“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...]
Word of the Year – 2024
Word of the Year practice can be a driving force in deepening our self-knowledge, in finding clarity and meaning, and in growing closer to God. I have both enjoyed and been stretched by this spiritual practice for more than 10 years. Here is a graphic I created for all my past (and my new) word of the year: If you look right in the middle, you will see what word emerged to accompany me in 2024: WELL The past few years I seem to learn more from simple words, though last year I complicated my journey with a phrase. The two years before, All and Go, were great companions. WELL jumped into my heart as 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.” I love Stanley’s inspirational words yet that day the simple, ordinary word – well – echoed deep within me. WELL holds so much … [Read more...]
Examen – Looking Back on a Whole Year
Examen is a reflective practice. The Examen is an ancient practice that can help us see God’s hand at work in our whole experience. It originated with St. Ignatius. Practicing the examen usually looks back onto the current day. For example, I use this practice most often as I drift off to sleep – asking God to help me see today through divine eyes, what am I thankful for and where did I see God’s presence that day. What a wonderful way to fall asleep being with God. Dennis Hamm called this practice “Rummaging for God: Praying backwards through your day.” Isn’t that a wonderful description? Here is an article he wrote about the prayer of examen. But examen can also be used to look back reflectively over any period of time as in a yearly review. Last week I shared with you some thoughtful questions to ask, but since then read this article from Ignatian Spirituality website about examen for the whole year that is well worth your time to read. Here is a summary of its … [Read more...]