For those of you that read this with any regularity, my apologies. This devotion has been coming out (very) irregularly during the summer. And, since I'm headed off on vacation tomorrow, I'm not sure that this will improve much over the next few weeks. This will appear on a weekly basis again during the latter part of the summer.

But even if I've been slow about getting these written, I know that your lives haven't stopped. Life is still busy. There are still things to worry about, things to be pleased or even excited about, things to anticipate, things to dread. And, through all of that, is faith. Even when we don't take time to think about it, our spiritual life is still there, still a part of us. But it's hard sometimes; faith seems to fade into the background, we're not too sure how to connect with God, or how to connect our spirituality with the rest of our lives.

Throughout the school year, we would occasionally use an old spiritual discipline that comes to us by way of St. Ignatius of Loyola. His 'examen' (or exam, in modern speak) is one way to reflect on your life with God. "Saint Ignatius's prayer of examination (or the examen, as it has come to be called) is a prayer practice that seeks the immanent - meaning close-by, near, or indwelling - aspect of God. This is the God who is with us always. This is the God who knows our thoughts before we think them. It is the God who is in everything and is at the heart of all. Yet even in this nearness God remains hidden, and so we need a method of prayer that brings the light of God clearly into focus; this is the point of the examen." (Daniel Wolpert).

So, if you're turning to this website to find some spiritual nourishment, try this. Perhaps it will give you some strength for the journey.

Choose a period of time to examine in prayer. This can be a day, a week, or a specific event.

Allow your mind to wander through that period of time. Some questions you might ask yourself about that period include:

What am I most/least grateful for during that time?
When did I feel a sense of love, peace, joy, life (the gifts of the Spirit)?
When did I feel exhausted, dead, drained, angry, mean?
What specific events, thoughts, or experiences draw my attention?
What aspects of that time are difficult for me?
What moments from that time speak to me of my deepest desires?
What things feel out of place, uninteresting?

Ask yourself, When did I notice God during this time? What felt like a time of God's absence?

As some answers to these questions arise, notice what this tells you about the future. How is it that God is calling you into being? Toward what actions, activities, or attributes is God drawing you?

Repeat this prayer at regular intervals in order to see how God is working in your life.

(Quote borrowed from Creating a Life with God: The Call of Ancient Prayer Practices by Daniel Wolpert. Nashville: Upper Room Books, 2003. Quote is from pg. 77; the exercise itself is from pg. 180)