S17 E15 - The Four Places of Advent: The Stable (Part 4)
Abiding Together
In this episode, we end our journey at the Stable, the humble place where God chose for us to meet His Son. We reflect on the stable of our own hearts, how Jesus chooses to meet us in our own poverty now, and why His very presence brings healing. We also talk about how when we sit in our emptiness, release control, and surrender each part of our lives to God, He is able to work more powerfully in our lives. Finally, we ponder Mary’s quiet and loving gaze upon the Christ Child and how we are invited to slow down and notice Jesus smiling back at us. Friends, we’ve deeply enjoyed...
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S17 E14 - The Four Places of Advent: Elizabeth’s House (Part 3)
Abiding Together
In this episode, we journey to Elizabeth’s house, the place of the Visitation. We reflect on Mary’s haste as she makes the journey to visit Elizabeth and how Elizabeth creates space for Mary as the mystery of the incarnation unfolds. We also ponder Elizabeth’s years of longing for a child, how God fulfills our desires in ways different than we expect, and why we should hold onto hope instead of disappointment. Finally, we talk about cultivating a deeper sensitivity to God’s presence, trusting that even when His work is hidden, beauty is unfolding within our lives. Heather’s...
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S17 E13 - The Four Places of Advent: Loreto (Part 2)
Abiding Together
In this episode, we journey to the house of Loreto, a simple home where the Annunciation took place. We reflect on how God meets us in the quiet, ordinary places of our own lives and how He meets us where we are, no matter how isolated we may feel. We also explore Mary’s free and wholehearted yes, given without a request for details, and consider where the Holy Spirit may be inviting us to trust and surrender in our own hidden spaces. As Advent is a time to rest in stillness, we talk about making room for God in our schedules, noticing His gentle invitations in the everyday, and allowing His...
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S17 E12 - The Four Places of Advent: Eden (Part 1)
Abiding Together
In this episode, we begin our Advent journey in Eden, a place of freedom, communion, and life without shame. Eden is not only a moment in history, but also an interior garden within each of our hearts. We talk about the deep ache we all feel for union, rest, and peace, and how this longing reveals our original design for communion with God. We also reflect on the shame that often accompanies this desire for communion with others, especially when our desires are left unmet, and how bringing these places of poverty to Jesus opens us up to real, lived communion with Him. Heather’s One...
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S17 E11 - A Moment of Gratitude
Abiding Together
In this episode, we reflect on the importance of giving thanks to the Lord for all He has done in both the beautiful and difficult moments of life. We talk about how practicing gratitude can change our perspective of reality and helps us recognize where God has been present even in moments we do not understand. We also name the fears that can sometimes keep us from giving thanks and discuss how gratitude becomes an act of surrender that opens us to God’s steady, faithful presence. As a gift to you, we end today’s episode by doing Lectio Divina with Psalm 34 and invite you into a time of...
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S17 E10 - Cultivating Unity
Abiding Together
In this episode, we conclude our series on the garden of our hearts and explore what it means to cultivate unity—which is especially important as we enter the busy and often stressful holiday season. We talk about the difference between anger and contempt and how contempt can not only fracture relationships but also plant seeds of division in our hearts. We also reflect on how we can respond to discord with humility, a holy curiosity, and a genuine desire to understand. Ultimately, unity begins with love, bears good fruit, and reflects the presence of Christ within us. Heather’s One...
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S17 E9 - Cultivating Beauty
Abiding Together
In this episode, we continue our series on the Garden of Our Hearts and talk about the cultivation of beauty. Beauty has the power to transform, heal, and lift us into communion with God, but it must be cultivated with care and intention. We discuss what it means to co-create with God, slow down and savor little moments, and rediscover beauty in the people closest to us. Even when the world around us feels barren or artificial, the Lord invites us to see beauty with new eyes and let the Holy Spirit reveal His presence in unexpected ways. Heather’s One Thing - The designed by Every...
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S17 E8 - Cultivating Peace
Abiding Together
In this episode, we begin a series on cultivating the garden of our hearts and reflect on what it means to cultivate peace–as a fruit that grows from communion with God. The cultivation of peace is not something we control. It comes from learning to rest in God’s presence, even amid life’s storms. We talk practically about how to tend the soil of our hearts, so that peace can take root and grow into a fruit that becomes a visible witness to others. We also discuss how Jesus, the Prince of Peace, invites us to make room for His presence, allowing His breath to bring healing where fear and...
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S17 E7 - Staying Grounded When Storms Come
Abiding Together
In this episode, we talk about what it means to weather the storms of life well. Everyone experiences difficult moments throughout their lives and these storms come in all shapes and sizes. In each one, we have the opportunity to respond from a place of truth and peace instead of fear. We share practical ways we’ve learned to weather the storms in our own lives, from simplifying life to immersing ourselves in Scripture. We also explore how pain, though difficult, can lead us into deeper healing and communion with God. No matter what you’re facing, you are not alone—He is near, and so are...
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S17 E6 - Return to the Heart with Dr. Shane Owens
Abiding Together
In this episode, Dr. Shane Owens, a scholar of St. Augustine, joins us to discuss the power of memory. Together, we explore how memory is a place to where we withdraw to understand our identity, shape our whole self, and begin to see God working in our lives. Memory exists for the purpose of hope and we not only talk about how the Scriptures and Eucharist bear the memories of the Church, but also how our sorrowful memories can become sources of hope. Heather’s One Thing - (A conversation with Fr. Dave Pivonka and Dr. Shane Owens) Heather’s Other One Thing - Franciscan...
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In this episode, we begin our Advent journey in Eden, a place of freedom, communion, and life without shame. Eden is not only a moment in history, but also an interior garden within each of our hearts. We talk about the deep ache we all feel for union, rest, and peace, and how this longing reveals our original design for communion with God. We also reflect on the shame that often accompanies this desire for communion with others, especially when our desires are left unmet, and how bringing these places of poverty to Jesus opens us up to real, lived communion with Him.
Heather’s One Thing - The Renew Conference in Toronto
Heather’s Other One Thing - Her Advent Worship Playlist
Sister Miriam’s One Thing - Sacred Anchor Artisans (Catholic Etsy!) founded by Tim and Molly Olsen
Michelle’s One Thing - The Inspired Living and this Chrism Candle
Michelle’s Other One Thing - Fr. Innocent Montgomery, CFR
Welcome, dear friends…
to this Advent journey,
a pilgrimage of the heart,
through four sacred spaces
where heaven once touched the earth.
These are the places of Advent.
Eden.
Loreto.
Elizabeth’s home.
And a stable under starlight.
Each one holds a mystery…
a whisper of God’s coming,
a rhythm of waiting,
a quiet invitation to abide.
We begin… in Eden —
the garden of beginnings and original designs,
Here, everything was whole once,
every breath in attunement with God’s own.
But even in the ache of what was lost,
something sacred remains,
a longing, a promise,
a memory of shalom harmony still written in our bones.
Eden reminds us:
our waiting is not empty.
It is the remembering of love
that has never stopped pursuing us.
Journal Questions:
- What are the unique gifts that God has placed inside of you?
- When do I experience shame in the ache for communion?
- When have I recently experienced a rupture from Eden?
- Who in your life allows you to feel at home and at ease?
- How can I return to Eden through a daily practice?
Discussion Questions:
- How have you experienced yourself as a gift?
- When have you experienced an ache for Eden in your life?
- When do you feel exiled from Eden?
- What glimpses of Eden have you seen in your life recently?
Quote to Ponder:
“We all long for Eden, and we are constantly glimpsing it: our whole nature at its best and least corrupted, its gentlest and most human, is still soaked with the sense of exile.” (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien)
Scripture for Lectio:
“Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.” (Genesis 2:25)
Sponsor - Altar + Home:
Altar and Home by Conception Abbey exists to bring the beauty of Benedictine spirituality into your domestic church. The way we as Benedictine monks punctuate our days with prayer. The way we balance prayer and work (ora et labora). The way we pray with scripture in lectio divina. The way we live in community to support one another. Incorporating these treasures into your daily lives can draw you and your domestic church into Christ one day – one prayer – at a time.
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Chapters:
00:00 Altar + Home
01:25 Intro
02:17 Welcome to Eden
09:38 Our Heart is a Garden and Place of Communion
11:18 We are Made as a Gift
13:32 Healing from Shame in Our Ache
17:57 Homesickness and Exile
20:23 God is Longing for Us
22:16 Imaginative Prayer
24:13 The Goodness of Our Bodies
26:06 Inviting the Lord into Communion
27:47 Advent is a Time of Preparation
29:32 One Things
Music used under license i94Cr0