Articles on Contemplation in Action
-
The Isle of Iona: A Thin Place
“I’ve heard it called a ‘thin place,’” he told me. “I’m not sure I believe that so I want to see for myself.” It sounded to my ears as if he’d laid down a challenge — to me or the island; I wasn’t sure which. This apparent skepticism from someone I respect gave me pause.…
-
Keep Walking: An Invitation to Pilgrimage with Shalem on the Camino de Santiago
Walking has long been a pillar of my spiritual life. As a child, I remember walking with my grandmother around her neighborhood and mine, noticing the rabbits hopping about and the birds whizzing from feeder to feeder. I recall many walks with my mother at the cemetery, laying flowers on her father’s grave and listening…
-
Answering the Call
How did I get here? How did a singer and voice specialist end up as a spiritual director – much less the director of Shalem’s Spiritual Guidance Program? I’ve asked these questions a lot over the past year while stepping into my new role within SGP. I share the following reflections upon my own spiritual…
-
Reflections on “Watering the Garden”
About nine years ago I became a Deacon at church. Not long after agreeing to lead a small prayer group, I suddenly found myself in situations where I needed to pray out loud and lead others in prayer. Knowing how to pray properly is something I have struggled with for a good portion of my…
-
The Gift of Being Here
Opening the kitchen door to gauge the morning’s suitability for an early walk, I inhaled quickly and held my breath in reverence and awe. Cool refreshing air slid over me after days of stifling heat. Huge, puffy clouds rose in the bright blue sky. Even from my city view, obstructed by buildings, wires, and trees,…
-
Expanding Into a New Call
“This I know: My life is in your hands. I have nothing to fear. I stop, breathe, listen. Beneath the whirl of what is, is a deep down quiet place. You beckon me to tarry there. This is the place where unnamed hungers are fed, The place of clear water, refreshment. My senses stilled, I…