Seven Sacred Pauses: Living Mindfully through the Hours of the Day by Macrina Wiederkehr is this month’s Healthy Spirituality Book Chat selection. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I want to feature a Christian book that I am reading or want to reread. To be honest, I have a towering pile of books I want to read, but never seem to get to and now by telling you this idea, I am hoping I take the time for more reading and study in my own spiritual journey. I also have a several “top shelf” books, that I have read previously and loved and want to dig back into their words once again. I yearn to go deeper and less shallow in my spiritual walk. With this monthly Book Chat, we will take a look at a book and glean a lesson to nourish a healthy spirituality. To stretch myself, in addition to what I share in writing on this blog, I want to include a video about the book and a second insight from its words. I may even try doing this as live streaming on Facebook Live. … [Read more...]
The Spiritual Practice of Celebration
The results of my life assessment test rested before me. I could guess the score already, as this was the third time I completed one of these self-identity tools. I love taking these peak inside of my life quizzes– it affirms what I know about myself and often gives me a new perspective about why I do or think certain ways. You know these kinds of tests. They look something like this: Rate yourself in the following categories from one, being the lowest/weakest to 10, being the highest. Life areas assessed are categories such as physical, mental, emotional, social, financial, spiritual, family, joy/recreation, personal growth, time, career, etc. They may be listed, in a checklist or a wheel. My lowest? My “F” in the report card of life? My “why can’t you do better” score? Joy/recreation. I flunk celebration. I race from one completed job to another without stopping to enjoy the accomplishment. When I retired from public health, they practically had to drag me to my own … [Read more...]
Easter – Don’t Miss God’s Surprise!
God's surprises! He loves to give to us more than we ask for, beyond our meager human imagination. He lavishes us with love and delights to shower and dazzle us with his favor. Personally, I don’t like surprises. I like to know, to control what is happening, to be prepared ahead of time. But I am learning that what I expect is narrow, limited and small. God’s expectations reach beyond, is always More, and sweeping and spacious. I have to remind myself surprises are also fun, so it comes down to my ego and the misperception that I have some control over life. Life can be crazy, so knowing we have a God who loves us and enjoys surprising us with his goodness gives me hope, strength, and encouragement. God is in control and something good will emerge from every situation. I am slowly learning to watch for God’s surprises and take delight in them. God’s Surprises are Not New The Bible overflows with God’s dazzling unanticipated moments. George Herbert wrote, “Bibles laid open, … [Read more...]
Dialogue Prayer – A Spiritual Retreat Practice
Ever hear of the Dialogue Prayer? I attended my annual silent retreat a few weeks ago. The spiritual directors for the retreat offer us guidance and ideas to deepen our experience of God during our time there – one suggestion was to use Dialogue Prayer. I have journaled for years. I often write out my conversations with God – my hopes, concerns, fears, etc. I also have recorded what I think God is inviting me to go, to do, to be. But I have never used this formal technique before. What is Dialog Prayer and How It Works Dialogue prayer reflects the basic definition of prayer – a conversation with God. What is different is the format when writing out the prayer. The entire process is bathed, submerged in prayer. Solitude and silence joins on this holy ground too. On my retreat, my dialogue prayer looked like a dramatic script for a play. I imagined sitting with God, often on rocking chair on the front porch of a cabin, and we talk. One retreat we sat on a picnic … [Read more...]
Monthly Musings –What I Learned in March
March Monthly Musings Wow the first quarter of the year is gone, evaporated, finished and departed. Where does time go? I know writing these monthly musings helps me pause, reflect and appreciate the gift of time and life. Each month I 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. Let’s wake up to the wonders in the ordinary all around us, especially at this most sacred time of year. 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 track of the little things in life we often miss. Or if you want … [Read more...]
7 C’s of the Spiritual Practice of Study – Four More C’s
The 7 C’s of the spiritual practice of study have been the focus for March’s Tending the Holy series. Each month on my Thursday posts, I pick one theme (or person of faith) to explore deeper. I call this series Tending the Holy Thursdays. I am so glad you are here today. Exploring the practice of study as a spiritual discipline strengthens our faith and feeds our mind. I think this practice leads us to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul. The first two weeks we looked deeper into the practice of study and last week we unpacked the first three C’s of the 7 C’s of study: Curiosity, Commitment, and Concentrate. Today we’ll finish us with the C’s of Cultivate, Comprehend, Contemplate, and Conversion. As usual I created a free download for you and this month it is something different – an infographic called “The 7 C’s of the Practice of Study.” You can get this infographic for your reference and even use as a bookmark at no cost by clicking on the button here. Click … [Read more...]
A.W. Tozer – Person of the Month
A.W. Tozer – I bet you know his name and maybe read his books, such as the Pursuit of God or The Knowledge of the Holy. But what do you know about his man? Here at Healthy Spirituality we explore different faith practices and learn the stories of people of faith to fuel our faith and nourish a healthy spirituality. I love learning the background of others before us who walked in faith – so much wisdom and lessons in their stories. We discover our own story within their stories, all encompassed in God’s story. Let’s meet A. W. Tozer. A.W. Tozer – His Story Of course, the first question is what does the A. W. stand for? And the answer is: Aiden Wilson. Now you can impress your friends with that bit of info. Here are some highlights from his life: Lived 1897-1963. Became a Christian at age eighteen and was ordained at age twenty-three, serving in the Alliance Church . Wrote more than thirty books. He wrote the rough draft of the book he is best known for: … [Read more...]
The 7 C’s of the Spiritual Practice of Study – The First Three C’s
What are the 7 C’s of the spiritual practice of study? In March, we are exploring how the practice of study as a spiritual discipline strengthens our faith. Each month on my Thursday posts, I pick one theme (or person of faith) to explore deeper. I call this series Tending the Holy Thursdays. The first two weeks we looked deeper into the practice of study and today will unpack three of the 7 C’s of study: Curiosity, Commitment, and Concentrate. As usual I created a free download for you and this month it is something different – an infographic called “The 7 C’s of the Practice of Study.” You can get this infographic for your reference and even use as a bookmark at no cost by clicking on the button at the end of the post. It is my hope and prayer that this series and the download will enhance your walk with God. Our Healthy Spirituality community is growing. Be sure to sign up to get Healthy Spirituality in your inbox so you don’t miss any of the weeks (I promise I never … [Read more...]