The Sacred Braid

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Natural Happiness and Incarnations of Beauty

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Daniel J. Miller
3
A Reflection in Three Parts Part Two         Thinking of the power of awe reminds me of another one of my spiritual heroes, Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement. A fallible and faithful friend Read more [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Awe, Beauty, Dorothy Day, Happiness, Nature, Simone Weil, Wonder | 3 Replies

Awe and Intimations of the Divine

Posted on June 28, 2017 by Daniel J. Miller
3
A Reflection in Three Parts Part One           The heavens are telling the glory of God. ~ Ps. 19:1 The world is charged with the grandeur of God ~ Gerard Manley Hopkins Awe is an intuition for the dignity Read more [...]
Posted in Wonder & Awe | Tagged Abraham Heschel, Awe, Belief, Faith, Mystery, Radical Amazement, Wonder | 3 Replies

Life-Line

Posted on June 26, 2017 by Daniel J. Miller
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Today's Life-Line is: Here’s what’s interesting— when studying shame and spirituality or shame and religion there are a lot of people—or over half of the people I have interviewed over the last thirteen years have pretty deep scars around faith Read more [...]
Posted in Community | Tagged Brene Brown, Church, Compassion, Healing, Hurting, Religion, Shame, Spirituality | Leave a reply

Life-Line

Posted on June 19, 2017 by Daniel J. Miller
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Today's Life-Line is: "What do you think of the world to come?" an admirer asked Thoreau. "One world at a time," Thoreau replied. Read more [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Being Present, Engaging Life, Henry David Thoreau | Leave a reply

Words Spoken, Lessons Learned

Posted on June 18, 2017 by Daniel J. Miller
4
A few days ago I discovered a box in the garage that contained a red three-ring binder. It contained five of the first homilies I ever preached. I offered them at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, a small parish in a small town that billed itself as the Gateway Read more [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Christ-life, Frederick Buechner, Marginalized, Poor | 4 Replies

Life-Line

Posted on June 12, 2017 by Daniel J. Miller
1
Today's Life-Line is: A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision, that true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring, is dimmed and even lost Read more [...]
Posted in Wonder & Awe | Tagged Adults, Awe, Children, Mentoring, Rachel Carson, Wonder | 1 Reply

Life-Line

Posted on June 5, 2017 by Daniel J. Miller
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Today's Life-Line is: The survival of the planet Earth in its integral reality is, it seems to me, the basic issue that confronts us here. In some basic sense, the human project and the Earth project are a single project. There is no way in which the Read more [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Christianity, Creation, Earth Care, Thomas Berry | Leave a reply

Life-Line

Posted on May 29, 2017 by Daniel J. Miller
5
Today's Life-Line is: The best way to remember those who have been killed in battle is to work for the day when others will no longer be sent to take their place. Prayerfully reflecting on how to move away from war and war preparation should be central Read more [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Non-Violence, Peace, Remembrance | 5 Replies

A Tree of Life

Posted on May 22, 2017 by Daniel J. Miller
2
NOTE: The letter below is a final note sent to the spiritual formation community I started and have led since 2003. In it I offer a Reflection Exercise for the summer months when we do not meet. It was offered as an addendum to our final gathering which Read more [...]
Posted in Significant Living | Tagged Annie Dillard, Dawna Markova, Living Significantly, Thoreau, Tree of Life | 2 Replies

Life-Line

Posted on May 22, 2017 by Daniel J. Miller
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156

There are no unsacred places;
there are only sacred places and desecrated places.

~ Wendell Berry

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Kinship with the Earth, Reverence, Sacred, Wendell Berry | Leave a reply

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Sample of Writings

  • What a Christian Looks Like
  • The Life of Sigh
  • The Song That Refuses to Sing
  • A Word to the Wise – Kindness
  • To Bless and Be Blessed
  • Listening to the Wind in the Wheat: A Meditation on the Eucharist
  • Being Human—Being Moved
  • In Gratitude for the Wild and Precious Life of Mary Oliver
  • TheGift Who Was Claire Wineland

Sayings of Brother Weeps

  • Brother Weeps Says Good Night
  • Brother Weeps and the Secretary of State
  • Brother Weeps and the Man in the Back
  • Brother Weeps on the Withness of God
  • Brother Weeps, the Hermit and His Dogs
  • Brother Weeps Speaks on Silence
  • Brother Weeps Drives Up a Hill
  • Brother Weeps and the Do-Si-Do

Recent Posts

  • We the People February 17, 2026
  • A Prayer of Martin Luther King, Jr. January 19, 2026
  • This is True December 22, 2025
  • Lectio Poetica No. 13 — We Will Be Known How? February 25, 2025
  • Shouldn’t Christians Try Christianity? February 10, 2025

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The Almond Tree

Programs


Interested in having Dan come to your community to teach, preach, or lead a retreat? Dan offers Parish Missions, as well as Presentations and Retreats, in a variety of formats .

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Spiritual Direction


Interested in Spiritual Direction? Dan is based on Whidbey Island north of Seattle, WA. He meets with people online and occasionally in person. He also is available to teach in spiritual guidance programs or to give talks about spiritual direction.

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The Human & the Holy


Interested in being part of a spiritual formation community? The Human & the Holy is an ecumenical community that comes together once a month to share simple ritual, contemplative silence, reverent dialogue, attentive listening, presentation, and spiritual practice.

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© Daniel J. Miller, 2013-2026. All Rights Reserved.
For more information contact Dan Miller.