Good morning... We discussed chapter two in our book for the semester, Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation by Ruth Haley Barton. Solitude. Creating Space for God. For me, this felt like an inviting chapter title. As always, we began our prayer time with several moments of silence to listen more keenly to the birds, our [...]
Good morning... Slowly, prayerfully, she served up a heaping bowl of wisdom from over the phone. Then I asked her to text me the sacred reading from miles away. Now we all dive into the delicious feast together. Foreign-to-me words now become for us a meaningful meal. "Epiphany, with a capital "E", what might this mean?" [...]
Good morning... Which of these quiet quotes most attracts your soul's attention? “Alone, without distractions, we put ourselves in a place where God can reveal things to us that we might not notice in the normal preoccupations of life," encourages Adele Calhoun. "Solitude opens up a space where we can bring our empty and compulsive selves to God. [...]
Good morning... "I found it uncanny...after reading your devotional, this article was in the N.Y. Times..." she wrote after yesterday's post, My Prayers For The Church. "So obviously God is in tune with these thoughts and quietly teaching all of us... enjoy!" ****** Eriks Esenvalds: ‘Earth Teach Me Quiet’ Earlier this year, when singing together became just about [...]
Good morning... I didn't expect to cry when it was my turn to share. The four of us have connected over the phone for two hours every month since finishing our spiritual direction training program in August of 2017. We live in different towns, in different states, but at 9:00 am on the third Monday of each month, [...]
Good morning... "Had you on my mind this morning," she texted, "and wanted to share this lovely poem that reminds me of you." In stillness we sense the movement of God, gentle, steady, expansive. Carried on the inner voice of Love, we travel a terrific distance. Attention, all! See the marvels of God! He plants flowers [...]
Good morning... I have loved classic rock music for as long as I can remember but, in his devotional message yesterday, our pastor introduced me to an Eagles song I had never met before. I googled the lyrics and enjoyed my new discovery. ****** Learn to Be Still by the Eagles It's just another day in paradise As [...]
Good morning... "Morning sweet friend," she texted me this week. "We are headed out the door to walk the dogs, and I'm going to put this little gift on your doorstep." Nearly four hours later she texted again, "Hey there...just checking to see if you found the gift I left on your porch." "Oh, I have been totally [...]
Good morning... "On one level, shut-ins allow ordinary people to approximate the experience of 'cloistering,'" our blog post said the morning I unexpectedly woke with achy symptoms (see our post A Cold Or COVID?). "But on another level, shut-ins focus the attention of the community on tarrying. Although prayers can be as diverse as those who utter them, [...]
Good morning... "I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses," a song stirs in me after yesterday's post, In Her Rose Garden. "And the voice I hear falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses. And He walks with me and He talks with me, and He tells me I am his [...]
