Tag: spirituality
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Fallow season
Indeed, the LORD will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places And her wilderness He will make like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in her, Thanksgiving and sound of a melody. – Isaiah 51:3 Last Fall, during the week I spent with…
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Rest from your labors
We all go through times in our lives when the burden of multiple responsibilities weighs heavily. The past two years have increasingly been like this, juggling family life, my business, and supporting my husband through seminary, while I too complete a certificate program. Not surprisingly, my energy and fruitfulness have been steadily sapped by the relentless pace,…
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The impostor in the garden
Sweaty, pulling up ivy and stubborn weeds, I tried to get to the bottom of the unease I’d felt all morning. Truthfully, I’ve been feeling this way for a long time. My answer when I don’t have answers is to do some manual labor in the garden. In another life, I would have made a…
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Cryptic Stars (a poem)
This, then is how I want to pray things well: for days of long evening shadow on bright dewgrass; or the metallic clatter of geese. To pray things well is the difference between an enclosure and an embrace, or whether flesh yields before stone. This, then, is why the hawks – all five of them –…
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Walking the labyrinth
This weekend, my family attended our first church retreat at Calvin Center, a conference and retreat center about 45 minutes south of Atlanta. Situated near the edge of their lake is a large stone and sand labyrinth used for walking contemplation and prayer practice. I walked the labyrinth soon after arrival, which helped to distance me from my usual daily concerns and…
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Immersed in Spirit
I had the opportunity to attend the Immersion Experience: An Invitation to a Deeper Spiritual Life weekend course at Columbia Theological Seminary earlier this month. This is a foundational course for the Certificate in Spiritual Formation and future Certificate in Spiritual Direction offerings, but can be taken on its own for anyone interested in learning…
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Psalm 23 Summer Faith Challenge – green pastures and still waters
He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. – Psalm 23 This week’s activity for the summer sermon series at our church, Decatur Presbyterian Church, is to take pictures of green pastures and still waters. Today, my daughter and I spent some time walking along the…
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It’s love that builds community
When we participate in a spiritual or healing practice, we become one with the source of abiding and ever-present love. We share, co-create and sustain a safe place where compassion and wholeness can be nurtured for ourselves and others. Participating in a spiritual practice is like lovingly tending to your plot in a community garden.…
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Psalm 23 Summer Faith Challenge – God in our space
For the summer sermon series at our church, Decatur Presbyterian Church, our congregation was presented with an intriguing choice: a deep dive into Psalm 23. I admit I was surprised, since I tend to associate Psalm 23 (as many others do) as the standard Scriptural text for funerals and graveside commitments. In fact, I’m not…
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Allowing happiness
First realize that your world is only a reflection of yourself and then stop finding fault with the reflection. ~ Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj As I’ve gotten older, I hold my emotions and feelings closer to the vest. This may come as a surprise to people who know me to be quite active on social media with both…
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