Spiritual Practices

It can be difficult for us to remember. We fill our lives with distraction. We have so many things we need to do, to achieve, to accomplish. We have a list of things that must be finished today, this week, this month. We need to check Facebook on our phones. We hear information or see a […]

We do not grasp spiritual life at first sight. We cannot take spiritual life in with a quick glance, a quiet rustle, an initial sip. Spiritual life needs to be savored and held on our tongues. We need to take time for our eyes and ears to adjust, for what is beneath the surface to register. It

There are people who believe in following the rules. They are convinced each rule is there for a reason. They are certain following rules will keep us safe. They may not know who made the rules, or how they became rules, but they are there to be followed. Following the rules is the right way to play the

Every moment, every thought, every memory is full of life. Each one could change everything. We fill our days with ways to avoid noticing. We worry, we regret, we become afraid, we get angry. It is as if we do not want to pay attention to the power of each experience. We spend our time skimming along the

Listening is an essential quality of spiritual life. There have been times when I thought talking demonstrated how smart, how wise, how spiritual, I was. I filled the air with the sound of words. The pauses in my flow of words were opportunities to think of what to say next. I was focused on framing my next

I know people who seem to give the impression spiritual life is nothing but blissful comfort and joy. My experience of spiritual life is different. Spiritual life has lessons to change our lives, deep truths, inspiring examples. Spiritual life touches our most excruciating pain and unforgettable anguish. Spiritual life finds and fills us in our most

It is a challenge to put spiritual life into words. Words do not seem to fit deep spiritual truths. Some words feel too small to express what cannot be measured or evaluated. We hold onto what we think the words mean for us, which can distract us from the depths of spiritual life. How we appreciate spiritual

I belong to a liturgical church. We divide our years into liturgical seasons. One of those seasons, Lent, is ending. Lent is about assessing and making changes to find balance in our lives. Some people choose something to give up or do without for Lent, while others decide to develop new qualities or habits. I have

We all have times when spiritual life feels far from us. The fire within us has apparently gone out, leaving us alone in the cold and dark. The idea of sacred depth all around us, or even in us, seems ridiculous, laughable. We believe spiritual life should be comforting, supportive. We do not feel comforted or supported. Each

It is challenging to plan falling in love. Love, like any relationship, does not follow measurable steps toward a clear outcome. Our efforts to organize, analyze, and control falling in love rarely turn out the way we hope. Love does not follow the rules. Love is more poetry and music than prose. We may try to plan