Staying At The Table For One More Minute

From 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.

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.

"Other"

I 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.

Wisdom for the Way, SpotlightMissional Wisdom FoundationJanuary 23, 2019Launch & Lead, Kimberly Barker-BrugmanComment

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

To the Concert

As I journeyed through Advent this year I often felt like I had opened a puzzle box that was filled with wonderful pieces but they had nothing to do with one another.

A Prayer

God of darkness and God of light. At the beginning of time you breathed out stars into the heavens, and with the hand of a master artist you made sure each one was in its right place.

Wisdom for the Way, Inter-ThemeMissional Wisdom FoundationDecember 26, 2018Patrick NeitzeyComment

Finding Your Voice When the World Says, "No"

Hello dear friends and fellow travelers with Wisdom for the Way. I would like to take a few
moments to share with you the beginnings of an exciting adventure on which the Julian Way is
about to embark.

Wisdom for the Way, SpotlightJustin HancockDecember 21, 2018The Julian Way, ImprovComment

...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.

Peace Together

Peace Together (peacetogetherevents.com) is a coalition of peoples of many faiths (and no faith) from many different places and backgrounds who come together in an effort to build unity and community in northeast Tarrant County (TX).

Spotlight, Wisdom for the WayMissional Wisdom FoundationDecember 11, 2018Peace, Wendi BernauComment

...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.

Hospitality

As you gather with whomever you find yourself with this Thanksgiving, how can you offer belonging as an act of hospitality?

Inter-Theme, Wisdom for the WayMissional Wisdom FoundationNovember 21, 2018hospitality, Wendi Bernau, Theme XIComment

Neighboring Movement

We at the Neighboring Movement recently reached a huge milestone. Our first cohort successfully finished a program we developed called the Good Neighbor Experiment.

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

A Bear Story

One night, about a week ago, black bears all over Asheville plotted, conspired, and rampaged this city in the mountains. It was the first chilly evening of the fall and it signaled the beginning of a season which leads to many bear-human interactions. Car alarms were set off, trash bins turned over, refuse scattered everywhere, and graves dug up.

Wisdom for the Way, SpotlightMissional Wisdom FoundationOctober 30, 2018Haw Creek Commons, neighboring, hospitalityComment

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.