From our friends at Soul Matters: “Imagination’s great gift is improvement. At least that is what we’re taught. Its deep magic lies in the way it can reshape our reality. We are urged to imagine the world we dream of. A world with more justice. More peace. More love. From that, a mysterious magnetism arises, … Continue reading The Practice of Imagination (May 2025)

From our friends at Soul Matters: “It’s easy to get tricked, taken for a ride, convinced that joy is a possession.   Something to be caught, contained and controlled just by us. As if it’s a birthday present, waiting for us to unwrap it  and keep forever and ever.   And who can blame us, … Continue reading The Practice of Joy (April 2025)

From our friends at Soul Matters: In religious circles, talk of trust most often revolves around having faith that life will look after us. For instance, our Christian friends sing hymns about God “watching over us” and keeping “an eye on the sparrow.” Our Jewish friends lift up the Exodus story to encourage faith that … Continue reading The Practice of Trust (March 2025)

From our friends at Soul Matters: You hardly knew how hungry you were to be gathered in, to receive the welcome that invited you to enter entirely… You began to breathe again… You learned to sing.   But the deal with this blessing is that it will not leave you alone, will not let you … Continue reading The Practice of Inclusion (February 2025)

From our friends at Soul Matters: It’s dangerous to tell yourself stories are tame. To treat them as something that lives only between the covers of a book. As something that can be easily kept on a shelf, taken down and put back up as we see fit. Stories are wilder than that. And more … Continue reading The Practice of Story (January 2025)

From our friends at Soul Matters: The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself. – Henry Miller Spiritually, presence can mean two quite different things. On the one hand, contemplatives talk of “being present.” Presence from this perspective is all … Continue reading The Practice of Presence (December 2024)

From our friends at Soul Matters: This is your chance to listen carefully.Your whole life might depend on what you hear.– Joyce Sutphen Listening helps us find our way. The listening of therapists allows us to navigate our way through life. We turn to prayer to hear God’s guidance. We listen to experts so we … Continue reading The Practice of Deep Listening (October 2024)

From our friends at Soul Matters: Do not try to save the whole world or do anything grandiose. Instead, create a clearing in the dense forest of your life and wait there patiently, until the song that is your life falls into your own cupped hands and you recognize and greet it. Only then will … Continue reading The Practice of Invitation (September 2024)

From our friends at Soul Matters: We are renewed by so many things: nature, each other, memory, music, play, solitude, silence, and – of course – our faith. Through small groups, calls to justice work, worship, caring for one another, covenant and accountability, our faith breathes new life into us. But it also renews us … Continue reading The Gift of Renewal (June 2024)

From our friends at Soul Matters: I wonder how the moonflower feelsabout its sweet sister, the morning glory.What it must be to know that world longingly awaits anotherwhile you must seek solace hidden under a night sky. When the world has told you to hide,it is only the shadows that welcome you in.And while blooming … Continue reading The Gift of Pluralism (May 2024)