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.
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.
Read MoreCome, 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.
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.
Read MoreThat'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.
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?
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.
Read MoreJulian 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
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.
Read MoreHolding 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.
Read MoreOur 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.
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.
Read MoreOur 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!).
Read MoreRight 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.
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.
Read MoreHeart 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.
Read MoreA 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.
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.
Read MoreSola 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.
Read MoreSt. 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.
Read More
