Several months have passed since my 30-day silent retreat. The retreat in and of itself was important, but even more so is what has remained with me from that experience beyond the immediate mountain top euphoria. There were so many invitations during the retreat. I wrote my prayers and it has been a joy to look back at them all. However, ...READ MORE »

In this piece, I continue my reflection on the 30-day silent retreat in which I was led through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Today I’ll talk about the exercises in general and aspects of my experience of the first week. As I begin this reflection, allow me to offer a disclaimer. These writings are about my personal experience of the ...READ MORE »

The question I am most often asked when someone learns of my 30-day silent retreat is “How can you be silent for so long?!” They are amazed, first, that anyone would choose to do it, and second, the actual act of being quiet for that length of time. It is indeed an “outside-the-box experience.” The most challenging piece, however, was ...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 season ...READ MORE »

I’m a big proponent of silence and solitude. It’s one of the most important things I do for my ministry. Once a year I do my best to do an eight-day silent retreat. It often ends up being six or seven days, but eight is always my goal. Last year was an exception due to the pandemic. I missed it. ...READ MORE »

I want to share with you a favorite Easter reading. It articulates the beauty of and true heart of Easter.  Today is Resurrection Sunday. My first Easter in prison. Surely the regime can’t continue to keep almost 10,000 political prisoners in its gaols! In here, it is much easier to understand how the people in the Bible felt, stripping themselves of ...READ MORE »

I was anxiously approaching 42 weeks of pregnancy, carrying our already-long-awaited little girl. I told myself I was familiar with waiting, had gleaned all the patience from the dark season of miscarriages I experienced before finally sustaining a healthy pregnancy. But two weeks past due, and two months into a nationwide lockdown following the declaration of a global pandemic, I ...READ MORE »

“And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’” – Luke 22:19 ESV The words above are familiar to all of us. They are a portion of the Holy Scriptures that we have come to love ...READ MORE »

A friend of mine said to me the other day, “space and time are not fundamental to human experience”. I suppose he’s right — in our redeemed, yet still fallen state we must suffer the perception of space and time in a way that God does not; that we were not originally created as icons of Himself to do. This ...READ MORE »

Sarah Robinson graduated from Lipscomb University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in History Teaching and in 2018 with her Master’s in Communications. Sarah currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee where she teaches AP Social Studies at a local private school. She is a part of Tennessee Educators of Color Alliance’s inaugural fellowship for this academic year and working in the areas ...READ MORE »

In the following video, Jackie Halstead describes the ministry of spiritual direction. The interview is with Jim Anderson of the Harpeth Hills Church of Christ in Nashville, Tennessee. Spiritual Direction During the PandemicJoin Dr. Jackie Halstead, Founder and CEO of Selah: Center for Spiritual Formation, and Dr. Jim Anderson, Director of the Harpeth Hills Counseling Center, as they discuss how ...READ MORE »

Rise up, oh Church, rise up! From the first hint of alarm with the coming of the pandemic, my heart yearned for the Church to rise up and be who it needs to be in this trying time. Christ used the descriptor of his body being a people of love—a portrayal that turns the eyes of the world toward our ...READ MORE »

Erika: Often on the Selah blog, we get the privilege of hearing from one of our friends who is an inmate in a maximum security prison. We connected with these women through the Lipscomb LIFE program, an educational program that enables women who are admitted to earn an associate of arts degree in seven years. Erika is a very special ...READ MORE »

Fee: $50 Sliding Scale: Yes Language(s): English Contact Information: 615-775-0842 Description of Services: My name is Tonya Derry and God has called me to the ministry of Spiritual Direction. In June, 2020, I was fortunate to complete my training with Selah: Center for Spiritual Formation, where I acquired a Certificate in Spiritual Direction. Selah Center for Spiritual Formation is a program grounded in Christian contemplative ...READ MORE »

These are unprecedented times in which we now live. A pandemic whose ongoing impact is yet unknown. Hate, anger, fear, polarization within and outside the church. Our future is unclear. Yet the role of the Church is not. Although having a different face, these struggles are not unknown. The Church has faced war, pandemic, plague, persecution, threats coming from within and ...READ MORE »

Dear friends, In our current climate of concern in light of the COVID-19, I want to share a meditation written by Fr. Luis Espinal. He was a Jesuit priest who was assassinated by paramilitary troops in Bolivia in 1980. This was written shortly before his death. “There are Christians who have hysterical reactions, as if the world would have slipped out of ...READ MORE »

The reason for the Season… Giving, coming of our Savior, peace on earth, good will to all people…I remember these reasons each year. But there are deeper reasons—reasons that are forgotten in the busyness of the days. God, in God’s faithfulness, gives me opportunity to remember.One of my favorite authors is Charles Dickens. I love the cleverness and humor of his writing. ...READ MORE »