Coffeehouse Contemplative
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Jeff Nelson is ordained in the United Church of Christ and serves as a local church pastor. He is also a certified spiritual director.. I occasionally lead workshops and retreats on the topics of personal spirituality and clergy vitality.
Coffeehouse Contemplative
2y ago
I started this blog on January 6th, 2005. That was 17 years ago today. I always got a kick out of the fact that this anniversary falls on Epiphany.
In the earliest years this was a place for me to write through my discoveries of what pastoral ministry is about, peppered with random posts about Michigan sports and other topics. In those days I used this as a place to brain dump, basically posting whenever a thought popped into my head no matter the day or time.
I'm embarrassed about those years now, but I also recognize that they helped me develop my writing voice. And, at least from m ..read more
Coffeehouse Contemplative
2y ago
The past few years have been marked by anxiety, for both national and personal reasons. So where do we find peace in the midst of this? How may we be able to calm and center our minds, hearts, and spirits not just to survive, but to truly live a life? What sorts of tangible actions could we take to tap into a vibe that sustains us?
NEW WEBSITE
Coffeehouse Contemplative: Spiritual Direction for the Everyday
Prayer in Motion: Connecting with God in Fidgety Times
Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder ..read more
Coffeehouse Contemplative
2y ago
This is now the 17th time that I've posted this Year-End Roundup, and I have found that they have a certain time capsule quality. Reading over lists from years' past remind me of what my tastes were at certain times, and of what I was drawn to while in other stages of life. This year's, for instance, will help serve as a reminder of what spoke to me in Year Two of a pandemic, and while I was trying to achieve certain goals in both my personal and work life. So here's what I was most drawn to in 2021.
Books
1. Atomic Habits by James Clear - This book lived with me all year. Clear ..read more
Coffeehouse Contemplative
2y ago
Faithful God, the birth we've long been waiting and preparing for has arrived. And along with this birth we pray that others will soon follow.
Into a world of inequality by race, gender, and class, may justice be born.
Into a world of anxiety and uncertainty about the future of our planet, may hope be born.
Into a world of violence and discrimination sustained by the powerful, may peace be born.
Into a world of despair and burnout, may joy be born.
Into a world of loneliness and exclusion, may love be born.
Into a world of isolation, may forgiveness be born.
O God, ours is a world in n ..read more
Coffeehouse Contemplative
2y ago
Previously: Belt, Cliff, Magnificat
When it comes to Christmas music, I have become quite picky. This comes from years of radio stations and stores playing the same grouping of seasonal songs every year, without fail and without variation.
Even though my relationship with this time of year has been improving lately, this lack of creativity in musical selection was one of the contributors to that relationship being a bit on the sour side. I don't need to hear "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree" and "Feliz Navidad" every day for two months straight. Even once a year is pushing it any more.
S ..read more
Coffeehouse Contemplative
2y ago
I wrote this post in December 2012 in anticipation of the New Year. At that time I was anticipating a vocational transition, and that year had brought many emotional and spiritual challenges. As we look toward the end of our second pandemic-affected year, I raise it back up as we continue to count the brown patches in our own lives, hoping for them to turn green again.
My lawn is kind of brown.
This time of year, that's to be expected. Depending on the type of grass, it turns brown while going into hibernation just like a lot of animals, lying dormant and awaiting spring. That's the basic e ..read more
Coffeehouse Contemplative
2y ago
Previously: Belt, Cliff
"No politics in church," the church member, upset by something the pastor said during her sermon, says in the greeting line on the way out one Sunday.
The pastor could have said any number of things that brought this response, and she could have done so without mentioning any candidate or party.
She could have said something about racial injustice, or LGBTQ+ inclusion, or income inequality. She could have said something about violence against immigrants or women or transgender people. But this person heard it through their own political filters, formed by year ..read more
Coffeehouse Contemplative
2y ago
I like the idea of Eve sitting with God, cheering on Mary and Joseph during their journey to Bethlehem. Not out of any hope for vindication or out of a sense of penance, but because she's sat and watched so much else that the world that began with her has been through.
God never stopped caring for Eve and her family. And Eve always watched this divine creation that began with her go its own way, along with a Creator who continued to care about all of it.
So then this couple is on its way to David's city, charged with a special purpose. Eve understands something about special pu ..read more
Coffeehouse Contemplative
2y ago
Previously: Belt
The first year after any change has a unique energy to it.
If the change is a positive one, you're able to feed off the excitement and novelty of something having ended while becoming used to your new situation. You have a new schedule, a new routine, you celebrate certain obligations passing away and discover new joys you hadn't known before.
If the change is a negative one, you wonder what each day is going to be like. You also have a new schedule and routine, but you're probably not celebrating it.
In either case, your wants and needs can no longer rely on w ..read more
Coffeehouse Contemplative
2y ago
Listen on Anchor or click the player below.
We are now in the season of Advent, a time of 4 Sundays leading up to Christmas. It's a time of preparation for the celebration of birth, and to reflect on our need for God to do a new thing in the world. So in this final episode for 2021, I want to give a reflection meant to be a help you the listener in your own preparation leading up to this special time.
Luke 2:1-20
John 1:1-14
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Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder  ..read more