Let yourself be silently drawn
by the strange pull
of what you really love.
…
12
March
There is no telling where God may turn up next — around what sudden bend of the path if you happen to have your eyes and ears open, your wits about you, in what odd, small moments almost too foolish…
05
March
My own peculiar task in my Church and in my world has been that of the solitary explorer who, instead of jumping on all the latest bandwagons at once, is bound to search the existential depths of faith in its…
27
February
It is a wondrous experience when I hear a message that is both beautifully touching and decidedly challenging. This week at St. John UMC, Pastor Jenny gave a sermon on attention. Jenny is the Mom of two, a toddler and…
23
February
The heart has reasons
that reason can never know.
Blaise Pascal
Take a moment to chew on this short statement. Those nine little words are probably the main reason that spiritual direction nourishes me so deeply, whether I am in the role of…
18
February
My intention is to give myself entirely and without compromise to whatever work God wants to perform in me and through me. Thomas Merton
Take a moment to experience this one short sentence. I am stunned by its simplicity…
13
February
When you speak to me about your deepest questions, you do not want to be fixed or saved: you want to be seen and heard, to have your truth acknowledged and honored. If your problem is soul-deep, your soul alone…
09
February
"Jack pines...are not lumber trees (and they) won't win many beauty contests either. But to me this valiant old tree, solitary on its own rocky point, is as beautiful as a living thing can be...In the calligraphy of its shape…
03
February
Here is an excerpt from a poem by Raymond Carver entitled "Where Water Comes Together with Water".
"I'll take all the time I please this afternoon
before leaving my place alongside this river.
It pleases me, loving rivers.
Loving them all…
30
January
On January 31, 2015 we celebrate the 100th anniversary of Thomas Merton's birth. It is difficult to overestimate just how deeply important his influence has been on contemplative spirituality in the West and particularly to the ministry of spiritual direction…