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…
24
January
from Pema Chodron
Life is a good teacher and a good friend. Things are always in transition, if we could only realize it. Nothing ever sums itself up in the way that we like to dream about. The off-center, in-between…