147: Psalm 138
the remind{h}er podcast
Today, I’m offering a simple reading of Psalm 138. It’s one of several psalms in Scripture considered to be psalms of thanksgiving and praise. And as we move toward the official Thanksgiving holiday here in the U.S., I thought a psalm like this might be fitting. After the reading, I'll also offer a few questions for reflection. As always, I hope they serve you well! Listen in.
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146: Stay Open
the remind{h}er podcast
When we are presented with new information, when our ideas and understandings and opinions are challenged, when we discover a new perspective from a different lived experience, when God shows up in a place or in a person or in a way that is unexpected or unfamiliar, how are we to respond? That's the question we're considering in today's episode. Listen in! Sign up for The Re{collection} Explore spiritual direction with me
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145: Welcome What Bothers You
the remind{h}er podcast
Being bothered—feeling unsettled, irritated, aggravated—is part of the human experience. And, if you’re like me, it’s a part of the human experience we tend to avoid, if at all possible. It’s often easier to look away, stuff down, work around. And yet, I’m learning how important our willingness is to lean toward the discomfort, to move through the disturbance, to pay attention to what bothers us. Because that is a space in which God can meet us; truly, even what bothers us can be holy ground. As we continue to become the people God calls and invites to be, I'm learning what...
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144: Mark 7:24-30 + Matthew 15:21-28
the remind{h}er podcast
Today, I’m offering a simple reading of not one but TWO passages from Scripture. They both tell the same story of Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman. However, there are subtle differences and unique details in each. Basically, I couldn’t choose between the two, so we’re considering both together :) Listen in. Sign up for my monthly letter,
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143: Do Your Prayers
the remind{h}er podcast
We’re taught from a young age, that if we say the right thing, at the right time, in the right way, our words will “work.” As silly as it seems, sometimes, I find myself treating prayer in a similar way. Prayers are these words I say, and if I say them at the right time, in the right way, and with the right amount of frequency, well, they just might work. Maybe you can relate? It’s easy to believe our prayers are only words we say, thoughts we think, requests we make in the presence of God; I’m discovering, though, that prayer is much more than that. That perhaps prayer might...
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142: Matthew 6:7-13
the remind{h}er podcast
Today, I’m offering a simple reading of one of Jesus’ teachings on prayer, found in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount. As I read, you’re invited to listen in and notice what you notice. Once the reading is through, I’ll offer a few questions for reflection, as you consider the reminders God might have for you in this passage. I hope it serves you well! Sign up to receive my monthly letter
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141: You Are Blessed
the remind{h}er podcast
It’s interesting to consider what makes a bad day, bad. What makes a good day, good. To mark the circumstances that contribute to what we would consider a good or bad life. It’s also interesting to consider how often I equate the state of my circumstances with the presence and love of God. If things are good, God must be present and active in my life, right? And if things are bad, well, the opposite must be true. Sound familiar? Today, we're exploring what Jesus might have to say by digging a little bit deeper into the Beatitudes. Listen in!
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140: Remember the Blessed {Matthew 5:1-11}
the remind{h}er podcast
Today, as we slowly begin to settle into new routines after perhaps a slower, more spacious summer, I’m offering a simple reading of the Beatitudes, found at the very beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. As I read it, you’re invited to listen and notice what you notice. Once the reading is through, I’ll offer a few questions for reflection, as you consider the reminders God might have for you in this passage. I believe wholeheartedly that while these words were inspired and written a couple thousand years ago, God’s Spirit is still inspiring us as its readers today. Feel...
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139: Let the Light In
the remind{h}er podcast
I've been reminded recently that natural light makes a difference. Sunlight aids growth. It improves mental and physical health. It enhances overall well-being. Good, natural light helps us flourish. In a similar way, the light and presence of God offers hope, endurance, compassion, peace, joy, and love. It is bold without being flashy. It is soft, though not insignificant. It sees the overlooked and notices the unnoticed. It reminds us all that we matter; we belong; and we are never alone. In the middle of the dim and dreary, God’s light makes a difference. So what might it look...
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138: Bless the Lord {Psalm 103}
the remind{h}er podcast
One thing I’m discovering these days is how necessary it is for me to remember God’s goodness. When the turmoil and chaos and bad news swirl, the goodness of God holds me steady and keeps me sane. Not in a way that ignores the needs and hardships around me, but in a way that inspires me to be who I am and do what I can to help make it right. With that in mind, I’d like to offer a reading today of Psalm 103—a passage that recounts the goodness of God. After I read it through, I’ll also offer a few questions for reflection, as you consider the reminder God might have for you...
info_outlineAcknowledging and accepting our actual, lived-in lives and experience is often much easier said than done. It’s like our if-only’s become our what-should-be’s—how we should feel, what we should do, the type of response we should have—and when our reality doesn’t match that ideal, well, we turn to filters and facades, forcing ourselves into molds that don’t actually fit. And living that way is exhausting. Perhaps you know the feeling?
Well, one of the greatest gifts I have received through the work and ministry of spiritual direction is compassionate permission to welcome what is and not what I think should be. To honor the full spectrum of my experience, whether I like it or not. Whether I hope it will change or not.
I'm learning that a practice of welcome means a practice of being honest before God, trusting that God is present and at work in our actual experience, and that through such a welcome, God can and will engage the sacred work of transformation.
Today, I hope you'll listen in and join me as, together, we welcome what is.
Soulful Spirituality by David Benner
The Gift of Being Yourself by David Benner