Spiritual Practices

Spiritual Practices

Soundcloud logo reminds readers there are 200 Touchpoint recordings on Soundcloud

200 Touchpoint Meditations!

Congratulations to Jim Hanson for officially recording 200 Touchpoint meditations! All 200 tracks of Jim’s insightful, engaging and often very humorous Touchpoints are available on Soundcloud.

Spiritual Practice: Praying the Labyrinth

Sue Palmer, spiritual practices specialist, traces the history of the labyrinth, and demonstrates several ways a labyrinth can be used to facilitate prayer and meditation as a spiritual practice today.

Examen: A Faith Practice for Lent and For Life, Week 4

This recording is Week 4 of a 6-part Lenten exploration via examen, the faith practice of looking inward, trusting that God wants the eyes of the heart to be illumined. Sheri Brown facilitates the series ~ through prayer, meditation, examen, reflection, scripture, poetry, fasting and almsgiving, participants learn to be a contemplative in action, connecting their spiritual lives with their active day-to-day lives. Examen is the practice of prayerful reflection on how and where God is speaking to us from…

2020_Spiritual Practices for Times of Crisis

Spiritual Practices for Times of Crisis Grief, pain, isolation, fear, worry, and loss can upend our normal spiritual rhythms of life and our faith life as a whole. As Christians, what do we do? Do we grit our teeth, fake it ‘til we make it, and carry on regardless? Aren’t we supposed to be “thankful in all circumstances” and happy all the time? Should we just turn away from God until we feel better? These are all valid questions and…

The Spiritual Practice of Fasting-Part 2

Fasting is just about giving up chocolate or alcohol for Lent, isn’t it?” Actually, there are other ways of fasting, and, in the Christian tradition, other times of the Church year apart from Lent, when we are encouraged to fast. We discussed in “Fasting – Part 1,” that fasting from meals can help us make room for God, help us focus on our spiritual needs rather than our physical needs, and help us prepare for Church seasons such as Easter…

The Spiritual Practice of Fasting-Part 1

What do Mardi Gras, Friday Fish Fry, and locusts and wild honey have in common? That’s right – fasting. Mardi Gras (literally Fat Tuesday) is now a carnival celebration, which culminates on the day before Ash Wednesday. In Great Britain, Mardi Gras is referred to as Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day. The idea of Fat Tuesday originated in medieval times when monks would use up their rich food and fats, often in the form of pancakes, the night before Ash…

The Spiritual Practice of Hospitality

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Have you ever been offered a place to stay at a time of need in your life? Has a kind word or thoughtful presence helped you…

The Spiritual Practice of Prayer

The Spiritual Practice of Prayer… Prayer may be the first thing that comes to mind when we talk about spiritual practices. And it should be – prayer is the oxygen of our life as Christians. Without prayer in our lives we are merely observers of a relationship with God rather than participants. Why do I say that?… As in any relationship, our relationship with God can never grow if there is not some level of communication. Prayer is that means of…