June Monthly Musings What did you learn more about, observed, pondered and stretched your soul and heart with in June? When I announced last month I was only going to post here once a week several readers supported and understood but ask hopefully that I would continue these monthly musing posts. The answer obviously is YES! These are fun and in reality helpful for me to pause, take a deep breath and assess where I am in aligned with God, his purpose, voice and will. How are you living a reflective life? Each month I look back at what I am discovering, learning, and exploring in life – I call these my monthly musings. Capturing these special moments gives meaning, depth, and delight to life. Let’s wake up to the wonders in the ordinary all around us. I record what I notice on the pages of my Monthly Musing Journal. You can use anything, scrapes of papers, a journal, or a calendar. Copies of my Monthly Musing Journal are available on Amazon and are a convenient way to keep … [Read more...]
Imagination and Prayer
Do imagination and prayer work together? God has given us the gift of imagination. Seeing beyond what is tangible. Leaping into a world of potential opportunity. Crossing back through time seeing events like we are there or transforming ourselves into bible characters and witnesses to bible stories. Dreams, plans, hopes all begin with imagination – we ask in wonder: what could be? What if? How would living this way appear in my life? Imagination is freedom to see beyond our ordinary moments into grand possibilities. “Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the things you can think up if only you try!” Dr. Seuss Imagination cultivates ideas and dreams. I had a powerful experience of this right after we moved to the small town that is still home today. As a nurse, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do next in my career. I attended a nursing seminar where one of the activities was writing out in great detail what my ideal job would be. I had fun dreaming and … [Read more...]
Prayer: What Should We Pray For?
Prayer: what should we pray for? Ever stop to consider what you pray for? In prayer we can ask God for anything and all things. The list is amazing and quite lengthy once you pay attention and name all the ways. As we journey together in this summer pilgrimage of prayer, knowing the landmarks and the privileges of prayer inspires us in dark times and brings us joy when we dance in the light. I explored how we pray last year with this post. Prayer: What Should We Pray For A great book on prayer written by Philip Yancey is called Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? In this book he has a chapter on what should we pray for. Here are some of his ideas: Our Heart's Desire – "God invites us to ask plainly for what we need." I know often people don't know how to pray or what to ask God for until they wrestle with the words to name their deepest desire. Identifying our core wants, needs, and dreams we can approach God with honesty, authenticity, and assurance. God already knows … [Read more...]
Pilgrimage with Prayer
What do you think when you hear the words - Pilgrimage with Prayer? Pilgrimage with prayer is the theme for this summer here on Healthy Spirituality. We are all on a journey in life – and I am literally taking several trips this summer and hope to take you as a reader on the path through various prayer practices in this season. “If we truly want to know the secret of soulful travel, we need to believe that there is something sacred waiting to be discovered in virtually every journey.” Phil Cousineau What is a Pilgrimage? A pilgrimage is an outward journey that transforms our inner journey. To me a pilgrimage is to look at ourselves and what surrounds us with new eyes, to be changed whether we travel around the world or into our own backyards. Some pilgrimages are to well-known sacred places. Others could be more personal – a trip to Ground Zero or to a parent’s grave. A writer may visit a famous author’s home and see where they wrote their words. To live each moment … [Read more...]
Monthly Musings –What I Learned in May
I am grateful for May. May represents for me the full blossom of spring, though in Ohio spring never really arrived – we zoomed from a very long dreary winter directly into 90 degree summer weather. But I do love May and June. The new growth. Catching up with neighbors as we spend more time outside. Watching 8 years old playing softball in the neighborhood field. And of course sweet taste of strawberries. Yummy. How are you living a reflective life? Each month I look back at what I am discovering, learning, and exploring in life – I call these my monthly musings. Capturing these special moments gives meaning, depth, and delight to life. Let’s wake up to the wonders in the ordinary all around us. I record what I notice on the pages of my Monthly Musings Journal. You can use anything, scrapes of papers, a journal, or a calendar. Copies of my Monthly Musings Journal are available on Amazon and are a convenient way to keep track of the little things in life we often miss. Or if you … [Read more...]
Remodeling – Revamping – Restoring
I am surrounded by bedlam, disarray, and chaos. Commotion and change explodes both inside and out as we are in the midst of remodeling– here at home and to be honest, even our lives right now. Remodeling Home Our first project is updating the backyard with new decking and fence. My hubby enlarged his storage shed and my garden is growing weeds not green peppers and tomatoes this year. If you have read this blog for long you know I love the peace and quiet time in summer in my backyard. Nope, not this year. At least not yet. Memorial weekend found us on our knees – not in prayer, though we certainly could have used some – but ripping up carpet in the living room. New hardwood floors will be installed next week. Starting today my normally peaceful home will reverberate with pounding and hammering. I do feel blessed that we can do this remodeling, but enduring the disruption and disorder unsettles this introvert! So I seek quiet time extra early in the morning before the … [Read more...]
Digital Prayer Tools – What Digital Gadgets and Apps Draw You Closer to God?
The last few weeks we've been exploring various tools for your prayer tool box. I shared a list of analog tools ideas and methods last Thursday and today let's dive into the digital world. This month on Healthy Spirituality as we honor 2018 being the Year of Prayer we are looking at different tools we can use in prayer. Each month this year on the Tending the Holy Thursdays there will be a focus on an aspect of prayer. On my Thursday posts, I pick one theme (or person of faith) to explore deeper. I call this series Tending the Holy Thursdays. What digital methods help to slow you down and enter God's presence? Digital Prayer Tools To compile this list, I checked my phone and computer first for the apps I use on a regular basis. Here are some of my favorites plus ones I discovered while researching this topic. By the way, many of the link below connect to the I-Tunes store since I am an apple user, but most of the list the apps are also available for Android. Echo - On my … [Read more...]
Kindness as a Spiritual Practice
Kindness is a gift that doesn't cost us anything yet can change the world. How will you practice kindness today? Have you even heard of National Waiter and Waitress Day? Well we missed it already as this special day of recognition was May 21, BUT there is always an opportunity for kindness to be shared with the wait staff who serve us our meals. Ever since I learned how Catherine of Sienna described the Trinity in this unusual way, I have been more mindful of those who serve us meals. She used the image of the banquet: God is the table, Jesus the food and the Holy Spirit the waiter/servant. Here is her prayer: “By this light I shall come to know that you, eternal Trinity, are Table and Food and Waiter for us. You, eternal Father, are the Table that offers us food, the Lamb, your only-begotten Son. He is the most exquisite Food for us, both in his teaching, which nourishes us in your will, and in the sacraments that we receive in Holy Communion, which feeds and strengthens us … [Read more...]