The start of fall is always a threshold time for my family. After a summer full of vacations and visits with loved ones, we’re looking forward to finding new rhythms. If this is a season of transition for you, I hope that you find the routines and the rhythms that will make this time sustainable for you.
One of the busy places in my life in this season is work! Things are bubbling in a couple of areas that I am excited to share with you.
Life As Spiritual Practice Podcast
Ready to record the first episode
In October, I will launch the Life As Spiritual Practice Podcast! This has been a dream of mine for several years. 2 years ago I began to dream of writing a book that would be a collection of interviews with people who had found a spiritual practice that made their soul sing. I was inspired by my mom and her love of singing, and by my dad and his meditation practice. I wanted to hear what it was really like for them to find these practices and connect to God through them. I shared this dream with several close friends, all of whom said the same thing, "That sounds like a podcast."
I did not like hearing that! I'm a writer and I knew nothing about podcasting! However, their words lodged into my heart and soul, and after months of avoiding their wisdom, and then a year of slowly chipping away at all the logistics, I have begun to capture these stories I so long to hear.
The format has changed a bit. Instead of just stories of people who have fallen in love with a practice, I want to hear stories of people who have found a way to connect with God through daily life. It will explore the ways everyday life can be spiritual practice. I'm still going to interview my parents. And some friends. And some fellow spiritual directors. And maybe you, too, if you've found a unique spiritual practice that allows you to connect to God in new ways. (If you are interested, let me know!)
The podcast will be launching in October, with weekly episodes for the months of October and November. You will receive email updates for each episode. I hope the podcast will be a space of life-affirming inspiration for you on your faith journey.
Spiritual Formation Event: The Contemplative Practice of Motherhood
I have been invited to teach a continuing ed course in the spring at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary on The Contemplative Practice of Motherhood. The course is open to all mothers. We will open with a half-day retreat in early January, followed by online materials and meetings for six weeks, and then a closing retreat.
The class is an opportunity to get a sneak peek at material from my book, This Life That Is Ours: Motherhood As Spiritual Practice. Participants will receive an advance copy of the book as part of the course. I am excited to play with the material in this new way, and to explore in community how our mothering can be a way to connect to God.
Registration is now open. You can learn more here: https://www.pts.edu/motherhood-2019
That’s all for now. Later this month I will send you a sneak peek at the cover of my book (I can’t wait to share it with you!).
Until then, blessings to you, in your work, in your play, in your rest. May there be light for your path this day.