Carl McColman's Blog, page 14
November 16, 2022
Encountering Silence: A Conversation with Dr. Joy Schroeder, co-author of “Voices Long Silenced”
It’s time for another episode from the Encountering Silence podcast!
In this episode, Dr. Joy A. Schroeder, a Lutheran pastor, joins Cassidy, Kevin and me to explore the shadow side of silence — in this case, the silencing of many significants voices in the Christian tradition, of women Bible interpreters.
Dr. Schroeder is a specialist in the history of biblical interpretation. She is professor of church history at Trinity Lutheran Seminary and the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Capi...
November 14, 2022
Patreon Membership Rewards for 2023
Hi friends, just wanted to give readers of this blog a look at what your membership in my Patreon program will provide in 2023.
If you’re new to Patreon, it is an ongoing membership/crowdfunding program specifically for writers, musicians, podcasters, artists, game designers and other “content creators.” It’s a way for you to invest a small monthly amount (most people choose between $5 and $20) to support the ongoing work of a specific creative person (or persons). As I say at the bottom of ever...
November 5, 2022
A “Video Retreat” Courtesy of Contemplative Outreach Chicago
On October 29, 2022 I led an online retreat day for my friends at Contemplative Outreach of Chicago. We had a wonderful day of reflection, which was called Centering Prayer and the Mystical Imagination.
We explored how silence and imaginative prayer are complementary pathways to a deepening spiritual life. Our time together included two sessions of Centering Prayer, along with some imaginative exercises, a few presentations from me, and some wonderful conversation with the participants at the li...
October 29, 2022
The Mystical Imagination: Quotations for Reflection and Meditation
One of my favorite topics to explore when leading a retreat is “The Mystical Imagination.” I often pair it with Centering Prayer, exploring how the silence of Centering Prayer naturally complements the inner imagery of prayer anchored in the imagination.
When I lead such retreats, I often will share a variety of quotations with the retreatants to make the case for why the imagination is so important, spiritually speaking. I thought it would be fun to list some of these quotations here. I invite ...
October 21, 2022
Ireland Pilgrimage: September 20-27, 2023
I’ve partnered with Zeitgeist, an Atlanta-based spiritual community, to create a special interspiritual pilgrimage to Sacred Ireland in September 2023! We’ll explore sacred sites from both the pre-Christian and Christian traditions, celebrate the spiritual wisdom from Irish folklore, myth, story and song, and simply revel in the splendor and beauty of the Emerald Isle in fall! We are intentionally keeping the size of this pilgrimage small — we’re thinking 12 to no more than 20 people — so that ...
October 18, 2022
Videos of Rhiannon and Fran
If you’ve read chapter one of Unteachable Lessons you know all about my wife Fran and my late daughter Rhiannon (who passed away in 2014). Thankfully, we have a number of videos of Fran and Rhiannon singing together, as they often performed especially for events related to the Atlanta L’Arche Community. Here is a collection of some of the videos we have posted to Youtube over the years while Rhiannon was alive. My apologies for how amateurish they are… clearly, filmmaking is not my calling. But ...
October 16, 2022
Plowshare Prayer — and General Intercessions
Yesterday I was leading a class for Zeitgeist Atlanta and one of the participants shared an amazing song by a musician named Spencer Lajoye, called the “Plowshare Prayer.” It is profoundly beautiful, and I’ve had it on repeat for pretty much the rest of the weekend. Check it out — here’s a video of a live performance of the song (you can also find it on Spotify or download it from Amazon or Apple).
It reminds me of a prayer I wrote last year called “General Intercessions.” When I wrote it, I po...
October 10, 2022
Centering Prayer and the Mystical Imagination: Complementary Approaches to Intimacy with God
On Saturday, October 29, 2022, I will be leading an online day of reflection on Centering Prayer and the Mystical Imagination. If you’d like to explore how to integrate silent prayer with imaginative prayer, this program may be for you. To learn more and to register, please click here: Centering Prayer and the Mystical Imagination.
A few years ago, a popular contemporary Christian rock band called Mercy Me had a hit song called “I Can Only Imagine.” The band’s lead singer wrote the song for his ...
October 8, 2022
The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom — But Love Casts Out Fear
N.B. This homily was written for the Community of Hope International at their annual retreat, during the Saturday evening Taizé service, October 8, 2022 at Camp Allen, Navasota, Texas. The readings included Psalm 66:1-12, Psalm 111 and Luke 5:12-16.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” This is a powerful statement, capstoning the beautiful song of praise that we find in Psalm 111. But what exactly does it mean?
If you are like me, you may remember knowing people — or at least, know...
October 7, 2022
Upcoming In-Person Events in Georgia: Save the Dates!
If there’s any indication that we’ve turned the corner regarding the pandemic, you can just look at my calendar, as I’ve got more in-person events coming up than I’ve had at any time since 2019. It’s a joy to be looking forward to meeting, praying, and sharing silence with people in person again!
Since I live in Atlanta, It’s been a joy to get so many local invitations, and so I wanted to give everyone in (or near) Georgia a heads up about my upcoming events between now and the middle of 2023. O...
