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Just Wave: Following that Holy Nudge

Just Wave: Following that Holy Nudge

PHOTO CREDIT: Carol Jorgensen Just Wave The Benedictine Center welcomes stories of encounter that remind us of the nearness of God and that call us to living the way of hospitality Benedict commended in the Rule. This reflection by Carol Jorgensen, Hospitality Specialist for the Benedictine Center, captures the wisdom of one such moment.  Just…
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Ice Break: Annotated Selections from a Book of Poems

Ice Break: Annotated Selections from a Book of Poems

Ice Break: Annotated Selections from a Book of Poems Writers too infrequently have the opportunity to witness people in the act of receiving their work. I was recently afforded that privilege as I shared a poetry reading with my friend and colleague Victor Klimoski. The experience encouraged me to annotate a handful of poems for…
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Cradle in the Corner

Cradle in the Corner

Cradle in the Corner Last Fall, a brief skirmish with some mice brought me to the far corner of my garage, where the breaker box is, right next to the driveway. That corner is the most chaotic because it’s the most convenient, and most of the stuff in that corner is damning evidence of my…
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Being Real (Part 1): Learning to Swim By Swimming

Being Real (Part 1): Learning to Swim By Swimming

When I turned 30, I decided that I wanted to complete a triathlon. One problem: I did not know how to swim. I wasn’t scared of the water and I could stay afloat, but the most fruitful results of my childhood swim lessons were a goofy-looking breast stroke that didn’t involve putting my head under the water and a “little bird, big bird, fly.” The latter was basically laying on my back, flapping my arms, and propelling myself (slowly) through the water. These were not the ways of a triathlete.

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Rooted in Love: My Sustained Lectio Divina

Rooted in Love: My Sustained Lectio Divina

Rooted in Love My Sustained Lectio Divina “I pray . . . that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.” Ephesians 3:17 I have prayed with the Scriptures using a simple form for years. It was Guigo II in the twelfth century that gave the…
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New Release: Re-Creating A Life (by Diane Millis)

New Release: Re-Creating A Life (by Diane Millis)

Re-Creating A Life Learning How To Tell Our Most Life-Giving Story A New Release by Diane Millis The Lord often reveals what is better to the younger (Rule of Benedict 3.3) [caption id="attachment_4602" align="alignright" width="150"] Diane Millis and Jaleah Taylor, used with permission.[/caption] “May I get a picture of the two of us?” a young…
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A Tool for Attending to the Inner Dimensions of Leadership

A Tool for Attending to the Inner Dimensions of Leadership

A Tool for Attending to the Inner Dimensions of Leadership The everyday and lasting pressures of ministry can take their toll on Christian leaders—and venting only helps so much. Thankfully, what we can learn from the practice of spiritual direction is that Christian leaders are not alone in their struggles and that there are ways…
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The Messy Middle: Where Change Happens

The Messy Middle: Where Change Happens

The Messy Middle: Where Change Happens In the Benedictine Center office, we’ve been talking about Brené Brown’s book Rising Strong (Random House, 2015). She makes that point that, if we want to experience real growth and change in our lives, we can’t skip the “messy middle” part of our stories. The first pass at such an observation…
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Writing From the Center | Wisdom for Putting It In Words

Writing From the Center | Wisdom for Putting It In Words

Writing from the Center: Wisdom for Putting It In Words I am convinced that writing from the center of who we are requires time and companionship. In that spirit, we recently held a weekend retreat for writers. The invitation was to come into the embrace of the monastery with a single focus: to sit at a…
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