Responsibility and Bliss
Today’s post is by Savannah Kate Coffey Years ago, when my son was an infant, the nights often felt endless. One night it was just the two of us in the house and on that particular night I traipsed repeatedly between the rocker in the nursery and my empty bed. I distinctly remember the conflict […]
The Practical Mysticism of Evelyn Underhill
Today’s post is by Dana Greene Evelyn Underhill, the Anglican religious writer, had a leading role in the first half of the twentieth century in reviving interest in mysticism and translating the insights of the great mystics for the ordinary person. Her life’s work and achievement were confirmed by her friend T. S. Eliot who […]
Ordinary Life, Extraordinary Grace
Today’s post is by Mary van Balen Sometimes an ordinary event becomes an extraordinary grace. That happened to me recently, and I’m grateful. Horrible headlines, day after day, overwhelm. I couldn’t finish reading an article about the violence and abuse that drove Honduran families to risk everything and take a chance on making it to […]
Gifts on the Way
Today’s post is by Kimberly Borin, Ed.D. The Camino de Santiago, also known as The Way of Saint James, is an ancient pilgrimage, started in the ninth century and traveled by millions of people from all over the world. The Camino begins in France, Spain, or Portugal and all roads lead to the final destination […]
Mr. Rogers: Restoring the World to Wholeness One Neighbor at a Time
Today’s post is by Mary van Balen When my oldest child was three, friends with a son about the same age asked how I liked Sesame Street. I admitted that neither I nor my daughter had seen it. We rarely turned on the television, but after hearing other young parents extolling the show’s merits, I […]
Open-Hearted in the Darkness
Today’s post is by Sarah-Kate Fishback In both joy and pain, love is boundless. Love is open, allowing our hearts to be touched and moved by what exists. Love is honest, willing to be present to life just as it is, in all its beauty and ugliness. True love is not blind at all; it […]
Walking Meditation
Today’s post is by Tim Leadem I am not a good sitting meditator. I fidget a lot. My older bones aren’t necessarily geared to the traditional sitting postures associated with Zen or Tibetan meditation. And then, too, I suffer from monkey mind and sleepy mind. My monkey mind breezes along from one topic to another […]
Coming Home
Today’s post is by Patience Robbins I have been pondering Home. Where is Home, what is Home? This led me back to the line in the Gospel of John: “Make your home in me, as I make my home in you.” Ah yes, that is the deep knowing within me. The Divine Mystery, the Beloved, […]
Praying across the Globe
Last month, nine members of Shalem Korea gathered at the guest house of a Presbyterian church in Seoul for a retreat. Their time was guided by Shalem’s Contemplative Earth Awareness online retreat day, led by Ann Dean. Hyeran Yang shares, “the weather had been very windy and rainy until Thursday night. But the morning of […]
Spiritual Intimacy: The Power of Group Spiritual Direction
Today’s post is by Tom Adams There is no deeper intimacy than hearts united in a desire to be with God and each other in prayer. Group spiritual direction is for me a unique and no-fail opportunity to experience that intimacy and to grow in love. The love that develops among strangers in group spiritual […]