Carl McColman's Blog, page 56
August 24, 2016
Know Who You Are: When God Gazes At You, Who Does God See?
A Contemplative Approach to Self-Awareness
Know your path
In Delphi, in ancient Greece, at a famous pagan temple these words were carved above the entrance:γνῶθι σεαυτόν (Gnothi Seauton), which in English means “Know Yourself.” It’s a universal spiritual principle, not just something the Greeks thought up.
For example, in 12-Step Programs, the first step to recovery involves admitting to yourself thataddictionhas made your life unmanageable. Without that self-knowledge, the rest of the progra...
August 16, 2016
Books for Beginning the Spiritual Journey
Recommended Reading for Anyone Working Work a Spiritual Director
Here is a list of several books I recommend for spiritual seekers — especially those who are working with a spiritual director or companion.
When I recently posted a list of books for spiritual directors, I suppose it only made sense that someone would send along this request:
@carlmccolman Thanks for putting this list together! Do you have any books that you’d recommend for “directees?”
— Seth Asher (@professorasher) August 15,...
August 10, 2016
The Mystical Body
Contemplative Spirituality Is More Than Just a 'Head Trip'
How do we embody the contemplative life? And how does the contemplative life make a difference in our bodies (both as individuals and collectively)?
Fran and I had dinner the other night with a charming couple named Ray and Lee. We had met Ray a few weeks earlier when I spoke at a UU Church here in Atlanta; like so many spiritual seekers of our time, Ray has been a wanderer, setting forth from his conservative Protestant upbringing to...
August 3, 2016
Joyful Sanctity
If you think holiness is dreary, remember that melancholy is not a fruit of the Spirit!
What is the relationship between holiness and joy?
A reader named Gordon writes, in response to my concerns about how “experience” can be misunderstood in a spiritual context:
I agree with you that experience is not there for entertainment. But given my background in a very dreary fundamentalist religious upbringing, I always find the word “holy” very off-putting. It connotes too much the grey, dreary comm...
July 20, 2016
Recommended Reading for Spiritual Accompaniment
Books for the Ministry of Spiritual Direction and Soul Friendship
Spiritual direction, also known asspiritual accompaniment, is an essential ministry for anyone seeking to embrace contemplative Christianity. Not only is it a vital and beautiful ministry toreceive, but many find meaning and value in providing this kind of soul friendship and guidanceto others.
Recently a reader of this blog wrote to me and asked, “Do you have a list of books you recommend that discuss spiritual direction?” It...
July 14, 2016
The Place of Joy in Christian Spirituality
Is it Okay to Enjoy a Deeper Prayer Life?
What is the relationship between prayer and joy? If we enjoy our prayer, does that mean we are avoiding the hard work of spirituality (which, at least in Christian terms, is meant to make us holy, not to entertain us)?
I had an interesting little exchange on Facebook the other day, when a reader, who is a priest of the Church of England, took exception to the headline of my post from last year, called Five Ways You Can Enjoy a Deeper Personal Prayer L...
June 22, 2016
Reviving an old page from my first blog
Warning: If you love spiritual books, this could be hazardous to your wallet...
Check out the Christian Mystics Bibliography
Reading books about the spiritual life can be a substitute for actually devoting time each day to prayer. So if you have to choose between prayer and reading, make prayer your priority. Nevertheless, one of the best ways to nurture an ongoing prayer practice is to devote some time each day to reading nurturing and inspiring books — including books by and about the great...
June 15, 2016
Contemplation and Peace
A Few Thoughts for Our Troubled Times
A Facebook friend shared with me that she has been“thinking about contemplative prayer as a resource for peacemaking or for community building.” Especially given the horrors in Orlando this past weekend, perhaps this is something we all need to be thinking about. Is contemplative prayer a meaningful tool for fostering reconciliation? Can it foster peace — not only inner peace, but peace in the world as well?
I don’t have any scientific data to help provid...
June 8, 2016
What is Contemplation?
It's Hard to Put a Wordless Spiritual Practice Into Words
What is contemplation? Unfortunately, answering this question is tricky — forcontemplation is like some other words in the English language, such asloveorsuccessorhappiness. In other words, different people use it to mean different things.
Recently areader named Daniel sent me this message:
I’ve been gradually learning about contemplative spiritualityfor a couple of years now. Throughout this journey I’ve continually wondered how “con...
Georgia Author of the Year!
"Befriending Silence" wins in the Inspirational/Religious Category
This past Saturday eveningI received a lovely honor. The Georgia Writers’ Association selected me as a “Georgia Author of the Year” in the Inspirational/Religious category for Befriending Silence.
The Georgia Author of the Year Awardsis the oldest literary awards ceremony in the southeastern United States, started by the Dixie Council of Authors and Journalists in 1964 and hosted by the GWA since 1994.
Befriending Silencewas a...
