This article features simple, step-by-step instructions on how to lead a Lectio Divina group. These instructions are meant to go along with Soul Shepherding’s library of Lectio Divina Guides, each of which provide the format we use. I’m assuming that you have some knowledge and experience of with Benedict’s 6th Century way of reading and…
Some Christians are afraid of seeking to use their imagination for personal or spiritual help because they associate it with Eastern religions, secular psychology, hypnosis, or “New Age” philosophy. But there is a Biblical meditation. God has created human beings with the ability to imagine and the Bible is full of positive images and pictures…
Jesus’ John 17 prayer can used as a discernment prayer for Christian leaders and groups. This tool frames Jesus’ petitions as six key discernment questions. If we make Jesus’ holy prayer our prayer then we’re sure to get in sync with God’s will!
Without a friend who feels our hurt, stress, and longings with us our souls shrivel up and die. Giving and receiving empathy are key to life in Christ.
We love the picture of Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus absorbed in a flood of divine love. Here in the Holy Family God is showing us an example of the secure attachment that we all need. Jesus Christ lived a perfect life of love for God and people, died on the cross for us, and…
We all long for soul talk and spiritual friendship. To feel fully alive we need to participate in personal relationships that are based in empathy and draw us closer to Christ. Empathy is listening to another’s emotions, especially their hurt and need, and communicating warm-hearted care. Infants and children need empathy like they need oxygen, food, and water.…
This is an updated version of a Bible study I did in 2006 on the role of the social part of the human being in spiritual formation in Christ. It is inspired by Dallas Willard’s book, Renovation of the Heart. This article on our social connections is part of a series from my class for counselors on…
We just took our youngest child to college and arrived home to an empty nest. I said to Bill, “I feel like a baseball batter who has had balls constantly being thrown to me, one after the other, and I keeping hitting them even if I don’t like the pitch!” I was emotionally spent and…
“If we walk in the light, as [God] is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). What does it mean for you and I to “walk in the light” of God? Nick is a pastor who is…
Hiking in a remote forest Lake Arrowhead, CA a few days ago I saw a great pine tree that’s over 100 years old and just to the side of it was a much smaller pine tree. I heard a still small voice in my mind, “Stay in the shadow of the great tree.” I knew…