Jordan Stones Blog

Sweet Friends, this is the invitation : the same one for me and for you: “The herald of the King calls to you in this moment to come away from the crush and the crowds, to come away to a space of stillness to be ready for the coming of the Lord” (A. Voskamp, The Greatest Gift p. 210) It doesn’t happen automatically. Doesn’t happen without intention.  As epic as it is, you’ll miss it if you don’t lean in.  I’ll  miss it if I don’t lean in.  The “eucatastrophe” is coming… the apex of we have been waiting for.  The moment when hurt and distraction and longing and disappointment and death are obliterated and the Lover makes his entrance…spectacular rescue, the battle for intimacy fought for and won, the only satisfying experience there is …that of Presence…rushes in like a broken damn.  And all this in the tiny package of a baby. “ And even now, with tiny features and dewy hair, He is great.” Isaiah 9:6 (the Voice) The shift from Struggl...

Tips from our trusted Page Love, MS, RD, CSSD, LD -  Holiday parties and social gatherings can bring challenges to your normal nutritional routine.  Here is a handy list of tips to help you navigate holiday eating. 1.        Eat a snack before social eating situations such as an apple or baby carrots and string cheese.  This will settle your hunger so you will not overindulge in party food 2.        Both offer to bring a healthy appetizer as well as try to find out about the menu ahead of time so that you can pre-plan your meal.  Healthy appetizer options include a fruit salad or a veggie tray with a healthy yogurt dip 3.        Once you arrive, first choose a hydrating beverage to help with hydration and help decrease overall alcohol intake.  Choose beverages like club soda, diet sprite, Fresca, or decaffeinated diet sodas. 4.     ...

I think November may well give me whip lash this year.  In the midst of the holidays coming toward us like a train, there is something that I know:  it’s not too early to prepare.  In order to prepare to NOT do the holidays in fast forward  autopilot, I believe we need to start making intentions and now in early November.  At least internally (trust me, I am not saying we need to have our Christmas lists ready to roll!), we need to be ready for December before it is December if we are going to live the holidays in special and meaningful way.    Which brings us to Advent. Advent is full of meaning, sentiment and deep joy for me. The definition of Advent is: the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event . It begins the Sunday after Thanksgiving and consists of 4 Sundays and weeks of content and attention preparing for the arrival of the Greatest Gift, and incorporating it into your holiday season.  I have found it to be game-changing if ...

I have often mentioned the old metaphor taught to me long ago.  I have called it to many of you  “feelings are road signs”.  As we drive our cars from here to there, there are signs everywhere…”this way to Greenville”, “men at work ahead”, “merge”, “Starbucks (stop here!)”… and on and on.  Someone once said that our feelings play the exact function of road signs in our inner worlds.  They contain code, information, vital material for our next-best-thing-to-do toward well being and goodness and thriving our lives.  All things I am passionate about leading others (and myself) to follow.  If we pay attention, there is wisdom in our deep places (AKA the knit-in Holy Spirit-laced authentic self) that has exactly what we need to arrive there. “At the heart of the discernment process is the ability to pay attention to…the inner dynamics that give us clues to whether the step we are considering will nurture life in us: the life of Christ lived ...

This poem  is such a well expressed illustration of what I expressed in the last blog post below ( It's Personal...Homesick for Eden) .  It speaks to that code that we have the gift to decipher ...the messengers we experience in the form of pain, disturbances, and dis-ease in our bodies.  Take a minute to read this through, see what lines you gravitate to. Which describe your inner  experience  and the connection it has to the Truth you need to allow to soothe you to the next place of  wholeness  and Blessing? This poem was shared with me by my yoga teacher, Sheila McVay, owner of Johns Creek yoga. I am always nurtured by her invitations to integrate my inner and outer world.  The Felt Sense Prayer I am the pain in your head, the knot in your stomach, the unspoken grief in your smile. I am your high blood sugar, your elevated blood pressure, your fear of challenge, your lack of trust. I am your hot flashes, your c...

So, this Holy Yoga thing. It’s personal.  Today is my birthday – the big 3-9. About a year ago I made   it my goal to complete holy yoga teacher training before I turned 40. I guess I can’t get around the fact that I am an over achiever – I accomplished my goal in 6 months or so and finished with training in May [and L.O.V.E.D it, by the way].  I am mulling over a 40 old 2.0 goal so I can capitalize on the motivation. [Stay tuned...] On this birth day of mine, I decided I needed to connect some words to my Why. In order to get the good out of it, I need to lace it in with meaning.  There’s backstory needed though, to communicate my truth at all. A big chapter in my story has indeed been this body of mine.   At one point I would have said “it has caused a lion’s share of trouble in my existence”.  I stopped thinking that way a long time ago though.  It’s always, from birth, been quirky. This not quite functioning right, tha...

Psychotherapy Is a process of “welcoming” the stranger-he who is estranged from himself, away from home, wandering in an alien land-into a relationship of trust, care, and mutual respect. Psychotherapy Is a process of “visiting” the imprisoned, those chained to their own compulsions, shackled by self-deception, pacing the narrow cells of guilt and anxiety, and talking with them about their prospects for freedom. Psychotherapy Is a process of “clothing” the nakedness of those who have been stripped by illness of all pretense and self-respect, whose emptiness and failure have been laid bare to the world, who have been deprived of all protective devices, masks, barriers, and hiding places. Psychotherapy Is a special way of “calling” upon and sojourning within the inner frame of reference of those who wait under the conditions of helpless sickness, yearning daily for the day of deliverance. Thomas Oden

August presents a "New Year's Eve" experience for many of us.  Just as much if not more as January calls us to a recalibration of ourselves, because of the change of tide around the school year...this month requires a reset too. During the summer there is a shared longing to  "exhale" - to enjoy the change of rhythm and the experiences offered through that nurture our soul if we let them.  There is an example in the Bible of a man on a journey that includes a trajectory of high productivity, leading to high stress and fear, leading to  a collapse into restoration that looks like this "exhale" we long for in the summer season. Many of us have recent months behind us that look somewhat similar. Elijah in 1 Kings 19 doesn't really have a say in his rest...he more or less crumbles into it.  Our pursuit should be to honor when we need to peel away and be replenished BEFORE we have nothing left to show for it...see my last post on " dange...

This is an insightful excerpt from Ruth Haley Barton's book "Invitation to Solitude and Silence".   It is about tiredness.  She very wisely creates a distinction between " good tired" and "bad tired".   I think it is so important to recognize which characterizes your insides so that you know how to proceed with wellbeing. You are going to love it. Take a second and scroll down to read.   Those of you who spend time with me know I refer to my own inner space as having a "climate" often as I take my temperature and pay attention to what I am in need of.  As you read the below, you will notice her weather metaphor and will connect the metaphors I have used in the past. I think it is a rich building block on that foundation. I would also like to note that there are different kinds of rest required for different kinds of tired.  Sometimes exhaustion feels deep. We take a nap or a vacation, and when resuming our lives, we find that tired...

Come explore how to incorporate the traditional ancient art of reading and praying scripture found in the lectio divina into your spiritual walk - find ways to connect with God that fit YOUR personality.  SATURDAY JULY 25TH  9:00 AM - 11:30 AM   50$   Through short tests (Myers Briggs Temperament) and discussion, we will discover our individual spiritual personality bends.  We will discover which practices fit into YOUR soul shape and lifestyle and   give you access to more Jesus . We'll match your spiritual personality to one of a few traditional streams: Franciscan, Tomastic, Ignatian, and Augustinian.      We will begin with basic LEVEL 1 Holy Yoga on your mat so make sure to bring it and any props you know you will need!   This is for anyone who would like to feed their spirit, rest and refuel, and feel a stronger anchor into their True Center.  For those who want to nourish and freshen their connecti...

This is inspired by all my dear ones that have recently  graduated, those looking ahead at significant shifts, and for my sweet friends in transition.  I would love for you to know that God  is DEEPLY passionate about your highest blessing.  I would love for you to know that deciding what the next right thing to do,  whether big or small, is not a cosmic guessing game.  He's not "upstairs" just wondering if you are going to pick what is behind the right door or not.   That is not in the Good Shepherd's nature.  At all.  His will for you is unshakable and unmovable and you CANT MESS IT UP.  No need to feel struck with fear  that somehow picking wrong would change the course of events away from blessing. "We usually focus on what we are doing or where we are going, but God's primary concern is who we're becoming in the process.  We talk about "doing" the will of God, but the will of god has much more to do with "b...

Abide. In. My. Love. John 15:19 As Christians, we are invited to live a Temple Life. A With-God life.  I am passionate about the healing and wholeness found there.  This Kingdom Life  is an invitation to trust Jesus not just for our eternal destiny, but for an inheritance lived in the Here and now, in the "land of the living" (Psalm 27). We are containers, Abiding in Jesus and Jesus abiding in us.  But how often does our reality reflect that? What percent of our daily moments feel lived in His presence and favor?  How many of us criticize and curse our containers?  How many of us use them more as ornaments than instruments? How many see them as obstacles instead of vehicles ?  Struggle to feel God's presence in the middle of the coming and going and haste of days?   I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant" John 15:5 (M...