Articles on Nature
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The Healing Path
The next time I went to see Thomas Merton for spiritual direction, I asked his permission to spend some time each day alone in the loft of the sheep barn. With Merton’s permission, I began my daily ritual of going to the loft of the sheep barn to pray and be alone with God. One…
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Iona: A Touchstone to a Longer Horizon
The Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh loved to tell a parable about a man and his horse. The horse is galloping quickly and everyone who sees the man fly by assumes that he is on a mission, going somewhere important. At some point a man standing along the road shouts at him, “Where are you…
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Stepping Out…to Step in More Deeply
Why does a person participate in a spiritual pilgrimage? Is it a desire for knowledge… or a vacation with friends? My heart has been drawn to pilgrimage for a long time. Choosing to travel for the purpose of drawing closer to God is quite different than being in a “tour group” or on a “vacation…
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A Sense of Belonging
Several years ago, during a difficult time in my life, I found comfort in reading books that introduced me to a new way of experiencing God that was different from the AME church I attended as a child, and was different from the Baptist, Methodist and non-denominational churches I found myself cycling through as an…
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Signs Along the Way
“Pay Attention to the Signs” is on a placard at the entrance of a local farm/event venue, directing people to their gathering location. A good reminder. I know that I need to look at the signs to see God, whether it be in a little sign (the whisper– like Elijah’s) or a big one. And…
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Keep Walking
One morning about halfway through my pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, as I was standing outside the hotel in my walking gear, a mother with two young children – a boy and a girl – emerged from the hotel. The mother smiled at me and asked if I was walking to Santiago.…