Tag Archives: community

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Being Real (Part 2): Bridging the Gap Between Our Inner and Outer Lives

Recently, my long-time friend and colleague, Eily Marlow and I developed a day-long workshop called Being Real: Practicing Humility, Courage, and Authenticity in Everyday Life. The stories and the challenges that Eily and I shared as we were preparing for the workshop have stayed with me and continued to evolve over time. So have the lessons…
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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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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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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 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 Hospitable Lathe

The Hospitable Lathe “All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ ….” Rule of Benedict 53:1 My daughter, Katie, would impress you on several levels: a quick smile, a quicker wit, a keen sense of justice, lotsa’ golden hair, and a dynamic creative spirit. Part of her creativity also involves making things—drawing,…
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Reflections on Food as a Tangible Form of Love

I want to feed people the way she did because eating is, as our fall guest speaker Norman Wirzba writes, “a profoundly spiritual act.” What we eat and how we eat—both individually and collectively—reflect our gratitude, our stewardship, our generosity, our joy, and our love.

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Desire, Perseverance, Making Our Way: Reflections from the Monastic Retreat

Desire, Perseverance, Making Our Way Reflections from the Monastic Retreat On a Sunday evening in mid-June, the annual Community Retreat began at St. Paul’s Monastery.  The Sisters assembled in their usual places in the glowing Chapel, lit by the summer sky in the clerestory windows, joined by several Oblates, Benedictine Associates, and me.  The white…
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Sharper: Benedict’s Tools for Good Works

Sharper: Benedict's Tools for Good Works “Tools of the spiritual craft.” ~RB 4 How do you know when you need to return to your foundations? Last autumn, my Dad was at my shop, and we worked together for several weeks building a couple of saddles. For us, that means cutting, shaping, and decorating thick pieces…
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