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September 2022

September 13, 2022

Attributes of God: Free from Anxiety

Don’t know about you, but I, like millions of others right now, have anxiety issues....

June 2022

June 28, 2022

Starting a Spiritual Direction Practice in 2022: A Step-by-Step Process by Laura Lies

For today's post, I'm delighted to feature guest Laura Ann Lies for this guide on...

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...

January 2022

January 21, 2022

Learning at the Feet of Elders: A Return to Apprenticeships

Learning doesn’t just happen in classrooms. Apprenticing — the ancient practice of learning a trade...

September 2021

September 03, 2021

Biblical Perspectives in Spiritual Direction: What is an Experience of God?

In spiritual direction, we explore a person’s experience of God. What we discover is that...

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...

March 2021

March 15, 2021

Inclining our Ear Toward God: Listening As A Church

In a world full of solutions, opinions, and advice, listening is one of the...

November 2020

November 29, 2020

Visualization of Inner Freedom: Releasing Ourselves from Self-Fastened Shackles

Sports psychologists use visualization. So do shamans and spiritual directors. Visualization is a powerful...

October 2020

October 23, 2020

Are You OK?: A Few Thoughts on Life and Spiritual Direction

Two commonly heard phrases (or some variation) I have noticed on social media: "Are you...

August 2020

August 28, 2020

Defining Spiritual Direction: An Interview with Dr. Melissa Hofstetter

What exactly is spiritual direction? Shepherd Heart Ministry Consulting's Executive Director Dr. Melissa Hofstetter sat...

July 2020

July 06, 2020

Heart Work is Hard Work – The Spiritual Direction Workout

It’s not uncommon to hear a client say, “I’m exhausted at the end of...

June 2020

June 16, 2020

Getting the Most from your Spiritual Direction Session

You’ve made the commitment. You’ve set aside the time for spiritual direction. But you wonder:...

May 2020

May 29, 2020

Prayer During A Pandemic – It Can Be Challenging!

Don’t know about you, but I’ve needed a lot of help with prayer during the...

May 18, 2020

Mindfulness: Developing Spiritual Awareness Through Meditation and Prayer

It's not always easy to sit down and meditate, but practice makes perfect! If...

April 2020

April 19, 2020

Praying the Ignatian Examen: Video Guided Prayer Exercise

Cultivating a relationship with God can be hard in the midst of our busy lives,...

February 2020

February 20, 2020

Prayer Walk: An Excerpt From ’50 Ways To Pray’

The Prayer Walk is a physical prayer. If you're new to physical, body-oriented prayers, an...

October 2019

October 10, 2019

Sitting with a Choice: Discernment Through Ignatian Examen

Here’s a simple spiritual practice you can do when sitting with a choice you need...

July 2019

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...

June 2019

June 07, 2019

The Star Wars Prayer: An Excerpt From ’50 Ways To Pray’

We live in a media-saturated culture. Each day thousands of promotional messages clamor for our...

May 2019

May 28, 2019

Breath Prayer: An Excerpt From ’50 Ways To Pray’

It is easy in our busy lives to begin to think that we “have” bodies...

December 2018

December 24, 2018

Advent Meditation for Christmas Eve: Lectio Divina with Matthew’s Nativity

There are only two stories of Jesus’ birth in the Gospels — Luke’s and Matthew’s....

December 23, 2018

Advent Meditation for Dec. 23: Praying the Nativity

Our Advent imagination prayer is getting closer to the manger! Today’s passage around the Nativity...

December 20, 2018

Advent Meditation for Dec. 20: Prayer of Desire

Desire is a popular emotion in Advent. Advertisers use our superficial desires in the hope...

December 17, 2018

Advent Meditation for Dec. 17: Prayer Walk

Advent heralds the beginning of winter, a time when many of us seek comfort and...

December 16, 2018

Advent Meditation for Dec. 16: Imagination Prayer on Luke Chapter 2

Today, we're praying with three verses from Luke, chapter 2, so it will be up...

December 13, 2018

Advent Meditation for Dec. 13: A Prayer for Others

Want to give a really meaningful gift to someone this Christmas? Pray for them. You...

December 12, 2018

Advent Meditation for Dec. 12: The Focusing Prayer

You’ve probably heard people say “your body has wisdom.” Maybe you’ve wondered how to tap...

December 11, 2018

Advent Meditation for Dec. 11: Praying with A Question

Advent invites us to embrace the mystery of incarnation — God’s action of dwelling in...

December 10, 2018

Advent Meditation for Dec. 10: The Daily Examen

This Advent, why not keep your eyes open for evidence of God’s love and action...

December 09, 2018

Advent, December 9: A Meditation on Jesus’ Birth, Mary and Joseph

We began the Advent meditations with the gospel of Luke’s version of the flight of...

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