I wish I could answer that question simply...but there's a story there. Twenty-three years ago I was ordained and began serving as a parish pastor in a lovely small town. It was a second career for me; some might say it was a rather dramatic leap to go from advertising/marketing to answering the call of God to go into the ministry, but for me it was a moment of clarity. I love being a pastor...still do. I just didn't realize when I began in ministry that a) I wasn't prepared to take care of my own spiritual needs and b) I had no idea how years of pastoring churches would deplete me spiritually. You might read that and think, "How could a pastor feel spiritually unprepared or depleted? Isn't it your job to be spiritual?" I know, right?

And yet, about 20 years into this gig, I found myself burned out and very unhealthy...I had developed adult asthma and was regularly getting bronchitis and pneumonia, I wasn't sleeping, I was becoming cynical, and I was working over 60 hours a week. I felt anything but spiritual. That was 2018. And it seems like a long time ago. The past 3 years have been a lot of trial and error, letting go and learning, self-reflection and self-care. And the short answer to the question, "So....what is it that you do?", is that I share things that have worked for me and things that I have learned, with others. There's no silver bullet here...it's a journey.

I have learned that to not only be healthy, but at peace, requires more than time management and having faith. It means finding a rhythm in which you slow down, connect with God, and live in a way that is consistent with what you believe as a person of faith. The challenge is getting that out of your head and into your life. Frankly, most Christians never mange to do it.

The first thing I did back in 2018 was go to the doctor and learn how to manage my asthma...and that included some lifestyle changes like minimizing stress in my life. The 60 hours per week had to go. That meant leaving one church and then another until I finally have settled into a part-time call serving a small church. In order to connect with God I found a Spiritual Director to walk with me in figuring out what I needed to do to be fed spiritually, to learn spiritual disciplines that would feed my soul going forward, and to learn to discern how God was working in my life. I made a conscious decision to put something back in my life that would add meaning for myself and others....that's where the harp playing came in. I have always been musical but my singing voice became a casualty of the asthma....and I remembered what it was like to experience the harp once upon a time and decided to learn harp playing for therapeutic purposes as a means of healing for my soul and others. I also knew I needed to commit to movement to keep my physical body healthy...so I started doing yoga, and walking, and swimming regularly.

Perhaps because I am a pastor and used to caring for others, the journey to spiritual wellness for me also became an opportunity to provide ways to accompany others who were seeking spiritual wellness too. So I trained and became certified through the International Harp Therapy Program as a Certified Therapeutic Harpist; I trained and became certified as a Spiritual Director through the Institute for Spiritual Direction; and I also learned about doing yoga properly through the Online Yoga School and became an RYT-200 (Registered Yoga Teacher-200hours) in the process.

Now I find joy in continuing to discover ways to use these various gifts in my own spiritual journey and to help others as well. So, what is it that I do? Spiritual Direction, Therapeutic Harp playing, prayer and meditation, some simple yoga stretching, various spiritual disciplines like the Daily Office and defining my Rule of Life and Lectio Divina and journaling. And then I combine these in different ways to find what works for me...or for you. Oh, and did I mention that what works often changes depending on what chapter of life you are in? Like I said before...it's a journey.

Send me a message and tell me about your journey and and your faith and what your struggles are and what you are seeking....by the grace of God, maybe I can help. At the very least we might be able to figure it out together so you can put a little peace, meaning and purpose back in your life.