Letter From the Editor
As our writers take on the topic of The Contemplative Life this month, ask yourself how you can be more intentional about your soul care today.
What Is a Contemplative Life?
Contemplation involves being still, or perhaps walking leisurely through nature, turning off the music or the podcast, and spending time focusing on God and his Word and what it means.
Solitude and the Contemplative Life
Our words have power. When we use words, we are in control and control others. But if we stay silent, who has the power? Who has the control? Humans are desperate for control and forget that God is always in control.
Learning to Embrace Contemplative Practices as Connections to Healing
Reading wasn’t even an option. For someone who longs to always be learning and engaging, that felt strange. However, I knew my body and mind needed the quiet. During those first few days, I lay in silence. But God’s whispering voice spoke loudly into it.
Prayer Beyond Words
As my view of God expanded, I felt as if I could quietly sit in that loving presence. Words didn’t return so I just sat.
Interesting, Strange Details
When we go through life curiously exploring all the spaces God has given us to wander, and we pay attention to the details left for us to notice and find, we can experience the “continual discovery of Christ in new and unexpected places”
The Heart’s Humble Quieting
When our heart posture aligns with his, beautiful moments of relationship arise. But we must first be open and willing to hear from him.
Marking Patterns of Grace with Stones, Medallions, and Keys
I tell the story of my keys hoping to find my way in the challenges that are surely ahead, and also clearing the path for my peers and their families and friends. And really, aren’t we all longing to be “transformed by the renewal of our minds?”