spiritual practices
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(…not really sure how I “drew” Holy Week for the blog post…) On Palm Sunday, my pastor voiced something that I have also always felt. He talked about how he always feels a little weird celebrating Holy Week…we, essentially, celebrate the brutal torture of our Savior. I know, we actually celebrate the resurrection of […]
I am one of those people out there participating in the VP3 process, A Way of Life, in my local church. I’m so glad I did. Years ago I would have convinced myself that I could mastermind my sanctification and create a growth plan on my own time. But this Lone Ranger approach would […]
This past Sunday our pastor’s message was on the story of Jesus and the woman at the well from John 4. What is resonating in me this week as we head into the Easter season is…why did Jesus stop at that well and have the disciples continue on into town to buy food? […]
”Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled or dismayed and do not be afraid.”John 14:27 This entry is for women. Or anyone who dearly loves a woman. Christmas is not an easy season for […]
Over the past number of years I have had the privilege of spending time with pastors, staffs and sharp lay leaders discussing how the VP3 processes have created a good sort of stirring. The amount of consistent lives changed has cued them to scootch up to their balcony to get a broader perspective of what […]
Ephesians 4:1 “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” What exactly does that mean? That verse has been resonating in my heart since this summer. That verse, along with John 10:10 (“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; […]
Thomas Hart’s The Art of Christian Listening (Paulist Press, 1980) has consistently provided me fruitful perspectives for the work of walking alongside others on their spiritual journey. Hart’s thoughts point to fundamental realities of helping another person. As I reread the book I found myself translating some of his thoughts into self-examining questions. As you […]
When the Thanksgiving holiday came around in Canada, which was usually the second weekend in October, I saw it primarily as a long weekend. In order of importance were: a day off school and eventually work, one extra night to stay up late and an extra morning to sleep in, for-sure church attendance that Sunday […]
Kathleen Norris writes a gem of a little book entitled The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy, and “Woman’s Work” (Paulist Press, 1998). By “quotidian” she means that which belongs to the everyday or the commonplace. She reminds us that it is amidst the ordinary stuff of our lives that we must be attentive to and expectant […]
The Reeses decided our vacation time this summer would include time spent in one of the most beautiful parts of the homeland of Canada, Banff National Park. Just before you get into the park along the #1 Highway you come to Canmore, Alberta. An impressive little town with ginormous sentinel mountains surrounding the town. One […]
As the Willow Creek Leadership Summit approaches in a week or so, I found myself thinking about last year’s Summit. One presenter’s thoughts about the practice of silence particularly stands out in my memory. “Mama Maggie” Gobran, a Coptic Christian from Cairo, Egypt, who is a 2012 Nobel Peace Prize nominee for her efforts in founding […]