I was very honored to find out yesterday that Water, Wind, Earth, & Fire: The Christian Practice of Praying with the Elements was included on Spirituality and Practice’s list of Best Spiritual Books of 2010 (scroll down to Nature category).  Their website says: Every year from the more than 300 books we review on this website, we choose 50 “best spiritual books.” These are the titles that have most impressed and inspired us, and since we only review books that we want to recommend to you for your spiritual journey, this selection actually represents the best of the best. Our full

Registration for the Spiritual Directors International 2011 Conference on Cultivating Compassion in Atlanta April 28-May 1, 2011 is now available! There are always lots of wonderful reasons to attend.  This year Betsey Beckman and I will be presenting the Friday night Plenary Session on Cultivating the Elements of a Compassionate Heart: The elements of earth, wind, fire and water have long been celebrated by sacred traditions as expressions of the divine. Join Betsey Beckman, MM, and Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, to actively participate in a variety of hands-on expressive arts experiences—both reflective and playful!—such as movement, song, image, story, and

Spiritual Directors Fall Seminar Shalom Prayer Center, Queen of Angels Monastery, Mt Angel, Oregon Friday, October 29, 2010, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Water, Wind, Earth, and Fire: Bringing Encounters with Nature to Spiritual Direction & Soul Care When we consider the spiritual direction relationship we often think about the director, the directee, and the Spirit. This workshop will invite us to enlarge our vision of spiritual direction to include the matrix of creation within which our lives are supported and our becoming is nurtured. Join us for an experiential seminar exploring ways to integrate awareness of, and encounters with,

In the midst of my sorrow, waiting, and unknowing, there has also been great joy here at the Abbey.  I am blessed to be able to dedicate a great deal of time to writing these days which makes my heart sing.  While they are not due out until April and July 2011, there is a special delight that happens when an author gets to see her book covers and anticipate holding them in her hands.  I love what both publishers have created for the exterior to support the books’ messages inside and am eager to share these resources with you, dear

Last week I offered to donate 50% of the profits from registrations for two of the Abbey’s online classes for those who registered in the last couple of days.  I am delighted to report that the response was great and I was able to make a donation of $1000 to National Wildlife Federation’s Gulf Oil Spill Restoration Fund!  Thank you so much for your support of the Abbey.  (Registration for  Eyes of the Heart: Photography as a Contemplative Practice is still available – begin the class at any time!) You can make your own donation to NWF here. Make sure you go by this

Two wonderful new reviews of Water, Wind, Earth, and Fire: The Christian Practice of Praying with the Elements (click the link to purchase your own copy on Amazon.com) Reviewed by Spiritual Directors International: Spiritual director Christine Valters Paintner describes sitting on an Oregon coastal shore piled with sand and stones, watching the setting sun while gulls glide on a Pacific Ocean breeze. She writes, “Here in this place, wind, water, earth, and fire all meet in a glorious window onto the Divine extravagance” (138). Encountering the four elements in one place is exactly what Water, Wind, Earth, and Fire does, inviting

A postcard from the Abbey in honor of my anniversary today. This is my blessing for you, my dear readers, in the days ahead. May you be blessed with the grace of companionship. May your heart be embraced by the love of a kindred soul. May you span time together, stretched out over the beauty of the seasons, knowing the rise and fall, the fullness and emptiness of life. May love become your crucible of transformation, that place where deepening trust leads to a softened heart. And may your growing love of those you trust deeply lead you to expanding