Declining attendance at America's churches has been a persistent trend in recent decades. Now some churches are taking a novel approach to keeping their doors open by renting out otherwise empty space during the usually quiet midweek. Omar Villafranca reports.
As we have journeyed through lent together, we have only seen the backs of people’s heads in our images. Their faces have been left unseen by us. They have walked on away from us into the unknown, leaving us to ponder and ask, “Who are they? Where are they going? What are their names? What might it be like to see their face?”
Read MoreThere is something deep in the naming of a child. My husband and I have named five children, and not once did we do so lightly. We scoured baby-name books, made sure the middle names fit phonetically with the first names, screened favorite names for unfortunate meanings, and, even after all that, my hand shook as I wrote each new name down on the blue birth certificate form. After all, our names shape us.
Read MoreThis is week five. We are more than half way through our Lenten Journey, and I am hearing the rustling of plans.
Are you coming here for Easter? What should we eat? Do the kids have new outfits? Shoes? Easter baskets?
Easter isn't here yet, but it is close enough to be nudging its way in.
In the British science fiction show, Doctor Who, the Doctor is a Time Lord who can cheat death by a process called regeneration. He (and now she!) has been played by thirteen actors, allowing Doctor Who to be tv’s longest running sci fi program. With each new regeneration, the Doctor takes an episode to get reacquainted with the new body, new personality, and new preferences. Usually in the midst of a high stress, world-saving dilemma, while using that top-notch brain to devise a clever solution, the Doctor is in the midst of the chaos, figuring out who s/he is now.
To wrestle is to claim our place in God’s creation,
Because all of God’s creation wrestles...
The seed with the earth
The butterfly with the cocoon
The child with the parent
This past summer, I left my beloved community at the Bonhoeffer House to move to Wichita, Kansas. As I said goodbye to my friends and family to go to a new place, I noticed a recurring question rising up within me, “Will I be able to make any friends in this new place?” After years of having a strong community around me, I was afraid that I would be alone and lonely…Why is it that we are afraid of being alone?
I wish I could have gotten all 30 of us into the picture, but such is the nature of the selfie. We had guitars, autoharp, bass, ukuleles, mandolin, drums... People from barely big enough to hold the uke (and maybe not even holding it right side up) to retirees.
Read MoreA woman stood at the mouth of a cave. Any beauty her face would hold tomorrow had turned to gray, stern grief overnight. Her hair lay raggedly on her shoulders; her feet were dusty. She felt dry and limp—too exhausted to scrape together enough spirit to form tears, but, unbelievably, she could feel them soaking into the neck of her cloak.
Read MoreThe Missional Wisdom Foundation affirms that we care for and love all people.
Hello Neighbors!
We are proud to introduce our new podcast, “The Neighbor Next Door.” This is a podcast where we interview awesome neighbors to learn from them and be inspired by them. We also share neighboring tips along with the stories behind those tips. And sometimes we play folk music!
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.
Read MoreThese 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”
From the Reports from the Spiritual Frontier website:
Join us for a conversation with Neighborhood Animator and Iconographer Ryan Klinck, of the Missional Wisdom Foundation and SOCE Life, as he shares what it means to encounter unlikely saints in the people around us. Hear him share about how a dream sent him to Mexico when he was a young adult, the hard practice of living in intentional community, how our neighbors and enemies can serve as mirrors, and about his collaborative art projects with his friends who are homeless, called “The Saints of Bonhoeffer House.”
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.
Read MorePoint-Counterpoint
With Dr. Larry Duggins, Dr. John McKellar, and Dr. Todd Renner
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.
Read MoreFrom the Reports from the Spiritual Frontier website:
Join us for a conversation with Andrea Lingle of the Missional Wisdom Foundation, as she shares about how conflict can be a means of grace. Hear her share about how true community can be exhausting, what it means to thirst for righteousness rather than thirst for rightness, and first steps that communities can take to have conversations that convey both moral clarity and grace. Hear her also share about Missional Wisdom’s new book: Rooted in Grace, which is a practical primer for communities looking to have these type of difficult, grace-filled conversations.
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.
Read MoreI am an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church. At many clergy gatherings someone will start a story with the words, “You won’t believe what I was asked to do this week…” And we will end up laughing and saying, “And that is under your job description as ‘other?’” The “other” of a clergy job description is endless, from kissing camels to cleaning toilets.
