The reason people often describe spiritual direction as one of the most meaningful commitments they’ve made is not because it fixes all their problems. It doesn’t. What it changes is your relationship with your inner life. Instead of being pulled around by every thought, feeling, or story your mind tells, you begin to notice them. The patterns. The assumptions. The emotional reflexes. The old stories shaping your relationships and your choices in the background of your consc

I’m part of a book discussion circle for Unitarian Universalist spiritual directors, both seasoned practitioners and those in formation. It’s a lovely gathering where ideas cross-pollinate and relationships deepen. We just finished reading Barbara Brown Taylor’s Learning to Walk in the Dark , and I love that we read it in the darkest season of the year.   Many people fear the dark: confusion, grief, lostness, the absence of spiritual consolation. Taylor offers a theological a

I wish for everyone to have a squad of people to support their being and becoming in the world. It's hard being human. Therapists and spiritual directors are two of the important people on my squad. I often get asked the difference between therapy and spiritual direction. Therapy helps you understand your life. Spiritual direction help you listen for the Holy in your life. Both are healing, but their centers of gravity are different. I love a good spreadsheet:   therapy spiri

Marriage is a threshold that stirs many layers at once. Joy may be present, yes, but so is the shift in identity, the rearranging of relationship(s), the simple fact that something in you is changing shape even as your primary relationship is changing shape. Most traditions pour great energy into preparing people for the wedding as a strong start to the marriage. Very few offer space for reflection after the vows have been spoken. And yet the days and weeks following the ce

Before You Sip: Why the Enneagram Matters for Seekers The Enneagram isn’t just another personality quiz, it’s an ancient map of the soul. Its nine points trace nine different ways of being human, each with its own flavor of wisdom and its own habits of heart. The Enneagram helps us notice the patterns that keep us circling familiar stories, and the paths that can open us toward freedom and wholeness. Many traditions recognize the same pattern language under different names. T

Embracing conflict as an opportunity for growth, for learning, even for faith formation , is not most people’s default setting. But what...

Spirit of Love, Spirit of Justice, Spirit who shows up in classrooms and hallways, who sits beside frightened children and stands behind...

Grief is a companion that doesn’t travel in a straight line. It loops and lingers, hides in corners, and sometimes shows up unexpectedly...

This is a recording in which I lead you through a guided meditation to help discern a diagram of your Spiritual RDA.  From this, imagine...

A spiritual autobiography is your unfolding story and how the God of your understanding is present in it. There are so many ways to...

You do not have to be a Swifty to explore this reflection exercise that examines your life narrative, purpose, lessons, and identities. 

Guided meditations can be soothing and relaxing. They can also provide insights of intentions and shifts you may want to make in your...

Between getting older and feeling more vulnerable, my mother getting older and relying on me more, and the pandemic lingering... My wife...

Seven years ago I preached a sermon for the ordination of Rev. Samaya Oakley. It was recorded and put on YouTube. And it took off....

Susan Beaumont is a brilliant consultant whose work guides mine as an institutional minister in my other job when I'm not being a...

Because I believe in science and because the COVID cases in my part of the country are in an aggressive climb, family outside my...

Many of my clients have asked for a recording of this particular meditation, and so I offer it to you in both video and audio. This...

Anxiety is so high right now. Over and over I hear stories of feeling not good enough, stories of shame and uncertainty. This is also a...

I picked up Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way again. This has been a constant companion since it was published in 1992. This time I...