Three interesting articles this morning, one from Religion Dispatches, a daily current newsy blog about things of faith, definitely worth subscribing to. This article is a hair-raising account of human rights atrocities in Uganda, not easy breakfast reading. Read it here.
The second is a nice description of Spiritual Direction, a ministry of listening, which I do as part of my ministry at St. Paul. Spiritual direction in the Lutheran tradition is an expression of what Martin Luther described as the the consolation of mutual conversation between sisters and brothers in the faith. This article is also on the ELCA website in the Web Archives link on the Prayer page.
Spiritual directors have the privilege of partnering or accompanying others who are seeking to deepen their relationship with God through prayer, and to develop their capacity for contemplative awareness or what some teachers call a contemplative attitude. I’ve been practicing it for 14 years now; it’s a wonderful ministry of spaciousness within the busy-ness of parish ministry.
And the third link I found concerns a Buddhist American woman nun, Pema Chodron, who teaches meditation students from all religious backgrounds. Her books are best-sellers. She herself is a queit, humble spiritual powerhouse. This is a brief interview from ABC. She’s worth listening to, and what she says is applicable to Christian spiritual practice.
For your morning reading/listening. Peace and all good things, P.A.