I love a good story. The stories I love the most are about security and risk. People leave somewhere safe and secure, taking risks and making new discoveries. Accepting the challenge, leaving where we are comfortable, taking the risk is how we learn and grow. Some of the stories are about physical journeys. People leave […]
Each of us is making a pilgrimage, and each day is a pilgrimage within our pilgrimage. Our pilgrimages, and our days, are filled with single steps. Each of our days is filled with conscious, deliberate decisions to take steps. Some of those steps continue the well-worn paths we are following. Some steps ask us to
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I belong to a liturgical church. Each week, we remind ourselves of the story that brings us together, and we share a meal. In the middle of the orderly, predictable time we spend together each week, a burst of pandemonium breaks out. It is sparked, ironically, when one person says, The peace of God is always
I work with people who get to a point in their lives where they ask questions. They may accomplish the goals they have set for themselves, or arrive at the moment of their dreams, and still feel unsettled. They may believe that they have the right answers, and still feel empty. They may be surrounded
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What is the connection for you between pleasure and joy? Is there even any difference between joy and pleasure? When you do things that give you pleasure, is your life more joyful? How are they different? I have friends who have serious questions about my being the Strategic Monk. They think of monks as people who
Our lives are filled with things that attract our attention. There are things we want, things we need, and the ways we intend to get them. Our minds generate ideas and plans of action. Thoughts and emotions, songs and voices, images and sensations, tastes and aromas flood our lives. Memories of people and places, joys
Waking Up to the Sacred Read More »
Peg Gillard is a friend of mine. She is a mom in Vermont, as well as an assistant principal at a middle school. Peg reads books and rides a Harley. She appreciates the difference between “principal” and “principle,” and is passionate about ideas, joyful truth, and deep leadership. Each summer, while I spend some time
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My friend Bob Holmes is many things. He is a Contemplative. Professional writer, mentor, music man, photographer. Son, Husband, Father, Grandfather, Mountain Man, Surfer, Lover of Jesus. His blog is The Mountain Morning Cafe. There is a deep sense of peace and joy about Bob, and an infectious sense of enthusiastic humor. Bob, and people like
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I think a lot about revelry. I was reflecting as I took a walk the other day about what we really celebrate in our culture. As I walked, I thought about what it really means to celebrate. We have holidays that we do not really celebrate. We take time away from work, we spend extra money,
The world is primal. We work hard to make ourselves comfortable with technology and possessions. We accomplish amazing achievements. The world remains primal and elemental despite all our efforts. Light and dark. Heat and cold. Earth, wind, and water. Fire and ice. Love and hatred. Joy and pain. Life and death. We shield ourselves from
