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From Soul Nourishing Resources, to Event Re-Caps, Musings, Teachings, and more, The Blog is an abundant source of inspiration and information for you to explore.
“There is truth here.”
As I sat on the tile floor on my knees, the air fragrant and soaring with the smell of incense and the echoing voices of the children chanting, the intricately folded pink lotus flower in my hand held my gaze as the words reverberated through my body…
“There is truth here”
As I shifted my softened gaze across the outdoor space darkened by night and lit by jasmine candles, I saw Kru Nam seated on an outer bench, hands held together in prayer, watching her mouth speak the same prayers the children were chanting loudly. Her eyes were closed. Her heart was being poured out on full display; her heart for the kids in the home she cares for, her heart for the child who recently passed just months before, her heart for her faith. It was a beautiful stoic, faith-filled expression and moment that felt so real and honest and raw— how beautiful to bear witness.
Sacred Presence Recap
The silence felt loud with the presence of our Divine Maker as we soaked in Sacred Presence…
When Kimee and I began dreaming up retreats, a silent retreat was one that was added to the list. A day with a focus on silence and solitude, where those in attendance would gather together in the same space, but each having their own individual experiences with God in a time of extended silence. This silent space would be filled with an invitation— to explore with God where God is leading, to simmer in the silence of what is rising into awareness, to rest and retreat away from the noise of the world that seems to keep us in a continual state of ingesting podcasts and music, advertising and agendas.
A visit to Penuel Ridge by Kimee left her enchanted with the space and had us committing to a date in early June to invite women into this space of silence. A labyrinth, hiking paths, a small lake, a house filled with books and beds and an intentional lack of clocks was the space that held our souls craving this day of silence.
Soul Nourishing Practice: Silence
When was the last time you took an extended amount of time in silence?
And I mean real silence— no podcast on a walk, no music in the car while driving, no movie in the background while cooking dinner or working on a task. No streaming service to fill the time, or doom-scroll before bed, or pages to whisk you away to another world. Just pure silence where you intentionally shut off the sound of the world around you to steep intentionally in this space of curated emptiness?
It’s not often we do this. Our world is created to offer us the steady hum of information, advertisements, entertainment— there’s always something flying towards us at an alarming rate that when we do have a moment of silence, it can feel uncomfortable, unsettling, or like we are missing out on something. FOMO (fear of missing out) is cultivated through the noise of living and the silence makes us fear that we are being left behind.
But what if we reframed silence for the gift it truly is?
What if you could enjoy the spacious silence as the gift of deep rest and deep communion with the One who made you?
Silence is sacred.
Maundy Thursday Lectio Divina with Poetry
When I cam across this poem by Mary Oliver, found in the pages of the book ‘Devotions’ which sits in the select stack of books by my bedside, I knew it would become a feature of my own Holy Week practices, as well be featured throughout the season during sessions of Spiritual Direction.
The poem quickly became a favourite as it brought God’s incredible creation into the narrative at the garden at Gethsemane. As I’ve been going through the 19th Annotation (the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius over 32 weeks), all of creation— from the atoms to the ants, the distant stars and melting snowflakes, the seen elements and the unseen energy— all respond to Christ.
It’s the idea of the world bearing witness to Christ during a time of such pain and suffering that continued on in my experience of scripture as I continued the exercises through the murder and resurrection of Jesus. Before we arrive at these parts, we find ourselves in the garden…
As you engage in Maundy Thursday, perhaps this Lectio Divina practice with the poem titled ‘Gethsemane’ can add a new depth, spin, or contemplative gaze to your day.
Palm Sunday Lectio Divina with Poetry
When I cam across this poem by Mary Oliver, found in the pages of the book ‘Devotions’ which sits in the select stack of books by my bedside, I knew it would become a feature of my own Holy Week practices, as well be featured throughout the season during sessions of Spiritual Direction.
The poem draws attention to an often overlooked being in the story— the donkey🫏.
As a lover of animals, and one who loves engaging in imaginative prayer, the draw to the seemingly insignificant— the parts of the story often overlooked for ‘the bigger message’— is where I often find the most profound seeds of grace.
As you engage in Palm Sunday, perhaps this Lectio Divina practice with the poem titled ‘The Poet Thinks About The Donkey’ can add a new depth, spin, or contemplative gaze to your day.