Study the Bible as if It Were a Journey
God will accompany you and speak to you as you travel and explore and have adventures. Be eager but patient, too; you will hear his voice and sense his presence more clearly at some times than at others.
‘In All Your Ways Acknowledge Him’ Meaning What?
“God has very high aims for you and me. His aim is that each one of us becomes the kind of person he can empower to do what we want … that is what life is about.”
Community: The Ones Who Come
We are meant to be together, to do life together, to be united with God and our brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ.
Imaginative Prayer: Entering the Story
Entering into a gospel story with our imaginations opens us up to the work of the Holy Spirit in different ways than when we rely on our rational minds.
Vocation: Discerning Your Calling
Your life is not a series of random events. Your family background, education, and life experiences—even the most painful ones—all equip you to do some work that no one else can do.
Martin Scorsese To Produce Docuseries On The Saints
Famed movie director Martin Scorsese signed a deal with FOX Nation to produce and host an eight-part docudrama series presenting the “remarkable stories of eight men and women who risked everything to embody humanity’s most noble and complex trait—faith.”
Living Out the Liturgical Year
Becoming aware of—and living out—the Christian liturgical year allows followers of Jesus to enter into communion with him in a way that touches body, mind, and soul.
Lectio Divina: The Practice of Praying Scripture
Lectio Divina is Latin for “divine reading,” and is a practice of slowly meditating upon, praying, and being formed by God’s word. Dating as far back as the Desert Fathers of the 4th century in Egypt, this method of engaging scripture was further developed by Benedict of Nursia, the founder of the Benedictine order, in the 6th century and became central to monastic tradition.
Visio Divina: encountering God through images
Spiritual directors call meditating on a picture “Visio Divina.” Applied to a Bible passage, it’s an imaginative and refreshing form of Scripture meditation that helps us to enter into the narrative of Scripture and bring ourselves to Jesus. It’s similar to Lectio Divina, but instead of quietly listening to God through words we use a picture.
World-Class Novelist Wrestles Anew With Genesis
The American novelist and essayist Marilynne Robinson has accumulated numerous literary prizes, among them the 2005 Pulitzer, but also honors in religion. Her new nonfiction book “Reading Genesis” wrestles with the grand themes and thorny issues raised in the Bible’s first book. It’s a climactic testament at the twilight of a distinguished life and career.
Fasting: A Practical Guide
Fasting has been part and parcel of the Judeo-Christian tradition for millennia. Old Testament saints fasted at times of mourning, repentance, when they needed strength or mercy to persevere, and when they wanted a word from God. The New Testament church fasted when it sought God’s will and needed the grace and strength to remain faithful to God’s work.
The Three Elements of Loving God Outdoors
My agenda is frequently different from God’s. He must be the initiator in my spiritual walk. He knows what I need to hear. When I go to the woods, I go to receive.
Whatever Issue, It’s Likely None Of Your Business
We butt into other folks’ affairs too often. Even with good intentions, minding our own business often demonstrates way more mercy and grace than trying to play the savior does.
Sabbath: The Radical Act of Stopping … Temporarily
The purpose of Sabbath is to enjoy your God, life in general, what you have accomplished in the world through his help, and the freedom you have in the gospel.
Celebration: Jubilee of the Spirit
The spiritual discipline of celebration leads us into a perpetual jubilee of the Spirit. We are rejoicing in the goodness and the greatness of God. As Saint Augustine said, “The Christian should be an alleluia from head to foot.“
What Is a Spiritual Awakening? And How To Pray for One
We cannot create spiritual renewal by ourselves, but we can “prepare the altar” and ask God to send his Holy Spirit to change our hearts, our churches, and our communities.
Nine Ways to Connect with God
Do you ever feel guilty because quiet time just doesn’t cut it for you? Are you ever frustrated by a “one size fits all spirituality”? Don’t despair.
Taizé Prayer: Seeking God’s Peace
Taize worship is marked by simplicity, silence, confession, reconciliation and prayer. This contemplative style of worship grew out of a community in Taize, France, founded after World War II to provide a place of refuge and forgiveness for those seeking healing and reconciliation after the distress and devastation of war. The service is a blend of Christian styles, both liturgical and free, both ancient and contemporary.
Gratitude: Overcoming Fear, depression and Isolation
Psychologists have shown that gratitude is one of the strongest predictors of happiness. And why is that? Because to feel grateful is to experience life as a gift, as an experience of grace and joy. Thus the practices of gratitude—the cultivation of the experience of receiving a gift—replace scarcity with an experience of abundance. When life is experienced as a gift, our anxieties lessen and the capacity to share freely and spontaneously is increased.