Articles on Spiritual Direction

  • Life After 50

    In a marriage, a relationship or in one’s personal life, milestones are worth recognizing and celebrating. They are often times to pause, reflect and take stock – where have I been, where am I today, where am I going? What have I done, what is still mine to do? What do I love about where…

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  • Living and Leading from the Spiritual Heart

    Do not forget that you servea Mysterythat neither you nor your father’s fathernor your mother’s mother began.And the laughter and the tearsthat accompany your laborare not bornof your clevernessor your holiness,but are reflections of the Mystery of Godin the still watersof the eternal lakeby moonlight…~ William C. MartinThe Art of Pastoring Nine years later, I…

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  • Five Gathered: A Reflection on Group Spiritual Direction

    I had the bountiful blessing of making four very close friends this past week. It was not your typical friendship. Five individuals gathered together in faith, in silence, in prayer, and in profound empathy. The gathering was not by chance. No, something else, rather someone else, was at work — One I will call the…

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  • Crossing The Threshold: Revelation of an Amazing Spiritual Adventure

    In my early years, the word “Revelation”– on the cover of the James Redfield book, The Nine Revelations (The Celestine Prophecy)— caught my attention. When the book came out in the 1990’s, it was a huge hit as the great spiritual adventure that conquered millions of readers around the world. Redfield weaves a tale about…

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  • Inside the Ramparts: A Journey Inwards

    We speed past green, rolling hills, pastures full of cows and sheep, and the red roofs of brick towns on the way to the Spanish city of Avila. The three hours on the train pass as quickly as the scenery due to my 85-year-old grandma and my excited conversation about the upcoming pilgrimage: our expectations,…

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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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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.

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