I was raised in a traditional Christian family and even studied two years of theology before understanding that it was ABSOLUTELY NOT my cup of tea, a spirituality entirely in the head, nothing in the heart. For ten years I wandered in a spiritual no man’s land, then in 1969 I received a two-year scholarship…
There are two major factors which, combined, make present day living extremely challenging for anyone who attempts to stay informed on major issues of our times. The first one is the weakening of authority in so many areas of life. For thousands of years, people’s lives were run by a very few authorities, religion, the…
We live in a world where our entire lives, almost everywhere, are totally invaded by advertising. It’s not yet in the underground caves explored by speleologists or on the sides of Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa or Mount Everest (but who knows if it will not be there when I attempt to climb Mount Everest for…
Center for Action and Contemplation teacher Brian McLaren shares the power of ongoing discernment, allowing ourselves to be drawn into service and action on behalf of others: From CAC Meditation of August 24, 2022 “If you listen to the Spirit, here is what will happen to you. You’ll be at a party, and you’ll notice…
Recently, during my quiet time, I received what was clearly an order from “above”: “Love Putin!”. And since then, I spend a moment almost every day showering this man with love. For how can this important leader at the head of one of the most powerful countries in the world ever change with the wall of…
Elsewhere on this site you will find a narrative of an amazing encounter in an airplane with the allness of infinite Love, and that has been the crowning experience of my existence. Many years ago, I prided myself on being an intellectual who wrote a 900 page dissertation with close to 1000 references for the…
Excerpted from Simple Keys to a Fuller Life by Fred Burks Many Forms of Guidance Guidance comes in many forms. Family or friends may give wonderful words of wisdom in dealing with a particular problem or situation. An inspiring book, video, or program might provide meaningful advice. All of this guidance can be useful, particularly…
Until Gutenberg invented the printing press, it was difficult to challenge authority, hence the stability of the systems in place for centuries, even millennia. The printing press allowed an increase in the circulation of ideas in all fields, which accelerated even more with the modern media: radio, telephone, television, etc. But with the invention of…
Christine Valters Paintner describes the ancient and accessible contemplative practice of walking or moving slowly through the natural world as a way of connecting with God. This is clearly the “road not taken” by too many of us in the modern world, even though it shaped and sustained the faith of our ancestors for millennia.…
by Pierre Pradervand More and more, I have the feeling that an extraordinary cosmic force is pulling the strings of my life. ALL the strings, down to the smallest details. Because either this simply unheard of “show” called the universe is directed by a force, a cosmic intelligence that is simply amazing, or I give…
“Listening is a true art, be it listening to one’s neighbor or anyone who is suffering, to one’s partner or children, not to mention the most important of all, listening to the Godhead. For this, I believe, is the true value of prayer: not telling an omniscient Deity what It already knows, but listening to what It is telling…
Jinja, Uganda By Caleb Okereke Contributor to the CS Monitor Shadia and Imran Nakueira rented the space for a restaurant in the dreamy, lakeside town of Jinja, Uganda, before they knew exactly what they were going to do with it. They knew one thing though: They wanted to work alongside people with disabilities. When customers first enter…
Integrity is a quality of being. It means holding on, at all times to your highest sense of truth and your own vision, whatever the cost may be. It consists in resonating with the most intimate fibre of your being which enjoins us not to withdraw one inch, whatever the prestige or authority of the…
by Paul Ferrini Father/Mother God: Help me to feel my oneness with you and my equality with my brothers and sisters. Help me to recognize my judgments and to look within for correction. Help me to give up shame and blame and to learn from my errors so that I do not repeat them. Help…
Excerpts from The Dynamic Laws of Prayer, Caroline Ponder In the silence, when your conscious mind becomes quiet, then the subconscious phase of the mind, which is the seat of memory and feeling, is free to function, revealing fresh inspiration and new ideas … The silence is the workshop of God. The silence is the…
“In the whirl and swirl of our modern world, I bless myself in my ability to step aside, stop, and enjoy the greatest gift of all: the infinite simplicity and riches of Your Presence…. “I bless my fellow humans that they may discover the healing peace of uncluttered lives, the healing simplicity of an existence…
A message written or spoken and sent from the heart but received with the mind, will likely be not understood, or completely misinterpreted. They don’t speak the same language. We don’t need more talking heads on the planet right now. We each have a divinely renewable resource that needs to be accessed. It is called…
by Herman Hesse Nothing is holier, nothing is more exemplary than a beautiful, strong tree. When a tree is cut down and reveals its naked death-wound to the sun, one can read its whole history in the luminous, inscribed disk of its trunk: in the rings of its years, its scars, all the struggle, all…
