What Sustains You? The July issue of Sojourners Magazine asks various people the question: What sustains you? What keeps you refreshed for the journey to justice? The answers have been interesting. Richard Rohr writes, “my daily and primary practice is contemplation.” Other answers include centering prayer, prayer of examen, community, saying thank you, Bible reading, and retreats. So far no one has mentioned keeping a journal. Though journal keeping can be a form of prayer, I find it is so much more. A spiritual journal is different from a regular journal. It is a written record of personal reactions to spiritual matters. Many people have discovered that writing down their thoughts and feelings helped them clarify some of the basic questions they were asking about life. "What’s it all about?" "What am I doing here?", "What does God want me to become," "Where does God want me to serve." Journal writing gives us the time to think through and clarify our beliefs. … [Read more...]

Spiritual Director International Conference I leave tomorrow to fly to Houston to attend the Spiritual Director International Conference. This will be my first time to participate in this event. Spiritual Director International is a membership organization and learning community of people from many faiths and many nations who share a common concern, passion, and commitment to the art and contemplative practice of spiritual direction. Its mission is: “throughout human history, individuals have been called to accompany others seeking the Mystery we name God. In this time, Spiritual Directors International responds to this call by tending the holy around the world and across traditions.” One of my goals this year was increased networking with people in the field of spirituality, especially those who write. The keynote presenter at the event this year is author Ron Rolheiser, who has written books like The Holy Longing, The Restless Heart and the Shattered Lantern. One full day … [Read more...]

  What is Spiritual Direction? Spiritual direction, sometimes referred to as spiritual guidance or spiritual friendship, is an on-going relationship in which one person (the directee), desirous of being attentive to his or her spiritual life, meets with another person (the director) on a regular basis (approximately once a month), specifically for the purpose of becoming more attuned to God's presence in order to respond more fully to that Presence in all of life. Spiritual direction has been part of the Christian tradition for centuries. Why would someone want spiritual direction? To explore their yearning for God. To understand meaning in their life. To gain a sense of discernment. To understand where they are going. To live their life more fully. Meeting with a spiritual director is helpful when you want a deeper relationship with God. Spiritual direction is a vital tool for a healthy spirituality. Simply, spiritual direction helps people tell their own … [Read more...]

Silent Listening I love words so spending multiple days at a silent retreat draws me out of my comfort zone.  What are some of the benefits of entering into a grand silence to hear the whispers of God? How does silent listening help the soul? Silent is a wonderful, yet challenging word. Mother Teresa said, “We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence. We need silence to be able to touch souls.” Use the word silent as an anagram. An anagram rearranges or unscrambles the letters of one word to create a new word. The result is: SILENT = LISTEN. Like an anagram, silent listening rearranges, unscrambles, reorganizes and reorders my spirit: Silent listening rearranges my thoughts, providing clarity and a new sense of direction and meaning. Silent listening unscrambles my prayers affirming who I … [Read more...]

I leave this afternoon for a four day silent retreat. This is the third time in four years I have gone on this type of journey. I will be meeting with a director 3-4 times, but most of the time will be in silence.   Not all retreats are structured like this one. Why do I go? I find as the days progress on this type of retreat all the internal noise – voices from the world, my ego and from others – finally fade and I can hear God clearly and deeply. I allow myself to rest in His arms and just be with Him. So often in my everyday life, I get so distracted and rushed – this becomes a very special time. I am lifting up prayers for discernment for my next step within the ELCA Associate in Ministry program, where do I best put my time and efforts in writing and for clarity for the lessons God has been putting on my heart lately about my willfulness and pride.   I am a firm believer in keeping a journal and usually fill up many pages on this type of retreat. Rereading or … [Read more...]

Companions for the Journey I love this painting of the Emmaus Road.  Two friends walking together down the path  of life with Jesus beside them. Who is your companion on your journey? Some will answer that question by saying Jesus is their companion. Others will reply besides Jesus, they share their faith stories with family and friends. In addition, others grow by speaking with a spiritual director. In my program to become a spiritual director we had the assignment to pick someone from history, a spiritual giant, to study with for two years. There is so much we can learn from studying others who came before us. I am not a fan of the word “spiritual giants” since these people are humans with weaknesses, difficulties and even poor decision making. Saints were not super humans, but in reality they were flawed and sinful just like us. But somehow they kept running that race; their lives reflect what we wish for, what we desire most deeply and the direction in which we are headed … [Read more...]

Core Word - Nurture Nurture is one of my core words. Core words describe a movement, an identity, and something deep within our DNA that drives all of our passions and needs. We spend a lifetime searching for these core words and it is an adventure to explore and discover them. In 2009 I finally was able to put a label a deep part of my soul: nurture. As a young child I knew I wanted to be a writer. As a daughter of a physician, I was often asked, “Do you want to be nurse when you grow up?”  “No!” I would emphatically say with a stomp of my foot. When I was 16, I heard God clearly calling me to be a nurse and I have never regretted following that vocation. I buried my first call to write, though across my adult years I dabbled in speaking and writing. I do believe I followed God on the path He wanted me to go in health care. Yet I always thought the two were separate until this year. Two years I retired from fulltime public health nursing and God began opening doors once … [Read more...]