Contemplative Connection Newsletter

May 2026

May The Peace of the Earth Be With You (Lyrics)

Welcome to May. As I started to reflect on this month's Newsletter, it occurred to me how many blessings start with the word “may”, and many prayers too. May is a special month for me as it is the peak of Spring and the threshold into Summer. The wind dies down a little (sometimes), and the temperatures hit a sweet spot in between our freezing winters and scorching summers. If we are lucky, May brings in a plethora of 70-degree days, and the greening world outside starts to bloom and come into fullness.

As I ruminate on May, a certain peace comes over me as I embrace Spring with its peaceful walks, hikes, gardening, and bike rides. I get to go outside and play again. Not that I didn’t make a snowman or two this winter, but the opportunities are more abundant in the Spring and Summer.

Our Prairie Church has hit full swing, and the opportunity to experience the mystery of God in nature raises my spirits. One of my favorite worship songs, which also serves as a blessing, is The Peace of the Earth Be With You. I can feel the song in my soul. The “natural” world is brimming with God’s word and love. It has so much to say and offer us. In fact, we belong to the natural world, and it belongs to us. We belong to each other. The earth and its features offer me peace, deep peace, and connection to the sacred. Sometimes it also offers me a sunburn or a bug bite, but that is ok too.

What role does creation play in your spiritual life and connection to the sacred? Where do you find Holy Ground?

May you experience the peace of Christ and the love of God in the natural world. May you know that all ground is Holy and that you are surrounded by and saturated with the love of God. May you have moments where the ordinary recedes, and the awareness of the sacred takes over. May the peace of the earth be with you, may God’s peace grow in you.

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Quick Notes

*No Sunday Afternoon Contemplative Conversations on Mother's Day, May 10th or During Church on the Prairie, May 24th.*

New Contemplative Circles begin this month! Register here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RBKPPHK​

Learn more below about our upcoming Telluride Pastors, Teachers, and Leaders Retreat!
Register: https://tithe.ly/event-registration/#/10902262

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Interested in the intersection of contemplation, unknowing, and art? Join us for our next: Contemplative Conversation Circles:
Small Groups Journeying, Learning, and Practicing Together via Zoom.

Reading: Make Your Home in This Luminous Dark: Mysticism, Art, and the Path of Unknowing by JAMES K. A. SMITH

A 6-week Study: Beginning May 20th/21st/23rd. We meet for one hour via Zoom.

“As a philosopher whose business is to know, James K. A. Smith invites us into a different way of being―the experience of unknowing. In Make Your Home in This Luminous Dark, Smith shares his unknowable childhood experience of abandonment by his father, and his gentle book teaches liberation found in the down-to-earth contemplative wisdom of the medieval masterpiece The Cloud of Unknowing and of many other sages. May we join Smith in being vulnerable, open, beloved by God, and filled with wonder and loving.”

― Carmen Acevedo Butcher, core faculty member at Center for Action and Contemplation, and award-winning translator of The Cloud of Unknowing

Register Here

Purchase The Book

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​About Contemplative Conversation Circles
​In our groups, we create a safe, sacred container for conversation and practice as we journey together through books on contemplation, Christianity, and spiritual growth. Through shared ground rules and curiosity, we learn from each other, ourselves, and the text. Many participants stick with their groups for future studies and become ongoing groups.

What Happens Next
​All groups are hosted on The Contemplative Cathedral, an online platform that allows for sharing, discussion, access to Zoom links, and multi-model learning and engagement. You will receive an invitation to join the group in The Cathedral at least a week before we begin.
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​About the Book
​A philosopher journeys back to the mystics to learn how to live with uncertainty in the twenty-first century

How do we live when we don’t know what to believe, or who to believe, or how we could even know? In this deeply felt book, philosopher James K. A. Smith explores how radical uncertainty can be liberating, opening us to another way of being. The pain of his own profound uncertainty led Smith to a surprising source for modern consolation: the mystical experiences of St. Teresa of Ávila, St. John of the Cross, and the author of The Cloud of Unknowing. These mystics testify to a deeper truth beneath distraction, anxiety, and fear: love.

Drawing on ancient traditions of contemplation as well as on contemporary novels, poetry, film, and paintings, Smith speaks to the fundamental yearnings that persist in late modernity, including the philosophical quest for knowledge and certainty. He shows us how the gifts of the Christian contemplative tradition and the riches of creative works embody a liberating spirituality that recovers the fullness of being human.

In bringing a philosopher’s questions to the mystics, Smith brings a mystical heart back to philosophy.

About the Author
​James K. A. Smith is professor of philosophy at Calvin University. He is the award-winning author of numerous books, including You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit and On the Road with Saint Augustine: A Real-World Spirituality for Restless Hearts. He lives in Grand Rapids, MI. His popular writing has appeared in magazines such as Christianity Today, Christian Century, and the Los Angeles Review of Books, as well as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and USA Today.

Next Meeting: Sunday, May 24th at 1:00pm

Join us for our monthly celebration on the prairie with drumming, short reading reflections, meditation, and a mindfulness walk through the majestic trails of Pioneers Park. Those who don’t wish to walk may sit on the Nature Center deck that faces a beautiful prairie and buffalo. We often close with a drumming circle (no experience required).

We will meet inside the auditorium at the Nature Center. During colder months, we will meet for one hour and have a shorter walking time. In the warmer months, we will meet for 75 minutes and often meet on the back deck, weather permitting.

Bring a chair, a water bottle, and a drum. Some drums will be provided.

Nature Center and Deck are wheelchair accessible.

Location
The Nature Center at Pioneers Park
​3201 S. Coddington Ave
South Coddington- Lincoln, NE 68522

Telluride Pastors, Teachers, and Leaders Retreat

A Christian Contemplative Retreat for Rest, Renewal, and Return

When

June 7–11, 2026, in beautiful Telluride, Colorado
​Beginning the evening of June 7th
Concluding the morning of June 11th

Registration

Register Here

Registration $750 – Register before April 1st for a reduced rate of $700. Early registrations are also eligible for payment plans split over 2 or 3 payments.

Registration includes:

• Four nights (June 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th) at Hotel Telluride

Hotel Link

• Catered lunch on June 8th, 9th, and 10th
• All retreat sessions and guided practices at Christ Church Telluride. Walking distance from the Hotel Telluride.

This retreat is made possible by a grant from the Trust for the Meditation Process, a charitable foundation encouraging meditation, mindfulness, and contemplative prayer. The grant helps make this experience accessible. Four nights at Hotel Telluride alone typically cost over $1,500. Learn more about the Trust for the Meditation Process here:

Trust Mediation

Description

Participants will retreat for rest and renewal through silence, nature, and contemplative practice in the breathtaking mountain setting of Telluride, Colorado.

This retreat offers:

• Training in contemplative practices
• Practical tools for incorporating contemplative spirituality into churches and denominational contexts
• Guided outdoor contemplative practices and mindfulness walks

There will be intentional rhythms of silence and community. The retreat will also offer opportunities and spaciousness to explore the many walking trails, views, and magic of Telluride. Local presenter Greg Durham and host Peter Traben Haas will offer tips and guidance on where to go and what to do during free time.

Participants will leave renewed in spirit and equipped to return to their ministries with depth, groundedness, and practical contemplative tools.

Presenters

Gregory Cash Durham is a dad, writer, minister, and retreat leader based in Telluride, CO, and Austin, TX. He is the founder of the contemplative spiritual community Contemplation In The City, and a founding member of the arts-centered church Life In The City, both in Austin. He received his education at Hunter College (NYC), Université de Paris (France), and St. Stephen’s University (Canada), but is most proud of being a 2022 graduate of Richard Rohr’s Living School at the Center for Action and Contemplation. He writes about the Christian mystics at lifeinthecity.substack.com and modern contemplative spiritual life at contemplationinthecity.substack.com.

Adam Luedtke is a pastor, spiritual director, and curator of contemplative spaces in Lincoln, NE. Since 2016, Adam has been the Director and Pastor of Contemplate Lincoln, a Christian contemplative community in Lincoln, NE. In 2020, Adam founded the Contemplative Cathedral, an online contemplative community and platform. In 2021, Adam co-founded the Contemplative Community Creators Network (3CN), a collective of leaders and community creators in the Christian Contemplative Tradition. In addition, Adam leads retreats for clergy, Christian denominations, churches, and individuals. Adam has a PhD in Psychology, an MA in Transpersonal Studies, and a BA in Psychology and Religious Studies. As well as certifications in transformational coaching and spiritual direction. Adam is a practitioner of meditation and centering prayer and a teacher of spiritual practices, Christian mysticism, and Christian contemplation.

Learn more at https://contemplatelincoln.org or check out the Contemplative Cathedral at community.contemplatelincoln.org​

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About Our Host

Christ Presbyterian Church

Christ Presbyterian Church is a progressive and inclusive Christian community in Telluride that honors each person’s unique spiritual journey.

Organized in 1889, it was the first church established in Telluride. Located one block off Colorado Avenue, the church is surrounded by historic homes and mountain beauty.

The church grounds include contemplative gardens and a labyrinth registered with the International Labyrinth Society. The sanctuary windows open toward the surrounding mountains, and the space reflects the warmth and welcome of the congregation.

Learn More

Rev. Dr. Peter Traben Haas

Rev. Dr. Peter Traben Haas is an ordained Teaching Pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA) with over 25 years of ministry experience. He earned degrees from Moody Bible Institute, Princeton Theological Seminary, and Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Peter is the author of multiple contemplative works, including Contemplative Church and contributions to Paraclete Press’s Centering Prayers series.

He serves as Pastor at Christ Presbyterian Church in Telluride and is a respected Centering Prayer retreat leader and guest teacher.

Draft Retreat Schedule

June 7th Sunday Evening (Arrival Day)

• 7:00pm: Opening Practice and Altar Building

June 8th – 10th Monday – Wednesday

• 9:00am – 11:00am: Morning Practice & Workshop
• 11:00am – 1:00pm: Lunch
• 1:00pm – 2:30pm: Afternoon Workshop
• 2:30pm – 6:30pm: Open Time and Dinner
• 7:00pm – 8:30pm: Community Discussion, Conversation, and Evening Practice
• 8:30pm: Sunset in Telluride. See the Alpine Glow from Sanctuary and the Mountain Top Viewing on St. Sophia Gondola

June 11th Thursday (Departure Day)

• 9:00am - 10:30am: Closing Practice

On The Cathedral

RSVP on The Contemplative Cathedral to receive links, reminders, and updates. The Contemplative Cathedral also connects you to the larger community and ongoing conversation.

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Tell Your Story & Support Contemplate Lincoln & The Contemplative Cathedral

Help us tell the story of our community by sharing your experience. We know one of the best ways to invite others into our community is through the stories of those who have benefited from Contemplate Lincoln and The Contemplative Cathedral.

Excerpts from your gifts of sharing will be used in social media posts and newsletters. If you have benefited from our contemplative community consider adding your story through the link below.

Many Thanks,
Adam

Tell Your Story

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The Contemplative Cathedral
A Space to Deepen Your Spiritual Life

Join us online for contemplation and community. So many of us on the contemplative path eventually get to the point where we can go no further alone. The Contemplative Cathedral is a response to the inner yearning of many contemplatives for community. It looks a little like other social media platforms, but it is so much more. It's a space to conspire, connect, and contemplate, and our online home for all of our event info (both online & in-person), links, and groups. It also serves as a way to stay connected in between events.

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Meeting Links

Below are the Zoom links to events (Central Time Zone)

Sign up on The Contemplative Cathedral to receive alerts, and reminders, and be part of the ongoing conversation.

Lectio Divina - Mondays at 9:15am: Link​

Sunday Gatherings - Sunday’s at 11:00am: Link​

Contemplative Conversations - Sundays at 12:15pm: Link​
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