
When God Becomes Small – By Phil Needham
“We wake up one morning, restless about where we are in life, dissatisfied with ourselves. . .” Author Phil Needham in his book, When God Becomes Small, captures the reader’s

FIRST: The Prayer of Examen
As I entered into the world of spiritual formation I was introduced to a number of different ways to pray. One form of prayer that really resonated with me was

FIRST: Daily Office
A number of years ago, I attended a course in Ignatian spirituality with a friend, not quite knowing what it was all about. There were many terms and rituals that

FIRST: Spiritual Direction
Just over seventy of us sat through a lecture-ish, presentation-ish, but still devotional-ish introduction to the discipline of Spiritual Direction. There are rules, sort of. This is what it is.

FIRST: Discursive Meditation
When you say meditation, I think of either someone sitting on the ground cross-legged, fingers pinched, ohm-ing or maybe someone is in a life group trying to find their “power

Out of the Ordinary
I came across this familiar phrase in my reading the other day…..out of the ordinary. My mind immediately went to the typical meanings like “exceptional, extraordinary and remarkable”. For some

General William Booth’s SIX RESOLUTIONS
General William Booth’s SIX RESOLUTIONS *On December 6, 1849, at age 20, William Booth, the cofounder of The Salvation Army, wrote a set of resolutions which he maintained throughout his

FIRST: Lectio Divina
“Close your eyes, relax, be mindful of your breathing, listen as I read…” Yikes, what is this all about? Should I open my eyes and run? Should I sit here

The Benefit of Wonder
“Our culture is awe-deprived,” says Paul Piff, Ph.D. “We spend more time looking down at our phones than up at the sky.”(Ways to Get More Awe in Your Life, Good

FIRST: Solitude and Silence
Let me be blunt…..my first experience with the spiritual discipline of solitude and silence was uncomfortably eye opening for me. I was attending a spiritual retreat that incorporated the experience

Songbook Journaling
Would you like an idea for all the old Salvation Army Songbooks now cluttering up your shelves? Try Songbook Journaling. This takes regular, everyday journaling to a whole new level.

FIRST: Breath Prayer
Over the course of my four years at Olivet Nazarene University, Brennan Manning visited twice and had a profound spiritual impact on me. He taught us the practice of “Breath