Index – The Spiritual Practice of Welcoming
• Start by reading The Welcoming Prayer.
Live out the year practicing the spiritual discipline of welcoming.
Below is a schedule of welcoming one healthy practice a month, and letting go of one unhealthy practice a month.
It loosely follows the ten guideposts in Brené Brown’s book, The Gifts of Imperfection.
January
• Do You Welcome or Resist It? – Practicing the spiritual discipline of welcoming
Welcome—Authenticity
Let go—What people think
February
• “Welcome” – Have I Failed at My One Word Already? – Even when our guests are bedraggled and unwanted, even when they are us, welcome them anyway
• Your Advice + “The Guest House” by Rumi – A recap of encouraging comments left on the previous post
• Silence or Solitude? – A weekend of silence and centering prayer at the monastery
Welcome—Self-Compassion
Let go—Perfectionism
March
• 3 Ways to Have More Hope – Lessons on resiliency from Brené Brown’s book, The Gifts of Imperfection
Welcome—Resiliency
Let go—Powerlessness
April
• Where Will They Die? Not in That Tornado – Welcoming gratitude in a crisis is a choice
• The Circumstance Isn’t the Problem – The battle isn’t our circumstances; it’s how we view our circumstances
Welcome—Gratitude and joy
Let go—Scarcity and fear of the dark
May
• When “I Don’t Know” Is Good – The good side of uncertainty
Welcome—Intuition
Let go—Need for certainty
June
• Don’t Compare. Just Create. – Instead of comparing ourselves, let’s celebrate our originality instead
• 3 Reasons to Let Go of Perfectionism – Benefits from doing something imperfectly (including face painting) instead of saying no
Welcome—Creating
Let go—Comparing
July
• Is This Fun to You? – The way we enjoy “play” is as unique as we are. What is fun to you?
Welcome—Rest and Play
Let go—Exhaustion and Productivity
August
• Hit the Pause Button – In the pause, we quietly open our awareness to the Lord’s presence.
Welcome—Calm and Stillness
Let go—Anxiety
September
• It’s Not About Looking Good; it’s about loving well.
Welcome—Love and Wisdom
Let go—Judgments and Negative Motivation
October
• Jobs and God – View your work as opportunities to partner with God.
Welcome—Meaningful Work
Let go—Self-Doubt and Supposed To
November
• No Pride in Giving, No Shame in Receiving – When we have, we give; when we need, we receive.
Welcome—Song and Dance
Let go—Being in Control
December
• Did Your 2016 Problems Go Away? – Lessons I learned from a year of Welcome.
Welcome—God’s Presence
Let go—My Knowledge