Depression is like being lost in a dark cave or a deep pit. The World Health Organization estimates that with the COVID-19 pandemic, the global rate of depression has increased to 25% of all people. While treatment is important, there are two ways that spirituality can support recovery from depression.… Read More »Two Ways Spirituality Helps Ease Depression
Keeping vigil: it’s like mindfulness and it’s like meditation. But when keeping a vigil, we wait for something. Our attention has a different kind of focus than in mindfulness and meditation. Today, I’m sharing my experience of keeping vigil during a recent trip to Yellowstone National Park. Each day was… Read More »Keeping Vigil: Waiting for Goodness in Life
As people incorporate prayer and spiritual practice in their lives, some wonder what to do. As an example, I’m sharing some aspects of my practice – my morning routine and the way I incorporate meditation and spiritual reading. Perhaps it will help you to consider what would be helpful for… Read More »Building Your Spiritual Practice: Habits, Meditation, and Spiritual Reading
As I write, it’s been fourteen months since SARS-CoV-2 emerged. That’s the virus that causes the disease we call COVID-19. Because of this virus, many ways in which we live have changed. Some people are attempting to live life as they did before the emergence of the virus: eating in… Read More »Spirituality & the Pandemic: Stress, Depression, and Anxiety
It was a Monday morning. I had begun my shift at the hospital as the pager sounded. “Report to the ICU. There is a case for you.” That was 1981. I was a hospital chaplain then. I was called to provide pastoral support to the first person with AIDS I… Read More »Lesson from a Different Pandemic
I was happy for my friend. I’ve known him for a long while. Now in his forties, he began to practice meditation a few months ago. After a few weeks, the leader of his meditation group invited him to attend an eight-day silent retreat focused on meditation practice. My friend… Read More »It’s Just Ordinary
Of the areas for personal growth that have been a challenge for me throughout my life, anger has been the most insidious. There are times when my anger flares and seems to take over who I am. I’ve also experienced attempting to not respond to the anger when I don’t… Read More »Anger: An Unexpected Blaze
Finding information on meditation and techniques is quite easy today. Classes are taught at Buddist sanghas, Christian churches, Jewish synagogues, yoga studios, health clubs, gyms…just about any place where people can gather. In metropolitan areas, there are often large outdoor meditation sittings where people of various traditions gather. From the… Read More »The Uniqueness of Christian Contemplative Prayer