Contemplative Spirituality
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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
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Writing as Meditation
I’m nibbling my way through a book by Dani Shapiro entitled, Still Writing: The Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life. Shapiro has multiple published books in several genres. This makes her what I would consider a successful writer. She… Continue reading
Danielle Klafter 