As Lent began, many of us adopted a special observance for the season. Some of us made a commitment to a traditional practice such as prayer, fasting, penitence, study or almsgiving. But last week at church, my rector conveyed an important message – whatever we do during Lent, we shouldn’t go it alone.
Read MoreInterreligious space doesn’t need to be explicitly about worship, prayer, or the divine. What is required, however, is regular interaction, vulnerability, and risk.
Read More‘I find that I am often most motivated to make fresh beginnings in September. We’re all back from various vacations and other travels. School supplies are purchased and classes begin. I organize my Tupperware drawer. And I bring renewed attention and commitment to my prayer practice.”
Read More“I knew I would be uncomfortable, stretched theologically and come to moments of complete disagreement with my classmates. What might the Spirit be leading me into next?”
Read MoreThe duality of my two vocations has felt confusing until one of my priests used a word I hadn’t heard before. “You’re bi-vocational,” she said simply as we were sipping sodas together at a local restaurant where we had met one afternoon to talk.
Read MoreThe question caused me to reflect on the idea of a Sabbath year and what it might involve. I was clear I couldn’t make any drastic lifestyle changes; I do not want to withdraw from the world, and I am not in a position to take a true sabbatical from work. Instead, I decided to commit to take a 24-36 hour retreat each month.
Read More“We are given amazing, Spirit-filled abilities to speak to one another despite our differences, and to enact our vocational callings in ways we never could have imagined possible. For me, this blog is becoming one of those Spirit-filled gifts.”
Read More“Virtuous doubt is different from blind faith. It is a commitment to engage with a spiritual idea even when it’s difficult and your first inclination is to not believe it.”
Read More“To ‘encourage’ someone basically means to give them a heart – that strong, beating, not-giving-up kind of heart.”
Read MoreIn the Bible, God explicitly commands us to provide encouragement to one another. In your own life, how do you give and receive encouragement?
Read More“For the past three months, I’ve taken a 36-hour sabbath retreat. Before I started, I told a friend about my plan. She was enthusiastic and— I could hear in her voice— a bit envious. “I love the idea,” she said. “But where are you going to do it?” I was surprised by her “where” question. Of all the challenges, the where seems the least daunting to me. It’s the how and the when that get me.”
Read More“Viewing my work as a vocation changes things. For one, it makes me more grateful; it’s work I love, and I’m thankful to God for the gift. And understanding the work as a vocation helps me remain more focused on serving others rather than on trying to serve my own ego.”
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