Henri Nouwen wrote a wonderful piece entitled “Moving from Solitude to Community to Ministry.[1]” In this piece, he uses Luke 6 to demonstrate the pattern in the life of Jesus. One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and ...READ MORE »
The young woman sat in my office and expressed her frustration with God. “I was so certain that God wanted me to take this job. The doors seemed to fly open. I know it was God’s will. But it has been terrible. I have never been so unhappy. Why would God do this to me?” The topic of discernment is ...READ MORE »
* A cancer diagnosis results in a huge upheaval to your lifestyle. Suddenly, you have to make regular doctor visits, subject your body to uncomfortable treatments, and face debilitating physical symptoms. This makes it extremely difficult to maintain the quality of life that you once had. Plus, cancer gets in the way of both career and life goals, making ...READ MORE »
“Why do people in this neighborhood get upset about putting up more houses? That lot there could have 8 more houses if they tore down that one”, my 40 something friend said as we walked down the street shaded with mighty oaks and maples and ash trees. “People my age don’t care about trees and grass and houses. Why ...READ MORE »
I found out about Selah’s Spiritual Direction program in July, 2017, just one week and 5 days before the Pre-Residency retreat began. For 14 years, my soul I had been searching for something “more”. Finding Selah was a true gift. And, this journey of Spiritual Direction has been “more”, so much more than I can express in this writing. I ...READ MORE »
I like to think of the seasons in terms of the story they represent. Each season is a chapter in the story of the year. Winter is one of my favorite seasons. There is something peaceful about this chapter. It’s about living with established routines and settling into life. It’s a season of work, but even more, it’s a ...READ MORE »
One of the heroes of my faith is Henri Nouwen. He is a source of encouragement to many because he understood the Christian walk with its trials and blessings. He was able to articulate it in a way that challenges me to persevere in my desire to be God’s instrument. The greatest attraction for me to Nouwen, however, is ...READ MORE »
The other night my husband and I went on a date. We are able to do this frequently in this season of life. We enjoy each other’s company—we’re comfortable with each other. It wasn’t until we were walking from the car to the restaurant that I noticed I was wearing my slippers. Ha! I guess after 36 years of ...READ MORE »
Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power, And the glory forever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13) Our early ...READ MORE »
Flora and Fauna My grandmother was a naturalist. Her life was spent in Saskatchewan. She was well acquainted with those prairies—the flora and fauna. We, her family, found binder upon binder full of pressed flowers and leaves after she was gone. If she was with you in the car, she would occasionally ask you to stop so she could determine a flower on ...READ MORE »
I am always touched deeply when I hear the song “At The Table” by Josh Garrels. This song uniquely travels through the relationship between the prodigal son and his father. Just as we can find ourselves in the parables that Jesus spoke, there are many places that we can find ourselves in the lyrics of this song. Perhaps the ...READ MORE »
The realization of God’s faithfulness has been pressing in on me of late. I’ve been looking at job opportunities outside of Nashville and feeling sad about the possibility of leaving. We love it here! When I consider leaving this loved place, it is difficult to imagine the blessings of an unknown situation. This is where the steadfastness of God ...READ MORE »
So much to do when traveling! and to top it off I twisted my ankle yesterday. “Don’t overdo it by walking too much today” a fitness trainer told me: rest; use ice and compression and elevate your foot. It’s called R-I-C-E. You don’t want it to swell on you tomorrow on the airplane. Rest; Ice; Compression; Elevate: R-I-C-E.” Not easy ...READ MORE »
(Written in February 2016) Transfiguration Sunday was a couple of days ago according to the Church calendar. In our early morning contemplative service, we listened to a repeated reading of the account of the transfiguration in the gospel of Luke. Following the reading, we shared the insights we had been given. One friend said he had been struck with ...READ MORE »
Spring is the time of rebirth. I love the variations of green. The lime green of the new leaves and the turning to a deeper green as they mature. It is a wonderful time to be outside with the moderate temperatures. It seems as if creation is inviting us to come outside and participate in the gift that God ...READ MORE »
There is a Benedictine monastery in Cullman, Alabama. It is a wonderful setting for individual and group retreats. I made an individual silent retreat there a couple of months ago. It was my first time there and as I went in the middle of the week, I was for a time, the only retreatant. The pattern is always the same ...READ MORE »
“It takes courage to be happy.” I heard this statement this morning. It was attributed to Florence Henderson, the Brady Bunch mom, after she lost her husband a few years ago. She was devastated by his loss and said, “It takes courage to be happy. I am going to be happy again.” My, we have plenty of occasion to test ...READ MORE »
When i think about how my life has been affected by loss, tragedy, and difficult circumstances, it seems to be almost too easy to look at how prison has impacted my life, my faith in a negative way. Oddly, this is not the case. Prison has been a loss and tragedy by the people that have suffered because of ...READ MORE »
According to the church calendar, Easter is behind us and we progress toward the day of Pentecost. Easter has deep meaning for me. Jesus was not included in the season in my growing up years and the opportunity to focus on him during this time of year has made it a rich time for me. The ancient themes of ...READ MORE »
Struggle against my personal demons is exponentially more rigorous than against the maliciousness of others. God has reminded me of this recently as I have been reflecting on the past year. It has been a year of struggling with hopelessness. Jürgen Moltmann speaks of hopelessness as assuming two forms: “it can be presumption and it can be despair…Presumption is a ...READ MORE »
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