What Does Your Soul Need for Christmas? (or preparing for a contemplative holiday season with questions)

November 25, 2019 ~ Jessica Sanborn ~ 1 Comment

Before I get lost in the to-do list. Before I jot down lists of presents to buy. Before I stock my pantry in anticipation of Christmas baking. Before I get out ornaments and lights. I need to take a breath. I need to take another breath. I need to pull out my journal and sit … Continue reading What Does Your Soul Need for Christmas? (or preparing for a contemplative holiday season with questions)

Kyrie Eleison: A prayer for heavy times

November 7, 2019 ~ Jessica Sanborn ~ 5 Comments

Today is filled with all sorts of heaviness--for a number of people we know and hold dear. This past month has been a heavy month for us. I know that it's always a heavy time for someone, somewhere. I often have a hard time praying with impromptu sentences these days: the kind of prayer I … Continue reading Kyrie Eleison: A prayer for heavy times

The Practice of Being

October 23, 2019 ~ Jessica Sanborn ~ 1 Comment

Have you tried the practice of being? This may be my favorite spiritual practice ever. Find a quiet spot, sit still, and breathe. That's all. It sounds so easy. But I am quick to forget how to do nothing. There is always something to do. Someplace to go. It is easy to fall out of … Continue reading The Practice of Being

Stronger than Death: book review

September 16, 2019 ~ Jessica Sanborn ~ Leave a comment

What does it look like to live a life of Love? This is one of the most important questions that I can think of. It's a question that keeps popping up for me. Repeatedly. Most recently, I found this question nudging my heart while reading my friend Rachel Pieh Jones's book Stronger than Death: How … Continue reading Stronger than Death: book review

Glory. Glory. And Gone.

September 4, 2019 ~ Jessica Sanborn ~ 7 Comments

An ache lodges in my chest late summer. I long to drink in the blueness of the sky and treasure each cumulus cloud drifting overhead. I want to absorb all of the sunlit warmth my body can hold. I want to hold on to the cricket songs and bird melodies, the cicada's thrum. I don't … Continue reading Glory. Glory. And Gone.

Cultivating Wonder

December 7, 2018 ~ Jessica Sanborn ~ 4 Comments

Wonder is on my Christmas list this year. Why wonder? Faith starts with wonder according to Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. In God in Search of Man, he writes: "The sense for the 'miracles which are daily with us,' the sense for the 'continual marvels,' is the source of prayer." In contrast, "The surest way to … Continue reading Cultivating Wonder

An Advent “To-Be” List

November 30, 2018December 4, 2018 ~ Jessica Sanborn ~ 3 Comments

What do you hope for this Advent? I found myself asking this question the other day. I wrote down answers like: I hope for a heart full of wonder. I hope for a heart open to mystery and the holy. I hope for a heart that is ever softening and expanding. I hope for a … Continue reading An Advent “To-Be” List

When Leaving is Just the Beginning

May 1, 2018 ~ Jessica Sanborn ~ Leave a comment

"What are the major turning points of your life?" A friend asked me this question about a month or so ago. I knew without hesitation that leaving church and leaving my career in short succession was a major turning point in my life. Everything changed after that. Everything. I know that I've told pieces of … Continue reading When Leaving is Just the Beginning

Words that Made a Difference for This Doubter

January 23, 2018April 28, 2018 ~ Jessica Sanborn ~ 4 Comments

Hello! I'm blowing the dust off of this blog today in order to send some words out into the world. Thanks for being here. A few years ago, I had a complete faith breakdown. I was frightened, anxious, and lonely. My sense of belonging, which had always been securely anchored in my church and beliefs, had … Continue reading Words that Made a Difference for This Doubter

Good Words

June 9, 2017April 28, 2018 ~ Jessica Sanborn ~ 2 Comments

I love good words. I love sharing good words. I thought I would share some good words with you today. Hildegard's words are some of my favorites. My friend Jo, shared some really good words this week about learning to embrace and love who you are. I really liked Sarah Bessey's words about finding time to write--or … Continue reading Good Words