There are many things that we know with our minds and intellect that we really don't know. This knowledge doesn't change the way that we see. It doesn't change the way that we act. Sometimes we need reminders of the way things really are. We need help remembering our place in the scheme of … Continue reading The Practice of Seeing What is Real
Sometimes it is easy to confuse faith with a set of beliefs. Sometimes people put their faith in their beliefs. Sometimes those beliefs are intertwined with faith to an extent that it is hard to separate the two. I don’t think faith as a set of beliefs is the faith Jesus was talking about in Luke's stories.
I am being invited to live the story that I am in, where I am at, right now. Isn't that what life is? An invitation. An invitation to live with eyes, heart, arms, and hands wide open.
Tears have always made me uncomfortable. Especially my own. Signs of weakness or weirdness depending upon the situation. Brush them away. Hold them back. I've hated the feeling of not being in control--of my heart, mind, or emotions. And these sneaky, salty drops escaping from my eyes are tell-tale giveaways. They won't be stopped. This … Continue reading Listening to Tears
Pay attention. We hear it often as children. As adults, we probably need to hear it more than the children do. Children are usually excellent at paying attention; they just tune out what they are not interested in hearing. I wonder if Paying Attention is one of the signs that we are really alive, not … Continue reading On Paying Attention
I'm not the best at prayer. These days I rarely use complete sentences when I pray. Prayer comes out in a word or a phrase. In a stirring from my heart. I'm learning that prayer can be so much more than articulate sentences strung together to adore or make requests known to God. My favorite … Continue reading Relearning Prayer: praying for others
“The trouble is, as soon as you sit and become quiet, you think, Oh, I forgot this. I should call my friend. Later on I’m going to see him. Your inner life is like a banana tree filled with monkeys jumping up and down.” ~ Henri Nouwen[i] It’s not just me? That makes me so … Continue reading Imperfect Silence
Have you ever had a life-changing conversation? One where somebody mentions something that hits you in your heart and you are never the same? Just over a year ago, a dear friend mentioned getting away to a cabin for two days of silence and solitude. Something in me opened up at that phrase: silence and … Continue reading Letting Go of Words
Sometimes life gets too busy and too noisy to hear the inner workings of our hearts. We don't pay attention. Maybe we have forgotten how. Lost happens when we don't know how to listen. I think my invitation to Quiet has been like a long time out. The kind I sometimes give to my children, … Continue reading Can You Hear Who Your Heart Longs to Be?
A while back, some friends and I met with a lovely woman who wrote a book some of us had read about the different stages of the faith journey. She lived close by, and she was willing to meet with a handful of youngish women with big questions. I was really excited to find out … Continue reading What are You Listening For?
Jessica Sanborn 