motivation | encouragement | support
Faith-related posts featuring a devotional, reflection, Bible study, or prayer.
We need water every day for drinking, preparing food, and cleaning. It’s used in a variety of ways all over the world, and it has always been that way. It’s no wonder that water is a rich and layered metaphor in scripture symbolizing cleansing, renewal, life, abundance, and even chaos. Let’s take a look at … Read more
The examen prayer is a beautiful, introspective practice rooted in Ignatian spirituality. It’s designed to help you reflect on your day, notice where God has been present, and discern areas of growth or gratitude. It’s simple but meaningful. Let’s explore this practice together and think about incorporating it into our daily routine. It all began … Read more
Hope isn’t something we simply stumble upon. It’s something we can nurture, strengthen, and cultivate in our daily lives. Just as a gardener tends the soil, waters the plants, and removes weeds to help something grow, we must be intentional about making space for hope to flourish. The Bible gives us many reminders of where … Read more
Cultivating connection is the intentional practice of noticing, nurturing, and deepening relationships—with God, with others, and within ourselves. It is accomplished through presence, authenticity, and openness, allowing for mutual growth, shared understanding, and a sense of belonging. True connection fosters empathy, strengthens community, and aligns us with God’s ongoing work in the world. My word … Read more
Have you heard of imaginative contemplation? Also known as Ignatian contemplation, it’s a contemplative prayer practice where you use your imagination to place yourself in a scene from the Bible and use that as a basis for your prayer time. St. Ignatius developed this practice primarily for gospel passages in an effort to know Jesus … Read more
Visio divina, meaning “divine seeing,” is a spiritual practice that invites us to encounter the sacred through visual imagery. It is related to lectio divina, an ancient approach to scripture that involves slow, intentional reading, meditation, and prayer—allowing certain words or phrases to resonate deeply. In contrast, visio divina also encourages reflection, but on images … Read more
I’ve written about several types of contemplative prayer, like breath prayer, lectio divina, imaginative contemplation, visio divina, the examen, and welcoming prayer. I’ve also shared about using prayer beads in a contemplative prayer practice. Centering prayer is the one technique I’ve tried but haven’t mentioned (before now). Perhaps that’s because I find it to be … Read more
The dictionary defines compassion as a sympathetic awareness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it. I often pair compassion with the idea of lovingkindness, which refers to tender and benevolent affection. Moreover, compassion and mercy are often linked together, as in the spiritual gift. These ideas resonate with me! My word of … Read more
Welcoming prayer is one of several different types of contemplative prayer practices. It focuses on intentionally accepting–welcoming–your experiences and turning them over to God. Let’s dive into this contentment-building practice and see what it’s all about! What is welcoming prayer? Some contemplative prayer practices have been around a really long time, but welcoming prayer began … Read more
My word of the year is CULTIVATE. I chose this word because it conveys the idea of intentional growth. Nurturing. Fostering. Encouraging. It’s also a versatile word, because there are many different qualities I would like to cultivate. Be watching for future posts around this idea. For now, let’s focus on how to cultivate authenticity. … Read more