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Contemplative Writing Prompts for Lent: 36

On this Wednesday of Holy Week, we are about to begin an incredibly human time. Yes, events end with the astonishment that is God. But first we have disappointment, betrayal, bullying, calculation, and violence. The underside of humanity. That truth will inform our Contemplative Writing Prompts for Lent: 36, For our contemplative writing prompts...

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Contemplative Writing Prompts for Lent: 33

The world is about to change. Our Palm Sunday service tomorrow is the fulcrum. From joyful entry into Jerusalem…to “Crucify him!” Today for your Contemplative Writing Prompts for Lent: 33, write for ten minutes on a happy memory from childhood. Put down your pen or take your fingers off the keyboard. Sit for one minute. Now write...

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Contemplative Writing Prompts for Lent: 32

Just a reminder about these Contemplative Writing Prompts for Lent: 32. I’ve done my best to offer prompts to help us see anew. That includes re-seeing ourselves, the world around us, and the act of writing. You can read more about this practice at the School for Contemplative Living website. Seeing anew doesn’t require a big shift....

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A Failed Contemplative

I come to contemplative writing as a failed contemplative. Hell, according to my beloved friend Suzanne, I don’t even pronounce it correctly (she wanted “con-TEMP-la-tive,’ while, unless I’m referring to a person, I generally use “con-tem-PLAY-tive.”)  My failure at contemplation isn’t for want of trying. I’ve done meditation going all...

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Contemplative Writing Prompts for Lent: 24

I am offering y’all these Contemplative Writing Prompts for Lent: 24 during the Lenten season. But my Lenten practice is doing one meditative thing a day. Sometimes it’s contemplative writing. Other times not. When I swim, meditation takes care of itself. Close against the wall, I hold my breath and sink. My body is enveloped in water....

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Contemplative Writing Prompts for Lent: 23

Contemplation amid chaos. Or, contemplation when hosting Grandparent Camp for an endearing four-year-old. What does Contemplative Writing Prompts for Lent: 23 have to say about that? Set yourself up where a whole lot is going on. Buses pooting black smoke. Children chattering down the sidewalk. Bicycle bells ringing. Make a list of what is happening...

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Contemplative Writing Prompts for Lent: 22

Contemplative Writing Prompts for Lent: 22 From Father Richard Rohr: One of the keys to wisdom is that we must recognize our own biases, our own addictive preoccupations, and those things to which, for some reason, we refuse to pay attention. Until we see these patterns (which is early-stage contemplation), we will never be able to see...

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My Contemplative Writing Journey: A Failed Christian

I come to Contemplative Writing as a failed contemplative and a failed writer and a failed Christian.  Let’s take the last first. I am currently immersed in a Lenten Discipline where I’m offering a Contemplative Writing Prompt each day of the liturgical season. Lent is a religious season. The season runs for the forty days that lead up to...

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Contemplative Writing Prompts for Lent: 19

At some point during the day, pause and write one sentence in your head. Repeat it to yourself. One more time: whisper it into the world. Resume your day. (You can read more about Contemplative Writing Prompts for Lent here.) Thank you for visiting, and hope to see you again soon. An image from past Lents to accompany your contemplative...

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Contemplative Writing Prompts for Lent: 17

There comes a time when you don’t want to do this. It rolls up on you and, before you know it, you’re worn out. I think Lent is a time to experience that weariness fully. We are on Day 17 of our Contemplative Writing Prompts for Lent, and I am ready for it to be over. I want to move onto the next thing. This posting is no longer new....

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