We are born into relationship. Before we ever speak a word, make a choice, or understand ourselves as separate people, we are already connected. We begin in relationship within the womb. We emerge into a family, a history, a body, a world. We breathe air shared by countless others. We inherit something from those who … Continue reading Inhabiting Relationship
Pain has a way of narrowing the world. When it arrives—physical, emotional, spiritual, relational—our instinct is often immediate: get away from it. Distract ourselves. Fix it. Numb it. Move somewhere else. Do almost anything except remain in the place where it hurts. I know that instinct well. As an Enneagram Seven, one of my familiar … Continue reading Inhabiting Pain
There is a difference between simply having a body and actually inhabiting it. Last week, I began what I’m calling the Inhabiting series by reflecting on what it might mean to inhabit your life as a gift — to live from the deep awareness that you are precious, and that your preciousness shapes the way you engage … Continue reading Inhabiting the Body
A reflection from the Infinitely Precious podcast Hello, beloved. For months now, we've been walking together through what I call the ripening dimensions of life — the ways we're always moving toward greater ripeness, or sometimes away from it, in any given moment. (A little Aramaic trivia for you: the root of the word "good," … Continue reading Ripening Playfulness: Awake to Delight
There is always somewhere else to be. There is always something else to finish, something else to begin, something waiting on the other side of whatever we happen to be doing right now. And sometimes I notice how much of my life I can spend trying to get there. This week on the Infinitely Precious Podcast, … Continue reading Ripening Presence: This Moment Right Now
Awareness often begins in a very small space. It may be no more than a breath, a pause, or a fraction of a second between what rises within us and what we choose to do next. This week, I continue my series on the ripening dimensions of being alive with the seventh dimension: ripening awareness. I … Continue reading Ripening Awareness: The Space Before We React
Most of us imagine that changing the world requires grand gestures. We wait for the perfect opportunity, the important conversation, the defining moment when we can finally make a significant difference. But what if the deepest changes in our lives—and in the lives of others—happen in moments so ordinary that we almost miss them? Recently, … Continue reading Ripening Action: The Ripples You Never See
July 1 marks a milestone I can hardly believe. This week I celebrate forty years of ministry—thirty-eight years serving churches under appointment and another two years serving on church staffs before I was officially appointed as a pastor. Whenever someone reaches a milestone like this, there’s an obvious question people tend to ask: “What have … Continue reading Forty Years Later: Who Have I Become?
This week, as this episode is released, I am in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, serving with the Appalachian Service Project. Alongside youth and adults from Dulin United Methodist Church, I’ll spend the week helping make homes warmer, safer, and drier. It is a week of service, but it is also a week of practice. This … Continue reading Ripening Intention: Showing Up as Yourself
This week I head off to Annual Conference. For those unfamiliar with United Methodist life, Annual Conference is a yearly gathering of clergy and lay members from across a region. We worship together, study scripture together, conduct the business of the church, approve budgets, celebrate ministry, commission new leaders, and make decisions about our shared … Continue reading Ripening View: Learning to See Relationally
