Christ is Love

Christ is Love
Advent, Week 2
by Andrea Lingle

The flow of the love of Jesus is the atomic signature of the Christ. An atomic signature is a unique array of electromagnetic waves or signals that every atom emits and absorbs that allows persons with the right equipment to identify anything on an elemental level. The body of Christ, in all its diversity is known by love. I do not mean only love given or received in the name of Christ, but love. The love of the Jew, the Greek, the Muslim, the agnostic, the addict, the sex worker, the evangelical, or the Pope is the signature of the living Christ, incarnate in us, come again.

The Cochran House

The Cochran House, an MWF Epworth House
by Justin Hancock

Dear Friends,

The residents of Cochran House have spent the last several weeks out in the garden, clearing away grass and weeds and turning the earth in preparation for planting both winter and spring seeds. It occurs to me that this is very much like what we have been doing as a community in relating to both our neighborhood and our anchor church.

Spotlight, Wisdom for the WayMissional Wisdom FoundationDecember 1, 2017Epworth House, Justin Hancock, garden, Epworth Project, communityComment

What Is Christ?

What is Christ?
Advent, Week 1
by Andrea Lingle

What is Christ?

Jesus lived two thousand years ago and was called Christ. So, it seems clear that we could infer things about Christ from Jesus.

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
by Andrea Lingle

The leaves are falling from the trees here in the western North Carolina mountains. There have been piles of people flowing through our little town as people pause their lives to come experience the spectacle of gold and red against a cerulean sky (that’s a fabulous blue color).

But I didn’t.

Wisdom for the Way, DevotionalAndrea LingleNovember 22, 2017advent, Advent Incarnate, Andrea LingleComment

Foundations Workshop

Foundations Workshop
by Stephanie McKellar

November 2 - 4, 2017, the newly re-formatted Launch & Lead cohort met in Winchester, Virginia for our first gathering together, the Foundations Workshop.

We begin with spiritual direction, in the safe space of the Rotunda; we are hosted in our weekend by Shenandoah University. Matt Johnson welcomes us to the space with an abundance of spiritual tools to facilitate our spiritual practice.

That's a Wrap

That's a Wrap
The Wesleyan Quadrilateral, Week 10
by Andrea Lingle

It is a monumental thing to begin. It is a gentle grief to end.

We have a lovely little spreadsheet that helps organize the themes for this newsletter. The weeks are tallied, the authors write, the blog roll—well, it rolls. But, what isn’t recorded in those little boxes is the wrestling.

Devotional, Wisdom for the WayAndrea LingleNovember 15, 2017theme VI, The Wesleyan Quadrilateral, script, reason, traditio, experience, Andrea LingleComment

The Julian Way

The Julian Way
by Matthew Schroeder
Matthew is a young man who found his way to the The Julian Way through a connection we have with Britney Burroughs, the Methodist campus ministry director at University of Texas Dallas. Matthew received his master's degree in English from UTD, and Justin and Lisa Hancock met him a few years ago as they were speaking with the Wesley Foundation leadership. The Julian Way has traveled with Matthew as he has discerned a call to ordained ministry and applied to Perkins School of Theology.

Does This Make Sense?

Does This Make Sense?
The Wesleyan Quadrilateral, Week 9
by Andrea Lingle

There is a petition going around Facebook in my area. A power company has been cited for excessive disgustingness at their coal plant, and they are being required to clean up. To defray the cost of said clean up, they have proposed an upcharge to their customers.

Julian 360

Julian 360
by Rev. Justin Hancock

Hello friends and companions of The MWF Dispersed Community. I am excited to tell you about a new initiative from the Julian Way.

Beginning in November, The Julian Way will unveil a blog and community forum based around disabled identity and culture.

Sola Reason

Sola Reason
The Wesleyan Quadrilateral, Week 8
by Andrea Lingle

Five hundred years ago a priest hurried along the streets, trailing papers and worry. He was late. It was All-Saints’ Day and he was late. He would be reading the gospel message. He tugged his jacket over his shoulder and stooped to grab a handful of papers that had fluttered loose. As he rounded the corner to the church, he skidded to a stop.

Devotional, Wisdom for the WayAndrea LingleNovember 1, 2017Andrea Lingle, theme VI, The Wesleyan Quadrilateral, reason, Martin Luther, historyComment

Holding Loosely

Holding Loosely
by Melissa Turkett, Epworth House resident

Melissa here (of the Susanna Wesley "Swesley" House Epworth community). Over the last year and half or so we have been fully engaged in the work of urban farming, ending food deserts, and creative imagining of food forests at the Swesley house.

Beyond Buildings

Our Common Experience with God: Beyond Buildings
The Wesleyan Quadrilateral, Week 7
by Adam White

“The church is not a building, the church is not a steeple, the church is not a resting place, the church is a people.”

We all have heard this familiar song.

Ironically, and let me know if I am off base here, we only hear this song sung in churches. Today, as a collective body seeking to experience Christ together, the “church” is having an identity crisis.

The Holy Middle

There is something humbling and sacred about opening your doors and sitting at the table every week alongside the least of these. At Bonhoeffer House (a Missional Wisdom Epworth House), we gather with our homeless, low income, disabled, and homesick (immigrants) friends and neighbors for conversation, meal, and prayers for those who wish to join. I don’t know of any other space in Dallas where such a strange group of people would ever gather together as a family.

Landscapes or Flowers?

Our Individual Experiences: Landscapes or Flowers?
The Wesleyan Quadrilateral, Week 6
by Adam White

One of my favorite things to do is going to visit museums. Now that I am married, I get to drag my partner Blair along with me. Recently we visited the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, which, if you are ever in Fort Worth, you should go and check out (fo’ free!).

Right Here Right Now

Right Here Right Now

We are excited to share that Amy Oden, one of our instructors for Launch & Lead, has published a new book, Right Here Right Now: The Practice of Christian Mindfulness. Below is a review by Shaun Lambert, Baptist minister in London, for
The Baptism Times: Online newspaper of the Baptist Union of Great Britain
(http://www.baptist.org.uk/), not yet published.

Wisdom for the Way, SpotlightMissional Wisdom FoundationOctober 13, 2017MWF connections, books, mindfulness, Amy OdenComment

The Tradition Behind our Tradition

The Tradition Behind our Tradition
The Wesleyan Quadrilateral, Week 5
by Adam White

Traditions, we all have them—the understandings, practices, events, and so on that can be passed down from generation to generation. Maybe you have a tradition of singing certain songs with your family around Christmas time. Perhaps you have a tradition of eating specific dishes that have been handed down from your family. Or, it could be that you are in the process of creating your own traditions , like taking a trip with friends someplace new every year.

Wisdom for the Way, SpotlightAdam WhiteOctober 11, 2017Adam White, The Wesleyan Quadrilateral, theme VI, tradition, God UnboundComment

Heart of the Neighborhood

Heart of the Neighborhood
by Wendi Bernau

The Heart of the Neighborhood event at The Mix on September 16 was filled with great energy, centered around the Grand Opening of the newly renovated commercial kitchen.

Spotlight, Wisdom for the WayMissional Wisdom FoundationOctober 6, 2017Wendi Bernau, The Mix Kitchen, The Mix, community, neighborsComment

A Common Story for the Church

A Common Story for the Church
The Wesleyan Quadrilateral, Week 4
by Adam White

Stories are important; they help inform us about who we are and where we are going.

Any good story will likely have dynamic characters, a strong plotline, interesting subplots, a visually captivating setting, and well crafted details.

Wisdom for the Way, DevotionalAdam WhiteOctober 4, 2017theme VI, The Wesleyan Quadrilateral, story, Nicene Creed, Wesley, tradition, Adam WhiteComment

Testing, Testing 1, 2, 3...

Testing, Testing 1, 2, 3...
by Caitlin Coleman

Last May, Caitlin Coleman went on pilgrimage to Iona, Scotland with a group led by Larry Duggins. In her blog, cait'scomments, Caitlin shares her thoughts and the path she has chosen since some deep reflection began in Iona.

I haven’t written in a while. A long while. Since June of last year, to be specific. And today, not only was I questioned why I hadn’t written, but I was reminded that it was indeed a very good time to share some of the overwhelming thoughts, experiences, realizations, and epiphanies that have accumulated in my mind over the past 8 months.

Spotlight, Wisdom for the WayMissional Wisdom FoundationSeptember 29, 2017pilgrimage, MWF connections, ionaComment

Sola Scriptura?

Sola Scriptura?
The Wesleyan Quadrilateral, Week 3
by Andrea Lingle

Our garden is a terrible tumbled mess right now. The broomcorn has gone to seed and we haven’t made a single broom. Weeds have invaded the sweet potatoes, and we got one meal’s worth of green beans. This is late summer. We have officially missed fall planting like I do every single year. Every. Single. Year.

Devotional, Wisdom for the WayAndrea LingleSeptember 27, 2017Andrea Lingle, theme VI, The Wesleyan Quadrilateral, scriptureComment