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November 2024

November 04, 2024

Finding God in Everything

Spiritual directors are fond of saying we find God in all things and all places,...

December 2023

December 28, 2023

Honoring the Inward Altars

Guest blogger Dr. Amber H. Jones -- Some think of spiritual direction as a vocational...

December 15, 2023

Wonder and Learning To See

Guest blogger Evan Clendenin I stood there with two people from church, looking out...

July 2023

July 19, 2023

Meeting the Desert Mothers: Mary of Egypt

Mary of Egypt is one of the best-known desert mothers. She left her Alexandria home...

February 2023

February 22, 2023

Theodora of Alexandria: A 5th Century Gender Fluid Desert Mother?

The legend of Theodora of Alexandria is a 5th century tale of sex, gender fluidity...

February 07, 2023

Meeting the Desert Fathers and Mothers: Paula of Rome

The Desert Fathers and Mothers of the 4th century were the original spiritual directors, sought...

April 2022

April 08, 2022

Discussing ’50 Ways To Pray’ on the ‘Pew and Beyond’ Podcast

I was on with Rev. Canon Lisa Vaughn and Rev. Neil Mancor on their Pew...

July 2021

July 20, 2021

Contemplative Practice in UCC: Becoming Still to Encounter the Still-Speaking God

The denomination I am ordained in, United Church of Christ (UCC), has a catchphrase: “God...

July 22, 2019

Contemplation Exercise: Here I Am Prayer

Contemplation is the stillness we need to be aware of God’s presence. Jesuit theologian Walter...

January 2019

January 09, 2019

Works Without Faith Can be Deadening, Too

Within the Christian context, most of us know the passage in James that says “faith...

July 2018

July 03, 2018

The Holiness of Ordinary Time

Although these days feel pretty extraordinary in their weirdness, Christians are actually deep into what...

October 2017

October 17, 2017

Losing Your Religion: How Spiritual Direction Can Help

Losing the religion you grew up with can be a heart-wrenching experience, and it’s one...

March 2017

March 21, 2017

Spiritual Direction and the Most Common Spiritual Block

If I were to poll spiritual directors and ask what is the most common concern...

December 2016

December 02, 2016

Discernment as a Visioning Tool

Many churches and faith based organizations do good work in the present but have difficulty...

November 2016

November 14, 2016

Spiritual Direction for the Deeply Troubled

An elderly minister I visit regularly in my job as visitation pastor for my church...

August 2016

August 29, 2016

Spiritual Direction and the Clergy Person

We need healthy religious and spiritual leaders in our faith communities--bright, energetic ministers who embody...

August 01, 2016

Holding our Pain: A look at “The Gift of Hard Things” by Mark Yaconelli

This post is part of a roundtable discussion about the new book The Gift of...

July 2016

July 18, 2016

Don’t Give Up!

The division and violence of the last few weeks compels me to promote the spiritual...

November 2015

November 25, 2015

Spiritual, Religious or Adventure?

When a pilgrim begins the 800 kilometer trek along the legendary Camino de Santiago, they are...

November 12, 2015

Cardinal Lessons in Discernment

I have not always been sure of what I wanted to do with my life,...

September 2015

September 24, 2015

Decent Work is a Spiritual Value

It hurts to be unemployed, underemployed or working at a job that offers few to...

September 09, 2015

Discernment tops the list of reasons people seek spiritual direction. People who want to do...

August 2015

August 31, 2015

Five Books to Help you Explore Spiritual Practices

One of the top reasons people give for entering spiritual direction is to find a...

August 19, 2015

Much is written about spiritual direction. Just search the term online and you will find...

June 2015

June 19, 2015

Staying Peaceful when the News Isn’t

One of the most common threads in spiritual direction conversations is “what do I do...

June 04, 2015

Why I remain a contemplative Christian

Although I often work in spiritual direction with people from no religious background, I am...

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