contemporary spirituality

Discerned?

There are many times I discerned God’s direction for my life. Every day I pray that I might follow where God is leading me and the paths I take might be the ones God has prepared for me. But especially as a pastor who is called by congregation and ministries, I have discerned call andContinue reading “Discerned?”

Metta Meditation

This was an interesting practice that really was close to giving affirmations, but Oneika Mays explained it was about us and not the person. That we offer words of compassion to a loved one, then to ourselves, then to a familiar stranger, and then to a difficult person. And she told us about how herContinue reading “Metta Meditation”

Spiritual Direction ~ Spiritual Friendship

How can spiritual direction and spiritual friendship play a role in your own spiritual journey? It is an interesting thought to think about a pastor getting/needing spiritual direction, as most in the membership of congregations would think pastors are the ones giving spiritual direction, but I recall my psychologist telling me that he goes toContinue reading “Spiritual Direction ~ Spiritual Friendship”

Technology and Spirituality

There are many ways that technology can hinder our spirituality. We can get sucked into social media and allow it to consume us so we do not look at spiritual insights or think about God. We find ways to distract ourselves from where we should be and how we should be connected to the worldContinue reading “Technology and Spirituality”

God in nature

As I was thinking about a time when I experienced God in nature I had a few came to mind but the one that most stuck out was the encounter with a microburst at Camp Luther in Ohio. This was Monday, July 21, 2008, and the start of a week few of us present willContinue reading “God in nature”

Charismatic

What aspect of the charismatic tradition resonated with you, and how could it continue to be part of your spiritual journey? It is interesting to me that the Charismatic movement is the movement that seems to follow the Holy Spirit more than others and the word Charismatic has Charis in it, which is grace. WhenContinue reading “Charismatic”

ham sab

Tonight’s journal entry is on the topic, what does liberation look like in your relationship with God and your relationship with others? This is interesting given the topic of our discussion was on lament and the Advent Devotional done by Pastor Tahina Verna Rasche and Pastor Jason Chesnut in 2016 called Fuck this Shit. ItContinue reading “ham sab”

Contemporary Christian Spirituality Person

Tonight in class we had group presentations over zoom. This was an interesting twist on group projects but was very well handled by the whole class and was a wonderful time of learning in my humble opinion. We were asked to write about which person and their spiritual emphasis did we most relate to andContinue reading “Contemporary Christian Spirituality Person”

A Father’s Psalm of Lament

I see her about to break under the weight of those demons. I need to help her but the demons just laugh at me. I shout, “Get away from her. Leave her alone.” The demons laugh louder I hear you say to me, “Oh, you of little faith…” I feel like I have failed her,Continue reading “A Father’s Psalm of Lament”