"The Grass is Greener Where We Water It," Episode #168, March 19, 2026

The Grass is Greener Where We Water It

Living Compass Spirituality and Wellness Podcast

Lent 2026 Series: Cultivating Healing and Wholeness in Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind

Episode Summary

We've all heard it: the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. But what if we changed the saying — and changed our lives in the process? In this episode, Scott Stoner explores how envy and comparison quietly drain our relationships, and offers a simple but transformative reframe: the grass is greener where we water it. Drawing on 40 years as a minister and licensed marriage and family therapist, Scott unpacks what it actually looks like to tend the relationships we already have — with intention, honesty, and love.

Key Themes

  • How social media amplifies the comparison trap — showing us everyone's "outsides" while we live our own "insides"

  • Why envy is a natural human emotion, and how to redirect its energy

  • The Living Compass core principle: whatever we pay attention to is what will grow

  • What good "watering" looks like — from simple expressions of gratitude to honest, loving conversations about conflict

  • The gardening metaphor: tending soil, pulling weeds, and creating conditions for new growth in relationships

Quote of the Episode

"The grass is greener where we water it."

From the Counseling Room

Scott shares a practice he uses when working with couples and families in conflict: before diving into the presenting problem, he asks them to remember what they love about each other. The shift in energy that follows is a living demonstration of the episode's central truth — what we pay attention to is what grows.

Resources Mentioned

Reflection Questions

  • What influence, if any, does social media have on how you see your own relationships?

  • Is there a relationship in your life where you have been focused more on the weeds than on what is good and life-giving?

  • Choose one relationship right now that would benefit from more intentional watering. What is one specific thing you could do this week to tend it?

A Challenge from Scott

Don't just take his word for it — try it. Choose one relationship. Water it every day this week. Be creative. And see for yourself whether it's true: the grass is greener where we water it.

Connect with Scott at Scott@LivingCompass.org

Resources Mentioned

  • Daily readings booklet — PDF download or daily email signup available at livingcompass.org

  • Living Compass App — search "Living Compass" in your app store or visit app.livingcompass.org; includes guided Lenten meditations; free trial for one year, then $10/year

  • Spanish-language content — daily reflections by Estela Lopez and Pedro Lopez (Bruja La De Vida), PDF available at livingcompass.org and posted daily on the Bruja La De Vida Facebook page

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Prayer Doesn't Always Change Outcomes, But It Always Changes Us," Episode #167, March 12, 2026

.Prayer Doesn't Always Change Outcomes, But It Always Changes Us

Living Compass Spirituality and Wellness Podcast

Lent 2026 Series: Cultivating Healing and Wholeness in Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind

Episode Summary

What happens when the healing we pray for doesn't come? In this episode, Scott Stoner — pastor, therapist, and founder of Living Compass — explores one of the most honest and tender questions in the spiritual life. Drawing on decades of walking with people through serious illness, disability, and dying, Scott reflects on the crucial distinction between cure, healing, and wholeness, and why prayer remains transformative even when outcomes don't change.

Key Themes

  • The difference between physical cure and deeper spiritual and emotional healing

  • Why prayer changes us even when it doesn't change our circumstances

  • Holding grief and anger honestly as part of authentic faith

  • The "container" metaphor: how the spiritual life expands our capacity to hold suffering

  • Walking with others through illness as its own form of healing ministry

Quote of the Episode

"Prayer doesn't always change outcomes, but it always changes us."

Featured Prayer

Scott reads the Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer (p. 461), from the Ministry to the Sick:

"This is another day, O Lord. I know not what it will bring forth, but make me ready, Lord, for whatever it may be. If I am to stand up, help me to stand bravely. If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly. If I am to lie low, help me to do it patiently. And if I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly. Make these words more than words, and give me the Spirit of Jesus. Amen" (BCP, p. 461).

 

Resources Mentioned

Reflection Questions

  • How does the idea that "prayer doesn't always change outcomes, but it always changes us" connect with your own experience?

  • Where in your life are you being invited to expand your container — your capacity to hold suffering with grace?

  • How might you bring healing and wholeness to someone in your life who is suffering, even when cure is not possible?Connect with Scott Scott welcomes your reflections on this episode. How does this story land for you? Where are you sitting with the question Do you want to be made well?

    Reach him at scott@livingcompass.org.

Connect with Scott at Scott@LivingCompass.org

Resources Mentioned

  • Daily readings booklet — PDF download or daily email signup available at livingcompass.org

  • Living Compass App — search "Living Compass" in your app store or visit app.livingcompass.org; includes guided Lenten meditations; free trial for one year, then $10/year

  • Spanish-language content — daily reflections by Estela Lopez and Pedro Lopez (Bruja La De Vida), PDF available at livingcompass.org and posted daily on the Bruja La De Vida Facebook page

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Do You Want to Be Made Well?" Episode #166, March 6, 2026

."Do You Want to Be Made Well?" Living Compass Spirituality and Wellness Podcast Lent Series: Cultivating Healing and Wholeness with All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind

In this Lent episode, host Scott Stoner reflects on one of the most striking healing stories in the Gospels — Jesus's encounter with a man who had been ill for 38 years at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1–9). At the heart of the story is a deceptively simple question Jesus asks the man: Do you want to be made well?

Scripture John 5:1–9 — Jesus encounters a man among many who are blind, lame, and paralyzed near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem, and asks him a single, penetrating question rather than inquiring about the nature of his illness or how long he has suffered.

Key Themes

The Power of the Question — Of all the things Jesus could have asked, he asked only this. It is not a question meant to shame or judge. It is an invitation to examine our deepest desire and longing.

Getting Comfortable in Our Dysfunction — Sometimes we hold on to our dis-ease because it is familiar. Scott shares a personal story from his time as a parish pastor, when a church council member lovingly turned the question back on him after he repeatedly reported struggling with overwork and neglecting self-care. The community's gentle, loving accountability became a real turning point.

"I Have No One to Put Me in the Pool" — The man in the story believes healing can only come one specific way. Jesus gently shows him otherwise. How often do we say, "I'll be whole, I'll be at peace, I'll be able to let go — but only when this happens"? Healing often involves releasing our need to control the how and when.

Letting Go — Much of the invitation in this story is about loosening our grip — on ego, on control, on habit energy that keeps us stuck. The Divine source of healing may be closer than we think, and arriving by a path we didn't expect.

Connect with Scott Scott welcomes your reflections on this episode. How does this story land for you? Where are you sitting with the question Do you want to be made well? Reach him at scott@livingcompass.org.

Free PDF of the devotional booklet and daily email reflections available at livingcompass.org.

Resources Mentioned

  • Daily readings booklet — PDF download or daily email signup available at livingcompass.org

  • Living Compass App — search "Living Compass" in your app store or visit app.livingcompass.org; includes guided Lenten meditations; free trial for one year, then $10/year

  • Spanish-language content — daily reflections by Estela Lopez and Pedro Lopez (Bruja La De Vida), PDF available at livingcompass.org and posted daily on the Bruja La De Vida Facebook page

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Wrestling with God and Listening for Whispers," Episode #165, February 26, 2026

.Episode Summary

Wrestling with God and Listening for Whispers, Living Compass Spirituality and Wellness Podcast — Lent, Week 1

In this episode, Scott Stoner reflects on two powerful biblical stories that illuminate what healing and wholeness can really look like — not always peaceful or easy, but sometimes raw, wrestling, and hard-won. Drawing on the story of Jacob wrestling with God the night before his reconciliation with his brother Esau, Scott invites us to see that God is present not only in the moments of clarity and consolation, but in the darkness, the struggle, and the dis-ease we carry. Whatever we are wrestling with — a broken relationship, a physical challenge, an emotional weight — we do not walk through it alone.

Scott also revisits the story of Elijah from 1 Kings, reminding us that God's healing voice doesn't always come in the dramatic and overwhelming moments of life. More often, it comes as a gentle whisper — through Scripture, a meaningful conversation, a moment of stillness in prayer, or a quiet sense of being led forward. The episode closes with a beautiful reflection from contributor Robbin Brent, who writes that faith is not about certainty or the absence of questions, but about the willingness to keep trusting in the deeper reality of God's healing presence, even when circumstances seem to contradict it. Wherever you are on your Lenten journey, this episode is an invitation to be still, listen for the whispers, and trust that way will open.

Free PDF of the devotional booklet and daily email reflections available at livingcompass.org. Contact Scott at scott@livingcompass.org.

Resources Mentioned

  • Daily readings booklet — PDF download or daily email signup available at livingcompass.org

  • Living Compass App — search "Living Compass" in your app store or visit app.livingcompass.org; includes guided Lenten meditations; free trial for one year, then $10/year

  • Spanish-language content — daily reflections by Estela Lopez and Pedro Lopez (Bruja La De Vida), PDF available at livingcompass.org and posted daily on the Bruja La De Vida Facebook page

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Opening Our Eyes: Healing Our Vision," Episode #164, February 23, 2026

.Episode Summary

Opening Our Eyes: Healing Our Vision Living Compass Spirituality and Wellness Podcast — Lent, Week 1

This episode explores the theme of "Opening Our Eyes" as part of the first full week of Lent, connected to the daily devotional booklet Cultivating Wholeness and Healing with All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind.

Scott reflects on the many healing stories in the Gospels involving sight, noting that healing doesn't always happen all at once. Drawing on the story of the blind man in Mark 8 — who is healed progressively, first seeing blurrily and then fully — Scott invites listeners to recognize that moving from blindness to blurry is still grace, still progress.

He then explores the different kinds of "blindness" Jesus addresses beyond physical sight — spiritual, emotional, and relational — and how each can leave us seeing life less clearly and with less love and hope than we'd like. Whether it's a faith stuck at an early stage of development, emotions we've numbed to protect ourselves, or patterns of "othering" people in our relationships, these forms of blurriness are not causes for shame but invitations to healing.

Scott closes with the image of Bartimaeus crying out, "My teacher, let me see again" — reminding us that Jesus is in the business of opening eyes, and that Lent is a season to nurture and restore our vision in all its dimensions.

Free PDF of the devotional booklet and daily email reflections available at livingcompass.org. Contact Scott at scott@livingcompass.org.

Resources Mentioned

  • Daily readings booklet — PDF download or daily emails available at livingcompass.org

  • Living Compass App — search "Living Compass" in your app store or visit app.livingcompass.org; includes guided Lenten meditations; free trial for one year, then $10/year

  • Spanish-language content — daily reflections by Estela Lopez and Pedro Lopez (Bruja La De Vida), PDF available at livingcompass.org and posted daily on the Bruja La De Vida Facebook page

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Cultivating Healing and Wholeness," Episode #163, February 17, 2026

.Episode Summary

Host: Scott Stoner, Episcopal pastor and licensed marriage and family therapist

Recorded the day before Ash Wednesday, this introductory episode launches the Lenten podcast series centered on the theme Cultivating Healing and Wholeness with All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind. Scott reflects on what it means to tend to our whole selves during the 47 days of Lent, drawing on his 40 years of experience as pastor and therapist.

Key Themes

Scott opens with a simple but powerful question: When was the last time someone genuinely asked how you're doing? He invites listeners to treat Lent as an annual spiritual check-up — an unhurried season to reflect on body, mind, heart, and soul. Healing, he suggests, is less like a lightning bolt and more like tending a fire: patient, gentle, and attentive. The Ash Wednesday words "Remember that you are dust" are framed not as shame but as an invitation to humility and openness.

He also introduces the Living Compass model of well-being — four quadrants (Heart, Soul, Strength, Mind) with eight dimensions of wellness — and reminds listeners that wellness begins with "we."

Resources Mentioned

  • Daily readings booklet — PDF download or daily emails available at livingcompass.org

  • Living Compass App — search "Living Compass" in your app store or visit app.livingcompass.org; includes guided Lenten meditations; free trial for one year, then $10/year

  • Spanish-language content — daily reflections by Estela Lopez and Pedro Lopez (Bruja La De Vida), PDF available at livingcompass.org and posted daily on the Bruja La De Vida Facebook page

During This Series

Two new podcast episodes will be released each week throughout Lent.

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Practicing Love, One Step at a Time," Episode #162, February 12, 2026

In this Valentine's Day episode, Scott reflects on the Buddhist monks who recently completed their 2,300-mile peace walk to Washington, D.C., drawing connections between walking meditation, pilgrimage, and the true nature of love. He explores how love is primarily a decision and practice rather than just a feeling, using 1 Corinthians 13 as a guide to understand love as patience, kindness, and endurance. Scott shares insights from his retreats at Magnolia Grove Monastery in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, emphasizing that sustaining long-term relationships—whether marriages, friendships, or commitments to justice—requires showing up one step at a time, even when feelings waver. This episode reframes Valentine's Day as an opportunity to practice love as a sustained commitment rather than momentary emotion.

Remember: You can download the Living Compass app for guided meditations, contemplative practices (including walking meditations), and self-guided retreats for your phone at:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/living-compass/id6738334257

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.livingcompass&hl=en

And…you can find the content of our new Living Compass app online from any web browser at https://app.livingcompass.org

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Compassion Fatigue," Episode #161, January 29, 2026"

Compassion Fatigue

Scott works with as a coach and therapist are reporting that they are experiencing compassion fatigue. In this episode, he talks about what compassion fatigue is and how to address it.

Remember: You can download the Living Compass app for guided meditations, contemplative practices, and self-guided retreats for your phone at:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/living-compass/id6738334257

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.livingcompass&hl=en

And…uou can find the content of our new Living Compass app online from any web browser at https://app.livingcompass.org

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Stay Warm," Episode #160, January 23, 2026

Stay Warm

In this episode, Scott shares how, in the midst of the deep freeze hitting Wisconsin, where he lives, as well as much of the rest of the country, the universal wish that people extend to one another is "stay warm." What would it mean for us to "stay warm" emotionally and spiritually in the midst of the many storms happening around us today?

Remember: You can download the Living Compass app for guided meditations, contemplative practices, and self-guided retreats for your phone at:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/living-compass/id6738334257

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.livingcompass&hl=en

And…uou can find the content of our new Living Compass app online from any web browser at https://app.livingcompass.org

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Home by a Different Way," Episode #159, January 12, 2026

Home by a Different Way

Sometimes an encounter changes us so deeply that we cannot return the same way we came. When has that been true for you? The story of the Wise Men being warned not to go back to Herod, but to go home by a different way after they encounter the Christ child, is a metaphor for how when we encounter the Divine, we often choose to move forward in a new way.

We also have Guided Meditations for Epiphany in our Living Compass App. You can download the Living Compass app for guided meditations, contemplative practices, and self-guided retreats for your phone at:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/living-compass/id6738334257

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.livingcompass&hl=en

And…uou can find the content of our new Living Compass app online from any web browser at https://app.livingcompass.org

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Christmas Generosity," Episode #158, December 24, 2025

Christmas Generosity

Merry Christmas! Let us celebrate and fully receive the generous gift of God's love at Christmas so that we can go forth and generously share that love with others.  

Just a reminder…..

We also have Guided Meditations for Advent in our Living Compass App. You can download the Living Compass app for guided meditations, contemplative practices, and self-guided retreats for your phone at:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/living-compass/id6738334257

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.livingcompass&hl=en

And…uou can find the content of our new Living Compass app online from any web browser at https://app.livingcompass.org

And please know that the each of the daily readings for Advent on Practicing Generosity are archived on our website. You can read them HERE.

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"A Generous Dinner Party," Episode #157, December 19, 2025

A Generous Dinner Party

Jesus tells this story to remind us what a true Christian approach to generosity and hospitality looks like.  How might you and I practice this in our own lives?

Luke 14:15-25 (The Message Translation)

15 That triggered a response from one of the guests: “How fortunate the one who gets to eat dinner in God’s kingdom!”

16-17 Jesus followed up. “Yes. For there was once a man who threw a great dinner party and invited many. When it was time for dinner, he sent out his servant to the invited guests, saying, ‘Come on in; the food’s on the table.’

18 “Then they all began to beg off, one after another making excuses. The first said, ‘I bought a piece of property and need to look it over. Send my regrets.’

19 “Another said, ‘I just bought five teams of oxen, and I really need to check them out. Send my regrets.’

20 “And yet another said, ‘I just got married and need to get home to my wife.’

21 “The servant went back and told the master what had happened. He was outraged and told the servant, ‘Quickly, get out into the city streets and alleys. Collect all who look like they need a square meal, all the misfits and homeless and down-and-out you can lay your hands on, and bring them here.’

22 “The servant reported back, ‘Master, I did what you commanded—and there’s still room.’

23-24 “The master said, ‘Then go to the country roads. Whoever you find, drag them in. I want my house full! Let me tell you, not one of those originally invited is going to get so much as a bite at my dinner party.’”

If you don't have a printed booklet of our Advent reflections, you can:

Just a reminder…..

We also have Guided Meditations for Advent in our Living Compass App. You can download the Living Compass app for guided meditations, contemplative practices, and self-guided retreats for your phone at:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/living-compass/id6738334257

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.livingcompass&hl=en

And…uou can find the content of our new Living Compass app online from any web browser at https://app.livingcompass.org

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Transformational Hospitality vs Transactional Hospitality," Episode #156, December 15, 2025

Jesus offered a radical, transformational hospitality. What does it look like for us to do the same?

If you don't have a printed booklet of our Advent reflections, you can:

Just a reminder…..

We also have Guided Meditations for Advent in our Living Compass App. You can download the Living Compass app for guided meditations, contemplative practices, and self-guided retreats for your phone at:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/living-compass/id6738334257

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.livingcompass&hl=en

And…uou can find the content of our new Living Compass app online from any web browser at https://app.livingcompass.org

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Generous Together," Episode #155, December 11, 2025

Generosity is amplified when it is practiced together in community. Communities of generosity are essential for our individual and collective wellbeing. 

If you don't have a printed booklet of our Advent reflections, you can:

Just a reminder…..

We also have Guided Meditations for Advent in our Living Compass App. You can download the Living Compass app for guided meditations, contemplative practices, and self-guided retreats for your phone at:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/living-compass/id6738334257

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.livingcompass&hl=en

And…uou can find the content of our new Living Compass app online from any web browser at https://app.livingcompass.org

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Generosity and Gratitude," Episode #154, December 8, 2025

Opening our hearts and souls to gratitude also opens them to both the receiving and sharing of generosity. When our hearts, souls, and minds are close--it makes it nearly impossible to give or receive gratitude and generosity.  

If you don't have a printed booklet of the reflections, you can:

Just a reminder…..

We also have Guided Meditations for Advent in our Living Compass App. You can download the Living Compass app for guided meditations, contemplative practices, and self-guided retreats for your phone at:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/living-compass/id6738334257

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.livingcompass&hl=en

And…uou can find the content of our new Living Compass app online from any web browser at https://app.livingcompass.org

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"The Parable of the Generous Parent," Episode #153, December 4, 2025

You may be more familiar with the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Still, the title "The Parable of the Generous Parent" emphasizes the story's primary message: God's extravagant generosity and love.

If you don't have a printed booklet of the reflections, you can:

Just a reminder…..

We also have Guided Meditations for Advent in our Living Compass App. You can download the Living Compass app for guided meditations, contemplative practices, and self-guided retreats for your phone at:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/living-compass/id6738334257

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.livingcompass&hl=en

And…uou can find the content of our new Living Compass app online from any web browser at https://app.livingcompass.org

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Grounding Our Practice of Generosity in God's Generosity," Episode #152, December 1, 2025

Our capacity to practice generosity is rooted in God’s generosity with us. There are many compasses that compete to guide our lives. The compasses of the dominant culture are strong this time of year.

Observing Advent means making a decision to make the compass of our faith, the compass of God’s generosity, our primary compass as we navigate the journey to Christmas.

If you don't have a printed booklet of the reflections, you can:

Just a reminder…..

We also have Guided Meditations for Advent in our Living Compass App. You can download the Living Compass app for guided meditations, contemplative practices, and self-guided retreats for your phone at:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/living-compass/id6738334257

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.livingcompass&hl=en

And…uou can find the content of our new Living Compass app online from any web browser at https://app.livingcompass.org

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Practicing Generosity This Season of Advent ," Episode #151, November 26, 2025

Our focus for the season of Advent, which this year begins on Sunday, November 30, 2025, is Practicing Generosity with All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind. The focus is truly on practicing--not just thinking more about generosity. There are many compasses that compete to guide our lives, and the compasses of the larger culture are strong this time of year. Let's commit to making our spirituality our compass during Advent. 

If you don't have a printed booklet of the reflections, you can:

Just a reminder…..

We also have Guided Meditations for Advent in our Living Compass App. You can download the Living Compass app for guided meditations, contemplative practices, and self-guided retreats for your phone at:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/living-compass/id6738334257

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.livingcompass&hl=en

And…uou can find the content of our new Living Compass app online from any web browser at https://app.livingcompass.org

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Grief and Gratitude," Episode #150, November 20, 2025

We all carry grief and gratitude through the holidays. Learning to be comfortable with fully feeling and expressing both is crucial to our emotional and spiritual wellbeing. 

“The work of the mature person is to carry grief in one hand and gratitude in the other and to be stretched large by them. How much sorrow can I hold? That’s how much gratitude I can give. If I carry only grief, I’ll bend toward cynicism and despair. If I have only gratitude, I’ll become saccharine and won’t develop much compassion for other people’s suffering. Grief keeps the heart fluid and soft, which helps make compassion possible.” Francis Weller, author and psychotherapist

Just a reminder…..

You can also download the Living Compass app for guided meditations, contemplative practices, and self-guided retreats for your phone at:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/living-compass/id6738334257

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.livingcompass&hl=en

And…uou can find the content of our new Living Compass app online from any web browser at https://app.livingcompass.org

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"The Power of Looking Up," Episode #149, November 13, 2025

The Northern Lights reminded us this week of the power of looking up--the power of awe and the importance of taking a higher perspective on how the Divine infuses and enlightens every aspect of our lives. 

Just a reminder…..

You can also download the Living Compass app for guided meditations, contemplative practices, and self-guided retreats for your phone at:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/living-compass/id6738334257

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.livingcompass&hl=en

And…uou can find the content of our new Living Compass app online from any web browser at https://app.livingcompass.org

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

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