Enter into Holy Attention

A new space within Formed for learning to attend to Christ in a distracted world

A new space within Formed for learning to attend to Christ in a distracted world

I am excited to introduce a new space here within Formed called Holy Attention.

This community has grown out of the book I have been writing, but my hope is that it becomes much more than a place to simply talk about a book. Holy Attention was written around a question that has become increasingly important in my own life: What has my attention, and what is that attention doing to my soul?

We live in a world constantly competing for us. Our phones want our attention. Work wants our attention. The news wants our attention. Our worries, ambitions, fears, responsibilities, and endless stream of information all want a piece of us. We can move through an entire day looking at a thousand things and still fail to truly see the people standing in front of us. We can hear countless voices and still struggle to become quiet enough to listen to God.

I have become increasingly convinced that attention is not simply a matter of productivity or mental health. It is deeply spiritual.

What we continually behold shapes us. What we repeatedly return to forms us. What receives our attention eventually begins to receive our affection.

The purpose of Holy Attention is not simply to help us become less distracted. It is to help us become more attentive to Christ.

That is what this new space within Formed will be about.

Here, we will explore many of the themes found in the book, but we will also go beyond its pages. We will talk about silence and stillness, prayer and watchfulness, the Jesus Prayer, repentance, the Divine Liturgy, seeing the image of God in others, finding Christ in ordinary moments, and learning to carry our faith into the places where most of life actually happens.

Most importantly, this will be a place to practice together.

One of the things I realized while finishing Holy Attention was that recognizing our distraction is not enough. We need practical ways to respond to it. We need small habits that help turn the heart back toward Christ.

That is why you will regularly see A Small Act of Attention here. These will be simple practices we can carry into ordinary life. Nothing complicated. Nothing designed to manufacture a spiritual experience. Just small opportunities to stop, become present, pray, notice, listen, and return.

We will also have conversations about what this looks like in real life.

Where did you notice Christ today?

What is distracting your heart?

What are you learning about prayer?

Where are you struggling to remain present?

What happens when God feels silent?

How do we return when we have wandered?

This is not a community for people who have mastered any of these things. I certainly have not. In many ways, Holy Attention exists because I needed to write it for myself.

I know what it is like to have a scattered heart.

I know what it is like to carry responsibilities, questions, worries, and uncertainty while trying to remain faithful.

I know how easy it is to become so occupied with life that we begin moving through it without truly being present to it.

And I am learning that the answer is not found in trying harder to hold everything together.

It is found in returning.

Returning to prayer.

Returning to stillness.

Returning to the person standing before us.

Returning to the life God has actually given us.

Returning, again and again, to Christ.

Over time, we will walk through the twenty steps of Holy Attention together. I will share expanded reflections, questions for discussion, practical exercises, prayers, and thoughts that did not make it into the book. Whether you eventually read the book or never do, you are welcome to participate.

Because ultimately, this is not about a book.

The book is simply an invitation.

The real journey is learning to live with our hearts turned toward Christ.

So welcome to Holy Attention within Formed.

Bring your questions.

Bring your distractions.

Bring your restless heart.

Bring your desire to know Christ more deeply.

We will learn together to become still enough to notice, attentive enough to listen, humble enough to return, and faithful enough to begin again.

The world will continue asking for our attention.

May we learn, together, to give our hearts to Christ.

Do you have questions? Leave a comment or send me a message.

Happy to hear from you! -Dan