-
Recent Posts
Archives by Title
Archives by Date
Topics
3 levels of consciousness Advent ancient spiritual paths cataphatic/apophatic centering prayer Christian Meditation Church history community compassion/kindness confession contemplation discernment faith fear forgiveness freedom grace gratitude Holy Spirit human nature immanence/transcendence inner rest inner voice Kingdom of God lectio divina listen/obey Love loving others mercy Mission pain/suffering peace prayer quiet repentance Rethinking Religion salvation self-control simplicity sin soul-tending spiritual friends The Examined Life tolerance true/false self
Tag Archives: community
Don’t Waste Your Time Going to Church (part 3)
We’re looking at the exercises we’ve been doing together on Sundays for centuries and centuries. As anything we do for an extend period, they can become rote, and we can begin to practice them without understanding or without a vested interest.
So we’re thinking together about the ancient practices, the ancient spiritual exercises.
Today, we think about the radicalized version of hospitality practiced in the first few centuries of the church, and how it served as political and social dissent against the norms of Roman society. Continue reading
Don’t Waste Your Time Going to Church (part 2)
Today, we begin looking at the exercises that in aggregate, constitute the Sunday morning Christian experience. Looking at the word “liturgy,” we realize that what we’re doing is closer to going to a gym-for-the-soul, than it is to many of our understandings of “going to church.”
So have a listen. Today we talk about two exercises Christian people have been doing Sunday mornings for centuries; getting ready, and getting there (there’s more to it than you would think). Continue reading
Friends for the Fray: The Lost Art of Confession (part 4)
We conclude looking at the art of confession with this lesson on two themes…
1. what is penance, and what is it’s value to our souls?
2. how do we receive a confession well? Continue reading
Posted in Friends for the Fray
Tagged ancient spiritual paths, community, confession, penance, spiritual friends
Leave a comment
Friends for the Fray: The Lost Art of Confession (part 3)
So, after a few weeks championing the benefits confession affords our souls, we come today, to the practical “how-to’s” of this ancient practice.
We look at making a good confession in three parts,
1) self-awareness,
2) thoroughness, and
3) penance
(Only some beginning remarks on penance; just enough to let you know it is probably not what you think it is. We’ll finish up next week)
Have a listen. Continue reading
Posted in Friends for the Fray
Tagged ancient spiritual paths, character, community, confession, courage, journaling, pain/suffering, penance, prayer, spiritual friends
Leave a comment
Friends for The Fray: The Lost Art of Confession (part 2)
After last week’s digression to reinforce the importance of making for ourselves a healthy spiritual community, today we resume looking at the practicality of this ancient spiritual spiritual practice, confession.
The themes of this lesson are very personal for me. The bulk of last week’s digression-lesson was a personal story, and this week is too. It was embarrassing 15 years ago, now it is one of my most cherished memories. Continue reading
Posted in Friends for the Fray
Tagged ancient spiritual paths, community, confession, greed, Love, lust, pride, spiritual friends
Leave a comment
Friends For The Fray: A Digression to Reinforce
This digression will expand what I said last week, and I’ll spend the lion’s share of our time telling you a story from my own life. It’s a story of love for people, and how without it, we cannot give our gifts to one another, and consequently, we fall short of our destinies. Continue reading
Posted in Friends for the Fray
Tagged ancient spiritual paths, breathing groups, community, confession, greed, Love, lust, pride, spiritual friends
Leave a comment
New Year 2010
As we come to another New Year, we look again at how human beings best change. We all have areas of growth before us in the coming year, areas originating in the heart of God. Today’s lesson talks about discerning the purposes of the Divine, and partnering with them in our own transformation. Continue reading
A Living Letter: My Friend Jim Amundson
This week, my dear friend and a fixture in our spiritual community died. Jim Amundson was a letter from God, written for us to read. In today’s lesson, I discuss Divine Grace, and my text will be Jim’s life.
Jim Amundson
1936-2009 Continue reading
Posted in Individual Lesson, Memorial Service
Tagged community, grace, spiritual friends, spiritual journey
Leave a comment
Spiritual Allies for the Journey (part 2)
We continue our break from our 2-Views series of lessons, and revisit a central them of NRCC, spiritual friendships and community. We’re looking at the importance of having allies for the spiritual journey, and in this lesson, we look at how one acts as an ally, how one is a spiritual friend. Continue reading
Spiritual Allies for the Journey (part 1)
We take a break from our series of lessons on Two Views to revisit a central them of our spiritual community. We’re looking at the importance of spiritual friendships, “allies for the spiritual journey.”
In this lesson, we look at how Jesus commissioned his followers generations ago, and how we are recipients of the same Mission, the same mandate to gather with others.
Have a listen. Continue reading