Category Archives: Connections

The Upper Room has resumed a free, daily e-letter called “Upper Room Daily Reflections.”  It is not simply an electronic version of the devotional guide.  It is a resource that includes excerpts from Upper Room Books and other materials you … Continue reading →

Jeannie has been sharing meditations with me from a site called “The Praying Life.”  I have been blessed by the contemplative spirit which they so powerfully and beautifully represent.  I’m ready to connect you to this ministry site as well…. … Continue reading →

I may be way behind you on this recommendation, but today I have run into Robert Sutton, professor of Management Science at Stanford University.  I’ve made a quick run through his archived writings, and he clearly is a respected spokesperson … Continue reading →

Hello, Everyone! A while back, I told you about my new friendship with Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, who is one of the leaders of The New Monasticism and also part of the related Rutba House in Durham, North Carolina. Jonathan recently interviewed … Continue reading →

Some of you will doubtless already know about Jonathan, his leadership in the New Monasticism, and the Rutba House he and others have established in Durham, North Carolina. If not, I want you to get to know him and his … Continue reading →

I have previously recommended Richard Rohr as a source you may find interesting and helpful. A little while ago, he began a blog.  So, I want you to know about it as well. http://richardrohr.wordpress.com Enjoy!

I have just discovered “Bible Study Tools” (www.biblestudytools.com). It has so many features, I can only ask you to check it out for yourself if you are looking for resources that will enable you to enrich your study of Scripture. … Continue reading →

This past week,  I completed my reading of Brennan Manning’s memoir, All is Grace.  Not surprisingly, I found it to be a blessing—another “from the heart,” honest book from one of God’s servants. If you already know about Manning, I … Continue reading →

I do not know anyone who deals with the subject of “women in ministry” any better than Carolyn James.  Her latest book, Half the Church, is one that no one who has an interest in this topic should miss.

I’ve just found an amazing resource:  Discipleship Library (www.discipleshiplibrary.com). It’s a new feature of The Navigators, and simply put, it’s a collection of hundreds of audio presentations by a mind-boggling array of speakers, who have ministered at Navigator conferences for … Continue reading →

If you don’t already know about it, the site www.smallgroups.com is an excellent place to receive instruction and learn about new resources for small groups.  You can subscribe to a free e-letter and keep track of additions to the website.

I have previously connected you with the “Spirituality and Practice” website.  It’s an eclectic site featuring many vantage points from which to view the spiritual life.  Not all of it is within the Christian tradition, and not all of it … Continue reading →

Like me, some of you will have found Dallas Willard to be a good mentor in your spiritual formation.  I just learned yesterday that he has a new website. www.dwillard.org Check it out.  

I was recently reminded that Thomas Merton struggled with the idea of transferring from the Cistercian Order to the Carthusians.  I realized I don’t know much about the Carthusians. Thanks to a recent post by John Michael Talbot, I found … Continue reading →

Recently, two websites have come to my attention—sites that can give some perspective on two critical issues in the world today:  slavery and poverty. The first is www.slaveryfootprint.org.  It’s an 11-item survey that estimates how many slaves you have working … Continue reading →

This past Saturday was the day to remember St. Therese of Lisieux.  I was browsing the web and came upon a new site for me:  www.storyofasoul.com It features the complete text of St. Therese’s classic autobiography, The Story of a … Continue reading →

You may be like me and wonder how to wade through all the news media and find articles having to do with religion. Recently, I came upon a resource that helps me do that:  pewforum.org If you go there, you … Continue reading →

Augsburg Books has a series called “40 Day Journey with ____________.”  The blank is a person.  For example, “40 Day Journey with Parker Palmer.” I may not have the latest list of persons featured in this series, but here are … Continue reading →

My friend, John Michael Talbot, has blessed us with two new resources. First, his CD “Worship and Bow Down”–a series of beautiful, new compositions blending the spirit of the new monasticism with the forthcoming revision of the Roman Missal. Second, … Continue reading →

Do you like history and biography? If so, “This Week in Christian History” e-letter may be of interest to you.  It’s part of the Christianity Today family of publications, and you can receive it automatically and for free by going … Continue reading →

I’ve been reading an online resource for several weeks, and I think you might want to check it out.  It’s called “Journey With Jesus” (www.journeywithjesus.net). It appears each Monday morning.  You can have an automatic subscription, if you wish. What … Continue reading →

Many of you will already have heard of John Stott’s passing this past Wednesday.  We have truly lost one of Christianity’s most-respected global leaders. About five years ago, he gave us a treasure in his book, Through the Bible, Through … Continue reading →

The Henri Nouwen Society has upgraded its website and expanded its offerings.  I hope you’ll take time to check out their “new and improved” ministry at  www.henrinouwen.org. When you do, pay particular attention to the new Henri Nouwen Spirituality Series.  … Continue reading →

For some of you, it will not be possible to “pull up roots” and attend school in another location.  But it is difficult to discern what online options are actually worth considering. I want to encourage you to take a … Continue reading →

Check out the interview with Brother Paul Quenon on the Abbey of Gethsemani website (www.monks.org).  You can click on to it on the Abbey’s Home Page. It is a video of the interview for a recent “Religion and Ethics” program … Continue reading →

“Adoration” and “Thanksgiving” have always been two forms of prayer that seem very similar.  I know the technical difference:  adoration is our way of being grateful for who God “is,” and thanksgiving is our gratitude for what God “does.”  But … Continue reading →

Some of you have asked me to send a post when A Pocket Guide to Prayer is available for Kindle. I’ve just check the Amazon.com site, and I find that it is available for $7.60. I hope you will find … Continue reading →

If you follow the “Oboedire” site, you know that one of the disciplines I quietly commend is reading the daily Gospel lesson.  Just for review, here are the places where I have found help in doing that…. The lesson itself … Continue reading →

Michael Todd Wilson has started a blog specifically for the care of clergy.  It’s an expression of a ministry he has been engaged in for some years now. You can find it at http://blog.shepherd-care.org/ Jeannie and I met Michael at … Continue reading →

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to make some video tapes for Third Millennium Ministries.  It’s a ministry I have been involved with for a while, but during the taping yesterday, I realized that I needed to post it, so you … Continue reading →

I have recently found a beneficial website: “Daily Gospel”  http://dailygospel.org It follows the daily lectionary of the Roman Catholic Church, with a special focus upon the daily Gospel lesson (although you can have the entire daily order of readings, if … Continue reading →

A “missing link” in a lot of spiritual formation is Tradition.  We jump from the biblical text to the present, almost as if nothing significant was said about the passage in between.  On the contrary, there is a rich history … Continue reading →

I have previously “connected” you to Eugene Peterson, but I must tell you about his latest book, The Pastor. Whether you are a clergyperson, or not, this book contains powerful insights that can transform the church and the leaders of … Continue reading →

When I recommend an organization involved in Spiritual Formation, I do so on the basis that it not only offers beneficial resources, but that it has an underlying sense of the spiritual life.  The Upper Room is one of those … Continue reading →

I have heard from enough of you since I started “Oboedire” to have a small sense of your interests and your Christian formation journey. With that in mind, I want to recommend a weekly (each Monday) posting by my friend, … Continue reading →

Today, I introduce you to another one of my mentors:  David McKenna. Jeannie and I became friends with him and his wife (Janet) when they came to serve as the presidential family at Asbury Theological Seminary in 1982.  From the … Continue reading →

In this week’s and next week’s “Connections,” I want to introduce you to two more of my mentors.  Today, I want you to meet Dr. Donald Demaray.  He was the first person I literally “crossed paths” with on my first … Continue reading →

Many of you will already know about Shane Claiborne and his ministry called “The Simple Way.”  He and his community members are part of the “new monasticism” that is rising in this country and around the world.  It is really … Continue reading →

I hope you don’t find this posting too “self promoting,” but I want to let you know that the project I’ve been working on for more than a year is finally finished and available. It’s entitled A Pocket Guide to … Continue reading →

I want to mention another familiar writer this week:  Henri Nouwen.  It is possible that he has touched the lives of more people in the last forty years than any other writers on the spiritual life.  I can easily imagine that … Continue reading →

If you have already discovered Thomas Merton, you will wonder why I’ve taken so long to mention him in this blog.  The answer is simply that I wanted to commend people who might not be as well-known.  But the fact … Continue reading →

This week I want to introduce you to Marjorie Thompson.  Jeannie and I were privileged to know her when she and I co-directed The Pathways Initiative at The Upper Room in Nashville in the late 1990′s. You will not find … Continue reading →

Jeannie and I have been privileged to know John Michael Talbot and his wife (Viola) for more than 20 years, and like so many, we have been blessed by his ministry of music, writing, and teaching.  If John Michael is … Continue reading →

There’s only one connection that ultimately matters:  our connection to Christ. May you and yours find yourselves increasingly connected to him. Have a blessed Christmas!

We conclude our current look at “artistic” spirituality.  I’m sure we’ll return to it as we continue the journey. I want to connect you with a source that kind of “pulls it all together”—Alive Now, a bi-monthly publication of The … Continue reading →

For decades now, Jill Briscoe has been one of the most-respected Bible teachers in the world.  And along with her husband, Stuart, she has carried on a vibrant ministry at Elmbrook Church in Wisconsin.  Growing up with interest and training … Continue reading →

Because Advent is an experience that touches all our senses, I am using “Connections” to link you with artists who present the spiritual life in creative and engaging ways. Today, I want to tell you about The Image Center in Seattle.  It’s … Continue reading →

As I get older, I am increasingly convinced that spiritual formation is better viewed as an “art” than as a “technique.”  Jeannie has taught me more about this than anyone, and I see her creative, right-brained spirituality expressing itself every day in … Continue reading →

I have recently returned to the writings of Max Lucado.  I read him more often years ago when he began to rise in popularity.  I did not leave him because of any problems with him, but because I entered into … Continue reading →

Dr. Susan Muto is arguably one of the best-known Roman Catholic teachers and writers on the Christian spiritual life in the world today.  For many years she worked alongside Father Adrian Van Kaam at the Institute for Formative Spirituality at Duquesene University in … Continue reading →