Devotion. How can we cultivate a deeper devotion to God? This is one question I ask frequently in my prayers and my journal. A question I hear in my spiritual direction practice. A question that arises from the hearts of the readers of this blog. I was pondering this the other day when I saw a book, an old friend, on my shelf that I hadn’t read for a while: A Testament of Devotion by Thomas Kelly. What a great find to reread and savor once again. A Testament of Devotion practically jumped into my hands. I wanted to find a classic to feature as this month’s Healthy Spirituality Book Chat and instead of my searching for one, it found me! “Deep within us all there is an amazing inner sanctuary of the soul, a holy place, a Divine Center, a speaking Voice, to which we may continuously return.” A Testament of Devotion The theme of this book is the discovery and exploration of the presence of God within us. Basically, A Testament of Devotion is five essays, titled: The … [Read more...]
The Power of Nature – Monthly Musings
Behold the power of nature! Nature takes center stage in this month’s reflections and gathering of thoughts. Normally I share a variety of ideas each month, but today instead I am overwhelmed by nature so will focus only on one topic. Each month I pause and look back at what I am discovering, learning, and exploring in life – I call these my monthly musings. Living this reflective practice helps me slow down and savor this precious gift of life we’ve been given and all the gifts to be discovered given by such a loving, gracious God. Capturing these special moments gives meaning, depth, and delight to life. Usually at this point on this post, I mention my Monthly Musing Journal available on Amazon or the free downloadable one sheet to record your musings. But today I am more reflective and feel like skipping them this month. My Monthly Musing lesson learned and my one and only topic this month: Behold the Power of Nature! Two weeks ago, we were all enthralled by the solar … [Read more...]
Fueling Our Faith Through Prayer Journaling
Have you tried prayer journaling? I am an avid journal keeper and I fully understand this is not everyone’s favorite practice. But writing our prayers in a journal can be a wonderful spiritual discipline. At the very least, this practice records our prayers. Why Write Out Our Prayers in Prayer Journaling? Writing helps us to articulate our relationship with God. We find the words to express our concerns and even our faith when writing them out on the pages. Gives us a place and process to organize our thoughts. I often see themes emerge as I write. What a safe place to explore our hopes, dreams, fears, joys, and concerns. Provides a record for my answered prayer and for insights over time as we pray. Keeps prayers and conversations with God we have so they’re not forgotten I hear myself in my journal – so often our voice is drowned out by the noise of the world and my own internal chattering I miss my true desires and what God is whispering to me. Sometimes I am … [Read more...]
17 Powerful Quotes about Community
Community – Community has been the August’s Tending the Holy Thursday theme. Each month on my Thursday posts, I pick one theme (or person of faith) to explore in depth over several weeks. The past three weeks, we have explored this topic by looking at the spiritual practice of community, how to build community through questions and listening, and ideas about living with community in times of conflict and confusion. Today I am sharing quotes about community. Pick one or two to take into your prayers. Copy them into your journal and write out how the words resonate/challenge you. Bring one quote to a small group or when you have dinner with friends for discussion. 17 Quotes about Community I know there is strength in the differences between us. I know there is comfort, where we overlap. Ani DiFranco With all things and in all things, we are relatives. Native American (Sioux) Proverb We were born to unite with our fellow men, and to join in community with the human … [Read more...]
SLOW
SLOW – say the word aloud. Slow glides leisurely from our mouths like the dawdling drip of Ketchup from a new bottle. Even the last syllable – the W – becomes a deep exhale if spoken in a long drawn out measure. NOTE: I tried to post this article earlier today and it kept sending you to another page. sorry. Some crazy tech issue. I am reposting and taking a few things out so see if that helps. Thanks for being patient. I am learning slow in a new way. LOL In the discussions in this blog, with my spiritual direction clients, and among friends, everyone complains about the hurriedness of our society. The rush of instant messaging, the impatience waiting for our coffee to heat up for one minute in the microwave, and the disbelief summer is almost gone. I saw a post this morning on Facebook reminding us to start shopping – only 125 days till Christmas. Yesterday many of us breathed in the majesty of the solar eclipse. My hubby and I lingered in our driveway, chatting with … [Read more...]
Building Community Even in Times of Conflict
Community – Community is August’s Tending the Holy Thursday theme. Each month on my Thursday posts, I pick one theme (or person of faith) to explore in depth over several weeks. The past two weeks, we have explored this topic by looking at the spiritual practice of community and how to build community through questions and listening. Today let’s talk about community when it is difficult – in times of conflict and confusion Each month I also include a free download to accompany the month’s topic. Since I am an introvert and find creating, dealing, and being in community challenging at times, I created a one page “The Introvert’s Guide to Community,” with 15 ideas how to practice this spiritual discipline. This PDF is available at no cost by clicking the button at the end of this post. Building Community in Times of Conflict Living in community isn’t always easy. People are not perfect and we are not always the cause of difficulty but being honest, many times we contribute to the … [Read more...]
Friendship – A Priceless Gift to Celebrate
We visited my son, daughter-in-law, and absolutely perfect 10-month-old grandson this past weekend. On Saturday, they were invited to bring us along to one of my son’s college friend’s parents’ home for a BBQ. I didn’t know anyone as I arrived, but left with a family of friends in my heart. I watched my son surrounded by at least four lifelong friends. They were now all married and the wives shared stories and made even more memory connections. Several of them were young parents, so they bonded even more over this new role in life. Sharing life passages deepens friendship. Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. I love TED Talks and this one shares a study proving this statement. Friendships are good for us. If you are reading this by email, you may need to go to the blog to watch this fascinating video. Friendship is priceless. Lifelong Friendship “A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails.” –Donna Roberts I have … [Read more...]
Building Community Through Questions and Listening
Community – Community is August’s Tending the Holy Thursday theme. Each month on my Thursday posts, I pick one theme (or person of faith) to explore in depth over several weeks. Last week we began to explore this topic by looking at the spiritual practice of community. How can we build community? Two ways is through the power of asking questions and active listening. Each month I also include a free download to accompany the month’s topic. Since I am an introvert and find creating, dealing, and being in community challenging at times, I created a one page “The Introvert’s Guide to Community,” with 15 ideas how to practice this spiritual discipline. This PDF is available at no cost by clicking the button at the end of this post. Building Community through Questions As an introvert, I use to hate small talk. I didn’t know how to engage the other person or where to even begin. My anxiety rose in group settings where the expectation was for conversations and “getting to know … [Read more...]