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Contemplative

2017-03-28T03:39:22-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Straining to Catch a Glimpse of the Sacred

Last updated on: March 28, 2017 at 3:39 am By Greg Richardson

We feel we are far away from what we hold Sacred. We must strain to catch the slightest glimpse, the smallest echo. The Sacred is far above us and we struggle to capture a taste of it, to find its aroma. Is the Sacred Even There? There are days when we wonder whether there is anything Sacred anywhere at all. The experience of Sacredness can feel so distant from our everyday lives. We are constantly on the move, filling our time with... Read more

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Spiritual Practices

2017-03-25T03:52:42-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Inside Out Spiritual Practices: Hiding and Seeking

Last updated on: March 25, 2017 at 3:52 am By Greg Richardson

Hiding and Seeking The games we play as children shape our expectations and understanding later in life. I remember playing unforgettable marathon games of hide and seek. You have not really learned the lessons of hide and seek until you play at night in a dark church. Hide and seek taught me about when to hide and how to seek. We believe, deep within ourselves, in the power of hiding. It is as if it were possible for us to camouflage... Read more

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Spiritual Practices

2017-04-14T11:33:17-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Practicing Awareness: Paying Attention Like a Monk

Last updated on: April 14, 2017 at 11:33 am By Greg Richardson

Focused Attention Focus is one of my strengths. Concentrating is not generally difficult for me. I have been described as having “attention surplus disorder.” The ability to focus and concentrate can give people significant benefits. While I am not the most detail oriented person, paying attention helped me do well in school and practice law. My skill in concentrating was important in remembering facts and dealing with witnesses. We tend to rely on our abilities to pay attention as we analyze... Read more

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Monastic Strategies

2017-04-14T11:33:40-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Are We Eating Healthy Meals or Empty Spiritual Calories?

Last updated on: April 14, 2017 at 11:33 am By Greg Richardson

How nutritious are your spiritual eating habits? Do you eat in a healthy way? Eating Lessons I learned how to eat first by being fed and then by watching people feed themselves. The lessons my family taught me still affect how I eat today. The earliest eating lessons I remember taught me meals were inconvenient pauses in life. Eating was uncomfortable because you had to be quiet, sit still, be polite, and try everything. I learned when people said, “Try... Read more

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Spiritual Practices

2017-04-14T11:34:09-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Spiritual Practices From the Inside Out: Finding Hope

Last updated on: April 14, 2017 at 11:34 am By Greg Richardson

Hope for Lent My church is a liturgical church, and is in a liturgical season called Lent. This year Lent began on Ash Wednesday, March 1, and will continue until Easter next month. Some people choose to either give something up or begin a new discipline during Lent in preparation for Easter. One year I gave up fear for Lent. Lent is an opportunity for me to begin behaving in ways which have changed the rest of my life. This year I am... Read more

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Spiritual Practices

2017-04-14T11:34:52-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Leading Like a Monk: Learning to Listen Well

Last updated on: April 14, 2017 at 11:34 am By Greg Richardson

Listening Well is Intimate Listening may be the most intimate thing we can do with another person without touching them. Some people think “listening” is waiting for a person who is talking to take a breath so we can interrupt. They understand listening as an opportunity to think about what they want to say next. Listening well is listening on a deep level. It is not merely hearing what someone says, but connecting with who they truly are. Listening Well is an Intentional Relationship... Read more

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Monastic Strategies

2017-03-14T04:40:03-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Why Practice Spiritual Life? What Are We Searching For?

Last updated on: March 14, 2017 at 4:40 am By Greg Richardson

Why Follow a Spiritual Practice? There are groups who follow spiritual practices together. Some people practice disciplines they have followed all their lives, but do not know why. There are people who follow practices because “that is how we have always done it.” Some people were brought up with particular traditions and continue following them. They persist in practices their parents taught them even when they have little spiritual power for them. Other people explore new practices because they think... Read more

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Spiritual Practices

2017-03-11T04:40:32-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Spiritual Practices From the Inside Out: New Fields of Hope

Last updated on: March 11, 2017 at 4:40 am By Greg Richardson

Hope is not a mere feeling or attitude. Hope, like gratitude or curiosity, is a way of life. Developing our Hope Muscles Hope is not being unrealistic. It is deeper than knowing “things will work out well.” Our hope depends not on being disconnected from real life, but on experiencing life as it really is. Not all of us were born with the gift to be hopeful. Fortunately we can develop and strengthen our ability to hope. Hoping is a set... Read more

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Spiritual Practices

2017-03-09T04:40:56-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Leading Like a Monk: Leadership Begins in Stillness

Last updated on: March 9, 2017 at 4:40 am By Greg Richardson

We admire leaders who get us moving. They spur us to action by stirring something deep within us. Some leaders give us facts and information which present a challenge and how to meet it. Others connect with a feeling or memory deep inside us which moves us to act. There are leaders who show us a new potential image and enlist us in bringing it to life. Leaders are people who inspire us to get things done. Inspiring Leadership With Words, and... Read more

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Monastic Strategies

2017-03-07T04:40:10-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Making a Real Difference: Spending Our Days Wisely

Last updated on: March 7, 2017 at 4:40 am By Greg Richardson

Making a Real Difference There is deep spiritual power in knowing we are making a real difference. We want to know we will be remembered for our positive contributions. People struggle within themselves, desperately seeking the path for their lives. We desire assurance, certainty we help make the world a better place. Some of us who have been very successful at one thing refocus our efforts on solving problems. Each of us sees the most pressing, most significant challenges in our... Read more

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Spiritual Practices

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