• Eirenicole

Mental Health

The Wound of Mission

The Wound of Mission 150 150 Nicole

heroin galleryMy Lenten discipline this year to meditate with Julian of Norwich on my crucified Lord has been a profound experience for me. It is deepening my sense of the breadth of God’s love, and with it, God’s persistent—stubborn, insistent—patience. It is reworking my notion of what I am as part of Christ’s body. Frederick Bauerschmidt’s…

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Joy and Affliction

Joy and Affliction 150 150 Nicole

In this third week of Advent we are reminded of the joy that comes with understanding the significance of Jesus’ birth. It is with a fair bit of disorientation, however, that I approach this meditation as the week has issued circumstances that are far from joyful: An Aunt who is close to death; a beautiful,…

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Poor Worm, Listen

Poor Worm, Listen 150 150 Nicole

Image of an etching by artist William Strutt in 1896. Isaiah 11:6,7: The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down…

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Oration and Power and Ignoring the Rest

Oration and Power and Ignoring the Rest 150 150 Nicole

English: Jesus Christ – detail from Deesis mosaic, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul (Photo credit: Wikipedia)   In the past few weeks, I have been researching discourse in antiquity (approximately 2nd century BCE to 3rd century CE). One particular source by Caroline Vander Stichele and Todd Penner focuses on the role of appearance and outward characteristics that…

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Punked by Information

Punked by Information 150 150 Nicole

The Human Condition (painting) (Photo credit: Wikipedia) The story of Blind Men and the Elephant is useful metaphor for the value of a variety of perspectives. It is difficult to comprehend the whole of an issue in all its complexities unless observed from multiple points of view. The same could be said for time. That…

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The Power of Color

The Power of Color 150 150 Nicole

Color galaxy (Photo credit: @Doug88888)   While shopping the other day, one of the things I was looking for was cording for a necklace that my youngest son wanted me to repair. While comparing products I overheard a mother behind me instruct her child to “pick out a boy color for Adam—so, either that blue…

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The humanity of a hug

The humanity of a hug 150 150 Nicole

For a little extra motivation I subscribe to Seth Godin’s blog. They are mostly bits of wisdom that keep me focused on the task at hand rather than succumbing to discouragement by the difficulty of the entire project. Sometimes his observations are particularly profound or relevant to the work, and today’s held such a sentiment. Godin is…

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Matter Matters

Matter Matters 150 150 Nicole

Richard Rohr’s meditation for today is at once powerful and simple, weighty while uplifting. God is Spirit and flesh, and we who are enfleshed have that Spirit, all the power and life–within. To live in that fullness is to truly live. Sometimes I do not feel as if I am terribly alive. And, this affects…

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Sitting Shiva at the Tomb

Sitting Shiva at the Tomb 150 150 Nicole

English: Christ washing the feet of the Apostles. Icon of Pskov school. Русский: Омовение ног (Photo credit: Wikipedia)   The corporate world, medical sciences, even the health care industry, have research that suggest those engaged in mindfulness (e.g., meditation, yoga, spiritual practices) have significantly better physical and mental health, are more productive and vastly more…

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Transformed by Frustration

Transformed by Frustration 150 150 Nicole

  The American Psychological Association recently published a survey measuring stress across the spectrum of generations. The study revealed that Millennials report a significantly higher level of stress than all other generations, and higher than their age group in previous years. Like any good research generators, experts offered a variety of possible reasons behind this phenomenon.…

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