Everyone invited to inspire, be inspired here

Ginny Nilsen

March 13, 2010

It has been a privilege and joy to help coordinate this column on spirituality for the past seven years and I look forward to a bright future for this endeavor with the prayers and help of all who support it. The interfaith community of Lane County has rallied to the task each Saturday to share personal spiritual experiences on this religion page that The Register-Guard has provided for its readers — that’s 364 articles written from about 35 different faith and spiritual perspectives.

Readers have had the opportunity to learn how people of different faiths view God, commune with Spirit, celebrate, practice their rituals, and demonstrate their beliefs daily in relationships, work, economic issues and health. We’ve read of life- and love-saving experiences through prayer and divine intervention, of challenges overcome, relationships healed, of health lost and health restored, and cried with sorrow as well as joy.

We’ve felt inspired by what the writers have shared and deepened our understanding of the power and presence of God and the ability of prayer to inform and uplift any number of human problems and limitations.

How do I know this? Because I have been the recipient of phone calls from the community responding to the articles and calling to thank Lane Interfaith Alliance and the writers for their work and sometimes to ask to speak with a particular contributor.

It hasn’t been effortless for some writers to craft their articles. Many are everyday folks who may not be professionally educated, skilled or talented writers. But they are people believing in the importance and power of a column like this to spiritualize and transform community thought. They have willingly contributed their personal experience and gratitude for divine love’s presence, protection, and wisdom in their lives.

Writers are encouraged to write as if they were having a conversation with someone and simply relating their experience or spiritual awareness. I’ve often thought while listening to many people relate a spiritual experience, “Oh, if only I were tape-recording this right now; this would make a wonderful article for ‘From Heart to Heart.’”

Whatever the story, writers are also welcome to share ideas (often perplexing to the human mind) that help us all see how we can spiritually deal with societal problems such as unemployment, homelessness, panhandling, addiction, injury or disease that give the reader helpful insights into religious or spiritual teachings — as long as the article is supported by the writers’ own experience and is not proselytizing. There have been benefits from reading how the writers reasoned spiritually and how their prayerful insights blessed and changed a situation for the better.

Anyone is welcome to submit articles according to the guidelines for the column (see tagline below). However, whether we are writers or readers, we all have the opportunity through this column to contribute and receive new light about spirituality, and about the intelligence, wisdom, wholeness, peace and freedom of spirit that can strengthen our lives, our families and communities.

Ginny Nilsen has relocated to Azusa, Calif., to write more and to concentrate her studies on the healing ideas in the Bible and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy. This column is coordinated by Lane Interfaith Alliance to offer inspiration, share personal spiritual experiences and bring a deeper understanding of individual faith perspectives with the intention of blessing our community and the world. For information, visit www.laneinterfaithalliance.org or call 541-344-0430.