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Definition: “Advent, the period beginning four Sundays before Christmas, observed in commemoration of the coming of Christ into the world.” (dictionary.com) Growing up, Advent to me was all about the four weeks leading up to Christmas and the pretty candles in the huge wreath on the shiny brass stand at the front of the church. EachContinueContinue reading “Advent”

Definition: Prayers of lament are ways to approach God with the realities of sorrow, frustration and angst that consume and distract.Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices that Transform Us, 272. I was in a workshop and we were being led through a section about lament. During our time together we were offered a structure/patternContinueContinue reading “Prayer of Lament”

Definition: The practice of solitude involves scheduling enough uninterrupted time in a distraction-free environment that you experience isolation and are alone with God. Solitude is a ‘container discipline’ for the practice of other spiritual disciplines.Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices that Transform Us, 128. Okay, so my practice of solitude wasn’t exactly by myContinueContinue reading “Solitude”

Definition: Journaling is a tool for reflecting on God’s presence, guidance and nurture in daily comings and goings. Journals can be kept regularly or during time of transitions. Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices that Transform Us, 65. I journal. A LOT. I’ve been journaling regularly since college. Some seasons I use specific questionsContinueContinue reading “Journaling”

Definition: Silence is a regenerative practice of attending and listening to God in quiet, without interruption and noise. Silence provides freedom from speaking as well as from listening to words or music. (Reading is also listening to words.)Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices that Transform Us, 121. I hadn’t realized how uncomfortable silence madeContinueContinue reading “Silence”