms over the course of our life—jobs, relationships, communities, life stages—knowing how and … [Read more...]
Rest
Rest is the theme for this year’s focus for the Lutheran synod my church belongs to. They wrote, “Time and time again God calls us into rest through scripture. We read stories of Jesus retreating into the hills, journeys being paused, and creation being celebrated with rest. So what does it mean for God’s people to engage in rest? Throughout 2024 we will explore this question, not just through sleep or vacation time, but through little moments each day that nourish and renew us.” My first reaction? Nope. I don’t have time for this spiritual practice. Nope, I have tried this before and I have learned that rest, practicing Sabbath, isn’t easy for me. Nope, no skill, desire, talent in this area at all! Yet God modeled for us rest. Our Bishop wrote, “There is a sacred rhythm to God’s created order. We know this story well, and we get the point of the creation narrative as it is recorded in the Book of Genesis, chapter 1. We think we know this story … [Read more...]
Why Well?
Why did the word “well” emerge as my word of the year? I shared a few weeks ago my experience of “well” jumping into my heart. I listened to a poet friend from South African share his newest poem. “Let me answer YES to the lightness of being, that I live well and love well, that I listen to my heart’s desires, living life fully human, fully alive.” While all of Stanley’s words spoke deeply to me, I kept circling back to “well.” Well invited me to walk with her this year. To play well. Read well. Rest well. Discern well. Live well. Love well. All will be well. I love the potential in this word and feel an excitement to explore her lessons and meanings. Well implies a mystery, something to discover and full of anticipation of what might be found. This word spoke to me, became alive for me, beckoned me to look deeper. The image of a well intrigues me: water wells, ink wells, stairwells. Tears well up in our eyes and deep longing well from our hearts. Well … [Read more...]
Praising God at Beginnings and Endings
When do you praise God? We read Psalm 148 at church a few weeks ago - a reading full of praising God. These verses invited me to pause and ponder the practice of praising. Psalm 148 stresses praising God in all sorts of circumstances. Praising God for all the wonders and gifts of life and praising God in both the joys and the challenges. Pay attention, stay awake, look, observe – there is so many ways to praise God. I smile at verse 7-8: “Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps; fire and hail, snow and fog, tempestuous wind, doing God’s will.” I am sure I haven’t praise God for sea monsters, fire, hail, snow, fog, and tempestuous winds. Ha Winter is my least favorite season. I was whining a few weeks ago about the colder temps and snow predictions when someone reminded me of the quote about Joy: “If you choose not to find joy in the snow, you will have less joy in your life but still the same amount of snow.” So true! In life … [Read more...]
Poetry Refreshes the Soul
Poetry refreshes my soul. I wouldn’t have said that a new years ago but have discovered both reading and writing poems awakes something deep inside of me, stirs my creativity, bonds my love to play with words and actually helps me capture moments of my life I may have missed otherwise. Poems heal. Our Bible is full of poetry. The Spirit is very poetic. On my table next to where I sit with God with morning is a collection of poetry books from Mary Oliver, Macrina Wiederkehr, Maya Angelou, Joyce Rupp, and Padraig O’Tuama. I have long been a fan of Robert Lewis Stevenson and Robert Frost. Every day I get an email from Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer with a new poem. I am in awe of new young poets like Amanda Gorman. Here’s one of my favorites, for an example: Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver“If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy,don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plentyof lives and whole towns destroyed or aboutto be. We are not wise, and not very … [Read more...]