Articles on Listening

  • How Long, Lord? How Long?

    How Long, Lord? How Long?

    How Long, Lord? How Long? Several weeks ago, I was in a Zoom meeting and got an urgent text from the church administrator: “There’s an active shooter in the neighborhood.” I hopped off the call and raced to the church. The daycare staff had already locked down their end of the building. So, we secured…

    read more


  • What Does Therese of Lisieux Have to Do with Anti-Racism?

    What Does Therese of Lisieux Have to Do with Anti-Racism?

    A recent trip to Lisieux deepened my understanding of Therese of the Little Flower and her spirituality. I was surprised and delighted with what she had to teach me – about surrender and faith and about persistence in learning how to be an anti-racist in America. While I have been involved in work for social…

    read more


  • Transforming the Heart

    Transforming the Heart

    In these last turbulent weeks I have been strengthened by this passage from Ezekiel: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”  To be human is to have a heart of stone.  We fight, do violence, lie, destroy…

    read more


  • Healing Prayer for the World

    Healing Prayer for the World

    The article below is one I wrote in 2007 for the Shalem News.  Now in March of 2022, with a war raging in the Ukraine, the threat of a nuclear war, climate change and other upheaval in our world, I ponder how to hold it all in prayer.  I was led back to these reflections which still feel authentic…

    read more


  • Burning Bushes Everywhere

    Burning Bushes Everywhere

    THE OPENING OF EYESby David WhyteThat day I saw beneath dark cloudsthe passing of light over the waterand I heard the voice of the world speak out.I knew then as I had beforelife is no passing memory of what has been,nor the remaining pages in a great book waitingto be read.It is the opening of…

    read more


  • Spiritual Companionship at the Time of Death

    Spiritual Companionship at the Time of Death

    The ministry of spiritual companionship can be so rewarding and evokes a sense of the reciprocity inherent in giving. Graduating from Shalem’s Nurturing the Call: Spiritual Guidance Program gave me the needed credentials to serve as a hospice chaplain with Louisiana Hospice & Palliative Care in Opelousas, LA. (Chaplain credentialing requirements vary among agencies.) I…

    read more



Mission

Our mission is to nurture contemplative living and leadership.

Vision

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.

Cancel