Articles on Nature
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New Year, New Life, Renewed Call
Early one morning something was stirring outside. It was almost as if something was tapping on the window, beckoning me out. I pulled open the front door and immediately felt light gusts of wind as I stepped onto our sheltered patio. As I looked heavenward, the upper branches of the eighty-foot redwoods by the garage…
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Reflections on the Camino
I find it hard to believe that it has been two months since a group of seventeen pilgrims met in Oia, Spain to begin a pilgrimage along part of the Portuguese Way of the Camino de Santiago. This weeklong walk changed us all in ways that we’re still processing. I wish to share my experience…
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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…
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Beyond the List of “Shoulds”: Receiving God’s Invitation
“Many times today I will cross over a threshold. I hope I will catch a few of those times. I need to remember that my life is, in fact, a continuous series of thresholds: from one moment to the next, from one thought to the next, from one action to the next. Help me appreciate…
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Blind Hope
Expectancy and joy filled my heart as I arrived at Dayspring Silent Retreat Center to lead our first in-person open retreat since the pandemic closed our doors. The theme was “seeding hope in transition,” a theme that fired my prayer for a long time preceding this October weekend. What I quickly realized at the start was…
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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.…