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Every Moment Invites Us
Thomas Keating says that God’s presence is a gift, closer to us than breathing, than thinking, and even closer than consciousness itself. You don’t need a silent church pew or a remote holy isle to access it. God’s presence, love and grace, are already there waiting to greet you wherever you are. Pausing to notice…
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The Alchemy of Blessing
Today’s post is by Savannah Kate Coffey Blessing is a beautiful Old English word that means to consecrate or to give thanks. We count our blessings and ask blessing upon our meals. Blessing has even deeper roots though in the proto-Germanic word for blood. To bless originally meant to mark or hallow with blood as…
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Soul Assignment
Today’s post is by Susan Rowland. This is a transcript of her audio testimony highlighting her experience in Shalem’s Transforming Community: Leading Contemplative Prayer Groups and Retreats Program. You may also listen to her tell her story by clicking on the video above. My experience with the Shalem program “Leading Contemplative Prayer groups and Retreats”…
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Reclaiming Happiness
Today’s post is by Savannah Kate Coffey. Happiness may be one of the most misunderstood and maligned virtues of our time. Happiness is, on one hand, exalted as the supreme goal of existence. There is great pressure to be happy. If you are not happy, your life is not worth living and you must be…
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Radical Hospitality in the Woods
Today’s post is by Crystal Corman It is easiest for me to connect with God when surrounded by nature’s beauty. I try to take in God’s gifts through the sights, smells, and sounds of the mountains, trees, or river. But most days of the year, I live in the middle of a city, surrounded by…
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What Does it Mean to Be Beloved of God?
It happened at the last day—the last hour really—of the 2013 Shalem YALLI kick-off retreat (Young Adult Life and Leadership Initiative). As our ragtag group of contemplatives wrote down on paper the blockages we sensed to living lives connected to the Spirit, we placed them in a bowl. We were then asked to come up,…