Just in time for Christmas, my latest book is now available for order. This is an Advent devotional to help you pause and reflect this holiday season. This Advent devotional features first-person monologues that probe the inner lives of four familiar characters in the infancy narratives. … More My Latest Book: Advent Devotional
As much as I despised these inner voices and nagging feelings, I also found strange comfort in their familiarity. I could hardly imagine life without them running amuck and filling my soul’s courtyard with 24/7 parties of gloom. I figured it was better to feel something “living” inside my soul, than to feel nothing at all. So I embraced an inner life full of brooding thoughts, bubbling resentment, and emotional turmoil. … More Elizabeth’s Inner Tenants
This is my imaginative first-person narrative of Mary’s story, reflecting on her humble beginnings and deep connection to Holy Scripture. Mary’s story intertwines with biblical history, particularly the Ark of the Covenant, ultimately leading to her acceptance of the divine role bestowed by the angel Gabriel, allowing her to be a receptacle of the divine, and invites us to contemplate a similar calling. … More Mary’s Inner Sanctuary
Are you ready to leave the noise of the election behind and move into the stillness and wonder Advent?Join us this Advent as we explore Zechariah being struck dumb, resulting in a forced silent retreat; ponder Elizabeth’s inner leaping, and wonder if our soul is more apt to leap, flee or slumber in God’s presence; marvel at Mary’s inner hospitality, and wonder what it means for us to cultivate an inner sanctuary for the dwelling of God. And more. … More A Contemplative Christmas
We walked into the travel agency and nervously picked through the brochures on the wall, each advertising exotic destinations filled with sun and ocean-scapes. We were teenagers dreaming and scheming about our senior trip that spring. After much deliberation and bargaining with our parents, me and my five best friends were preparing for a spring break cruise together in the Caribbean. … More Jesus, Travel Agent
Many of us know the Bible’s promises, but don’t experience God in a dynamic way. Our prayer life is dull. We’re bored singing worship songs. We’re brought to tears watching a movie, but feel nothing reading the Bible. It’s time to come to our senses—literally. Join us for a new series exploring the role of imagination and multi-sensory spirituality. … More Imago Vita: Contemplating God’s Work in You
I’m writing a field guide for discipleship conversations along the trail. To get in the mood, I’m re-reading Henry David Thoreau’s essay on “Walking.” In 1845 he built himself a hut on the edge of Walden Pond, and lived there in solitude for two years, keeping a journal. He opens with the fascinating origins of the word “saunter.” Check it out! … More The Saunterer
Remember the moment on “Little House on the Prairie” when Mary goes blind? Drawing a parallel with the story in Numbers 21 and emphasizing the importance of looking at God with the eyes of faith, Jeremy urges a deeper, all-senses kind of seeing to live faithfully. … More Blind, Now I See
From my comfortable spot in the jacuzzi I can see people upstairs moving and sweating on the machines. Today, as I toweled off after 20 minutes of reading Brueggemann’s book on Exodus in the hot tub, I pondered the value of both running and soaking in spiritual terms. … More Soaking in Christ
In John 12, Jesus is telling us that life is to be found in the dying and losing process, not on the other side of it or by avoiding it. If you want to bear much fruit spiritually, then you may first need to be broken open, split in two, pressed into hard soil, plowed over by persecution, humbled by the spade that throws loose dirt over the false, airbrushed version of your life. … More Cow Manure and Spiritual Growth
As I turned 44 years old this past week, I’ve been ruminating on this breathtaking quote from Saint Augustine’s Confessions: “Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you.” … More Better Late Than Never: 44th Birthday Reflection
Many complain about God’s apparent hiddenness and silence. Meanwhile, I wonder how many burning bushes I miss each day as I go about my business with earthbound vision. … More Are You Fully Awake?
We think the kingdom comes by taking responsibility, putting in the blood, sweat and tears, grabbing life (and faith) by the horns. This is life, faith, and ministry under the heavy yoke. This is the pathway to burnout, bitterness, and disillusionment with God and religion. This is doing God’s work without God’s presence and power. … More I Am Nicodemus
“It is no small pity, and should cause us no little shame, that, through our own fault, we do not understand ourselves, or know who we are … It is foolish to think that we will enter heaven without entering into ourselves.” … More Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
The secret storm raging within me is often greater than all the storms battering the world around me. If you think a global pandemic, racial unrest, and political divisiveness is a lot to handle, try living one day inside the soul of a person at war with themselves. … More Surfing on Grace, Restoring the Soul
While some people’s midlife crisis leads them to buy a motorcycle or start running marathons, my midlife crisis led me to stop chasing the fading glow of Sunday. … More Chasing the Fading Glow
“The monastery is a school of love because it teaches us to forget ambition, convenience and self-gratification in order to open our hearts to love.” … More Parenting — Domestic Monastery
“Every step closer to my soul excites the scornful laughter of my devils, those cowardly ear-whisperers and poison-mixers.” -C. G. Jung “We are not unaware of the Devil’s schemes” (2 Cor. 2:11). In 1978, spiritual writer Richard Foster wrote: “In contemporary society our Adversary majors in three things: noise, hurry, and crowds. If he can keep … More The Enemy of Our Soul
Last night my 5-year old asked, “Daddy, if Jesus lives in Heaven, and he’s going to bring us there when we die, then why did he put us on Earth at all?” … More Our Home in God, His Home in Us
When I find myself revisiting the valley of the shadow of death and making mental mud pies in the pit, the mind of my “flesh” tells me I’m in Enemy territory. The Spirit of Truth reminds me, “The light shines in the darkness.” … More Mining For God
Today’s Words Of Wisdom (WOW) are from Parker J. Palmer. I’m currently reading his book Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life (2004). “Like a wild animal, the soul is tough, resilient, resourceful, savvy, and self-sufficient: it knows how to survive in hard places. I learned about these qualities during my bouts with depression. In … More WOW – Parker Palmer on the Soul
Wise people have observed that we spend the first half of life living out the Parable of the Talents (Matt 25:14–30), investing our time, talent and treasures in hopes of yielding a satisfying return that benefits ourselves and the greater good. This is largely an outward project of the Ego, as we try to prove … More The Journey Home
In this cultural moment when so many are seeking holistic healing, holistic medicine, Whole Foods, and whole-bodied spiritual practices (e.g., meditation, yoga, etc.), Christian teachers have such an opportunity to share the holistic message Jesus taught. Yet, I fear too many pastors and churches are still drunk on the leftover wine of ancient Gnostic and … More Mind, Body, Spirit & Doritos
“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.” -Psalm 139:14 If human beings are indeed created in the image and likeness of a Triune God, then we should not be surprised if ongoing explorations of the human psyche reveals a kind of 3-fold nature. In a recent … More Human Psyche & the Triune God
I’m still slooowly making my way through the classic introduction to the contemplative life by Cistercian monk Thomas Merton. I read/listen to a few paragraphs each day on my morning walk. Each sentence is rich and juicy but takes time to ponder and digest. Here’s a few samples: “We thank Him less by words than … More Mornings with Merton
Jeremy L. Berg 