The Contemplative Life

As we continue our series on self-care, Sarah Kiser joins us to share her experience of being a healthcare professional at a time when 87% of people in the field are reporting experiences of burnout. For many of us, our career experience changes as we age. Our lives become fuller, our responsibilities grow, and the margins of life for self-care get smaller. We invite you to join us in being a witn...

Today we are joined by Mary Bouras who is sharing with us about what it has been like to be married to someone in the military. Mary comes to us with over 2 decades of experience, including nearly a dozen moves, motherhood, and a career. Join us as she shares candidly with us about what has created balance and stability in a life that can easily feel unbalanced and unstable. Find out what she had...

As we begin a new year, we embark on a new series, talking to people from a variety of fields to discover: What do you do for self care? And is there anything you do for self care that might help me? Spiritual Directors spend a lot of time listening to people’s stories, which means we have to have ways to release those stories and find personal fulfillment ourselves. Join us as we talk about what...

In our fourth and final week in this series, we talk about one very key but, perhaps, unexpected tool that can bring about restoration and connection in our lives. In a busy world, we’ve become accustomed to turning our attention away from even the simplest things that can help us bring the being side of ourselves into balance with our doing side. Join us as we talk about how awe has helped each o...

Today we take time to talk about some of the barriers that can come into play when we’re looking to bring our doing side into friendship and balance with our being side. And in particular, we get down into root causes because, oftentimes, we may find ourselves using similar words to the people around us. But our inner motivations and our particular needs may be quite different from those of our ne...

As we continue our Being With series, we turn our attention to the lens of Body, Heart, and Mind, asking the question: How can we strengthen what is already innate within us while also exploring areas of ourselves we maybe don’t visit as often? Life is often so full that our lives can begin to feel disconnected and unintegrated. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Instead we can discover what is s...

Do you ever feel like your relationship with the Divine is more transactional than relational? Can you relate to that feeling of just wanting someone to be with you over and above wanting them to fix your problems? During the busy month of December, we’re offering a series that extends an invitation to bring the “doing” side of ourselves into balance with our “being” side. Join us as we embark on...

We conclude our “What is” series with the topic of Pilgrimage. What is it and how is it done?  What does pilgrimage share in common with exile and in what ways does it differ?  Is pilgrimage always life changing or do some people return feeling as though not much has changed? Join us as we talk about this journey of the soul. May the conversation inspire your path. Additional Resources Podcast: Ep...

As we continue our exploration of words we may hear in contemplative circles but not know what they mean, we turn our attention to the experience of Divine Listening, allowing sound to become a part of our meditation and prayer experiences. Many have found Audio Divina to be a helpful tool for becoming aware of Divine Presence, connecting the mind-heart-body, and spending time in discernment, to n...

This week’s podcast invites us to look around the world with wonder, curiosity, and an openness to Divine Presence. Visio Divina, a form of contemplative prayer, offers us the chance to pause, to notice, and to become aware of what is stirring within. And while some amount of controversy has arisen around forms of prayer that appeal not only to the mind but the mind-heart-body, it is also the case...

As we talk about ways to practice and promote unity and cooperation between our communities of faith, we are joined by Rev. Kerri Parker, Executive Director for the Wisconsin Council of Churches. Join us as Kerri shares with us about why this is passionate and meaningful work for her. Listen as she helps us consider how we can become more ecumenical, both personally and as communities of worship....

This week, we continue our “what is” exploration, looking at a Benedictine practice that has been used to help people discover and live out their values. Join us as we talk about the creative ways that people today are employing this ancient practice and how you can use it both for personal and community purposes. For those of us who experience feelings of overwhelm and days of exhaustion, this pr...

What does it look like for us to sit in silence, whether it be for two minutes or twenty? As we sit in that silence, what do we do with it? Is it a time for rolling over the to-do’s of our day, for sitting with an image or a phrase? Is it something we do alone or with others? On this week’s podcast, we explore the ins and outs of Centering Prayer - its origins, the “rules,” why we sometimes need t...

As we continue our “What is” series, we turn our attention to prayers that use words, which may well be the most popular form of prayer in Western culture. Join us as we talk about the many personal and communal ways that prayer can lead us to transformation. Consider with us why it is absolutely okay that the words of yesterday may not fully encapsulate what is true and authentic for us today. An...

Do you ever wonder about the value of sitting in silence or of rhythmically repeating a word or phrase over and over again? Join us as we talk about the many possibilities that we (and others we know) have discovered for engaging this prayer practice - a form of prayer that exists specifically for helping us connect with - and encounter - Divine Presence. While it may seem counterintuitive to spen...

On this week’s podcast, we begin a new series, exploring words that are often heard in contemplative circles. Our journey through this series begins with Contemplative Prayer. Join us as we consider how this form of prayer tends to expand and open our awareness in ever-deepening ways, how we discover layers we may not have been aware of before, and most profoundly, how our connection to Divine Pre...

Many of us can relate to feeling like there’s just too much, that whatever we’re doing is never enough, that the things we’re facing are more than we can bear. We live in a culture that is constantly calling us to more and that asks us to continually be at the top of our game. On this week’s podcast, we talk about why so many of us revert to numbing when we begin to feel those feelings of overwhel...

Do you ever feel sort of blah, like you’re neither quite happy but not necessarily depressed either - just, sort of, in the middle? On this week’s podcast, we explore reasons for why this feeling can occur. We talk about when this might be a good thing for us, when it’s okay to just rest in that space. But we also talk about what to do when this is less of a good thing for us. Join us as we talk a...

Ever feel unsure about what to think? Find yourself having trouble expressing yourself? This week’s podcast leads us to talking about how using our contemplative practices can be of use when we’re feeling too much inner swirl. Whether we’re trying to get back into the swing of things or we just don’t know where to go next, feeling jumbled is an experience common to us all. And because no two peopl...

For those who aren’t sure if their questions are welcome, for those who have physically been relocated, for those who are wondering if they need a new community, for anyone feeling spiritually without friends or company…This week’s podcast aims to encourage the one who is feeling grief and loss spiritually. It is okay to name your feelings. Join us as we talk about what it looks like to return to...

Teresa of Avila was a nun in the Carmelite Order who lived during the time of the Spanish Inquisition. Her life and her writings speak to us about what it looks like to truly find union with God in the midst of our struggle and difficulty. She teaches us that this deep connection with the Divine is not just for the spiritual giants but for all of us. On this week’s podcast, we spend time asking: I...

Brother Lawrence, a 17th century Carmelite monk offers us hope for the future and a chance to see how God is present to our lives in the here and now. Join us as we talk about some of the themes from his spiritual practices that continue to inspire us today - how awareness allows us to connect with God in even the most ordinary of things, how it grounds us and reminds us of goodness. In a world wh...

St. Thérèse of Lisieux becomes our spiritual companion this week as we talk about how she continues to inspire people yet today with this idea that little acts make a big difference. Have you ever found that one person’s simple act of kindness made your whole day better? On this week’s podcast, we talk about how surprisingly impactful it is when one person’s small gesture winds up increasing our q...

On this week’s podcast, we turn to St. Benedict whose life and work offers us a practical approach to living that has influenced many across time. Join us as we talk about how his Rule of Life has helped us find everything from spontaneity to pause, has increased our ability to be more present to this moment now, and has given us a framework for the ongoing journey of life. Allow old words to take...

On this week’s podcast, we explore the life and work of Hildegard von Bingen, a multi-faceted woman who lived in the Middle Ages and yet continues to inspire people today. Join us as we talk about what it must have been like to have visions at the age of 3, begin convent life at 8 years old, and live in a world where few women were given permission to speak to both lay people and clergy alike. Com...