🌿 CHOOSING PRESENCE | Meeting God in the Moment
A Guided Spiritual Formation Experience
Hosted in collaboration with Illuman SoCal
CHOOSING PRESENCE | Meeting God in the Moment is an eight-week guided spiritual formation journey that invites men to live where God is always found: the present moment.
Rather than rehearsing the past or projecting fear into the future, this experience gently trains participants to become receptive to the movement of the Holy Spirit here and now. Through teaching, stillness, reflection, spiritual practice, and community, men are accompanied toward greater peace, clarity, and inner freedom.
As Richard Rohr often reminds us, “God is only ever found in the present moment.” Presence becomes the doorway through which transformation is received.
🪷 Introduction to the Practice of Presence
Choosing Presence: How to Access God’s Peace and Release Fear, Anxiety, and Stress
📅 Program Schedule
(All sessions on Zoom)
Eight Saturdays | April 18 – June 6, 2026 | 9:00 - 10:30 AM Pacific Time | 12:00 - 1:30PM Eastern Time
April 18 — The Unconscious Self
April 25 — Meeting God in the Moment
May 2 — Stillness
May 9 — Accessing Presence
May 16 — Inner Conditioning
May 23 — Resistance
May 30 — The Courage to Stop Negative Thinking & Gossip
June 6 — We All Want Peace
👥 Teaching Team
The Zoom sessions will be led by the Choosing Presence Team:
Jim Heaney — Author of Choosing Presence & SoCal Illuman Elder
Jim Taylor — Illuman Weaver & Pastor
Brian Mueller — Choosing Presence Community Organizer & Ohio Illuman Elder
🏔 Optional In-Person Retreat
June 13–15, 2026 | Big Bear City, California
A contemplative retreat experience for 18 men, deepening the practices of Choosing Presence.
Friday evening arrival, Sunday morning departure
Facilitated by Jim Taylor
Retreat space hold deadline: May 13, 2026
(Additional accommodations may be added if interest exceeds capacity.)
💛 Registration & Cost
Cost: $0 (Free will offerings to Illuman SoCal are welcome)
Registration deadline: April 11, 2026
This program is fully underwritten by a dedicated patron to whom we owe a debt of gratitude. Their investment makes it possible for us to foster a community striving to be more authentic and radically inclusive.