Nicole’s e-Pistle “Spiritual Practices”
March 18, 2026
Greetings, Friends!
This week, someone asked what my personal spiritual practices are. I love and fear this question at the same time, mostly because what I aspire to do and what I do in actuality are sometimes very different. In September, I attended a CREDO conference for newly ordained pastors. They gave us a book by Reneé Miller entitled, “Strength for the Journey: A Guide to Spiritual Practice” that examines more than a dozen common practices. Miller laid out several categories, such as meditative, ministry, media, mind, and movement.
The one that resonates the most with me is under the movement category and involves being in nature. I had an opportunity to take a walk and spend an hour or two sitting alone by a creek during my time at the conference. While sitting there, a herd of deer was startled further up the mountain, so they took off down the hill and leapt across a highway, landing face to face with me on the other side of the creek. I spent maybe 40 minutes in their quiet, albeit cautious, company before they darted off to find a meadow in which to graze beyond my eyesight. It was one of those special times in my life when I felt God’s presence in nature as it was intended to be (perhaps minus the danger of deer leaping across a busy highway).
Another practice that I find deeply spiritual and rewarding is reading for pleasure. This is one of those areas that I wish I made time for more often. Even when I read something that does not explicitly talk about God, I often find myself connecting with him anyway. As I get to know the characters and the life circumstances they encounter, I find myself caring about what happens to them. In a way, it is a spiritual release for me as a self-proclaimed empath… someone who feels deeply the emotions of others. When I can project my own emotions onto a fictional character, it helps me become more aware of any emotions I have been carrying. I often find myself drifting into prayerful silence when I read novels. I also love to read outdoors in nature when possible, so that checks two practices off at once!
I also learned that for me, study is a spiritual practice. Both reading and study fall under the “mind” category, and as a deep thinker, this appeals to me. In Romans 12:2, Paul tells us, “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Study as a spiritual practice can be reading the Bible (highly recommended), reading a daily devotional (check out our Lenten study), or praying through the Psalms. Study can also be related to other books on faith and Christian living, but here’s the amazing thing – study does not have to be focused explicitly on something Biblical to be a spiritual practice. Anything that is of interest to you in this world that God created can be spiritual, if you are mindful of God in the process of learning it. In other words, if you are fascinated by birdwatching, you could be studying the migratory patterns of an unladen swallow (African or European), and all the while be marveling at the wonder of God’s winged creations.
Finally – and here is where I was most shocked… watching movies is a spiritual practice! Renee Miller said so on page 75 – “One of our spiritual limitations is that we tacitly agree with the concept that holiness is to be found in all of life, in the midst of our everyday activities, but we often don’t act upon this truth… We affirm the spiritual depth to be found in movies when we are unexpectedly moved spiritually by a particular film.” Of course, she goes on to say that we will not necessarily find holiness in every film we watch! (Psycho, anyone?) Still, I have often been moved unexpectedly when watching a film – even a cartoon. I had just experienced my 3rd miscarriage when I went to see “Frozen 2” in the movie theater with Layfe, my then 3-year-old son, along with my sister-in-law and my 2-year-old niece. ***Spoiler alert… As we watched the film, the main character Elsa died, and her sister Anna sang a song about it.
Watch the clip here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFkClV2gM-s&list=RDkFkClV2gM-s&start_radio=1
I silently wept through the entire rest of the movie. (Once I start, it takes a while to turn off the faucet.) Little did I know, less than a month later, I would be pregnant with Lovinia. To this day, when I need time to feel or process my grief for the ones I lost, I will sit and rewatch the movie, often with both my children snuggled up beside me. They are both aware that grief is something I carry, and that even in my occasional sadness, I also am eternally grateful to have them with me. Sometimes, they are too busy playing or watching the movie to notice my tears, but once in a while, when they feel that song coming up, they reach over and touch my hand or snuggle in tighter.
It really doesn’t matter what you choose to do or how you choose to practice your spirituality. The ultimate point is just in taking time to notice that God is with you always. There may be times when the things you choose to do make his presence more tangible for you. There will inevitably be other times when he will reach through your circumstances to surprise you with a deep feeling of his love for you. Treasure those moments when they come, and think on them when you need a little extra reminder of how truly special you are!
Blessings and peace,
