Contemplative Spirituality
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An Afternoon Hike: Lessons in Being Present to What is Already There
Every time I’d seen this sign for a hike at this campground on previous trips, I’d outright ignored it. Yeah right, I thought. That’ll be a joke. But this time I didn’t go for the view. I was just desperate… Continue reading
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Who My Five-Year-Old Wants to Vote For
Our family was sitting around the dinner table and my five-year-old daughter said, “What’s voting?” Commence civic education lesson one. Continue reading
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Moving Beyond Political Bifurcation Towards the “Law of Three”
I have a news flash for you. God doesn’t take sides. He’s not a Democrat, and he’s not a Republican. He’s not even an American. To view God as such is incredibly small-minded. Continue reading
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Emotional Overwhelm and the Welcoming Prayer
Subtitle: What “Surrender” Doesn’t Mean. I’m struggling so much this week with internal drama. There are external pressures and relationships in my life right now that are creating a pressure-cooker of dissatisfaction and anger in my being. I’ve been angry… Continue reading
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Spacious Lament
I had to leave church in order to grieve and be a mess because my grief and mess seemed to make others uncomfortable. They didn’t know what to do with me. Some sadness might be allowed, but then it needed… Continue reading
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Prayer as a Way of Being in the World
In The Awakened Heart, Gerald G. May writes, “I think most people have trouble with prayer because prayer is really an act of love, and therefore demands vulnerability. As with the love, the more we try to control prayer, the… Continue reading
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The Transformative Power of Doubt
Doubt is not a sign of weakness or something to be ashamed of. It’s not an omen of the death of your faith. It’s an invitation to open and trust. It’s an opportunity to acknowledge that you are part of… Continue reading
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Expectation vs. Hope
Expectations often work as demands, while hope is willing to suffer through the messiness of life and disappointments without giving up. Expectations clench things tightly in a fist, while hope holds hands open, willing to surrender. Continue reading
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It Is Not My Job to Form My Children
“It is not your job to form your children.” My spiritual director spoke those words to me in the middle of our last session. They sank deep and far. I teared up and had to breathe deep. My eldest daughter… Continue reading
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Four Types of Soil: A New Look at an Old Parable
I’m not going to lie. I was tempted to skip this one. I’ve heard and read this story countless times. It’s extremely familiar. I wanted something new. Something more interesting. But I made myself stay in the reading and see… Continue reading
Danielle Klafter 