Spiritual Formation
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We approach this Thanksgiving week grateful for the many people and churches we get to work with across Canada and the U.S. We are reminded of the way God so creatively weaves together our deep concerns and passions and efforts into a holy shape. God is always up to something good, in ways far beyond […]
Oliver Wendell Holmes(1841 -1935) said, “I wouldn’t give a fig for the simplicity on this side of complexity, but I would give my very life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity.” This quote comes to mind when I think of Jean Vanier, Canadian philosopher and Catholic social innovator. He is truly a […]
The assumption that runs throughout Scripture is that God is up to something good in this world, in our communities, and in our lives. Our primary burden or task is to pay attention to what God is already up to, and then secondarily, to participate in what He is up to. Our Stage 2 process of […]
The Spiritual Formation Retreats of the past two weekends, one in Olympia, WA and the other in Crestline, CA afforded me an opportunity to reflect and converse with a number of Emerging Journey participants around this simple poem, “Fire.” It is often very simple images that can cause us to think or re-think where we […]
I was recently reminded of the importance of the work we do here at VP3 while re-reading a short column by Pastor Gordon MacDonald entitled “Leader’s Insight: So Many Infant Christians” (October 1, 2007, christianitytoday.com). MacDonald’s thoughts flow from his musings upon a quote by Martin Thorton, which begins this article. Thorton observes, “A walloping […]
We had our weekly team meeting this morning. it was good to be together and wrestle through some of things that are on our plate as an organization. Each Tuesday meeting we begin with a short devotional sort of time. This morning we let James Autry’s poem “The Resurrection” center our conversation and prayer. It […]
Genesis 3. Adam and Eve have just eaten of the tree from which God had forbid them to eat. The story goes on to say that their “eyes were opened” and they became “ashamed of their nakedness.” Then Adam and Eve hear God walking in the Garden and immediately they hide among the trees, “away […]