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 […]
Three Simple Gifts
Today’s post is by Mary van Balen Recently I attended the Spiritual Director’s International Conference in St. Louis. The keynote speakers are well-known in the area of spirituality, and I looked forward to the breakout sessions, especially one on storytelling. To top it off, travel was a road trip with a good friend filled with […]
Calm, Open and Harmonious
Today’s post is by Bryan Berghoef The current stage of life I’m in is busy. I have four active kids in elementary and middle school. Daily I find myself driving them to practice, to track meets, to school activities. I work as a pastor in a new church setting in which I am the only […]
Contemplative Leadership: Born of Compassion
Today’s post is by Leah Rampy When compassion fills my heart, free from all desire, I sit quietly like the earth. My silent cry echoes like thunder throughout the universe. – Rumi What does it mean for us to be called to compassion, graced with the capacity and the desire? What do we notice about […]
The Gift of Sabbath Time
Instead of seeing Sabbath time as a period to do spiritual activities, perhaps it’s a time to just enjoy God. If during that time there’s a leading to do something contemplative, that may be okay, but only if it’s being done out of love and not a sense of urgency or accomplishment.
Children, Chaos, and Contemplation
Today’s post is by Bryan Berghoef
There is never a dull moment at our house. My wife and I have four children—amid the flurry of homework assignments, birthday parties, sibling spats, and dinnertime squabbles—there’s a lot of constant noise and movement.
One of the delightful things about having young children is their unbridled enthusiasm and overwhelming energy. They are fully present, without a sense that there is anything else to be. They are fully in the moment. This is a gift of being a child, not being weighed down by thoughts of the future, or by a sense of responsibility, or worry. They are right here, right now.
The downside is that everything is so important, and when something doesn’t go their way, right now, it’s reason for complaining, crying, sometimes even—panic. Spilling milk really is something to cry over. A favorite toy breaking feels like the apocalypse. Even as I write this there is fighting in the sandbox. (Don’t worry – we have plenty of moments of calm and laughter as well in our household!)
I long as a parent to be able to maintain an inner calm amid all this outer chaos and confusion. I find that I very seldom am able to cultivate that on the spot. It is something I need to consciously develop in other moments, so that when the chaos comes, I have a reserve of calm from which to draw. It might be a daily time of prayer and silence, a quiet walk outside, Scripture reading, or some other practice.
Grounded in Love: Creative Leadership for Our Times
Today’s post is by Margaret Benefiel Marches. Online petitions. Letters to the editor. “Am I doing any good?” I ask myself. “Am I making a difference? Is there another way?” In the face of injustice, wars, and humanity’s inhumanity to humanity, I long to be faithful to doing my part to heal the world. As […]