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 »
“Change but no change” is a phrase familiar to those in the therapy world. A client wants help with their pain, but is reluctant to change their patterns of behavior, relationships, or other aspects of their life. As a therapist, I know change occurs when the client begins to look at themselves and what they need to do differently. That is when ...READ MORE »
Name: Virginia BousquetAvailabilty: M, W, Th afternoons, Tuesdays and some Fridays. Limited evenings & weekendsOffered Remotely: Yes on FaceTime, Phone, SkypeFee: $45-$75 donationSliding Scale: YesLanguage: EnglishContact information: va.bousquet@me.com 615-668-1966Website: N/A at this timeDescription: The intention of my spiritual direction practice is to help a person look for and listen to God in her/his life through prayerful conversation. Spiritual direction provides spiritual companionship in the ...READ MORE »
Caitlin Phelps has joined the Selah Team as our Director of Social Media. She has a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy from Lipscomb University and is currently living in Lincoln, Nebraska. You can learn more about Caitlin on our website here. On January 1st, 2019, I joined many others in ...READ MORE »
Availabilty: 9am to 8pm Virtual Options: Facetime, Phone, SkypeFee: No charge. Make a donation of your choosing to any Contemplative organization. Sliding Scale: N/A Language: English Contact information: lindavass3@gmail.com, 903-952-0068Description of Services: I listen for the Spirit’s movement while listening to your story prompting you more and more toward God in your life. The spirit always shows up to guide.
Availabilty: Typically weekdays 8am-3pmVirtual Options: ZoomFee: $40-$100Sliding scale: YesLanguage: EnglishContact information: havendirection@gmail.com, 615-708-6550Website: havendirection.comDescription of Services: I believe that speaking your truth out loud to an empathetic listener is transformative. It allows you to experience yourself, others, and God in new and meaningful ways. In spiritual direction, I offer a space for you to speak your experience ...READ MORE »
Availability: Flexible Fee: $40 donation to director’s churchSliding Scale: N/ALanguage(s): EnglishContact Information: cshoulders@cox.net, 540 556-6567Description of Services: Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their own personal spirituality. … The director listens and asks questions to assist the directee in his or her ...READ MORE »
A friend of mine shared that as a child she was quite grumpy when she would wake up. Her mother would require that she say five positive things before she could eat her breakfast. So, through gritted teeth, she would say, “your hair looks nice,” “my oatmeal looks delicious,” “it’s a beautiful day, “ etc. until they were both laughing ...READ MORE »
I show a documentary on Mother Teresa to my spiritual formation classes. There are a few groans when I first tell the class of this topic, but any hesitance is quickly changed to awe as the story of her life unfolds. You can hear a pin drop during the video. The film catches the essence of the ministry of this ...READ MORE »
“This is what the things can teach us: to fall, patiently to trust our heaviness. Even a bird has to do that before he can fly.” Rainer Maria Rilke I pull up the sleeve on the sweatshirt my wife and mother are conspiring to burn and check to see if the scar is still abiding horizontally across my elbow. The scar ...READ MORE »
The word “love” has been worn-out in our culture. It is used for everything from ice cream to deep intimacy. It causes at best confusion and at worst a disillusionment with each other in an intimate relationship. Social psychology has identified two stages of love in intimate relationships. The first is referred to as “passionate love,” and the second is “companionate ...READ MORE »
The word “confession” is part of our nomenclature in Churches of Christ. It’s one of the big five–hear, believe, repent, confess, and be baptized. James tells us “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” Do we as followers of Christ believe ...READ MORE »
An oft-said statement in our present culture is “I am spiritual, but not religious.” The value is placed on one’s personal emotional experience with the Divine. There is, of course, merit in personal revelation. God communicates with us in many ways—experience being one of them. It is a source of encouragement to look back over my life and see how ...READ MORE »
[In hopes of extending the work of Martin Luther King, Jr. I want to share a reflection. It was written in December, 2018, following a RULS – Racial Unity Leadership Summit, an offering of the Carl Spain Center https://carlspaincenter.org/. The summits are gatherings of primarily black and white church leaders (both men and women) and other parties interested in racial unity. ...READ MORE »
The scene is a familiar one. People spread out over the grounds of a retreat center carrying out the prayer assignment I have given–write a letter to God and then have God respond. To be specific, the instructions are as follows: Write in a free flow manner for ten minutes. Allow your heart to flow out on the paper. Write ...READ MORE »
Ah, the new year. It is laid out before me—clean and inviting. How do I begin this new chapter with the intention of letting God write through me? First, I recognize the tools at my disposal. I begin with the confidence of knowing that the God of the universe is with me each moment. God created me a unique individual made ...READ MORE »
At this time of year, the world is celebrating the birth of Christ. The Christmas story is read frequently, by those new to it and by those of us who have heard it since the time we were babies. The beauty of this is the familiarity. The shadow side is the apathy that can come as I take these wonderful ...READ MORE »
Life can be challenging. At times I am mistreated. I wrestle to make ends meet. I watch those I love struggle with pain and illness. I wonder at the discrepancies in the world as some have an easy life and others go hungry. How am I to respond? Where is God in this? Last week I read an article spotlighting ...READ MORE »
**An excerpt from Enneagram Ones Lesson 1 At the heart of Enneagram work is self-awareness. Even though you already know your number, self-observation is still what’s needed to manage it. We can’t change what we can’t name and we can’t name what we don’t observe. So this first week we will focus on growing in self-awareness. In our culture we are ...READ MORE »
**An excerpt from Art & Spirituality Lesson 1 Art is “something that is created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings.” – from Merriam-Webster.com. In addition, art adds value to life. C. S. Lewis, whose beautifully written, highly imaginative Chronicles of Narnia are literary works of art, wrote that these types of stories “can give ...READ MORE »
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