Tag: spirituality
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The Blessing is Outside your Comfort Zone
“The blessing is outside your comfort zone.” I recently heard this quote on a podcast about the spiritual practice of running. But this truth extends beyond the topic of physical exercise. A month ago, I was escorted to a classroom in the men’s maximum-security prison twenty minutes from my home. I was there to teach…
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God as an annihilating silence
Annihilate (verb): destroy utterly; obliterate; defeat Christian Wiman describes God as an “annihilating silence” in My Bright Abyss. What does Wiman mean by this? That God is a soundless, destructive force? That God is an unapprehensible energy moving among us? Or, that God is a SILENCE that can destroy all the NOISE of our life, all the…
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In the Valley of the Creative Process
I am in the middle of writing my sermon for our upcoming Baccalaureate service. I have a great beginning, a muddled mess for a middle and no conclusion. Yet the day is fast approaching when I must deliver this creative work. So I am feeling anxious. Last week I listened to a podcast on “Overcoming…
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The Mindful Life
Last week I taught a class about “The Mindful Life” at my college. Mindfulness is rooted in the Buddhist philosophy that only the present moment exists. The future does not yet exist. The past no longer exists. Therefore, we should focus our energy and attention on that which is real, the present moment. Personally, I…
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In the realm of the nones
I’m excited to share my most recent essay published in The Christian Century that highlights my work as a college chaplain. The “Nones” are defined as those who claim no religious affiliation and I meet many of them in my ministry. Here is a link to my article entitled, In the realm of the nones: Reflections of…
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I find you spiritually attractive.
I recently told a male rabbi about my age that I find him spiritually attractive. Actually, I didn’t tell him. I posted it to his Facebook page. Immediately before adding this message to his feed, though, I hesitated over the following inner monologue: Is this creepy? Am I over-complimenting? Will this be misconstrued as some…
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Nothing to Say: Master Class with Marie Howe
“We have nothing to say.” This was how Marie Howe began her Master Class at the writing conference I am attending this week. Her point was that words come to us, words write us, if we can open ourselves to receiving them. Marie, in her kind, encouraging manner, was determined to teach us something she…
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Mindfulness Meditation: There’s An App for That
I’ve recently heard about a new genre of “apps” that are being developed to provide “digital therapy,” or relief from all the stress and distraction caused by… all those other apps. Yeah, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. I’ve found the best therapy for my overworked, distracted, and oftentimes anxious mind, is to get…
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When Worship Works
Worship doesn’t always work. It doesn’t work when your student pianist can’t get through a whole hymn verse without stopping and starting three times. Or when the toddler, who accidentally bumps his head, drowns out your sermon’s climactic crescendo with his screams. Or when your congregation, who faithfully shows up Sunday morning after a long…
Teri McDowell Ott 