The Grace of...Silence

As a contemplative myself, I am always interested when people talk about silence. For most, a time of silence is about withdrawal from the everyday world for a time of introspection. It is quite common for people to describe a time of silence wistfully, as if it were some unachievable goal. When I suggest getting up a little earlier, or going to bed a few minutes later, or setting an alarm during the day, people often smile and set the idea aside, unwilling to devote any time in their schedule for something as self-indulgent as a quiet time for themselves.

Wisdom for the Way, DevotionalMissional Wisdom FoundationFebruary 19, 2019Theme XIII, The Grace of, Larry Duggins, contemplative, SilenceComment

The Grace of...Paying Attention

These days, everyone seems to say...
“Take care of yourself, your body, mind, and spirit.”

Everywhere I go, I seem to hear...
“It is necessary to know yourself and who you are.”

Gurus, counselors, and life coaches all seem to proclaim...
“Do what you need to do to take care of you”

The Grace of...Knowing Your Context

I understand grace as an invitation toward something wonderful and a revelation of God’s loving action in our world. With this understanding, I see grace at work in my neighborhood. I have neighbors with gifts to share, and my neighborhood has resources and assets. Those treasures catch my attention and draw me toward an abundant life. Those treasures also reveal God’s action, as God has planted gifts in every single person.

The Grace of...Empowerment

Kryptonite is an alien mineral that has the property of depriving Superman of his power. It is a fluorescent green stone that is usually used against superman in a solid form, and the radiation from the crystalline rock causes sickness and ultimate weakness. One of the most difficult things about Kryptonite is its potency; however, because it is such a distinct mineral it is obvious when you encounter the substance.

Wisdom for the Way, DevotionalMissional Wisdom FoundationJanuary 23, 2019Theme XIII, The Grace of, Luke Lingle, EmpowermentComment

The Grace of...Community

Outside of The Foundry House, there is a wooden sign that indicates the building’s previous use on the campus of Crossnore School & Children’s Home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It designates the building as the William R. Brantley Retreat Center.

The Grace of...Living Missionally

I hope that in our everyday lives, we can remember that we are God’s sent out people.

What we do every day matters. That is part of living missionally.

Wisdom for the Way, DevotionalMissional Wisdom FoundationJanuary 23, 2019Theme XIII, The Grace of, missional living, Denise CraneComment

...a wind from God swept over the waters...

In his book, Returning from Camino, Alexander Shaia explains that the advertised destination of any given pilgrimage is not the end but the turning around point, and it is only through the long process of returning to walk the ways of the mundane and usual that the work of pilgrimage is brought to fruition.

...the darkness covered the face of the deep...

. . . the darkness covered the face of the deep . . .

As we journey into the literal dark of the northern winter, we are asked to embrace that which has been declared worthless. Darkness. Rest. Waiting.

...the earth was a formless void...

…the earth was a formless void…

Advent is a journey of preparation, and either I am not that good at preparation or it is really hard. There are just so many contingencies to consider.

In the beginning...

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth…

In the beginning.

The beginning is a starting place. It is the sunrise over a day that has not yet seen the rust and wear of the afternoon. It is a new chance to live. It is a place to choose, once again, who you will be. Whom you will serve. Whom you will allow to be your teacher.

Rooted in Grace: Benediction

What is your favorite part of a worship service?
Is it the Call to Worship? Is it Prayers of the People? The Sermon? Or maybe the Children’s Message?
For me, it is the Benediction.

Wisdom for the Way, DevotionalAdam WhiteNovember 6, 2018Rooted in Grace, Adam White, Theme XI, GraceComment

Committing to Grace

Recently I participated in my first Baptism. Having a freshly printed Seminary Degree, and the designation of “Reverend” in the bulletin gave me, I thought, all the tools I would need to assist in this baptism.

Wisdom for the Way, DevotionalMissional Wisdom FoundationOctober 30, 2018Rooted in Grace, Theme XI, Patrick Neitzey, grace, baptismComment

The Space Between Us

There is a space between us that isn’t there,
A space that springs from things we share.

We are the same, you and I,
In ways unseen with our eye.
We are the same, you and I,
In the ways that we care.

Encountering the Other

It was a beautiful morning in the early autumn. Several folks had gathered at the community garden to enjoy the fruits of the sweet potato crop. Up walks Joseph, listing a bit and slurring his speech. I had never met him before. He began talking to anyone who would listen, telling us which nearby bridge was his temporary shelter.

Committing to Conflict

The Bethesda UMC congregation in East Asheville, North Carolina, recently returned to their sanctuary after being located next door in the retreat house/parsonage for over two years. The newly remodeled space, now available for a variety of uses throughout the week through Haw Creek Commons, went through several unexpected delays, otherwise the small congregation would have sought temporary arrangements elsewhere.

Creating Space

Growing up in America in a middle-class white household I always felt safe. I was so naïve and truly didn’t understand there were others that didn’t experience the same things I did daily: go to school and get educated; come home to a decent sized home where both of my parents were waiting; get help with my homework; eat dinner; go to sleep in my warm and clean bed—repeat the next day. Although my parents taught us about responsibility, hard-work, and respecting others, I was never truly put in a situation where I felt unsafe or needed to be brave.

Preparing for Deep Conversation

Once there was a group of people. These people lived long ago, and, therefore, far away, but they were not so different from you and me. They loved, hoped, ate, and bickered. They had been following a great leader, but he had left them. They had been instructed to wait, and, like so many who wait, they did so fretfully.

Wisdom for the Way, DevotionalAndrea LingleSeptember 25, 2018Theme XI, Rooted in Grace, Andrea Lingle Comment

Practicing Yes

On the improv stage, yes can transform two chairs and an empty stage into an imaginative scene of relationship and impossibility. With one audience suggestion, soon comes an encounter of a famous baby doing a book-signing, a law student in relationship with a cursed sorting hat, a couple arguing about giving birth to an avocado.

Empathy

We all stand in different areas of the room, with our faces to the wall. The topic is five major feelings: joy/happiness, passion/desire, anger, sadness, and fear. With one emotion at a time, we are asked to express our feeling, in hand gestures, words and their content, tone and volume of voice, expressive body language, facial expressions.

Creating the Container

In the container of improv, anything can happen. Such are the very bones and basis of improvised comedy: it is made up entirely on the spot. Never before has this show been performed, never again shall it be revisited. The epitome of you-had-to-be-there experience, even the performers are unaware of what is about to occur between them when they step out on stage.