×

By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies and our Privacy Policy.

Tag Archives: tension

Holy Transitions 

The Edge of the Inside

The edge of things is a liminal space. Continue Reading The Edge of the Inside

Courageous Listening

Listening does not grant the other side legitimacy. It grants them humanity—and preserves our own. Continue Reading Courageous Listening

Change Is Never Comfortable

How can we envision a new world when we have never fallen away from the old? Continue Reading Change Is Never Comfortable

Order, Disorder, Reorder: Part Three: Weekly Summary

Order, Disorder, Reorder: Part Three Saturday, August 29, 2020 Summary: Sunday, August 23—Friday, August 28, 2020 To arrive at the Reorder stage, we must endure, learn from, and include the Disorder stage, transcending the first naïve Order—but also still including it! (Sunday) I was always being moved toward greater differentiation and larger viewpoints, and simultaneously… Continue Reading Order, Disorder, Reorder: Part Three: Weekly Summary

Necessary Boundaries

Order, Disorder, Reorder: Part One Necessary Boundaries Monday, August 10, 2020 Law, tradition, and boundaries—what I call Order—seem to be necessary in any spiritual system both to reveal and to limit our basic egocentricity. Such containers make at least some community, family, and marriage possible. Boundaries seem to be the only way that human beings… Continue Reading Necessary Boundaries

Emancipation

Inner and Outer Freedom Emancipation Wednesday, June 17, 2020 For the kinds of freedom and liberation that are needed today, I am going to use the word “emancipation.” Instead of focusing on the mere personal freedoms enjoyed by individual people, emancipation directs our attention to a systemic level of freedom. With the exception of those… Continue Reading Emancipation

Hope and Humility

Politics: Week 2 Hope and Humility Wednesday, July 18, 2018 At a time when our politics may seem bleak and hopeless, poet, peacemaker, minister, and scholar John Philip Newell offers us both encouragement and challenge: We live in a moment of grace. Through the hedges of our divisions we are beginning to glimpse again the… Continue Reading Hope and Humility

Creative Political Tension

Politics: Week 1 Creative Political Tension Tuesday, July 10, 2018 I see our species’ collective shadow on full display today in the United States, exposing intolerance and bigotry at deep levels. Under the guise of avoiding political correctness, truth-telling has been twisted into fear-mongering and scapegoating. When humans cannot face and embrace the insecurities inside… Continue Reading Creative Political Tension

Watching the River

Action and Contemplation: Week 1 Watching the River Tuesday, May 10, 2016 To live in the present moment requires a change in our inner posture. Instead of expanding or shoring up our fortress of “I”—the ego—which culture and often therapy try to help us do, contemplation waits to discover what this “I” consists of. What… Continue Reading Watching the River

Join our email community

Sign-up to receive the Daily Meditations, featuring reflections on the wisdom and practices of the Christian contemplative tradition.


Hidden Fields

Find out about upcoming courses, registration dates, and new online courses.
Our theme this year is Nothing Stands Alone. What could happen if we embraced the idea of God as relationship—with ourselves, each other, and the world? Meditations are emailed every day of the week, including the Weekly Summary on Saturday. Each week builds on previous topics, but you can join at any time.
In a world of fault lines and fractures, how do we expand our sense of self to include love, healing, and forgiveness—not just for ourselves or those like us, but for all? This monthly email features wisdom and stories from the emerging Christian contemplative movement. Join spiritual seekers from around the world and discover your place in the Great Story Line connecting us all in the One Great Life. Conspirare. Breathe with us.