One of the things I love about having a regular practice of reading the Scriptures is how they can always surprise me. This morning’s Gospel reading was the calling of Philip and Nathaniel. And lo and behold, it contained for me this morning a perfect message for this the twelfth and final day of Christmas. … Continue reading Come and See (A reflection on John 1.43-51)
2018 was a great reading year for me. While I used to read almost exclusively non-fiction, this year marked my almost complete transition to reading almost exclusively fiction. I’m not sure why that is and doubt it’s a permanent move, but it still made for an interesting year. Of the hundred or so books I … Continue reading My Top 10 books read in 2018
The presents have been wrapped and unwrapped, the feast prepared and consumed, the guests come and gone, and the Christmas music that filled us with joy a few days ago has turned to noise in our ears. A sense of general ennui now fills the air, as the holiday that was filled with so much … Continue reading Beginnings (A Christmas Reflection)
This week’s practice is part three of a four-part year-end series that focuses on doing the work to set ourselves up for success in the year to come. Two weeks ago, I explored the idea of values, discovering and naming those core ideas and beliefs that form the basis of our motivation and desires. Last … Continue reading Annual Review
Much of this end-of-year series exploring values and goals in the sacred life will be spent in the contemporary worlds of positive psychology and coaching; this week’s practice, however, comes from the Ignatian Christian spiritual tradition, which like these more recent disciplines, understands the importance of putting our life under the microscope to see what … Continue reading Discernment of Desires
Matthew Root 