Messages on Spiritual Practices (Page 6)
Wild & Precious Life
We welcome five different speakers from our congregation – ranging in age from 9 to 96 – to answer the question from Mary Oliver: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Wild and Precious Life START OF TRANSCRIPT[00:00:00] Speaker1The following is a message from Wellsprings Congregation.[00:00:11] Speaker2My name is Mo, and I am nine years old. I live with my mom, dad, sister and dog. And to get my dog is…
Joy and Sorrow – Caring Companions
Kathleen begins with a story about a child who knocks down a younger playmate, and who is asked an important question about kindness. She asks us to consider what happens when we experience joy. She reminds us of the parable of not hiding your light under a bushel, because the world needs all the light we can get right now. She offers us some advice from a Buddhist monk about how to find joy amidst sorrow. We also take a…
Falling
Our special guest preacher, Rev. Greg Pelley, begins this week’s message with a prayer and a poem. He tells us about the echinacea plants outside his home, and the goldfinches that arrive to eat the seeds after the flowers have gone. He contemplates the theme of fall (autumn), and falling, over and over as he remarks on the past two years. Falling [00:00:00] Speaker1The following is a message from Wellsprings Congregation.[00:00:04] Speaker2Well, good morning, wellsprings. Reverend Greg, here it is so…
Happy
Chris begins this week’s service by talking about the nature of happiness. He highlights the Kurt Vonnegut quote “If this isn’t nice, what is?” He also brings up the concept of tragic optimism, which means being clear-eyed about a situation, while remaining hopeful. He concludes with The Five Remembrances of Buddhism. He goes through each and explains how – even though some of them might seem gloomy on the surface – they can hold the key to happiness. Happy [00:00:00]…
The Good Place
This week, Bev Fox talks to us about “The Good Place,” which is a show about life after death. Bev talks about how summer is a particularly tough time for her in terms of mental health, but while watching, she remembers the message of the show: “What matters isn’t if people are good or bad, it matters if they’re better today than yesterday.” Just like in real life, characters grapple with finding happiness in what feels like pandemonium. To end,…
Nomadland
Rev. Lee shares her last message from her Philadelphia home about the movie Nomadland. This film focuses on the demise of a company town after the industry supporting it shuts down. She reflects on the fact that she’s about to move into a place that once used to be a company town too. She reflects on how the story of a company town suddenly closing down speaks to our own pandemic experiences, when the things we thought would always be…
Holding Tightly and Holding Lightly
Ken introduces a “gifts discernment” chart which asks you to plot things you both like and dislike, and things you’re good at and things you aren’t. This connects with our first SpiritFlix movie of this year: Soul. A movie which explores this very question. What are you good at, and what what brings you vitality. Holding tightly versus holding lightly. This is demonstrated in the movie by showing souls in a flow state, versus souls in a state of fixation.…
Life of the World to Come*
This week, Rev. Ken talks about the Mountain Goats album “Life of the World to Come” and explains how it’s the inspiration for this message. He talks about the concept of “temporal distancing” and how it can be a useful tool in mindfulness practice. He tells us about a time when – quite unexpectedly – he experienced a profound change in perspective. Given this week’s events, Rev. Ken takes a moment to reflect on the George Floyd murder trial, before…
We’re Giving You an Hour Back
This week, rather than having a traditional Sunday service, we’re giving you back the hour you lost in Daylight Savings Time last week. We’re inviting you to use this time to do whatever it is that charges you full. Take a walk, spend time with your family, rest, or check out the resource guide from our Spiritual Development Ministry for ideas here. We’Re Giving You an Hour Back The following is a message from Wellspring’s congregation.[00:00:07]Good morning, everyone.[00:00:09]Well, if you…
Nature Based Practices
Rev. Lee begins this week’s message by telling us about a tree she used to climb as a child. She also shares a passage from a book called ‘Wintering,” which acknowledges that life has a natural ebb and flow. Did you ever think you might learn an important lesson about life from a pecan tree? Perhaps you will. Rev. Lee also takes us into the John Heinz refuge in Philadelphia for a few moments of quiet mindfulness together. Nature Based…
The Practice of Lectio Divina
This week, Rev. Michael Bush takes us through the practice of Lectio Divina, which is Latin for “divine reading.” It encourages the reader to follow four practices when reading scripture or spiritual texts. “Lectio, Meditatio, Oratio, Contemplatio.” (Translated as: Read, Reflect, Respond, and Rest/Contemplate.) You’ll have a chance to practice this along with Rev. Michael as he takes us through a passage from the Gospel of Mark. The Practice of Lectio Divina NAMEDATEFebruary 28, 2021DURATION27m 59sLectio Divina Podcast.mp3START OF TRANSCRIPT[00:00:00]The…
Heart and Compassion Practices
Rev. Ken speaks about the issues that come along with having the news on all the time, and how sometimes it’s important to turn it off. He shares a story about a news reporter who shows emotion while reporting on a family. In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, we walk through a heart practice you can do at home. Rev. Ken also shares a prayer for kindness, then a lovingkindness meditation where we can practice compassion even for people we…