Tag: elders

Gathered Wisdom, Jan. 10, 2023

Marjorie George

A weekly curated collection of essays, poetry, and reflections for your spiritual journey.  From The Wisdom Years.

Unclench your fists.
Hold out your hands.
Take mine.
Let us hold each other…
Glory Manifest.

– “Epiphany,” Madeleine L’Engle

www.wellforthejourney.org.

Following the Epiphany Light

The magi of the Epiphany were compelled to follow the strange star that appeared in the night sky, leaving familiar territory for places that were unknown and uncomfortable. Is God calling you to follow a new road? The journey will require humility, letting go, and moving bravely in a new direction. But it may take you to an encounter with Christ. Join us for “Following the Epiphany Light, online from Jan. 9 to 23. Get the details – https://wisdomyears.org/following-the-epiphany-light/.

Sunday Musings

Genuine friendship was one of the greatest losses we’ve suffered from COVID, says Diana Butler Bass. People got out of the habit of going to parties, having lunch with friends, and going to church. With church attendance already in decline, COVID exacerbated the problem.

Read the essay.

From The Cottage.

A Revelation of Heaven on Earth

In the end we will not all go to heaven, heaven will come to us. Not in the great by-and-by, but in our ordinary lives.

Read the reflection.

From Center for Action and Contemplation.

A Blessing for Learning to Let Go and Hold On

“living in the present is nice in theory. except when you are in pain.

so let’s bless that tension, the push pull of wanting to let go, sometimes needing to let go, and also needing to hold on.”

Read the rest of the blessing.

From Kate Bowler.

The Work Of Christmas In Epiphany

Theologian Howard Thurman says that the work of Christmas continues. After all the celebration on December 25, we are reminded that the real opportunity is before us.

Read the short reflection.

From Joanna Seibert.

Gathered Wisdom is an offering of The Wisdom Years, a ministry devoted to the spiritual journey of the last third of our lives.

If this post was forwarded to you, sign up to receive Gathered Wisdom in your email by subscribing at wisdomyears.org.

To learn more visit our website.

Gathered Wisdom, Jan 3, 2023

Marjorie George

A weekly curated collection of essays, poetry, and reflections for your spiritual journey.  From The Wisdom Years.

There will be time enough for running. 

For rushing. For worrying. For pushing. 

For now, stay. Wait. Something is on the horizon.

Jan L. Richardson, Night Visions: Searching the Shadows of Advent and Christmas

Following The Epiphany Light

The magi left all that was familiar to follow a strange star, not knowing where it would take them. Their journey’s end revealed the Christ. Or was it a beginning? How is God leading you to leave what is comfortable in order to live into some new calling?

Following the Epiphany Light, the Epiphany offering from The Wisdom Years, begins January 9. Three ways to engage the study: join our Thursday-afternoon Zoom group, use the materials on your own, or gather a small group at your choice of time and location.

Materials will be posted on our website beginning January 9.

For the details.

New Year Transformation: Resources for the Journey

From Gratefulness.org, resources to support you in welcoming the new year with wholehearted curiosity, humility, courage, and a deepening appreciation of the transformative potential of these times.

See the resources.

From Grateful Living.

Staring into the Light

Fr. Ron Rolheiser repeats a story told by medical doctor and writer Rachel Naomi Remen about watching an elderly woman sit and stare into the light. She later saw the same look on the face of a newborn baby. We all, says Rolheiser, will one day be left staring into a very different light. 

Read the reflection.

More about Ron Rolheiser.

The Gerasenes Demoniac

The healing of our own personal demons takes work, grace, and time. There will be tears, there will be frustration, and there will be setbacks; but there will also be glory. That is the lesson in the story of Jesus and the demoniac in Gerasenes.

Read the reflection by Br. Br. Jack Crowley.

From Society of St. John the Evangelist.

Remember

A poem by Joy Harjo

Remember the sky that you were born under,
know each of the star’s stories.

Read the entire poem.

From Emergence Magazine.

Gathered Wisdom is an offering of The Wisdom Years, a ministry devoted to the spiritual journey of the last third of our lives.

If this post was forwarded to you, sign up to receive Gathered Wisdom in your email by subscribing at wisdomyears.org.

To learn more visit our website.

Following the Epiphany Light starts Jan 9

Following the Epiphany Light starts Jan 9

Marjorie George

The magi left all that was familiar to follow a strange star, not knowing where it would take them. Their journey’s end revealed the Christ. Or was it a beginning? How is God leading you to leave what is comfortable in order to live into some new calling?

Our Epiphany offering begins January 9 for three weeks.

Join the online conversation Jan 12, 19, and 26

4 to 5:15 pm (Central time)

Online with Zoom.

Or do the study on your own.

Each week for three weeks (on January 9, 16, and 23), we will post reading assignments, reflection prompts, and resources for “Following the Epiphany Light.” Using these materials, the Wisdom Years community will gather on Zoom as we discern together what God is calling each of us to do and be in this new year. As did the magi, we will follow the Epiphany star as we leave familiar territory for places that are unknown and require humility, letting go, and moving bravely in a new direction.

Additionally, Monday through Friday each week, we will send a daily text message, – a little Epiphany light – starting January 9.

If you want to do this study on your own, we invite you to use the materials as you wish. Or gather your own small group to meet in-person at a location of your choice.

If you want to join the Thursday afternoon online conversations please send an email to Marjorie George at marjoriegeorge62@gmail.com or wisdomyears2020.org. Indicate you want to join the Zoom conversation. Zoom gatherings will be January 12, 19, and 26 from 4 to 5:15 p.m. (Central time)

If you want to use the materials on your own or with your own small group, please send an email to Marjorie George at marjoriegeorge62@gmail.com or wisdomyears2020.org. Indicate you will be using the materials on your own. Material will be posted Jan 9, 16, and 23.

If you want to receive the daily text messages (Monday through Friday beginning January 9), please send your name and cell phone number to Marjorie George at marjoriegeorge62@gmail.com or wisdomyears2020.org.

You are receiving this message because you are subscribed to The Wisdom Years website. If you have already indicated your interest, you need do nothing more.

Visit our website at wisdomyears.org.

Gathered Wisdom, Dec 13

Marjorie George

A weekly curated collection of essays, poetry, and reflections for your spiritual journey.  From The Wisdom Years.

Learn to light a candle in the darkest moments of someone’s life. Be the light that helps others see.

-Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
Found at well for the Journey

Dec. 13 – St. Lucy Day

In Sweden and Norway, December 13 is the day to remember St. Lucy.  The eldest girl in the family dresses in a white dress with a red sash and brings saffron buns and coffee to her family. On her head is a crown of candles that shines light on one of the daarkest days of the year.

Read the reflection.

From Joanna Seibert.

More about St. Lucy.

Imprisoned By Our Blinders

“Are you the one?” John the Baptist wants to know. “Or are we to wait for another?” Has John’s initial enthusiasm been blunted? Is he looking through blinders? Are we?

Read the sermon from the Rev. Mike Marsh.

From Interrupting the Silence.

Finding Home in God’s Flock

Maybe sheep aren’t stupid after all. Maybe they are just easily distracted and prone to wandering off on their own. How like them we can be. But, going rogue often leads to death and destruction says Br. Todd Blackham. Instead we need to listen for the voice of the shepherd.

Read or listen to the sermon.

From Society of St. John the Evangelist.

The Mysticism of the Crib

For Fr. Ron Rolheiser, the Christmas crib with the sleeping baby Jesus recalls feelings of safety and snugness. We find the same when we lean on Jesus.

Read the reflection.

From Fr. Ron Rolheiser.

Faith in Divine Presence

The Rev. Adam Bucko brought all of his skills to his ministry with homeless youth. Then he got himself out of it and God’s energy took over.

Read the reflection.

From the Center for Action and Contemplation.

Gathered Wisdom is an offering of The Wisdom Years, a ministry devoted to the spiritual journey of the last third of our lives.

If this post was forwarded to you, sign up to receive Gathered Wisdom in your email by subscribing at wisdomyears.org.

To learn more visit our website.

Gathered Wisdom, Dec. 6

Marjorie George

A weekly curated collection of essays, poetry, and reflections for your spiritual journey.  From The Wisdom Years.

Listen to the long stillness:
New life is stirring
New dreams are on the wing
New hopes are being readied …
God is at work.
This is the Season of Promise.

-Howard Thurman, The Mood of Christmas

From Well for the Journey

Advent is a season of hope and expectation. A time set aside to proclaim once again that our God is still with us, still ready to lead us to peace and reconciliation, if we are willing.

Our Advent gift to you is a daily text message of inspiration and encouragement. If you would like to receive this daily text on your cell phone, send your name and cell phone number to Marjorie George at marjoriegeorge62@gmail.com.

Stand Up, Lean In

Advent, says Bishop David Reed of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas, calls us to a “brief pilgrimage of active inactivity. . .  a sanctuary of sanity.” He offers the practice of “Advent Judo” to live the season.

Read the reflection.

From the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas.

Advent: Curing Fire by Fire

We are born congenitally dis-eased, says Fr. Ron Rolheiser. There is a fire that burns within us, and we have two choices of how to meet it. To quench it we can choose between the world’s definition of success, or we can recognize our longing for God.

Read the reflection.

From the blog of Ron Rolheiser.

Let Us Pause and Be Grateful

The lowly stone cutter longed to be more powerful and important. Until he found out he already was.

Read the reflection.

The Terry Hershey blog.

An Evolving Faith

It may surprise us to learn that our God does not hate all the people we do. Or that we may have something to learn from others, or that revolutionary thinking may move us forward as opposed to our remaining stagnant.

Read the reflection.

From Center for Action and Contemplation.

Longing for Christ

It’s easy to lapse into nostalgia at this time of year. We may remember – or think we remember –  Christmases past of a happy family going to church long after dark and singing Silent Night with lighted candles. But our faith is not about nostalgia; it is about believing the promises of God.

From Society of St. John the Evangelist.

More about SSJE.

Gathered Wisdom is an offering of The Wisdom Years, a ministry devoted to the spiritual journey of the last third of our lives.

If this post was forwarded to you, sign up to receive Gathered Wisdom in your email by subscribing at wisdomyears.org.

To learn more visit our website.

Gathered Wisdom, Nov 29

Marjorie George

A weekly curated collection of essays, poetry, and reflections for your spiritual journey.  From The Wisdom Years.

Advent 2022:
“Prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight in the desert a highway for our God” (Isaiah 40:3).

Advent is a season of hope and expectation. A time set aside to proclaim once again that our God is still with us, still ready to lead us to peace and reconciliation, if we are willing.

Our Advent gift to you is a daily text message of inspiration and encouragement. If you would like to receive this daily text on your cell phone, send your name and cell phone number to Marjorie George at marjoriegeorge62@gmail.com.

Venting the Light

“All your life you’ve been getting ready for now. The light is probably dawning on you – what God is calling you to be and do – and you could easily feel overwhelmed. But God is the source of the light, and God is behind the dawning. You will have the inner light you need on the path ahead. There will be provision. Go ahead.”

Read the powerful reflection from Br. Curtis Almquist.

From Society of St. John the Evangelist.

School of Gratitude

The Beatitudes ask us to believe that even in – perhaps especially in – suffering we will be blessed (Matthew 5:3–12). We tend to read them as warm and fuzzy words but don’t much take them seriously.  But Brian McLaren says they are “the deepest lesson of gratitude.”

Read the reflection.

From Center for Action and Contemplation.

Reading the Signs of the Times

What did Jesus mean when he accused his listeners of not being able to read the “signs of the times” (Matthew 16:3)? Fr. Ron Rolheiser says that reading the  signs of the times means being able to name things properly.

Read the reflection.

From the blog of Fr. Ron Rolheiser.

Varied Paths for Varied Hearts

Everyone’s path to God is not the same.  Some will search for years; others will stumble over it and immediately recognize it.  No matter, says Br. Sean Glenn of the Society of St. John the Evangelist. People of faith all end up in the same place.

Read the reflection.

From Society of St. John the Evangelist.

Gathered Wisdom is an offering of The Wisdom Years, a ministry devoted to the spiritual journey of the last third of our lives.

If this post was forwarded to you, sign up to receive Gathered Wisdom in your email by subscribing at wisdomyears.org.

To learn more visit our website.

Gathered Wisdom, Nov 22

Marjorie George

A weekly curated collection of essays, poetry, and reflections for your spiritual journey.  From The Wisdom Years.

Praise, my dear one.
Let us disappear into praising.
Nothing belongs to us

-Rainer Maria Rilke, Uncollected Poems.

Found at Well for the Journey

Adverbs for Advent

An Advent online study

Nov 27 to Dec 15.

From the Wisdom Years

In the season of Advent, which starts Sunday, Nov. 27, we open ourselves to the birth of something new in our lives. Just as God was incarnated in Jesus, we are assured that God’s Spirit is incarnate in us; we are pregnant with possibility for ourselves and for our world. Join us as we read daily meditations from Adverbs for Advent by Marilyn McEntyre then gather weekly on Zoom for insightful conversation.

To learn more and register.

Giver of All Good Gifts

– A Thanksgiving Prayer

In this profound Thanksgiving prayer, Brother David Steindl-Rast, OSB calls us all to be grateful as we remember that so many have so much less than do we.

Join the prayer by listening to it or watching the video.

From Grateful Living.

Also from Grateful Living,
a collection of Thanksgiving prayers and blessings.

An Attitude of Gratitude

“All the truly great persons I have ever met are characterized by what I would call radical humility and gratitude,” writes Richard Rohr.  “They are deeply convinced that they are drawing from another source; they are instruments. Their genius is not their own; it is borrowed.” The only appropriate response is humility, gratitude, and loving service to others.

Read the reflection.

From the Center for Action and Contemplation.

Agent of Illumination

The New York City bus driver knew what his passengers needed on that cold day during rush hour traffic. He invited them to drop their troubles into the palm of his hand as they exited the bus. He was an agent of illuminations, as we all are invited to be.

Read the story.

Found in Daily Good.

Good Bones, Pushing Water

A water leak that initially went unnoticed turned into a huge and messy repair job.  Fortunately the flooded house had good bones. Writer Carrie Newcomer likens it to ignoring small spiritual issues that have the potential to require major healing. It is then that we must rely on our spiritual “good bones” and get to the hard and messy work of looking to inner and outer resources to repair what is broken.

Read the reflection.

From Awakin.

Gathered Wisdom is an offering of The Wisdom Years, a ministry devoted to the spiritual journey of the last third of our lives.

If this post was forwarded to you, sign up to receive Gathered Wisdom in your email by subscribing at wisdomyears.org.

To learn more visit our website.

Gathered Wisdom, Nov 15

Marjorie George

A weekly curated collection of essays, poetry, and reflections for your spiritual journey.  From The Wisdom Years.

The Thanksgiving Address (the Ohen:ton Karihwatehkwen) is the central prayer and invocation for the Haudenosaunee (also known as the Iroquois Confederacy or Six Nations — Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Onondaga, Seneca, and Tuscarora). It reflects their relationship of giving thanks for life and the world around them.

“You can’t listen to the Thanksgiving Address without feeling wealthy,” says Robin Wall Kimmerer. “And, while expressing gratitude seems innocent enough, it is a revolutionary idea. In a consumer society, contentment is a radical proposition . . . . The Thanksgiving Address reminds you that you already have everything you need.”

Read this beautifully illustrated Thanksgiving Address.

Found at Grateful Living.

The WY Thanksgiving Celebration

Thursday, Nov. 17, 4 p.m. on Zoom

Join us for a litany of thanks and a time of prayer and community.

For the Zoom link, email Marjorie George at marjoriegeorge62@gmail.com.  before 4 p.m. on Thursday.

Adverbs for Advent

How will we live Advent this year? Generously? Expectantly? Patiently? As we read daily meditations from Marilyn McEntye’s Adverbs for Advent, we’ll gather on Zoom weekly to share inspiration and encouragement. Advent begins November 27. 

Find all the information and indicate your interest on our Wisdom Years website page.

Why You Should Write That Thank You Note

Your mother was right: you should write thank you notes. Researchers have found that writing as few as three weekly thank you notes over the course of three weeks improves life satisfaction, increases happy feelings and reduces symptoms of depression. And read Robinson Crusoe again for a model of gratitude in the face of what could have been despair.

Read the essay.

Found in Daily Good.

Small Kindnesses

What if it’s the small everyday kindness we express and receive that is the true dwelling of the holy. Danusha Laméris calls such kindness “fleeting temples” that we make together.

Read the reflection.

From Awakin.

Living with Limitations

The CDC reports that 61 million adults have a disability that has a major impact on their lives.  Joanna Seibert believes there is possibility of a “new pathway” in limitations that can open a new direction in becoming the person God created us to be.

Read the reflection.

From Joanna Seibert.

Gathered Wisdom is an offering of The Wisdom Years, a ministry devoted to the spiritual journey of the last third of our lives.

If this post was forwarded to you, sign up to receive Gathered Wisdom in your email by subscribing at wisdomyears.org.

To learn more visit our website.

Gathered Wisdom, Nov 8

Marjorie George

A weekly curated collection of essays, poetry, and reflections for your spiritual journey.  From The Wisdom Years.

Our words and actions will contribute either to reconciliation and peace, or to conflict and strife. We need to be reminded again and again that what we choose to think, what we choose to say, and what we choose to do will shape our lives and the lives of others. We have an important role to play in creating our reality.

Br. David Vryhof,
Society of St. John the Evangelist.

A Prayer for election day

Gracious and loving God, you have bound us together in a common life. We commend ourselves, our communities, states, and country to your merciful care, that, being guided by your providence, we may dwell secure in your peace.

Read the rest of the prayer by the Rev. Mike Marsh.

From Interrupting the Silence.

The Holy Water We Share

“I was not imagining two separate yards with neighbors leaning over a shared boundary. I was imagining a single reservoir of living water, with two people looking into it. One might have been a Muslim and the other a Christian, but there was nothing in their faces to tell me that.”

Read the reflection from Barbara Brown Taylor.

Found in Daily Meditations from the Center for Action and Contemplation.

Everything Happens for A Reason & Other Lies I’ve Loved

Kate Bowler believed, as do many Americans, that God gives good things to good people and reserves bad things for bad people. But then how could she justify her cancer diagnosis at the age of 35?

Watch the video or read the transcript.

Found in Daily Good.

Waiting on God

There are so many variables in life over which we have little, if any, control. Rather than seeing life as a series of obstacles, frustrations, and impenetrable questions, we could instead see life as an endless stream of invitations to cooperate with whatever God is up to, and to abandon ourselves into God’s hands and God’s time.

Read the reflection.

From Society of St. John the Evangelist.

Adverbs for Advent
A Wisdom Years Collaborative Study

How will we live Advent this year? Generously? Expectantly? Patiently? As we read daily meditations from Marilyn McEntye’s Adverbs for Advent, we’ll gather on Zoom weekly to share inspiration and encouragement. Advent begins November 27.

Find all the information and indicate interest on our Wisdom Years website page.

Gathered Wisdom is an offering of The Wisdom Years, a ministry devoted to the spiritual journey of the last third of our lives.

If this post was forwarded to you, sign up to receive Gathered Wisdom in your email by subscribing at wisdomyears.org.

To learn more visit our website.

Adverbs for Advent

Adverbs for Advent

Marjorie George

A Wisdom Years Advent study

November 27 to December 15

Gathering for conversation by Zoom
on Thursday, December 1, 8, and 15

4 p.m. (Central time)

How will we live Advent this year? How can we be intentional about answering the call of Advent to wait with expectation that our God is sending the Holy One to live among us as one of us? In Adverbs for Advent, author Marilyn McEntyre offers daily Advent meditations that can shape our lives, preparing us to be holy vessels for the coming Christ so that we too can declare a message of love and peace to our hurting world.

The adverbs we encounter in this devotional challenge us to live as Jesus did – patiently, harmoniously, joyously, boldly, and simply. In this Wisdom Years study, participants will read the meditations on their own, then gather on three Thursdays by Zoom – December 1, 8, and 15 for conversation and community.

Each week will end with a brief time of prayer and reflection. Participants should bring candles.

Participants can also opt to receive a daily thought or inspiration by text throughout Advent.

There is no cost for study. Participants will buy their own book.

To indicate your interest in the study or if you have questions, send an email to Marjorie George at marjoriegorge62@gmail.com.

To support independent book sellers, order from St. Mark’s Bookstore at https://www.stmarksbookstore.com