Contemplative Background
Not raised in any religious tradition, David began searching for meaning when he was a young man in the 1970’s. He began meditating, first in Hindu and then in Buddhist traditions. He awakened to Christ’s love and became Christian in 1981. He changed his contemplative practice to Centering Prayer and met Fr. Thomas Keating – the Trappist monk and animator of Centering Prayer – a few years later.
David has spent much of the time in the last 25 years in retreat and contemplative practice. Although a great deal of this has been solitude, it has also always been encircled by a community of spiritual friends. His contemplative practice is now expressed more actively in his work as a spiritual director and in his own ordinary life.
Since 1984 Fr. Thomas Keating has been his “Abba,” or Spiritual Father, a relationship based upon mentoring and spiritual generativity. David has taught Centering Prayer under Fr. Keating’s guidance since 1984. He co-created and for 10 years co-led a contemplative retreat center under Fr. Keating’s auspices.
Professional Background
David is a Certified Addictions Counselor and has a M.A. in Counseling Psychology. He is on the staff of the Center for Contemplative Living (part of Contemplative Outreach of Colorado) in Denver and is an Adjunct Faculty in the Religious Studies Department at Naropa University. David has served within Fr. Keating’s international organization, Contemplative Outreach Ltd., since its inception in 1984, including as a trainer for long-term practitioners, and as a member of its Board of Trustees and its Faculty. He currently serves on its Pastoral Council.
David teaches annual ten-day training retreats at St. Benedict’s Monastery Retreat House, through Contemplative outreach of Colorado, and at the Garrison Institute, through Contemplative Outreach. His chapter, “Three Contemplative Waves,” was recently published in Spirituality, Contemplation & Transformation, by Lantern Books.
