December’s Spiritual Practice – Reflection The spiritual practice of reflection gives meaning to our lives, helps us see God’s presence in the details, grounds us with landmarks on our journey and enables us to let go of what holds us back in life. Living a reflective life is hitting the pause button at regular intervals – daily, weekly, monthly and yearly – to look back on our emotions and experiences, to connect the dots that reveal patterns and to find hope and strength to keep moving forward. By three methods we may learn wisdom: First by reflection, which is noblest; Second by imitation, which is easiest; And third by experience, which is the bitterest. Confucius Practicing reflection is this month’s spiritual practice to explore in December. Each month on Thursdays, I plan to write about a specific theme that helps us discover and explore people and practices that tend the holy. Spending several weeks on a topic will add depth to our spiritual walk. What is the … [Read more...]
Is Your Advent Full with Stuff in your Hands or a Heart Stuffed with Joy? Thoughts & Quotes & Ramblings
Is your Advent season full with stuff in your hands or a heart stuffed with joy? Is there a whisper in your mind that you love Christmas time, but are secretly glad when it’s over? Does the thought of family conflicts, crowded parties, too much tempting food, overspending and unmet expectations deplete your energy and love for the season? Advent “should” be a time of joyous anticipation and rest and restoration that God keeps his promises. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I struggle to find that peace and hope in the busyness during Advent. "Take time to be aware that in the very midst of our busy preparations for the celebration of Christ’s birth in ancient Bethlehem, Christ is reborn in the Bethlehems of our homes and daily lives. Take time, slow down, be still, be awake to the Divine Mystery that looks so common and so ordinary yet is wondrously present. "An old abbot was fond of saying, ‘The devil is always the most active on the highest feast days.’ "The supreme trick … [Read more...]
Thanksgiving Trivia and Tidbits
In the U.S, today is Thanksgiving, a time for family, food and feelings of gratitude. Enjoy the following Thanksgiving trivia plus. No holiday would be complete with some good old fashion trivia: Did you know Abe Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday? He was responding to the efforts of a magazine editor named Sarah Josepha Hale. Her other claim to fame? She also wrote the nursery rhyme, Mary Had a Little Lamb. The term Black Friday, for the shopping day following Thanksgiving, began in Philadelphia in the late 1960s. The Pilgrims and Indians probably ate venison and seafood at the first Thanksgiving. Sorry, no turkey. Don’t forget to pull the "wishbone" at Thanksgiving. Two people pull the turkey's breastbone apart, only the person who has the larger piece of bone is allowed to make a wish. The one with the shorter piece will be married first. The heaviest turkey ever raised was 86 pounds, about the size of a large dog. Turkeys will have 3,500 feathers at … [Read more...]
What is Advent and Why is It Important?
Each year around this time I write a feature about Advent. In a conversation the other day one of my friends mentioned she didn’t know much about this season. When she asked about Advent, we had just finished the typical conversation you hear this time of year. Me: How are you? She: Busy like everyone else. Me: Yes, this is a crazy time of year. She: Yeah, it seems nonstop racing from Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Years. I spent too much money and eat too much when I really need some peace and rest and bring the true meaning of Christmas back to my heart. She needs Advent. Advent Advent is the four weeks before the celebration of the birth of Jesus. November 29 is the first Sunday in this season this year and at our church we will light the first of the four candles surrounding the white Christ candle. The candles symbolize joy, hope, peace and love. This time before Christmas is a time of anticipation and waiting for the gift of this … [Read more...]
November – Tending the Holy – Desert Spirituality
On Thursdays in November we have been walking with the Desert Mothers and Fathers and their desert spirituality. You can read the previous post and who they were and what practices they used in the posts below or by clicking on the links in this sentence. Ever wonder about the symbolism in the desert and how that environment impacted their faith? Let’s explore desert spirituality today. “Desert spirituality is a spirituality of struggle, which is inevitable as we seek to know and to journey into ourselves, to face the demons in the depths of our personalities. It is a struggle with the apparent absence of God and a struggle in the darkness of our own emptiness and insufficiency.” David Prail As a writing I often had to stop as I write the word desert – are there two “S’s” or only one? Then I remember my high school English teacher reminding us that dessert has two since lots of people want dessert, but no one really wants the desert. What can the desert teach us? I would … [Read more...]
Why is Gratitude So Powerful?
My experience with intentionally practicing gratitude has been transformational. This spiritual discipline helps me focus on what I have - not the vapor wishes I think I need. Being thankful helps me step out of the way, thanking God for all things, not relying on my own self centered strength. Gratitude has taught me the fun in discovering hidden blessings, treasures I may have missed if I hadn’t been paying attention. Counting my blessings turns what my emotions blindly convey as a rotten day into “hey that wasn’t so bad after all” type of reflection. Thankfulness adds meaning to life, even in difficult times. “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” Cicero Pondering gratitude stirred my curiosity about why is gratitude as a spiritual practice so powerful? I spent most of the morning on Monday reading about the research behind gratitude. What I learned is amazing. Research Here is just a smidgen of the benefits of gratitude … [Read more...]
Tending the Holy Thursdays – 7 Practices of the Desert Mothers and Fathers
Last Thursday we met the Desert Mothers and Fathers and this week we will look at some of their practices that may help us on our spiritual journey. Each month on Thursdays, I plan to write about a specific theme that helps us discover and explore people and practices that tend the holy. Spending several weeks on a topic will add depth to our spiritual walk. Just as a reminder the Desert Mothers and Fathers lived in the 3rd and 4th centuries. As Christianity became accepted as an approved faith and no longer opposed by the governments, Christians continued to hunger for a deeper relationship with God. Groups of men and women lived in the desert or just outside of the cities in the Middle East and became known as the Desert Mothers and Fathers. Many of them lived like hermits, living in caves but did gather into communities periodically. Others sought them out to learn from them so many of them were rarely alone. The lived a humble, simple existence. We can gather ideas from … [Read more...]
Henri Nouwen, Questions and the Life-changing Practice of Gratitude
Being thankful and increasing the amount of gratitude in our lives can be powerful and life changing. On Tuesdays in November, I am writing about this spiritual discipline and exploring some quotes and practices that may be helpful. If you have read Healthy Spirituality for a while you know I love Henri Nouwen. I bet I quote him more than anyone except for the bible here, so of course had to feature what he said about gratitude. Great wisdom in his words. Savor them. “Perhaps nothing helps us make the movement from our little selves to a larger world than remembering God in gratitude. Such a perspective puts God in view in all of life, not just in the moment we set aside for worship or spiritual disciplines. Not just in the moment when life seems easy.” ******************** “Gratitude goes beyond the 'mine' and 'thine' and claims the truth that all of life is a pure gift. In the past I always thought of gratitude as a spontaneous response to the awareness of gifts received, … [Read more...]