Recently on “This American Life,” they did a segment on “Coming Out as Fat.” I had recently started a Living Body Positive group with Alana Franklin and Cynthia Hackett, and so several people had recommended that I listen to it. I was born fat. I was three months old when the doctor told my mother … Continue reading What Does It Mean to Be a Community of Joy?
I was delighted when I opened the Soul Matters packet this month and read the words of Barbara Brown Taylor. She really speaks to me and my life-long “issue” of self-loathing my body. Here is what she has to say: I think it is important to pray naked in front of a full-length mirror sometimes, … Continue reading What Does It Mean To Be a Community of Embodiment?
“How does one become a butterfly?” Pooh asked pensively. “You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar,” Piglet replied. ~ A.A. Milne Here are two suggestions for a transformative spiritual practice this month: Option A: A Long Hard Look Author Barbara Kingsolver is a master … Continue reading What Does It Mean to Be a Community of Transformation?
Last month we talked about what it means to be a people of identity. Identity for me means I can no longer hide on the fence. I can no longer be so wishy-washy about carefully couching my position on things so as not to be offensive to anyone. Risky business, but Identity was last month’s … Continue reading What Does it Mean to be a People of Risk?
“Afraid that our inner light will be extinguished or our inner darkness exposed, we hide our true identities from each other. In the process, we become separated from our own souls. We end up living divided lives, so far removed from the truth we hold within that we cannot know the ‘integrity that comes from … Continue reading What Does It Mean To Be A Community of Identity?
What does it mean to be a Community of Prophecy? For me, today, in this “post-truth” world it means, taking responsibility to find the truth, striving to always speak the truth and committing to speak truth to power, even when it’s scary. Meryl Streep did this recently and I call her a modern day prophet … Continue reading Marching as a Community of Prophecy
Our theme this month is presence and I am immediately reminded of a saying I learned long ago: The past is gone; the future hasn’t happened yet; and the present is a gift. One of the long playing stories of my life that I frequently tell myself, is how I am on a path to … Continue reading What Does It Mean to Be a Congregation of Presence?
Our theme this month is what does it mean to be a congregation of story? Two days ago I posted picture of myself on Facebook joyously voting for what I thought was to be the nation’s first woman president. This morning I awoke to a slightly different story. An Orange is the New Black story … Continue reading What Does It Mean to Be a Congregation of Story?
As I get older, I tend to look at healing as a journey rather than a destination. But that wasn’t always the case. After I got plantar fasciitis a few years ago, I thought that all I needed to do was to heal from that and be done with it. But it started a whole … Continue reading What Does It Mean to Be a Community of Healing?
The church year has officially begun! We begin our church year anew each year with our Water Communion. Merging our waters together is a symbolic representation for us that we are indeed a community of covenant. But what does it mean to be a community of covenant? With the help of the Soul Matters … Continue reading What Does it Mean to Be a Community of Covenant?
