Contemplative Outreach Birmingham is honored to host Rev. Dr. Stuart Higginbotham for a one-day contemplative conference on *Poetic Imagination and the Consent to the Divine Presence*. The conference will take place on Saturday, March 15, 2025, from 9:00am to 3:00pm at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church. The cost is $70 by credit card or $65 by check, with lunch included. Registration is required.

Toward the end of his life, Fr. Thomas Keating turned to poetry to express his deepest awareness of the Divine Presence. His poems serve both as a personal testament to his spiritual journey and as a teaching tool for others to explore in their own practice. Understanding why Fr. Thomas embraced poetry at that stage of his life offers valuable insights into his spiritual wisdom. The Rev. Dr. Stuart Higginbotham is an Episcopal priest and serves as rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Gainesville, Georgia. He is also Assistant Professor in the Practice of Spiritual Formation and Ministry at Candler School of Theology at Emory University.