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

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

St. Joseph's Girls Orphanage

St. Joseph's Girls Orphanage

In the world of stories from friends and companions whose paths have crossed with Missional Wisdom Foundation, Maggie and Darryl Patterson have played a role. Through a desire to find and be "more" in the world, and fueled and inspired by family tragedy, these friends have taken a derelict orphanage in Australia and turned it into a place that serves vulnerable children. (Originally published by Eternity News, by Tess Holgate and Bryce McLellan)

On the outskirts of Goulburn, in country NSW, an ordinary couple are hard at work turning the old St Joseph’s Girls Orphanage into a community hub, complete with café and accommodation for vulnerable women and children.

Spotlight, Wisdom for the WayMissional Wisdom FoundationSeptember 22, 2017MWF connections, missional, missional livingComment

San Luis Valley

San Luis Valley Summer Internship Reflection
by Amber Oxley

Hi y’all! My name is Amber Oxley and I am the house steward of the St. Francis House in Dallas, Tx. I joined the Missional Wisdom community three years ago in this house. We’ve experienced transition and joyful ministry in the house with various residents since we began with the support of Lakewood United Methodist Church three years ago this August. Last summer, I was given an opportunity to serve in a pastoral internship in the Rocky Mountain Conference.

Spotlight, Wisdom for the WayMissional Wisdom FoundationSeptember 15, 2017summer, Epworth House, Epworth ProjectComment

Heroes You Should Know

"Hurricane Harvey hit Texas on Saturday, taking lives and leaving hundreds of thousands without power. Once the storm downgraded to Tropical Storm Harvey, even more damage was done, bringing in unprecedented flooding and raising the death toll to eight, a number expected to rise. In Houston alone, an estimated 30,000 will be forced to flee their homes and seek shelter; 450,000 others will require some sort of disaster assistance.

Spotlight, Wisdom for the WayMissional Wisdom FoundationSeptember 1, 2017disaster relief, missional, missional livingComment

The Gospel is Sweet

The Gospel is Sweet
by Larry Duggins

[A couple of weeks ago,] I watched the first harvest of honey from the bee hives at Haw Creek. There was joy, there was learning, there was cooperation and helping – there were so many wonderful affirmations of how a group of bee keepers can be a church.

Wisdom for the Way, SpotlightMissional Wisdom FoundationAugust 25, 2017Haw Creek Commons, bees, honeyComment

Be the Artist...

Be the Artist God Created You to Be!
by Rev. Gary A. Shockley, a friend and supporter of Missional Wisdom Foundation, and member of our Dispersed Community

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” -Pablo Picasso.

Because we are made in the image of Creator we are all creative. Every one of us has the potential to do something that sparks imagination, expresses feelings, provokes thought and helps others to experience beauty: painting, sculpture, music, dance, gardening, writing, cooking, singing, preaching, coaching, teaching, praying (and the list goes on) are all forms of creativity.

Spotlight, Wisdom for the WayMissional Wisdom FoundationAugust 18, 2017art, MWF connections, creativityComment

L & L Student, Diane Rheos

Launch & Lead Student, Diane Rheos
Diane shares here the ways in which she is using the skills she is learning to launch and lead new communities.

A Community in Partnership with a Great Lead Team
The WaySide is an intentional Christian community connected to Fremont United Methodist Church in Portland Oregon.

We are getting to know how we can be supported by our lead team, which we call The WaySide Outside. Together we hosted an all church event on Sunday July 23rd . In Portland each summer there are Sunday Parkway events. The city closes a loop of streets and hundreds of people get on their bikes and make the circuit. The WaySide house-mates suggested the idea of an event to host a BBQ and then participate in the ride. The WaySide Outside Team were enthusiastic supporters. Together we provided a BBQ lunch for everyone in attendance that Sunday morning, and then a group of people decorated their bikes, and rode on the Sunday Parkways cycling route.

L & L Alum, Mary Beth Taylor

Launch & Lead Alum, Mary Beth Taylor

This week’s spotlight is taken from Together: Community as a Means of Grace by Larry Duggins.

Reverend Mary Beth Taylor noticed a different kind of community while she was Associate Pastor at Littleton UMC outside of Denver. Mary Beth, also a graduate of Launch & Lead, noticed that many people enjoyed spending some of their recreational time having a cold beer and some appetizers at the local pub, just like she and her life partner, Steve. She pulled together a small group of people and formed Open Space, a community that meets monthly in a local bar and grill.

L & L Alum, Nora Ortiz Fredrick

Launch & Lead Alum, Nora Ortiz Fredrick

This week’s spotlight is taken from Together: Community as a Means of Grace by Larry Duggins.

Nora Ortiz Fredrick is a consultant, fund-raiser, and entrepreneur in Anchorage, Alaska. Nora, a graduate of the Missional Wisdom Foundation's Launch & Lead program, noticed that the timing of traditional church services makes very little sense in Alaska. Many people are drawn to Alaska by its natural beauty and the wide variety of outdoor activities is offers, yet churches were asking people to take several hours out of the very middle of their weekends to come into an urban setting in order to sit indoors for worship.

Who We Are...

Who We Are and Who We Represent

What Does Missional Mean?, Week 10

by Adam White

“Remember, who you are…” These words awaited us every time we as the youth group at New World United Methodist Church traveled anywhere.

The words came from our Youth Director, Sherry Womack. Sherry would always turn and look at us, sometimes just me directly, and, before we could get off the bus, say “Remember, who you are!” and then we’d respond with a glib symphony of pubescence and reluctance, “and who you represent.”

Spotlight, DevotionalAdam WhiteJuly 26, 2017Theme V, missional, What Does Missional Mean?, hospitality, authorityComment

...And We Act

And We Act
by Bret Wells

Contextual awareness is one of the fundamental aspects of everything we do in the Missional Wisdom Foundation. It is why our training programs – especially Launch & Lead – focus heavily on processes for discernment, maintaining curiosity, asking good questions…and actually listening to people. It is a cornerstone for processes like asset-based community development and universal design. It is why we place a heavy emphasis on coaching, both as a resource we provide and as an essential leadership skill we help cultivate.

Launch & Lead Alum, Lynda Fickling

Launch & Lead Alum, Lynda Fickling

This week’s spotlight is taken from Together: Community as a Means of Grace by Larry Duggins.

Table fellowship has been a traditional part of the life of many Christian denominations for years in the form of Wednesday night dinners or Friday fish fries. These activities, however, were typically inwardly focused—serving the people of the church—and were large gatherings. Lynda Fickling, director of servant ministry and spiritual director at St. Luke’s UMC in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, and a graduate of the MWF’s Launch & Lead program, decided to combine the joys of table fellowship with the idea of small groups by developing Kitchen Groups. Lynda put together a leader’s guide that provided insight into hosting a simple dinner in a home.

Spotlight, Wisdom for the WayMissional Wisdom FoundationJuly 14, 2017Larry Duggins, Together, community, Launch & Lead, AlumComment

Launch & Lead Alum, Ben Floyd

Launch & Lead Alum, Ben Floyd

As my family and I sit in the midst of boxes and pictures taken off the walls, we’re able to take some time and reflect on the last 4 years and how God works in our lives in ways that are often beyond our understanding. My upcoming appointment in the UMC in Todd, NC, is a sure sign of God working in us and through us. I will be serving as campus pastor of Blackburn’s Chapel, connected to Boone UMC. Along with this privilege I will also be serving as executive director of a non-profit that seeks to build community through listening, presence, and working with an intentional community of 3-4 young people who seek to live into their calls as disciples and disciple-makers in rural ministry. I can’t help but see this placement as being related to the work and formation I’ve been a part of through the Missional Wisdom Foundation. It was at the initial retreat for my Launch & Lead cohort four years ago that God spoke to me in a voice that was unavoidable. His call to me and my family was clear after that weekend – we were meant for ministry, more than what we were doing at the time. For me, that call took the shape of seminary and candidacy in the UMC for ordination.

Wisdom for the Way, SpotlightMissional Wisdom FoundationJuly 7, 2017Launch & Lead, AlumComment

Launch & Lead Alum, Karen Doucette

Spotlight: Launch & Lead Alum, Karen Doucette

Five years ago when I was in Seminary, there was, as there is now, a growing anxiousness related to Church attendance. I was frustrated by the mantra—“We just have to get people through the doors.” I love to worship, to be in church, to belong to a family of faith, to be in community, and to be on mission together. Instead those words seemed forced, even though I know that was not the intention—the words come from a desire for folks to know and experience the love of Christ.

One verse that I go to often is Psalm 16:11, “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasure of living with you forever.” (NLT) I felt a restlessness in figuring this out, my needed response and how to make space for what God wanted in our world and context today.

Neighboring Choices

Neighboring Choices

by Catherine Johnson

Last week we trimmed a tree, which resulted in a pile of limbs in our front yard. We were glad to mark off tree trimming on our to do list; however, we now had to figure out how to get rid of the limbs. We have a neighbor, Joseph, on our block who owns a landscape company. We had heard through another neighbor that Joseph is willing to help neighbors haul yard waste away whenever he is taking a load for his business. This is great, but I don't have Joseph's phone number and he works long hours this time of year. It's not easy to track him down and ask permission to load a pile of branches on his trailer.

The Equity Project

The Equity Project

by Todd Porter

Todd is a friend of the Missional Wisdom Foundation, who attends the Taize service led by Larry Duggins each week.

“Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets.” –

That being the case, it seems that our economic is perfectly designed to multiply wealth for those who have it, while holding the promise of wealth just beyond the reach of those without. I find this reality troubling and find myself under increasing compulsion to do something about it. I call that something “The Equity Project.”

Teen Life

Teen Life

by Rachel Wells

Teen Life is a non-profit organization in Southlake, Texas, dedicated to encouraging and equipping teenagers with life skills and strategies to live life better. Our friends at Teen Life have created a curriculum that they use in facilitated support groups to serve middle school and high school students who are in crisis or are beginning to make choices that will lead to crisis. Staff members Chris Robey and Ricky Lewis received coach training from Missional Wisdom's own Bret Wells.

Parents United

Parents United

by Marshall Mosley

I recently met Denise and Larry

at a mutual friend’s house where we met to discuss what living in community can look like. My wife and I were excited to learn from their experiences, because we feel like we are moving in that direction as well. We also shared with them about the community-centered after school program we began in our neighborhood. They asked us to share a little about our program, called Parents United.