New MWF Leader, Denise Crane

I am Denise Crane, one of the new leaders of the Missional Wisdom Foundation. I should probably start by explaining that I hate being in the spotlight. It’s just not my cup of tea. That said, after I got over the knot in my stomach at being asked to write about myself for this week’s spotlight, I realized that it gives me an amazing opportunity to talk about how wonderful it is to get to walk with these people who make up the Missional Wisdom Foundation and all the other people who journey alongside us. That is worth talking about!

I am a refugee from corporate America. After having spent a career there, I was looking for a place that I felt I could give back after all that I had been blessed with. I was also looking for a place where I could develop a calmer rhythm of life after the stress and long hours that are just part of the American business environment. I don’t come with any clergy training or prestigious degrees like my co-leaders do, but I can bring to the table a listening ear, creative approaches to problem solving, and a desire to encourage people and teams who are striving to figure out what God is up to in this time and to go alongside.

I have the great privilege of having God show up in our office every day in a million small ways that I am finally figuring out how to pay attention to. I hope that I am leaving wide open space for the Holy Spirit to do what she will and not get in the way. Mostly I dream that all the work of the Foundation and those who we journey with can help our world see a new way and find a new path to be God’s people in the world.

So we show up, we pay attention, we sit and listen, and we do the best we can to be the hands and feet of Christ to a world that needs healing. For all of you who journey with us, I thank you for the gift that you are!