I recently spent 5 days on retreat at a Benedictine convent, which was restful and soul-filling. So much has stayed with me about my time there, but the one thing I keep coming back to is the simple, mindful way of life the Sisters have cultivated within their community. The Rule of St. Benedict, which … Continue reading
My husband and I are both involved in church ministry. He co-leads a Sunday evening service at The Well, a new worshiping community here in Atlanta, and I facilitate spiritual formation groups and classes. Year-round, no matter the season or the holiday, prayers are always needed and requested. Polls have shown that 75% of Americans believe … Continue reading
This, then is how I want to pray things well: for days of long evening shadow on bright dewgrass; or the metallic clatter of geese. To pray things well is the difference between an enclosure and an embrace, or whether flesh yields before stone. This, then, is why the hawks – all five of them – … Continue reading
Last night, my husband and I finished watching the beautiful documentary, Into Great Silence, an illuminating look at the lives of Carthusian monks of the Grande Chartreuse monastery in the French Alps. The monks live a simple, ascetic spiritual life, devoted to prayer and silence, Scheduled times are intentionally set aside for walks, conversation and, in … Continue reading
