Explore Insights on Choosing Presence & the Practice of Presence
Browse, reflect, and embrace the practice of presence!
Welcome to our collection of thought-provoking articles designed to inspire and support your journey towards daily calm and presence. Here, you’ll find deep reflections on Choosing Presence and the Practice of Presence, along with explorations of contemplative prayer, meditation, and the art of living in the moment.
Whether you’re seeking practical guidance, fresh perspectives, or a deeper understanding of presence in daily life, these articles offer valuable wisdom to help you cultivate stillness, awareness, and a stronger connection with God.
Putting Pen to Paper: How Journaling Becomes a Practice of Presence
A recent Guardian article reminds us that journaling is one of the simplest, most accessible tools for self-reflection — and that there is no wrong way to do it. At Choosing Presence, we've long viewed journaling as something more: a doorway into stillness, a quiet conversation with God, and a contemplative practice that helps us recognize where we are and gently return to peace.
Reclaiming the Mind: Michael Pollan on Consciousness, Presence, and the Yearning for Inner Sovereignty
Our consciousness is under pressure — from phones, from algorithms, from the relentless demands of modern life. Michael Pollan's new book, A World Appears, traces the science and the strangeness of our inner lives, and arrives at a quietly urgent conclusion: we need to take back sovereignty over our own minds.
The Holy Pause: You Don’t Need a Vacation to Find Peace
Practice of Presence Teaching
Peace isn’t a destination you reach when life finally calms down—it’s a quiet reality waiting beneath today’s noise. This reflection invites you to take a holy pause in the middle of your responsibilities: three conscious breaths, a simple check-in, and a return to inner peace—right where you are.
Choosing Presence: A Simple Guide for Newcomers (What It Is, How It Works, and How to Begin)
Choosing Presence: A Simple Guide for Newcomers
Choosing Presence is a Christian contemplative approach for returning to God’s peace in everyday life—through a short daily stillness practice and quick “return to presence” moments when stress rises. This guide explains the heart of the practice, offers ready-to-use ways to describe it, and gives you a gentle plan to start.
A Year of Choosing Presence
Practice of Presence Teaching
As 2025 comes to a close, we pause to remember a simple truth we’ve returned to all year: presence is always available. Through breath, stillness, and conscious awareness, we’ve learned again and again that peace is not something we create, but something we remember in the present moment. With gratitude for the journey we’ve shared, we invite you to continue deepening the Practice of Presence in the year ahead—and to begin again with gentleness and trust.