Thanks for reading!
https://conta.cc/2RdXA05
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Let Go!
This past weekend I was with 40 women who are recovering from their own alcoholism and/or that of a family member. I meet with them twice a year, and it's always inspiring and exhausting. I'm used to my story, to the pain and the grace, but hearing others' stories always leads me to depths and heights that I can barely describe. These women are miracles. As am I. And maybe you.
These lessons and that listening are not confined to people in recovery. And the experience of abuse and addiction does not guarantee that we will find God or meaning or purpose. Many people live and die without finding any healing. But the lesson of addiction is one that we all need, one that Jesus tried to teach his disciples: we have to surrender in order to live. We have to die to rise again. Whether it's surrendering a substance or a behavior, or dying to who we thought we were, or risking a change that comes without guarantees, we can't find God's promise for us until we let go of our certainty and self-sufficiency. We have to step off the cliff - or at least the curb! - to let God carry us.
I'm sad when I go to churches where people don't know how much they need God, or what is possible for them if they surrender. As long as we go through the motions of looking OK, to ourselves and to others, we deny ourselves the love and strength that Jesus promised.
If you are nursing a secret hurt or desire, let it in. Let it burn in your soul. Don't try to manage it or ignore it. Fullness of life is waiting for you, but God will not insist. Ask and you will receive. Knock, and the door will be opened. Pound that door, loud enough for your own soul to hear it. It is calling you to new life.
Thursday, November 15, 2018
Incognito God
Last week I was in Newry, Northern Ireland, with the Mastery Foundation School for Leadership. Mastery is an interfaith organization with one paid employee and hundreds of volunteers and participants. Their mission is to "empower those who minister and serve others in creating new possibilities for themselves and for their communities." They do this through workshops in the US, Northern Ireland, and Israel. Basil Pennington was one of the co-founders, and silent prayer is a key part of our common life.
I am a graduate of the School, and it transformed my life and ministry. I continue to volunteer in a variety of ways, because I want others to get what I got. Elizabeth has also gone through the School, and is preparing to serve others as a coach.
So, what does this have to do with you, dear reader? Mastery itself is not a "faith-based organization," and we don't "do theology" together. Yet I see God so vividly there: in the participants, and in the community gathered around this work. We are several kinds of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim (seeking breakthroughs in other communities as well). The generosity and love manifest among us is clearly of God.
The new cohort of participants includes people who are working for the environment, for immigrant families, for an end to sectarian violence, for peace. They do this as social workers, nurses, lawyers, priests, rabbis, imams. They give their lives for the love of the world. I give my time to equip them for the work they do.
I come back from these annual trips exhausted and exhilarated. I'm part of communities within Mastery that meet monthly to make sure the whole School is available for the participants, and I am renewed in every meeting. One of our principles is that we each have to receive as much as we give in what we do. I am sure that I receive much more than I give.
I want you to know of this amazing group, and to notice all the other groups that are making our world better. God is alive, sometimes incognito, in all these people and places. If you are part of such a community, make sure to acknowledge your partners - it's a precious gift you share. If you aren't part of such a community, go looking for one. Where do you see God at work in the world? Where do you hear a call to bring God's love?
Blessings on all you do, all you are, all you might become.
I am a graduate of the School, and it transformed my life and ministry. I continue to volunteer in a variety of ways, because I want others to get what I got. Elizabeth has also gone through the School, and is preparing to serve others as a coach.
So, what does this have to do with you, dear reader? Mastery itself is not a "faith-based organization," and we don't "do theology" together. Yet I see God so vividly there: in the participants, and in the community gathered around this work. We are several kinds of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim (seeking breakthroughs in other communities as well). The generosity and love manifest among us is clearly of God.
The new cohort of participants includes people who are working for the environment, for immigrant families, for an end to sectarian violence, for peace. They do this as social workers, nurses, lawyers, priests, rabbis, imams. They give their lives for the love of the world. I give my time to equip them for the work they do.
I come back from these annual trips exhausted and exhilarated. I'm part of communities within Mastery that meet monthly to make sure the whole School is available for the participants, and I am renewed in every meeting. One of our principles is that we each have to receive as much as we give in what we do. I am sure that I receive much more than I give.
I want you to know of this amazing group, and to notice all the other groups that are making our world better. God is alive, sometimes incognito, in all these people and places. If you are part of such a community, make sure to acknowledge your partners - it's a precious gift you share. If you aren't part of such a community, go looking for one. Where do you see God at work in the world? Where do you hear a call to bring God's love?
Blessings on all you do, all you are, all you might become.
Monday, October 22, 2018
Still Blowing . . .
Last night we welcomed Ernesto Medina as a Candidate for Covenant Companionship. Ernesto invited some friends to join us for the ceremony, and two new people joined the Covenant Group, so our usual 12 members doubled to 24. Through this technology people could join in from Britain, Germany, and all over the U.S. Here's what it looked like:
We are so blessed to be surrounded by the gifts and the desire of so many people. With each new step Elizabeth and I are learning about letting go and letting others lead us. It's a little scary - no, it's terrifying - but it's what we've longed for from the beginning. Please pray for all these people, that we continue to grow in love and joy together, and share that with everyone we meet.
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
The Spirit is Blowing!
There are times for everything. There's a time for plodding along, being faithful and trusting. (Well, every time is a time for being faithful and trusting.) There are times for pushing more actively. And there are those times when it seems that everything is coming to me, and all I need to do is keep surfing the waves. This is one of those times.
This has been the "year of rebooting," when Elizabeth and I went back to basics and asked God to send whoever and whatever we were to do next. We've relaxed into accepting where we are, not itching to have others join, getting that all is well however it is. And suddenly we are rebooting in a delightful way. Other people are showing up, sharing their gifts and energy and moving us along.
A friend needed a place to stay while she is between houses and jobs. She's spent the summer shuttling from place to place, and it's hard to build a life like that. So we offered her our spare bedroom, and she accepted. Now, just like when the two of us began the Companions, we don't know her very well. It turns out that she is gifted in many areas, and eager to share them with us: from cooking to reconfiguring the flow of furniture to fundraising to healing arts. She's a delightful addition, and she's giving us the gift of practicing living with a third person.
At the same time, one of our Covenant Group members asked to become a Covenant Companion, a more demanding and intimate relationship. He too brings many gifts that he's looking to use, including creativity around organizations and seeking solutions, lots of small group experience, and his own unique history. We are blessed to have him with us.
With all this energy flowing in, it can be easy for me to "fly off" in all directions. It's more important than ever to keep praying, keep meditating, keep doing the things that ground me. But just as important is the celebration that God is up to something.
For years we have said that CMA is not just Elizabeth and me, but people looking in could easily not see that. With each day, it seems, it is becoming a reality that others will be able to see and share in. And it's not up to me to make it happen. I am tending the hearth, but I am not the fire. The fire of the Spirit is doing what She does, and it is beautiful. Thank you, God!
This has been the "year of rebooting," when Elizabeth and I went back to basics and asked God to send whoever and whatever we were to do next. We've relaxed into accepting where we are, not itching to have others join, getting that all is well however it is. And suddenly we are rebooting in a delightful way. Other people are showing up, sharing their gifts and energy and moving us along.
A friend needed a place to stay while she is between houses and jobs. She's spent the summer shuttling from place to place, and it's hard to build a life like that. So we offered her our spare bedroom, and she accepted. Now, just like when the two of us began the Companions, we don't know her very well. It turns out that she is gifted in many areas, and eager to share them with us: from cooking to reconfiguring the flow of furniture to fundraising to healing arts. She's a delightful addition, and she's giving us the gift of practicing living with a third person.
At the same time, one of our Covenant Group members asked to become a Covenant Companion, a more demanding and intimate relationship. He too brings many gifts that he's looking to use, including creativity around organizations and seeking solutions, lots of small group experience, and his own unique history. We are blessed to have him with us.
With all this energy flowing in, it can be easy for me to "fly off" in all directions. It's more important than ever to keep praying, keep meditating, keep doing the things that ground me. But just as important is the celebration that God is up to something.
For years we have said that CMA is not just Elizabeth and me, but people looking in could easily not see that. With each day, it seems, it is becoming a reality that others will be able to see and share in. And it's not up to me to make it happen. I am tending the hearth, but I am not the fire. The fire of the Spirit is doing what She does, and it is beautiful. Thank you, God!
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Our September Newsletter - and a Warning
Hi everyone,
The link to our latest newsletter is below.
We had a scare that may not be over. Suddenly 2000 Russian trolls showed up in our newsletter list. We had blocked it so each subscriber needs to be confirmed, and I deleted all these, but they will try again. If you tried to subscribe and were denied, please write us directly.
Trolls work by inserting conflict and negativity into conversations, so people drift away or get misinformation. If you find yourself on a Companions link where nasty stuff is being said, please let me know. And ignore it, it isn't us! We may be challenging at times, but our goal is to build up the Body of Christ, not tear it up.
Blessings to you all in this season of equinoxes (whichever hemisphere you find yourself in).
Shane
https://conta.cc/2Oqiyrp
The link to our latest newsletter is below.
We had a scare that may not be over. Suddenly 2000 Russian trolls showed up in our newsletter list. We had blocked it so each subscriber needs to be confirmed, and I deleted all these, but they will try again. If you tried to subscribe and were denied, please write us directly.
Trolls work by inserting conflict and negativity into conversations, so people drift away or get misinformation. If you find yourself on a Companions link where nasty stuff is being said, please let me know. And ignore it, it isn't us! We may be challenging at times, but our goal is to build up the Body of Christ, not tear it up.
Blessings to you all in this season of equinoxes (whichever hemisphere you find yourself in).
Shane
https://conta.cc/2Oqiyrp
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