Contemplative practices and ways of living are complimentary practices to working for change.  In this episode Laura talks to Rev. Don MacDougall, a wise teacher, leader, and mentor of Spiritual Direction and contemplative living.  They dig into the differences between dedicated practice and spontaneous practice, why “mindfulness” might not be the best word to describe the practice, and how it is important for all of us to have ways that we attend to our hearts and minds while working for change in the world.  Don describes what was missing for him after 8 years of preparation for ministry and how a journey into contemplative ways of living and working helped.

Don MacDougall has served with several congregations around the Maritimes; at Dalhousie University in Halifax; in youth, young adult and outdoor recreational leadership through Camps Sherbrooke Lake and Kidston, and the NS Dept. of Recreation; he has given leadership in adult learning at Tatamagouche Centre; and most recently with education for contemplative living, spiritual direction, and spiritual leadership. He is a graduate of the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation, and a founder of the Atlantic Jubilee Program for Spiritual Deepening and Guidance (now Contemplative Pathways), with a special interest in the spiritual journeys of men.  He lives with his wife Lois in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

Don mentioned a book called The Original Vision: A study of the religious experience of childhood , by Edward Robinson. (1983, HarperCollins Publishers)

You will find this episode  and past episodes at Making Hope Visible.

Remember you can always find more what’s happening with Justice, Mission, and Outreach by visiting the website, https://ucceast.ca/justice-mission-outreach-2/   and by joining the Facebook Group, Justice and Mission – UCC Atlantic.

 Music

Morrisson's jig - Leslie's march by Aislinn is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (aka Music Sharing) 3.0 International License.