Centering prayer isn’t about emptying your mind or saying the right things. According to Kieawnie Clar, it’s about finally stopping and letting God do what God needs to do.

In this episode of Jesus, Justice and Mercy, Kristen sits down with Kieawnie, a minister, spiritual director, Executive Director of her local Street Chaplaincy, and founder of the Bethany Project, for a conversation about what it actually means to be formed by love rather than driven by performance.

Kieawnie grew up Catholic in predominantly white spaces, came of age spiritually in evangelical environments that rewarded outward expression, and eventually found her way to contemplative practices, particularly centering prayer, that changed everything. Not because she had to do something, but because she finally stopped.

Together, they explore what centering prayer actually is and how to start, the difference between believing in God and truly experiencing God, how spiritual direction holds space for honest and doubting faith, what repair and reconciliation look like with unhoused neighbors, and why you can’t love others well until you’ve let God love you first.

This episode is for the person who knows all the right words and wonders why nothing is changing. It’s for the re-imagining.

How to reach Kieawnie:

Email: info@thebethanyprojectmarin.org

The Street Chaplaincy

The Bethany Project

Bethany Project Donation Link

For women who stayed small and called it faithfulness : a reading list to start finding your way back. Get it here!

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Here’s to a faith that tells the truth, refuses silence in the face of harm, and follows Jesus all the way into healing and justice.

RESOURCES:

www.kristenabrock.com

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