Category Archives: Prayer

Eight Days Alone with God

Posted on May 1, 2015 by Esther Hizsa

After a long kiss goodbye, Fred drove off.  I brushed off my nervousness and unpacked my things. It didn’t take long–just clothes, knitting needles and yarn, my Bible, notebook and a copy of the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. No computer, no other … Continue reading →

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Returning to the Well

Posted on March 13, 2015 by Esther Hizsa

After the Samaritan woman talked with Jesus at the well, her life changed dramatically. From then on, I bet she kept an eye out for him whenever she went to get water. I can even imagine them having more conversations that weren’t recorded in scripture. In … Continue reading →

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The Invisible Gardener

Posted on February 13, 2015 by Esther Hizsa

What feelings emerged for you when you read last Friday’s post? Perhaps you were drawn to that idyllic picture of God and prayer, yet frustrated because it’s nothing like your experience. Perhaps for you, prayer is as dry and unattractive … Continue reading →

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The Gardener

Posted on February 6, 2015 by Esther Hizsa

How powerless the soil is to produce anything on its own. I am praying with Jesus’s parable of the sower and the seed. I can relate. No matter how hard I try, those three unreceptive soils are in me, impeding … Continue reading →

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In the Shelter of God’s Wings

Posted on January 16, 2015 by Esther Hizsa

I imagine myself in the shelter of God’s wings, safe and warm. Angels relieve me of my duties. I can hang up the worries of my day, click off my brain, and rest. Be still, I tell myself, close your … Continue reading →

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On This Mountain

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Esther Hizsa

Last week I talked about deadlines closing in on me. One of them was SoulStream’s Living from the Heart course. It would be my first time co-facilitating a six-day intensive in spiritual formation, and I wanted to prepare well for it. Shortly before I … Continue reading →

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Eight Weeks to the Promised Land

Posted on November 7, 2014 by Esther Hizsa

Are you wondering how I am doing since the big announcement? (If you didn’t hear the news, I will not be working at New Life Community Church after December 31. You can read more about that here). I too wondered how I would fare in … Continue reading →

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Just Be Still

Posted on October 24, 2014 by Esther Hizsa

“Be still, and know that I am God,” says the psalmist. Nearly every Thursday evening, our contemplative group gathers to do just that. Of course there is time for fellowship, reflection and songs, but we also pray in silence for … Continue reading →

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DIY Prayer Retreat #1: What God Has Given, What God Is Doing

Posted on October 1, 2014 by Esther Hizsa

Introduction: For a couple of years our contemplative group has been having one-day prayer retreats that are simple, wonderful and free. Up to eight of us have gotten together at one time. We bring our own lunch and meet for a morning or a … Continue reading →

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Is Contemplative Spirituality for Everyone?

Posted on September 26, 2014 by Esther Hizsa

From time to time I have been asked if I believe contemplative spirituality is for everyone. Those who ask confess that they find it difficult and unrewarding to sit still. They experience God much more in doing things. “I’m just not wired that … Continue reading →

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