. . .a series of art journals around different themes? 
This is an idea that has been stirring in me the last few weeks and I want to put it out there to the blogosphere and see what kind of response it might get.  What I am thinking of are different journals that would include a […]

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More beautiful icons by Heather Williams Durka.  As I mention in my previous post, Heather is an iconographer in the Orthodox tradition.
Please visit her website:   Icons and Sacred Images
Scroll down for a post on using lectio divina to pray with images. . .

Posted in Resources, Links to Websites | 3 Comments »

“For the invisible things of God since the creation of the world are made visible through images.”
                     (John of Damascus, On Holy Images)

The beautiful icon above is by iconographer Heather Williams Durka who lives in Olympia.  You can find her website here.  Heather offers icon workshops and has affordable reproductions of her wonderful images available […]

Posted in Monastic Spirituality, Lectio Divina | 6 Comments »

Another amazing hike along the middle fork of the Snoqualmie River today, I took loads of photos but Flickr is telling me I have reached my limit this month (maybe I need to upgrade!).   Just as well, I am tired, that wonderful kind of tired when you have walked for hours, listened through the silence […]

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What feeds your soul?   What is essential for you to feel well-nourished, alive, and energized?
I don’t just mean how many calories you need to consume to function, or what balance of vitamins and minerals you need for body processes. 
I mean, what are the things in your life that bring you such delight you feel as though […]

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

“People turn to poems for some kind of illumination,
for revelations that help them to survive,
to survive in spirit not only in body.”
-Denise Levertov, “Poetry, Prophecy and Survival”
Poetry is language illuminated.  When we read poetry we are reading the same words we use for prose, but because of the compactness of images and the poet’s way […]

Posted in Poetry, Monastic Spirituality, Lectio Divina | 7 Comments »

Lectio divina is an ancient prayer practice, meaning sacred reading.  It is a way of being with the sacred texts of our tradition in a contemplative way.  Lectio invites us to enter into silence and stillness to listen deeply for the stirring of the holy in scripture and in us.  Here is a simple overview of the […]

Posted in Monastic Spirituality, Lectio Divina | 10 Comments »

A busy week ahead, I start teaching “Contemporary Christian Spirituality and Prayer” at Seattle U’s School of Theology and Ministry Tuesday morning. I am excited to be working with students from the MDiv and MA programs there.  I love teaching people new ways to pray and helping them prepare for ministry by finding a spirituality and […]

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God’s World 
O World, I cannot hold thee close enough!
Thy winds, thy wide grey skies!
Thy mists, that roll and rise!
Thy woods, this autumn day, that ache and sag
And all but cry with colour!  That gaunt crag
To crush!  To lift the lean of that black bluff!
World, World, I cannot get thee close enough!
Long have I known a glory in […]

Posted in Seasons, Nature and Creativity | 4 Comments »

Nobody sees a flower, really, it is so small.
We haven’t time–– and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.
-Georgia O’Keeffe

I walked up to Volunteer Park today after the morning rain had abated, to take time to really see the flowers and capture the beauty of the dahlias in full bloom.  […]

Posted in Photos | 6 Comments »