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Jen A. Miller Consulting

Tag: spirituality

  • Single Girl Reads | The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything

    9 reasons you need to read James Martin, S.J.’s Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Anything

    jesuit_guide
    When Jen and I were developing the idea for The Single Diaries, we agreed that our main focus would be on relationships: romantic, platonic, familial, but most importantly the one with self. One major life influence for each of us is spirituality, and it may be for many of you as well. Regardless of your self-described religion or spirituality, I highly recommend The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything as a way to incorporate that part of your identity into real life. This book is applicable to anyone looking to deepen their spirituality, regardless of their main belief system. As Martin S.J. states, “Just as there are insights from Zen Buddhism that are useful to me as a Christian, so there are practices and techniques from Ignatian spirituality that can help the Zen Buddhist. And the person who is Jewish or Muslim, too. Anyone can use these practices to better his or her life” (393). 

    In Twenty-Seven | What I’ve Learned This Far, I cited this particular book as a wonderful starting point for anyone looking to reflect and deepen their knowledge of themselves on this level. I tend to read books with a pencil in hand, but this one is impossible to get through without one. It took me a really long time to get through it, not because it was uninteresting… on the contrary, while the material James Martin S.J. covers is dense and requires a lot of reflection and processing, he writes in true Jesuit fashion making the teachings of St. Ignatius accessible for all with more than a few moments of real laugh-out-loud humor. Whether your goal is to get to deepen your sense of self, learn more about St. Ignatius and his friends, or get a better understanding of Jesuit teachings, here are 9 points that Martin, S.J. makes… and my arguments for why you should pick up a copy and start the trek through this book today, if not sooner.

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  • Twenty-Seven | What I’ve Learned Thus Far

    Catherine sums up a month of reflection in turning twenty-seven

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    Just a month after my 27th birthday, I already feel like a changed woman. Okay, it helps a lot that I left my job just two weeks prior to my birthday and essentially am living like a college kid on summer vacation… so after five years of a regular 9 to 6 job without a lot of free time to travel and breathe, feeling different was inevitable. Nevertheless, the change of pace prompted a lot of reflection and self-discovery. Here’s what I’ve learned since turning 27.

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