Articles on Listening

  • Reflecting on the 3 L’s of My Experience in the Transforming Community Program (TCP26)

    During the Transforming Community Program (TCP26), I worked three days a week for five hours at the seminary, drove 100 miles each day, occasionally preached on Sundays, and facilitated various cohorts and community gatherings. I was in a new season in life, serving contractually. For over two decades, I served as a pastor of a…

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  • My Experience with Shalem’s Transforming Community Program

    Have you ever been in a place of terror, bewilderment, frustration or despair? I have and it was over 30 years ago. At that time, I was led to a fellowship that guided and companioned me through the steps to a life far beyond what I had ever imagined. That fellowship and those steps continue…

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  • From Censorship to Contemplation: Silence in Queer Life

    When I first came out as gay, I was both nervous and excited. It was exhilarating to see a previously unspoken barrier break down that had separated me from others for so long. A great relief came over me whenever I shared more of myself with those who I perceived as supportive friends, family, and…

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  • Pride

    “Before you tell your life what you intend to do with it, listen for what it intends to do with you.” These words of wisdom from writer, speaker, and activist Parker J. Palmer have guided me along my spiritual path since 2012 when a colleague encouraged me to read Let Your Life Speak: Listening for…

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  • 2026 Shalem Picks for Contemplative Resources

    As Yourself by Caroline VogelI have loved Caroline Vogel’s book, As Yourself. Caroline is a Shalem graduate and her book is about how we can take seriously Jesus’s mandate to love ourselves (love your neighbor as yourself). The book is wise and compassionate and full of embodied practices. – Jehanne Gheith, Board of Directors Becoming…

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  • Searching for the Divine Light

    I struggled with how to approach this talk of grief. I’m a stoic Norwegian and German Lutheran, so I am notoriously uncomfortable talking about my own grief or life obstacles. I’m sure some of you can relate. We find a myriad of ways to minimize our sadness. For example, it is an ironic act of…

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Our mission is to nurture contemplative living and leadership.

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In 2025, Shalem will be a dynamic and inclusive community, empowered by the Spirit, where seekers engage in transformation of themselves, their communities, and the world through spiritual growth, deep connection, and courageous action.

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