This poem was my invitation. An invitation to listen. To participate. To dance and play with something much bigger than myself. I firmly believe that this invitation is extended to everybody.
What Do You Hear When You Listen with Your Soul?
Category: Prayer
Changing the Rhythm of Seeing Another
Something has been off between me and a person I love. I don't know that the feeling is mutual. It could be all me. But sometimes I feel my heart hardening, and I don't know why. The other day, I sat down to spend some time in quiet. Unease toward this loved one surfaced. "What … Continue reading Changing the Rhythm of Seeing Another
Undoing: A Prayer
How much undoing do we have left, God? It seems like we have undone a lot, and I am itching to do something. But there is always more. Another layer that needs to go. My expectations for myself. You would like those? These are hard to release. The disappointment I feel because these expectations of mine don't match … Continue reading Undoing: A Prayer
Jumping In
This year, we spent spring break at the beach: surrounded by soft, white sand, brilliant blue skies, and water. So much water. Blue. Warm. Sometimes still like a swimming pool. Other times surging with energy. This beach time was therapy for a frozen Minnesota girl. I loved our beach time. I loved watching my children … Continue reading Jumping In
A Prayer from Thomas Merton
I stumbled across this prayer twice in the last few weeks. Once in Barbara Brown Taylor's book Learning to Walk in the Dark and the other in Ruth Haley Barton's book Sacred Rhythms. I love this. Everything about it. It seems like a good way to start out a new year. My Lord God, I … Continue reading A Prayer from Thomas Merton
Relearning Prayer: praying for others
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
Sacred Empty
With empty hands and an empty heart I lay myself at your feet, an exhausted, empty heap. Empty of words. Empty of plans. Empty of Amazing or Courage or Daring Doing. And instead of "You should"s And instead of "Why aren't you"s You place your hand gently on my head and whisper Deep into my … Continue reading Sacred Empty
Imperfect Silence
“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
Letting Go of Words
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
The Power of Words and Silence
Silence and words don’t seem to go together, do they? But I imagine that words and silence are two of the most influential forces of transformation. I know that they have been in my life. Recently, I stumbled across this passage from Frederick Buechner: Words written fifty years ago, a hundred years ago, a thousand … Continue reading The Power of Words and Silence
Jessica Sanborn 