- Dialogue - lists.wedgeblade.net

9/22/22 PHOTOS—B½ OF ARCHIVE PROJECT
by Frank Knutson 22 Sep '22

22 Sep '22

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9/22/2022, Progressing Spirit: Kevin G. Thew Forrester, Ph.D.: Christ Heart: Awakening As Holy Mystery - Part 3; Spong revisited
by Ellie Stock 22 Sep '22

22 Sep '22

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screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv4186329972 #yiv4186329972templateBody .yiv4186329972mcnTextContent, #yiv4186329972 #yiv4186329972templateBody .yiv4186329972mcnTextContent p{font-size:14px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv4186329972 #yiv4186329972templateFooter .yiv4186329972mcnTextContent, #yiv4186329972 #yiv4186329972templateFooter .yiv4186329972mcnTextContent p{font-size:12px !important;line-height:150% !important;}} | | | | View this email in your browser | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Christ Heart: Awakening As Holy Mystery - Part 3 | | | | | | | | | | Essay by Kevin G. Thew Forrester, Ph.D. September 22, 2022Living with Holy Mystery is the spiritual schooling of the soul. The method of the schooling is the spiritual practices that teach us how to become embodiments of the Source: meditation; spiritual exploration; breath, body, and movement; and liturgy. These are the practices that begin to reground and recenter our life in Holy Mystery: they invite and enable consciousness to be transformed. These practices, however, are not conventional behaviors. To describe them as practices is a bit misleading. They are not acts the conventional self engages in to obtain a desired object. These practices are really non-practices. When taken up as a part of the spiritual journey, they are non-doings. They are ancient wisdom non-practices that reorient the self away from the acquisition of an object. For example, in concentration meditation, the mind is learning to let go of conventional objects as we intentionally focus awareness on the breath, suffering, and goodness. In non-concentration meditation, we simply sit as Reality arises and falls away. These are non-practices because they involve no goal, reorient awareness, and teach how to rest receptively in the moment. The predominant effect that often characterizes the discovery of and living with Holy Mystery is longing. We initially long to discover that object that will bring us hoped for peace, rest, and value. But what we discover is that the Beloved is not the kind of object we presumed it would be. We awaken to the presence of Holy Mystery as the Beloved who dwells in our heart. The spiritual practices are the art of becoming the lover of the Beloved. They intentionally refocus our awareness on Holy Mystery as the Source of our life each moment. The practices are the expression of intimacy itself. Each moment of practice is love actualizing. >From the beginning, the experience of longing fuels our soul’s continual search and unfoldment. However, as practice continues and love deepens, what arises is an awareness that the longing is for more than the heart of my heart, or center of my center. We simply long for more – or less – than a living with Holy Mystery. Augustine is right to say that our heart is restless until it finds rest in thee. But there is more – or less – than that. What we can begin to sense is that we’ve become habituated to our sense of longing. We long to long; that’s how we know we are on the journey. And yet the longing itself is exhausting. The more we long the less peace we know. So long as Holy Mystery remains a pursued object – even as the Beloved of the heart – the soul experiences a gap which the feeling of longing intimates can be closed. And so, the heart comes to spiritual practice with the hope of having a spiritual experience, indicated by the feeling of longing itself, that might temporarily close the gap and relieve the longing. In Awakening as Holy Mystery, we are realizing that the belief in an object is less and less compelling and the feeling of longing is less and less satisfying. To our surprise, we become aware that Holy Mystery is neither some thing out there nor in here. Holy Mystery is the Reality of our being. Holy Mystery is the land of our soul. We are the land of promise in our very being. The prior journey of learning to live with Holy Mystery is transformed into the journey of living as Holy Mystery. The peace that passes all (conventional) understanding, as scripture says, arises as our way of life. In this awakening, the soul is at rest because there is no place to go and no thing to obtain – thus, no need to long. The heart is a spacious and still place even when expressing as erotic creativity. The awakening is the realization that there is no gap, no object, and no ordinary self. The true self is simply a human being that is Holy Mystery arising here in this moment. This is awakening as Christ Heart. We awaken to the gracious truth that the Source – Holy Mystery – is our own true nature. Reality is Holy Mystery graciously arising, or manifesting, each moment as the being or essence of everything that is. I say graciously because Reality, as it is, is a gift. There is nothing to earn or merit or deserve. We learn to receive what is always already present. Buddhism speaks of expending all effort to get to the longed-for far shore where we will know enlightenment. We will find ourself upon a shore completely unlike the one from which we first departed. When we finally do arrive on that distant shore after investing blood, sweat, and tears, however, we discover we are on the original shore. But our consciousness of what the shore is has been completely transformed. In biblical language, we’ve crossed over – after years of searching in the desert – into the promised land. And the promised land is the very land of our soul. In awakening, we are discovering that our true nature has always been Holy Mystery. But our conventional self did not know this. We were convinced of our inherent deficiency or weighed down by a mistaken sense of guilt and shame or immobilized by the feeling of inadequacy. Conventional religion distorts the spiritual journey into a struggle for salvation from damnation and a rescue into a heaven. The real spiritual journey is our discovery that the truth of our nature is graceful beauty. We are each a pearl beyond price. Our life is the task of discovering that truth by seeing through false beliefs about what we are and knowing directly for ourself the gracious truth of our nature. In Awakening as Holy Mystery, we realize the true nature of Reality. Our curiosity continues but our exploration is no longer driven by a sense of fear and deficiency. We are lovers being drawn ever deeper into intimacy with the Source. Reality is a Mystery because the intimacy is infinite. Love forever deepens. Because the Mystery is Boundless Love, Reality is Holy. Our hearts are in awe of the innate goodness and inherent beauty of Reality. We are now awake to the truth that love is the fluid fabric of Being. The ordinary self only awakens through spiritual practices that enable it to gradually understand in the heart and body its own inherent beauty. Each practice, engaged with sincerity and skill, slowly dissolves the layers of crust constituted by habitual defenses, avoidances, and passions. The spiritual path is not about getting to some place but awakening to the truth that our very being is the place where Holy Mystery is graciously arising now. And the same is true for every other being that exists. We – all beings – are the body of Christ, which is the body of Holy Mystery that is Reality.~ Kevin G. Thew Forrester, Ph.D. Read online here About the Author Kevin G. Thew Forrester, Ph.D. is an Episcopal priest, a student of the Diamond Approach for over a decade, as well as a certified teacher of the Enneagram in the Narrative Tradition. He is the founder of the Healing Arts Center of in Marquette, Michigan, and the author of five books, including I Have Called You Friends, Holding Beauty in My Soul’s Arms, and My Heart is a Raging Volcano of Love for You and Beyond my Wants, Beyond my Fears: The Soul’s Journey into the Heartland. Visit Kevin’s Blog: Essential Living: For The Soul’s Journey. | | | | | | | | Question & Answer Q: By A Reader In your experience, what is most important when being in community with marginalized folks as a white person? A: By Rev. Deshna Shine Dear Reader,This one is easy. Listen. Listen. Ask questions and then be quiet and listen. Really hear them. Absorb what they are sharing with you. Believe them. Trust them.Be quiet and listen. Do not tone police. Do not defend yourself. Do not try to talk them out of their experience. Do not get your feelings hurt.This isn’t about you. And if it is, great! Here is the next most important step — learn. If someone shares with you that they have been hurt by you, or something connected to you like your community, this is a wonderful opportunity to learn something new, to grow, and to expand your awareness.So hear them share their pain and their experience. And listen. Listen with an open mind and heart and a desire to learn and grow.Believe what they share with you. Validate their experience. Apologize and say you will do better.Then go educate yourself on what came up. Do not ask marginalized folks to educate you. That is what the library is for, and yes… google. Google it and go down the rabbit hole.Read everything you can by marginalized folks, and listen to every podcast by them. Listen with a desire to see something in a new way. Practice empathy. Release your guilt, your shame, your fear of being wrong. And next time do better. It's fun to level up!But most importantly, just listen.~ Rev. Deshna Shine Read and share online here About the Author Rev. Deshna Shine is Project Director of ProgressiveChristianity.org’s Children’s Curriculum. She is an ordained Interfaith Minister, author, international speaker, and visionary. She grew up in a thriving progressive Christian church and has worked in the field for over 13 years. She graduated from UCSB with a major in Religious Studies and a minor in Global Peace and Security. She was Executive Director of ProgressiveChristianity.org, Executive Producer of Embrace Festival and has co-authored the novel, Missing Mothers. Deshna is passionate about sacred community, nourishing children spiritually and transforming Christianity through a radically inclusive lens. | | | | | | | | Please continue to send us your feedback… we are listening. We aim to give voice to many different perspectives that are relevant and inspiring along this spiritually progressing path. We are not here to tell you what to believe or how to act. We are here to support your journey, to share and learn together.Thank you for being a part of this community - join us on Facebook! | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | As a non-profit ProgressiveChristianity.org/Progressing Spirit rely heavily on the good will of our donors to help us continue to bring individuals and churches the messages of progressive Christians, Weekly Newsletters, along with the many other resources we provide. For years, the majority of our fundraising came at the end of the year. Looking at various ways to create a more reasonable amount of cash flow we decided rather than having a BIG ask at the end of each year, our more frequent asks give folks a chance to contribute when their funds are more flexible. We think that's a win for everyone. We also want to highlight the opportunity to become a sustaining supporter. If you are looking for the best way to help us continue to provide progressive Christian resources, become a sustaining supporter by choosing Recurring Donation. Help keep ProgressiveChristianity.org online and going strong - click here to donate today! * Another way to support us is to leave a bequest in your Will and/or Trust designating us a beneficiary. | | | | | | | | | | | Don't miss the next Episode of PC.org's Executive Directors Mark and Caleb on: The Moonshine Jesus Show - every Monday at 4:30pm Eastern Time – watch live on Facebook,, YouTube, Twitter, Podbean | | | | | | | | | Bishop John Shelby Spong Revisited The Birth of Jesus, Part VIII The Fourth Woman in Matthew’s genealogy: The Wife of Uriah Essay by Bishop John Shelby Spong January 17, 2013The fourth and final woman included in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus with which he opens his gospel and simultaneously introduces into the Christian tradition the story of the virgin birth, is the best known of them all. Matthew in this genealogy, however, does not ever call her by her name. He refers to her rather as “the wife of Uriah,” but those who are familiar with the Jewish scriptures, as Matthew’s audience would surely have been, know from the story in the 11th chapter of II Samuel that her name is Bathsheba and you and I can read her fascinating story any time we want simply by turning to that chapter of the Bible. For those who might not be familiar with this narrative these are the details.“In the spring of the year,” is the way the author of this book of Samuel begins his story. The spring of the year is the time when “the sap rises,” romance is in the air and, this author observes, it was also the time “when kings go forth to battle.” King David, however, did not follow the familiar script for this year so he remained in Jerusalem while dispatching his army into battle under the command of his trusted military chief, a man named Joab. Joab’s assigned task, said the author of II Samuel, was to “ravage” King David’s enemy, the Ammonites. Not only was he to conquer the land of Ammon, but his army was to accomplish this by besieging and then destroying the capital city of Rabbah, while the king remained safe and secure in the comfort of his palace.Thus the stage was set in which this particular episode would transpire. It would be while the king was at home far from the battlefield, that he would have the adventure that would determine not just the history of the Jewish people, but also through them, the history of the world. Great changes do attach themselves sometimes to seemingly unimportant details.It was in the late afternoon one day when King David, perhaps bored, decided to stroll out onto the rooftop of the royal palace to enjoy the warm spring breezes. Because his palace was the tallest building in the city, he could look down on all the roof tops of the other homes below. On this day, to the delight of his lecherous eyes, his gaze fell upon a young woman, who was bathing herself in what she believed was the privacy of her own roof top. David was immediately smitten by this woman’s charms and, as heads of state are prone to do, he assumed that his desires should be fulfilled. So David, after inquiring as to her identity, sent a messenger to this woman’s house, bearing his personal invitation for her to come to the palace and to have a “tryst” with the king. She came. Whether or not she had a choice, we do not know. The rights of women were very circumscribed in that patriarchal society. Bathsheba’s roof top bath was described in this text as necessary for “purifying herself from her uncleanness,” which was a euphemistic way the Bible described the fact that she had just completed her menstrual cycle. This detail is essential to the developing plot of this story, since it demonstrated conclusively that she was not pregnant at that moment. When she arrived at the palace David greeted her and then “took her and lay with her,” the text informs us. The act complete, this woman, having served her defined purpose, returned to her own house. In all probability David thought little more about the incident. It was probably not the first time, nor would it be the last, that this kind of activity had happened in his life. It was, however, destined to be a life-changing experience in Bathsheba’s life.In a few weeks Bathsheba, noticing some unusual, but revealing circumstances, sent a message to the palace marked “for the king’s eyes only.” In this message she informed King David that she was pregnant with his child. David, seeking to create some room in which to maneuver, asked her how she could be sure that this baby was his child. “You are a married woman,” he reminded her. Why do you assume that this is not your husband’s child? It was then that Bathsheba informed him that though she was indeed married, her husband, Uriah, was a professional soldier and that he had been away for months serving in the king’s army under Captain Joab in the war against the Ammonites. “There is no way O King,” she concluded, “that you are not the father of this baby.” David felt the noose tightening around his neck. He was not, however, ready to take responsibility for this fact and so he opted for plan B. He would dispatch a messenger to his army chief Joab, ordering him to grant a furlough to Uriah the Hittite. His cover was that he wanted to receive a first-hand report from someone in the field of battle and he had chosen Uriah for this “signal honor.” While on this special leave, David reasoned, Uriah would stay in his home, lie with his wife and when the baby was born, they could claim that this infant had just come early. It would not be the first time in that pre-DNA world that such an explanation had been conceived of and successfully employed.So a very surprised Uriah received orders to return to Jerusalem in order to provide a personal and private update for the king on the course of the battle. Uriah, however, did not choose to return to his own house. He, rather, slept quite ostentatiously in the street at the gate of the king’s palace. David’s plans were foiled again. He had not counted on Uriah being the ultimate “boy scout.” Uriah told the king that it would simply not be fitting for him to enjoy the pleasures of his home, his wife and his bed while all his comrades were still camping out in the fields, eating K-rations and risking their lives in the siege of Rabbah. “I could not think of doing such a thing,” he concluded. David must have thought to himself, “What a turkey!” Now he was forced to resort to plan C.The king next took out the royal quill and on a piece of royal parchment, he wrote out new orders to be carried to Joab, his military captain. He sent these new orders to Captain Joab via the hand of Uriah, who was returning to his duty on the battlefield. The king’s orders directed Joab to charge the gates of the city of Rabbah with a “V” shaped flying wedge. These orders also directed Joab to place Uriah the Hittite at the point of the “V” thus giving him the “honor” of leading the charge. It was a position in which few survived. It was done as the king commanded and Uriah was struck down and killed immediately. Joab then sent the king a message to inform him that his problems were over and that Uriah was dead. In turn, David sent for Bathsheba and she came to his palace to be one of his wives and thus a member of his harem. Bathsheba turned out to be a wife who exercised considerable power. After the child of her adulterous liaison with the king died in infancy, Bathsheba’s second son by King David, whose name was Solomon, was destined to succeed King David at his death, though he was not close to being the first-born son and thus the presumed heir to the throne. With the assistance of a priest named Zadok, a military leader named Benaiah and a prophet named Nathan, Bathsheba maneuvered to secure the throne for her son. King Solomon in turn secured the power of the royal family that was destined to rule the people of Judah for over 400 years. That is Bathsheba’s story as found in the Bible.In his genealogy, Matthew traces the royal line from Solomon through the kings of Judah until the royal family was destroyed by the Babylonians in the period of history that is called the Exile. Then he picks up the genealogy and traces it from the Exile to a man named Joseph, The conclusion of his genealogy says “Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus is born, who is called Christ.” Thus the genealogy with which Matthew opened his gospel and which served to introduce the story of Jesus’ “supernatural” or “virgin” birth is brought to a conclusion.Now as we come to the end of this opening genealogy ask yourself, what was Matthew’s purpose in beginning his gospel in this way and why did he deem it necessary and appropriate to say that the line that produced Jesus of Nazareth began with Abraham and traveled through the royal family, then into the exile and finally it arrives at the life on which the whole story is to focus? Finally, what is he trying to communicate when he places into the background of Jesus, four well known women in Jewish history, all of whom by the standards of that day were sexually compromised women? He is informing his readers at the very opening of his story that the line that produced Jesus of Nazareth flowed through the incest of Tamar (Gen. 38), the prostitution of Rahab (Joshua 2, 6), the seduction of Ruth (Ruth 3) and the adultery of Bathsheba (II Samuel 11). That appears to be what the text of Matthew’s gospel reveals. Perhaps that accounts (at least in part) for the fact that throughout most of Christian history, the first 17 verses of Matthew’s first chapter were skipped and ignored. They were called “the most boring verses in the Bible,” the “who begat whoms,” and no one was encouraged to look at them or take them seriously. Perhaps this strange introduction reveals that there is far more to the story of the virgin birth than we have imagined in the past.We will continue to look at Matthew’s birth narrative in subsequent weeks. Then we will turn to Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth. Studying the Bible can be quite exciting once one removes the blinders of literalism and begins to look at the texts for what they are. So stay tuned. We will move next to Matthew’s proof text found in Isaiah 7:14 and then to the wise men and their familiar gifts. It is a fascinating study. I hope that you are finding it so.~ John Shelby Spong | | | | | | | | Announcements All Are Invited: Jewish High Holiday Service with Rabbi Brian A digital age, adult service (and conversation) about forgiveness, atonement, re-centering, remembrance, and celebration. READ ON ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

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RECOVERING ABUNDANCE 12 Practices for small-town leaders -- LAST CALL -- See you all on Zoom in a few minutes!
by James Wiegel 21 Sep '22

21 Sep '22

RESOURCESHere is a Google folder with some resources for us: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1run_zQ3f5gRAyK7uW1MbtKxrhVcWIyoW?us… See below I have attached:The introductionA chart (visual overview) of the IntroductionA chart (visual overview) of the book HERE'S THE FLOWWe'll do introductionsHear a word from the authorDo a brief study of the introduction and look at the table of contentsOutline a study approach to dig deeperWrap up Jim Wiegel HERE'S THE ZOOM LINKTopic: Recovering AbundanceTime: Sep 20, 2022 06:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom MeetingJoin our Cloud HD Video Meeting | | | | Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video an... | | | Meeting ID: 831 0190 7279Passcode: 435991 What do the practices of … Retreat, Discernment, Stability, Inventory, Imagination, Organizing, Hospitality, Grounding, Gratitude, Generosity, Solidarity and Memory have to do with our future? Join Ruth Gilbert, Nancy Trask and I (Jim Wiegel) (along with the author, Andy Stanton-Henry) for a refreshing dive into this intriguing take on the kind of leadership we need these days! On We will look at the introduction and briefly review the 12 practices and, if there is interest we will organize a book study group over the coming weeks. RECOVERING ABUNDANCE is available as a Kindle book and also a paperback on Amazon and a number of other booksellers on line. Come, join us! Not sure?? come anyway. You won't need the book in hand for this intro session. You can "Look Inside" the book on Amazon and see the introduction and first chapter to get startedClick HERE to browse the book For those who are unable to browse the introduction on line, I have attached a .PDF at the end of this message. This book invites readers to live a new story--to join a movement of renewal for small towns and rural communities. Offering twelve civic-spiritual practices, rooted in Jesus's miracle among the multitude, that rural and small-town leaders can use to renew their congregations and communities. Through these twelve practices, Henry helps readers tune in to an alternative story, one he discovered in his own rural Ohio community. Yes, he saw the commonly lamented decline and devastation that have brought suffering to rural Americans and that seem to foster resentment and despair. However, as he dug deeper into the stories of his neighbors, he began to notice that small towns and rural regions are working. They are working to build inclusive, thriving, local economies, to weave a welcoming social fabric in their region, to co-create a positive future--following the practices he explores in this book. Recovering Abundance is a new story about the agency and creativity of what Henry calls "ordinary leaders," not a story about scarcity and deprivation but one of abundance and generosity. James Wiegel Tolleson AZ USA is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Recovering AbundanceTime: Sep 20, 2022 06:30 PM Central Time(US and Canada) Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us06web.zoom.us/j/83101907279?pwd=cUxKSXdadGszRFNRd09taVVldC84UT09 Meeting ID: 831 0190 7279Passcode: 435991One tap mobile+13462487799,,83101907279#,,,,*435991#US (Houston)+16694449171,,83101907279#,,,,*435991#US Dial by your location +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 444 9171 US +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 719 359 4580 US +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 309 205 3325 US +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 386 347 5053 US +1 564 217 2000 US +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) +1 646 931 3860 US +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)Meeting ID: 831 0190 7279Passcode: 435991Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kdOSTUSiic Jim Wiegel “A revolution is on the horizon: a wholesale transformation of the world economy and the way people live.” Fred Krupp _______________________________________________ Dialogue mailing list Dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/dialogue-wedgeblade.net Jim Wiegel “…the long work of turning their lives into a celebration is not easy. Come and let us talk“. The Sunflowers. Mary Oliver On Sep 20, 2022, at 10:00 AM, carletonstock(a)aol.com wrote: Jim,I'd like to join in tonight. Please send me the zoom link. carletonstock(a)aol.com.Thanks.Carleton -----Original Message----- From: James Wiegel via OE <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> To: OE Listserve <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net>; Colleague Dialogue Listserve <dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> Cc: James Wiegel <jfwiegel(a)yahoo.com>; Martin Rafanan <mjr9201(a)gmail.com>; Jaimie Leopold <jleopoldconsulting(a)msn.com>; Corey Godbey <cordangod(a)gmail.com> Sent: Mon, Sep 12, 2022 7:36 pm Subject: [Oe List ...] JOIN US, if you can, for an introduction to RECOVERING ABUNDANCE 12 Practices for small-town leaders on next TUESDAY, September 20th 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm Central (Chicago) time. Join Ruth Gilbert, Nancy Trask and I (Jim Wiegel) (along with the author, Andy Stanton-Henry) for a refreshing dive into this intriguing take on the kind of leadership we need these days! On We will look at the introduction and briefly review the 12 practices and, if there is interest we will organize a book study group over the coming weeks. RECOVERING ABUNDANCE is available as a Kindle book and also a paperback on Amazon and a number of other booksellers on line. Come, join us! Not sure?? come anyway. You won't need the book in hand for this intro session. You can "Look Inside" the book on Amazon and see the introduction and first chapter to get startedClick HERE to browse the book For those who are unable to browse the introduction on line, I have attached a .PDF at the end of this message. This book invites readers to live a new story--to join a movement of renewal for small towns and rural communities. Offering twelve civic-spiritual practices, rooted in Jesus's miracle among the multitude, that rural and small-town leaders can use to renew their congregations and communities. Through these twelve practices, Henry helps readers tune in to an alternative story, one he discovered in his own rural Ohio community. Yes, he saw the commonly lamented decline and devastation that have brought suffering to rural Americans and that seem to foster resentment and despair. However, as he dug deeper into the stories of his neighbors, he began to notice that small towns and rural regions are working. They are working to build inclusive, thriving, local economies, to weave a welcoming social fabric in their region, to co-create a positive future--following the practices he explores in this book. Recovering Abundance is a new story about the agency and creativity of what Henry calls "ordinary leaders," not a story about scarcity and deprivation but one of abundance and generosity. Jim Wiegel “A revolution is on the horizon: a wholesale transformation of the world economy and the way people live.” Fred Krupp _______________________________________________ OE mailing list OE(a)lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net

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Anyone interested in a book study?
by James Wiegel 17 Sep '22

17 Sep '22

Jamie Mudd, aka Jaimie Leopold, a close ICA and ToP colleague from Phoenix days and I are wondering if you would be interested in studying this book over the next couple of months RECOVERING ABUNDANCE My colleague Andy Henry's marvelous book is due in March! I'm looking forward to Recovering Abundance: Twelve Practices for Small-Town Leaders. This book invites readers to live a new story--to join a movement of renewal for small towns and rural communities. Offering twelve civic-spiritual practices, rooted in Jesus's miracle among the multitude, that rural and small-town leaders can use to renew their congregations and communities. Through these twelve practices, Henry helps readers tune in to an alternative story, one he discovered in his own rural Ohio community. Yes, he saw the commonly lamented decline and devastation that have brought suffering to rural Americans and that seem to foster resentment and despair. However, as he dug deeper into the stories of his neighbors, he began to notice that small towns and rural regions are working. They are working to build inclusive, thriving, local economies, to weave a welcoming social fabric in their region, to cocreate a positive future--following the practices he explores in this book. Recovering Abundance is a new story about the agency and creativity of what Henry calls "ordinary leaders," not a story about scarcity and deprivation but one of abundance and generosity. Jim Wiegel “A revolution is on the horizon: a wholesale transformation of the world economy and the way people live.” Fred Krupp

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9/17/22 PHOTOS—B½ OF ARCHIVE PROJECT
by Frank Knutson 17 Sep '22

17 Sep '22

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9/16/22 PHOTOS—B½ OF ARCHIVE PROJECT
by Frank Knutson 17 Sep '22

17 Sep '22

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9/15/2022, Progressing Spirit: Rev. Deshna Shine: When The Storm Hits; Spong revisited
by Ellie Stock 15 Sep '22

15 Sep '22

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screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6604856366 #yiv6604856366templateBody .yiv6604856366mcnTextContent, #yiv6604856366 #yiv6604856366templateBody .yiv6604856366mcnTextContent p{font-size:14px !important;line-height:150% !important;}}@media only screen and (max-width:480px){#yiv6604856366 #yiv6604856366templateFooter .yiv6604856366mcnTextContent, #yiv6604856366 #yiv6604856366templateFooter .yiv6604856366mcnTextContent p{font-size:12px !important;line-height:150% !important;}} | | | | View this email in your browser | | | | | | | | | | | | | | When The Storm Hits | | | | | | | | | | Essay by Rev. Deshna Shine September 15, 2022Recently, I was the in the middle of many major shifts. You may remember from my last column on “Transitions” that I was in the uncomfortable “in-between” with getting ready to move to a new home and town, a daughter graduating high school, parents getting older, and grandparents in their final years. I was also in between jobs and discerning what direction I wanted my career to go in.It was a lot all at once and I felt the intensity of big shifts and changes. So, to alleviate my discomfort, I was holding on to the picture in my mind of what the future held. Our new home with my wife, a new job, and the ability to put roots down somewhere and build community. And then, during all this, there arouse some uncertainty around what I thought was secure. The house of cards I had carefully stacked tumbled down around me. Everything I had imagined now seemed unknown.My first reaction to this sudden unknown, this storm that was hovering, was to totally freak out. I thought I was just about there! I had almost arrived. To this dream of a life, we had been building, to our new home, a life that we had carefully crafted and planned for. It had been three years in the making and just when I was at the precipice, the storm hit, everything felt unsure, unstable, and unknown and I was sure it would all be taken away.I said to my counselor, “all these months of being in the in-between and waiting for this stage, working hard for this stage, I felt an underlying fear, a grief, a quiet worry that something would happen. Someone would get sick, or worse get in an accident, lose a job, or the worst thing I could imagine, they would leave me. I was so close to having everything I have ever wanted and I had this sad feeling because I was sure the other shoe would drop. I was right! I knew all along, I wouldn’t get this perfect life!”And there it hung - that damn shoe. And so, internally the storm came. I cried. Actually, I wailed. I stomped my feet, and I raged.I had this picture of what I thought my life was going to be and it was just there right beyond my reach and then boom, it all came crashing down. I shared my storm with my best friends and my counselor, and my Spouse. They empathized, they were kind and compassionate. But as I heard myself, I sounded like a spoiled child.Everything has been so crazy, so hard! Why can’t this just go as planned? Why can’t I just have this dream, this story I was writing? Like I am the only one who hasn’t gotten what they wanted, exactly the way they wanted it. (I’m definitely not) Like my life is harder than anyone else’s. (It isn’t.)I thought back to my Tibetan Buddhist studies. I remembered learning that our suffering is caused by our attachment - not usually to what is but to what was or what we think it will be, what we want it to be, or what we fear it will be. I shook my fist at the sky, “Darn you, Buddha! Why this lesson, why now?!”Life is suffering. Suffering or dissatisfaction arises from attachment. Suffering can be released by letting go of our attachment to people being the way we want them to be or to always being with us, to outcomes, and to our possessions.I realized I was suffering, creating my own internal storm because of what I feared would come to be, or more accurately, how I would feel when this possibility came to be. It felt like the storm was all around me but really it was within me. But I might drown in that storm, I worried. I might lose everything! I might even lose this precious life I had built.I was in Maui years back. At the beach, there are these big waves that come all the way to the shore and lift up high and then dissolve back into the larger body of water. I had swam these waters and waves for many years, so I knew that even when the waves looked huge, they weren’t dangerous. They didn’t crash, they just lifted and then went back down and out again. So that as long as you didn’t try to stand still in them, as long as you went with their flow, you would simply be lifted up and then down again. They didn’t crash over your head. These were not Huntington Beach surf waves that crested and smashed down. These were wave pool waves. Up and down they went, in and out. Like breath.We had a friend visiting with us that was scared of the ocean. We tried to convince her that these waves were safe, the water was warm and so healing, and that all she needed to do was float. She finally came in. But as the wave approached, she locked her knees, determined to stay on her feet and stay standing and the wave lifted her up and when it brought her down, she came down on straight legs, hard. She ended up dislocating her knee and we had to call an ambulance. It was so scary! All around, young and old were floating up and down, but in her fear of what would happen, she tried to fight the wave. You can’t fight a wave. Even the big crashing ones, you have to go with the flow and trust.In Mark 4 and Matthew 8, Jesus and his disciples are in a boat on a big lake. He has just ministered to the people and I can only imagine how tired he must have been. How tired they must have all been. And so he rests. This is a whole other column I could write, how Jesus teaches us to rest, to take Sabbath, to be renewed. But what happens next is what feels potent for this column. Suddenly a huge, violent storm rolled upon the lake. The disciples were afraid that this storm would take all of their lives. In terror, they cried and yelled at Jesus, begging him to wake up and do something.They said, “Teacher, don’t you care about us? We are going to drown!”Now, this story is about a lot of things — radical trust, faith, Jesus’ power, rest, and how we can never fully prepare for change, hardship and storms. Storms and waves will come at any moment, this is part of life. But I believe it is also about going with the flow and letting the storm of the feelings to wash over you and through you, trusting that you will come out on the other side. As the boat rocks and water fills, he sleeps. He is annoyed to be woken and says, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”When I look back at my life to times when everything felt unknown, scary, or lost, I can see that I was always ok on the other side. Jesus here shows us how to have inner peace when the storm is raging. He was calm while the tempest howled around the boat, while everyone around him was totally freaking out.In Matthew 6:27 he says, “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” Jesus reminds us there is nothing to be gained by worrying about the future. The Buddha teaches this as well. We suffer because we are attached to a perceived story about the past or the future.I am not suggesting here that we “just let it go.” To me, this is spiritual bypassing and that storm will just come around again. I am suggesting that we let it be. Feelings are information that we can learn from. Letting it go can lead to suppressing feelings, or guilt and shame if those feelings are still there. Letting it go is a forced action and requires effort and control. Letting it be is allowing the feelings to wash over you, through you, to feel them fully, to walk through the storm, to ride the wave, and even to rest.The first step is to simply notice the storm within. To identify the feelings. To name them. To notice what is happening in the body and how the storm feels. This wave that threatens me is my fear of what may happen. But here I am, in this moment. Then we ask, what can I learn from these feelings? What is Spirit trying to teach me right now?For me, the lesson was to remember my radical trust, to stay open to all possibilities, and to remember that my story is just that, a story and that everything always changes. To remember I will be ok, as long as I don’t try to fight it, run away from it, or suppress it. As long as I make my heart soft, rest, and listen to my needs, the storm will calm eventually and I will be ok.And so. I let it be. And you know what? I am here on the other side and I am ok. The storm has come and gone. I felt it all and by doing so, its power was diminished. I let it course through me, around me, and watched it pass. I am still here with some major unknowns and fears but I have been reminded that Spirit will lift me up and bring me back to the ground gently. I am held. I am here in this moment and in this moment all is well and I can rest. ~ Rev. Deshna Shine Read online here For Reflection: Isaiah 43:18-19, Matthew 11:28-30, John 14:27, Matthew 11:28-29, Matthew 6:27, John 14:27, Jeremiah 17:7-8, Psalm 94:19, Isaiah 41:10, Joshua 1:9, Psalm 34:4, Psalm 56:3, Jeremiah 29:11-12 About the Author Rev. Deshna Shine is Project Director of ProgressiveChristianity.org’s Children’s Curriculum. She is an ordained Interfaith Minister, author, international speaker, and visionary. She grew up in a thriving progressive Christian church and has worked in the field for over 13 years. She graduated from UCSB with a major in Religious Studies and a minor in Global Peace and Security. She was Executive Director of Progressive Christianity.org, Executive Producer of Embrace Festival and has co-authored the novel, Missing Mothers. Deshna is passionate about sacred community, nourishing children spiritually and transforming Christianity through a radically inclusive lens. | | | | | | | | Question & Answer Q: By Faith I have been trying to form my relationship with Christ, I find my values align with the views of Progressive Christians. I really don't have any support or understanding from my community and I haven't ever read the bible and would like to. I'm not sure where to start or what version of the bible to start with where I can have help understanding the word of god. A: By Rev. Brandan Robertson Dear Faith,Thank you for this question. As one begins the journey into progressive Christian faith, we usually are drawn to use the practices of more traditional or conservative Christianity to aid our spiritual formation. There can be great benefit to practices like daily Scripture reading, reciting the Daily Office, or using a devotional book. But one of the benefits of the progressive Christian path is that it recognizes the presence of God in and through all things and all paths, so I would encourage you to consider other practices such as meditation, yoga, or reading other sacred writing or spiritual books even as you utilize the traditional tools of Christian faith. With that said, I would encourage you to pick up either the Common English Study Bible or the New Oxford Annotated New Revised Standard Version Study Bible if you’re interested not just in devotional reading of the Scriptures, but a deep study of Scripture. Both are great translations and have tremendous scholarly insight packed in the footnotes. I’d also encourage you to pick up “Reading the Bible with and without Jesus” by Amy Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler, What is the Bible? by Rob Bell, The Bible Tells Me So by Peter Enns, or How to Read the Bible and Still Be a Christian by John Dominic Crossan- these are some of the best progressive and scholarly resources to help lay people begin to engage deeply and critically with the Biblical texts. By engaging deeply, critically, and devotionally with the Biblical texts, paired with a contemplative spiritual practice like prayer or meditation, I believe you’ll be well on your way to cultivating a rich relationship with Christ in your day to day life! ~ Rev. Brandan Robertson Read and share online here About the Author Rev. Brandan Robertson is a noted spiritual thought-leader, contemplative activist, and commentator, working at the intersections of spirituality, sexuality, and social renewal and the author of Nomad: A Spirituality For Travelling Light and writes regularly for Patheos, Beliefnet, and The Huffington Post. He has published countless articles in respected outlets such as TIME, NBC, The Washington Post, Religion News Service, and Dallas Morning News. As sought out commentator of faith, culture, and public life, he is a regular contributor to national media outlets and has been interviewed by outlets such as MSNBC, NPR, SiriusXM, TIME Magazine, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Associated Press. He leads Metanoia, a digital spiritual community at MetanoiaCenter.org | | | | | | | | Please continue to send us your feedback… we are listening. We aim to give voice to many different perspectives that are relevant and inspiring along this spiritually progressing path. We are not here to tell you what to believe or how to act. We are here to support your journey, to share and learn together.Thank you for being a part of this community - join us on Facebook! | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | As a non-profit ProgressiveChristianity.org/Progressing Spirit rely heavily on the good will of our donors to help us continue to bring individuals and churches the messages of progressive Christians, Weekly Newsletters, along with the many other resources we provide. For years, the majority of our fundraising came at the end of the year. Looking at various ways to create a more reasonable amount of cash flow we decided rather than having a BIG ask at the end of each year, our more frequent asks give folks a chance to contribute when their funds are more flexible. We think that's a win for everyone. We also want to highlight the opportunity to become a sustaining supporter. If you are looking for the best way to help us continue to provide progressive Christian resources, become a sustaining supporter by choosing Recurring Donation. Help keep ProgressiveChristianity.org online and going strong - click here to donate today! * Another way to support us is to leave a bequest in your Will and/or Trust designating us a beneficiary. | | | | | | | | | | | Don't miss the next Episode of PC.org's Executive Directors Mark and Caleb on: The Moonshine Jesus Show - every Monday at 4:30pm Eastern Time – watch live on Facebook,, YouTube, Twitter, Podbean | | | | | | | | | Bishop John Shelby Spong Revisited The Birth of Jesus, Part VII The Role of Ruth: The Seductress Essay by Bishop John Shelby Spong January 10, 2013The third woman mentioned in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus is also unique in a number of ways. Her name is Ruth and she, like Rahab, is a foreigner. Rahab was a Canaanite citizen of Jericho. Ruth was a Moabite, and the widow of a Jewish man named Mahlon. Her story is found in the tiny book that bears her name that is nestled in the Hebrew Scriptures between Judges and I Samuel. It is a dramatic tale involving some unfamiliar Jewish practices that are strange to us today, but that made sense in terms of the Jewish values of that day, rooted as they were in both tribal and patriarchal assumptions. Listen first to the story. It was around the year 1100 BCE when a time of famine produced a down turn in the Hebrew economy. Elimelech, a citizen of Bethlehem, his wife Naomi and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, moved to the land of Moab in search of work, food and survival. Soon thereafter, Elimelech died leaving Naomi with her two sons, strangers and aliens in a foreign land. The two sons then assumed the care of their mother and settled into their life in Moab, living there for about ten years, during which time they even took Moabite women to be their wives. Mahlon married Ruth and Chilion married Orpah. Then tragedy struck once again when both Mahlon and Chilion died, leaving the remaining members a very vulnerable family of three widows, women who had no male support and no male protection. This patriarchal society had not developed any way of enabling lone women to care for themselves outside the protective structure provided by a father, a husband or a son. “An independent woman” was an unimaginable category. Hebrew law, therefore, required that women who are alone be cared for by the nearest male kinsman in the family. Normally this meant that the next oldest brother in the family must take the widow of his deceased brother as his wife. In the case of Naomi, Orpah and Ruth, however, there were no younger brothers and, with Naomi being of post-menopausal age, there was no chance of ever producing any. Nothing was more fragile or tragic in this society than a woman who had no father, no husband and no son. She thus fell out of the social safety net, which that society had built to care for the vulnerable. The next level of support was to identify the male, who was simply the closest of kin and to turn all of her assets over to him. This included his taking the widowed woman to be his wife, or at least a member of his harem, for which he had responsibility and for which he assumed sexual privileges with the stated hope of raising up children to the deceased male. As long as this fragile trio of women lived in the land of Moab, there was no male closest of kin. Naomi, facing this reality, called her two daughters-in-law to her and told them that she was moving back to the land of the Jews, presumably to Bethlehem. She instructed the young widows to do the only thing left open to them. She told them to return to their families and to the protection of their fathers. That was a demeaning act as these widows would from then on be considered “damaged goods.” They would be unable to contract another “proper” marriage. Perhaps some men could be found to take them, but prospects were bleak; not as bleak, however, as what they faced as a family of three vulnerable women living alone. Orpah accepted that option and returned to her family, disappearing from this story forever. Ruth, however, declined and informed Naomi that she would go with her back to the land of the Jews, that she did not want to leave her mother-in-law alone and that together they would face the hardship that both knew awaited them. In one of the most beautiful passages in this book, Ruth says words that have been set to music today and we know them as “The Song of Ruth,” “Entreat me not to leave you or to return from following you; for where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people and your God shall be my God, where you die, I will die and there will I be buried.” (Ruth 1:16-17) This song of Ruth is frequently sung at weddings as the bride and groom stare deeply into each other’s eyes.. I wonder how many couples would choose this music if they knew that originally it was Ruth’s song sung to her mother-in-law! The two single women then returned to Bethlehem and began their struggle for survival. It was the time of the beginning of the barley harvest. Naomi plotted her strategy. She was aware that her husband, Elimelech, had a kinsman named Boaz, who owned much land in the Bethlehem area. She thus settled into a humble dwelling near the fields of her husband’s distant relative. Jewish law also required that the reapers should not seek to harvest every grain of barley, but that some should be left in the field to be gleaned by the poor. Each day Ruth went into these fields to gather the grain the reapers had missed. She brought it home, ground it and baked it into a barley cake sufficient to keep Naomi and herself from starving. Her faithful caring for Naomi was noticed. Boaz inquired of her identity and learned that she was Naomi’s Moabite daughter-in-law, that she had asked permission to glean in the field behind the reapers and that she had gathered the scanty remains from sunup to sundown without resting. Inspired by this example, Boaz spoke to Ruth, telling her not to gather grain in any other fields and gave her access to water drawn by the young men for the workers in the field. He ordered the young men not to molest her. Ruth thanked Boaz for his kindness, inquiring as to why he was so gracious to a foreigner. Boaz replied that her faithfulness in the care of Naomi had inspired him and revealed that he had been told of the death of Ruth’s husband and of her willingness to leave her own people in order to care for Naomi. Boaz then instructed the reapers to leave some of the sheaves that they had gathered for her to glean. When Ruth told Naomi about the kindness of the man who owned the fields, Naomi was pleased that the trap she was setting was about to be sprung. She waited until the harvest season was over before she put her plan into operation. Naomi shared with Ruth that Boaz was a distant relative of Elimelech, her father-in-law, and thus of Mahlon, Ruth’s husband. He thus had a social responsibility to care for her. When the reaping was over, Boaz and his workers would celebrate at the threshing floor and Ruth would attend that celebration. She prepared carefully, she bathed, she anointed herself with perfume, she put on her best dress and off she went. Naomi instructed her that she was not to make herself known until the man had finished eating and drinking. The text says until “his heart was merry.” The wine flowed freely that evening and by midnight Boaz, now well drunk, lay down on the floor and went to sleep. Ruth came over to him, placed a pillow under his head and covered him with a blanket. Then the text says she “uncovered his feet,” and lay down at his feet. In the scriptures the word “feet” was a euphemism for the male genitals. The fact is that Ruth undressed him and climbed under the blanket with him. This was an overt act of seduction. When Boaz awakened at the dawn’s first shaft of light, he found this woman under the blanket with him. He had no idea who she was or what he might have done in his drunken stupor, and so he spoke to her. “Who are you?” He asked. She replied: I am Ruth, you are my next of kin. Marry me!” Boaz pretended to be flattered that she had not gone after a younger man, but he was not quite ready to accept this new responsibility. There was one other, he said, who was a closer kinsman to her husband than he. He would have to speak to him first. It seems this other man had the right of first refusal. Boaz went to meet with him, telling Ruth not to let it be known “that a woman came to the threshing floor.” He then gave Ruth “six measures of barley,” perhaps it was payment for her “night’s work” and he went off to the city. Ruth reported back to Naomi with this grain and Naomi rejoiced. Her plan had clearly worked. Boaz, gathering ten men of the city to serve as witnesses, met with this nearest kinsman and the negotiations proceeded. Boaz informed this man that Ruth, Mahlon’s widow, has returned from Moab and that she has a parcel of land that belonged to Mahlon’s father, our kinsman, Elimelech. You, as the nearest of kin, have first refusal. Will you redeem this land? If not, I am next in line. The nearest of kin agreed to redeem it. Then Boaz said that is fine, but you need to know the day you take over this field, you are also agreeing to care for Naomi, Elimelech’s widow, and to take Mahlon’s widow, Ruth, to be your wife and to raise up children to her deceased husband. That was a sticky wicket. He would then have to include any children he might have with Ruth among those who would inherit his estate. So he declined. “I cannot redeem it,” he said, “Lest I impair my own children’s inheritance.” So, in the presence of the elders, he renounced his claim. The decision was affirmed in the traditional way of exchanging a sandal. Boaz then was authorized to buy the parcel, to become heir of all that belonged to Elimelech, Mahlon and Chilion. He would care for Naomi and Ruth would become his wife so that the name of Mahlon would not be cut off in the land. The elders saluted Boaz and said, “May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.” thus linking these two stories. Boaz and Ruth had a son whose name was Obed. When Obed reached maturity, he had a son named Jesse. Jesse in turn grew up and had a son named David, who became the great king of the Hebrew nation. Ruth was thus the great grandmother of King David. Matthew incorporated Ruth into the genealogy of Jesus that served as his prologue to the introduction of the first account of Jesus’ miraculous birth, In that genealogy, Matthew is saying the line that produced Jesus of Nazareth flowed through the incest of Tamar, the harlotry of Rahab and the seduction of Ruth. It also proclaimed that Moabite blood flowed in the veins of the Jewish King David, thus countering all of the claims of racial purity made for the Royal House of David. One more woman will appear in Matthew’s genealogy. We will turn to her story when this series continues, but surely by now we should be asking what Matthew’s purpose is; what is his agenda that he has chosen to introduce the Virgin Birth story in this way?~ John Shelby Spong | | | | | | | | Announcements Holding Space: An Introduction to the Art & Practices An exploration into the essential value of holding space and its capacity to support people to connect more deeply to their own inner resourcefulness and wisdom. Online Sept. 26, 2022 - $50/4 weeks READ ON ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

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9/11/22 PHOTOS—B½ OF ARCHIVE PROJECT
by Frank Knutson 11 Sep '22

11 Sep '22

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8/25/22 PHOTOS
by Frank Knutson 10 Sep '22

10 Sep '22

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Global Schedule Update
by Karen Snyder 08 Sep '22

08 Sep '22

If you have not checked the Global Schedule (https://icaglobalarchives.org/social-research-center-events/ <https://icaglobalarchives.org/social-research-center-events/>) lately, you may have missed the fact that next week (September 13) Janet Sanders is offering an introduction to Social Artistry that she designed and has facilitated around the world. In October Janet and David Dunn will lead an engaging conversation about the role social art and culture play in our lives, using the overlay of the social process analysis. Send her an email if you wish to participate. The 13-week Courage to Lead study series begins again September 22. This past summer ten African nations participated in a training series in order to offer this study in their nations. Common Earth is offering its eight week fall sessions, beginning October 3, enabling participants to be actively involved in moving towards a post-carbon caring society. And finally stay tuned about how you can participate online with the Africa ICAs Conference in Kenya, scheduled for October 23-29. Peace, Karen Snyder for the Global Schedule Team

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