• Ongoing Hope for Better Days

    One of my favorite Christmas songs is one that rarely is noticed as such.  In “Better Days” the Goo Goo Dolls sing about forgiveness and renewal, and how Christmas Eve is “the night the world begins again.” I think it’s safe to say that it’s been a turbulent year for our country and world.  It…

    read more


  • Pausing and Reckoning

    Excerpt from Rhonda V. Magee’s’s book “The Inner Work of Racial Justice: Healing Ourselves and Transforming Our Community Through Mindfulness” pages 11-13. copyright © by Rhonda Varette Magee. (Used by permission of Tarcher, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. College–my passport to freedom-was just around…

    read more


  • Let Your Heartbreak Be Your Guide

    Excerpt from Adam Bucko’s book “Let Your Heartbreak Be Your Guide: Lessons in Engaged Contemplation” pages 34-38. (Used with permission of the publisher, Orbis Books) A few years ago, I was invited to give a talk at an old church in London. This particular church had a very intriguing modern history: in the 1990s, it…

    read more


  • Spiritual Guidance as Love Activism

    In the Northern Hemisphere where I live, we’ve passed the autumnal equinox and are entering one of my favorite seasons – fall. As the days become shorter and the nights lengthen, we’re invited to lean back and settle into this fecund, pregnant, obscure season heading towards winter. During fall our Jewish brothers and sisters celebrate…

    read more


  • Prayers for Hope & Healing During an Election Year

    “To reinvent your country you need a great deal of hope.”-Jurgen Moltmann Over the past year or so that I have been sharing the hosting of Shalem’s Prayers for Hope and Healing, I often reflect on the audacity of it all. A gathering of Shalem-inspired folk populating the assembled squares of a Zoom screen; thirty…

    read more


  • St. Clare of Assisi: Leading with Soul

    St. Clare of Assisi (1194-1253), for centuries best known as St. Francis’ “little plant,” eventually emerged as a strong leader in her own right in thirteenth-century Italy and beyond. While St. Francis took center stage with his extroverted charismatic leadership, St. Clare quietly built stronger structures behind the scenes. As I muse on St. Clare…

    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