Tag Archives: James Finley

A Quarter Turn

Posted on December 3, 2021 by Esther Hizsa

I suddenly knew I was looking at it from the wrong angle, and I gave the cloth in my hand a quarter turn. Immediately I saw a beautiful and coherent golden pattern…. In wonder, the pattern had emerged, to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Advent, Mindfulness, Reflections, Spiritual Direction, Stories | Tagged Advent, Esther Hizsa, Helen Luke, James Finley, Jürgen Mangelsdorf, Luke 1:39-45, Luke 1:46-49, Matthew 1:18-25, Quarter Turn, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, St. John of the Cross, Such Stuff as Dreams Are Made On, The Dark Night of the Soul, Tristan Unrau, Weaving | Leave a comment

Stop Teaching a Pig to Sing

Posted on September 10, 2021 by Esther Hizsa

“Don’t teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and irritates the pig.” I read that quote in Anthony de Mello’s little book Rediscovering Life: Awaken to Reality right after I wrote last week’s blog post. Tony’s words woke … Continue reading →

Posted in Humour, Reflections | Tagged Anthony de Mello, Awaken to Reality, awareness, BrotherM, Esther Hizsa, happy pig, Ignatius of Loyola, James Finley, Jesus, John 15: 11, John of the Cross, Let Go, Philippians 4: 11-13, Philippians 4:7, piglet lying down, Rediscovering Life, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Tambako the Jaguar | Leave a comment

The Gift of Self-Awareness

Posted on July 2, 2021 by Esther Hizsa

Lately, my self-awareness has risen to a whole new level. I swear there’s a little fellow deep inside me rummaging through all my crap and sending it up for me to look at. These “gifts” are about as attractive as … Continue reading →

Posted in autism, compassion, Prayer, Reflections, Spiritual Direction | Tagged Art Thompson, Caravaggio, Elizabeth of the Trinity, Esther Hizsa, Every Child Matters, Indian Residential School Survivors, James Finley, Revolutionary Love, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle, Theron Trowbridge, Tsaqwasupp, Turning to the Mystics, Valarie Kaur | 2 Comments

The Infinite Love that Loves Us So Unexplainably

Posted on June 11, 2021 by Esther Hizsa

For the past three months, James Finley has been my spiritual guide. As soon as I wake up in the morning, I walk in a nearby park and listen to a podcast from Turning to the Mystics. Then I sit … Continue reading →

Posted in compassion, Creation, Mystical, Reflections | Tagged blackberries, Center for Action and Contemplation, centering prayer, discouragement, Ed Dahl, Esther Hizsa, James Finley, pet iguana, reptiles, Romans 12:12, self-compassion, Snappy Goat, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle, Turning to the Mystics | Leave a comment

Love Letters from God

Posted on May 14, 2021 by Esther Hizsa

I’m here. I love you. I don’t care if you need to stay up crying all night long, I will stay with you. If you need the medication again, go ahead and take it—I will love you through that, as … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged Acts 8:26-40, Brené Brown, cea+, Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert, Eric Mason, Esther Hizsa, Ethiopian Eunuch, James Finley, Jan (Johannes) Vermeer - Girl Reading a Letter by an Open Window (1659), John 15:9, On Being, Radical Compassion, Radical Compassion Challenge, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, St. Laurence Anglican Church, Tara Brach, Teresa of Avila, Turning to the Mystics | Leave a comment

The Song That Is My Life

Posted on May 7, 2021 by Esther Hizsa

Do not try to savethe whole worldor do anything grandiose.Instead, createa clearingin the dense forestof your lifeand wait therepatiently,until the songthat is your lifefalls into your own cupped handsand you recognize and greet it.Only then will you knowhow to give … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, compassion, Reflections, Stories | Tagged Action against Asian racism, Burnaby Inter-Faith Committee, Burnaby Together, Elton Fernandes, Esther Hizsa, Frederick Buechner, Girl Seated by Water, James Finley, Jan L. Richardson, Martha Postlethwaite, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, spiritual director Burnaby, Stand with Asians Coalition, Svein Halvor Halvorsen, Teresa of Avila, The Clearing, Turning to the Mystics, Two hands one cup | 2 Comments

You Can’t Always Get What You Want

Posted on April 30, 2021 by Esther Hizsa

. . . we start to notice the dynamics of this welling up [of the longing for God] out of the most fundamental day-by-day realities of our life, in our daily intimacy or lack thereof, our physical health or lack … Continue reading →

Posted in Ignatian Spirituality, Mystical, Poverty of Spirit, Prayer, Reflections | Tagged Artotem, Christopher Owen, Different, Doug Ellis, Esther Hizsa, Giving Hands, Ignatian Sprititual Exercises, Ignatius of Loyola, James Finley, Kodiak and the butterfly, Principle and Foundation, Purgation, Rachel Garrett, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, The Rolling Stones, The Seven Story Mountain, Thomas Merton, You can't always get what you want | 2 Comments

The Right Road

Posted on April 23, 2021 by Esther Hizsa

But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged Esther Hizsa, forest road, James Finley, Mike Beales, More of the Alpines, Psalm 23:3, Rumi, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, The Essential Rumi, Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude, Which way to Artlegarth | Leave a comment

Now I See

Posted on April 16, 2021 by Esther Hizsa

. . . we attribute authority to [our weaknesses] to name who we are, and they don’t because only love has the authority to name who we are. –James Finley, Turning to the Mystics Thomas Merton 4 My weaknesses don’t … Continue reading →

Posted in compassion, False Self, Prayer, Reflections | Tagged dark view in trees, Demetri Dourambeis, Esther Hizsa, Isaiah 30:15-18, James Finley, Let there be light, Radical Compassion, Radical Compassion Challenge, Sounds True, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Sylvia Sassen, Tara Brach, Thomas Merton, true self, Turning to the Mystics | 4 Comments

Perfectly Me

Posted on April 9, 2021 by Esther Hizsa

Finally, I’m coming to the conclusion that my highest ambition is to be what I already am, that I will never fulfill my obligation to surpass myself unless I first accept myself. . . . The unaccepted self that stands … Continue reading →

Posted in Mystical, Poverty of Spirit, Prayer, Reflections, Stories | Tagged Anthony de Mello, Apple on a tree, Esther Hizsa, Greg Clarke, James Finley, Kristina Servant, Matthew 5:48, Pomme, spiritual director Burnaby, spiritual director Vancouver, Thomas Merton, Turning to the Mystics | Leave a comment

	Being Restored by Gr… on The Unending Miracle of L…
	Deb Steinkamp on Someone You Know but Never…
	A Quarter Turn \| An… on Advent III: Joy
	A Quarter Turn \| An… on Root Rot
	A Quarter Turn \| An… on Being the Odd One Out

Tag Archives: James Finley

A Quarter Turn

Stop Teaching a Pig to Sing

The Gift of Self-Awareness

The Infinite Love that Loves Us So Unexplainably

Love Letters from God

The Song That Is My Life

You Can’t Always Get What You Want

The Right Road

Now I See

Perfectly Me

Recent Posts

Archives

Available now in paperback and soon on Kindle at Amazon

Links

Follow Blog via Email

RSS

Follow Blog via Email

Top Posts & Pages

Recent Comments