God In All Things

Within each of us is "inner furniture" that inhibits our full life in God. They can be past hurts, stereotypes, bad memories, religious wounds, and even our images of God. We find many examples in the Gospels of people who are blind to the layout of their inner rooms.

We all struggle with a "shadow side" that gets us anxious or judgemental. Ignatius invites us to externalise this part of ourselves a bit so we can let our true selves emerge, the part of us that is compassionate and loving.

What is the significance of the Incarnation? It was not just one moment, but continues to unfold God's dream for us and for the world.

How do we practically understand and live the Ignatian concept of 'cura personalis'? This is a talk I recently gave for the Ignatian Spirituality Center of Seattle.

Your instructor for this lesson on rest: Jesus.

A new PBS Kids show speaks to the Ignatian pattern we see in the Examen.

Ignatius tells us that feelings are important guides in the spiritual life. How do we discern what feelings are telling us? How do we know they are leading us to God? Be curious.

How do we know we're moving toward union with God? Simple: we can know that by the fruits we see. Ignatius and Paul may use different words, but they're in sync with the idea of "living by the Spirit".

If we dig beneath the desires of our hearts we will discover deeper core motivations for those desires. They're ultimately for God or the ego. Here are a couple ways we can dig down and uncover those motivations.

Our image of God depends on how we understand the Bible. Is the Bible a moral rulebook or does it present a larger Truth about humanity's experience with God told through stories?

Whenever we bring suffering or negative feelings into our consciousness, we give it less power over us. When we take a mindful, contemplative, and non-resistance stance like Jesus, we discover a new kind of freedom.

Think you don't have an imagination? Here's why Ignatius felt imagination was so important to our prayer. Also, try our new Memory Recollection audio meditation.

What was going on in Ignatius' heart as he gazed up each night at the stars? His cosmology was quite different than ours, but he still understood that love was the force of the universe, the source of all and the ultimate destination.

It feels good to be remembered. Ignatius saw the memory as a gift, one that draws us into a deeper union with God.

The things in our life are all passing. They are gifts to help us in our journey to a union with God. When we accept impermanence, we discover heaven on earth. When we let go of 'shoulds' and illusions and expectations, we find salvation.