This week brings Ash Wednesday in the wider Christian world. It’s a day of prayer and fasting, a day to reflect honestly on our relationship with God, to admit—to ourselves and to God–what we see as sins and shortcomings, and to take inventory of our spiritual lives, to see where we still have work to […]
Read more "What to Do with Silence"Well, we seemed to have made it through the time change okay—so far. It took effect at 2am this morning, while we were all sleeping, and the clocks actually moved backward an hour, so we may have felt more rested than usual. The sun rose a little earlier today, didn’t it? That was a treat. […]
Read more "Time and Eternity"How good are you at being quiet? And for how long? Can you turn off your phone, turn off the television, and spend time just being available for whatever God wants to say in the silence, inside and outside of you? If you’re like most people today, it might not be long before you start […]
Read more "Into the Wilderness"You probably already know this about me, but I can be a pretty wordy person. Give me a topic and I’ll have something to say or write about it: some thought, some perspective, some possibility, some plan. During my recovery time these last couple of weeks, I’m surprised to report that my inner world got […]
Read more "Ready, Set, Rest!"Greetings on this Ash Wednesday, Friends. We have created a simple daily reflection calendar of much-loved phrases from early Friends’ writings for the season of Lent. Please download and share as you feel so led. Praying for peace, health, love, compassion, unity, and transformation for all beings. http://www.noblesvillefriends.org/reflections-for-lent.php *Post title from a lovely phrase Pope […]
Read more "We, beloved dust of God’s dreams*"A number of years ago I was walking with friends through Circle Center Mall downtown. We’d just listened to our kids play a Christmas jazz concert in the Artsgarden—that beautiful glassed dome that spans Washington and Illinois streets in downtown Indianapolis. As we walked back through the mall toward the parking garage, we passed the […]
Read more "What the Silence Is for"When I was five or six years old, walking on the ceiling was one of my favorite pastimes. I probably discovered it completely by accident, on a long, boring summer afternoon. I still remember the look on my mom’s face when she walked into the living room and found me upside-down in one of the […]
Read more "Quiet Strength"It’s a curious thing about human nature that our daily experiences—our hunger, our thirst for life—seems to be heightened after we’ve gone through a time of trial. Maybe after a period of what feels like darkness, we’re more aware somehow of the shining of the light: After a long, gray winter, the colors of spring […]
Read more "Time & Treasure"What kind of relationship do you have with silence? When we settle into our silent worship time, is that comfortable for you or do you inwardly struggle with the quiet? For some people, silent time feels peaceful and nurturing. For others, it can be hard to sit still and hard to calm the mind. Instead […]
Read more "Studies in Still Life"
The Space between the Words 