There are multiple ways to share the A Deacon’s Musing blogs. One way is to organise them based upon such categories as Fiction, Poetry and Visual. Another way is to sort them around Features such as Feather’s Fall, TEDx, The Story of Then or Vignettes, I suspect there is no perfect way to do it. Each hopefully speaks to a particular reader of seeker’s interest or however the muse might be whispering upon each visit. An archive, therefore, feels like an appropriate way to further share these various reflections. I hope, then, that this page proves as one additional way to further engage and create conversation!
#ShineOn!
The Blogs
A Proposal
Okay, I admit it; I’m often coming back to community as a theme. In fact, were I to be completely honest, I would say that it is central to my own longing that lies at the centre of my faith. And, if I continue on this trajectory, I guess it is also why I am so invested in the necessity for healthy and effective leadership. The promise of a healthy community depends on the leadership that models it.
Letting Go
I was recently at a meeting and it was, as has been the case over the last two years, a meeting in which there was a lot of energy. This particular group of men and women have been meeting to review where the congregation has been, discussing where it currently is, and imaging where the Spirit might be guiding. In times of such intentional reflection there is always richness. This group, as with most that engage with leadership, modelled self-challenge, as well as comfort in listening to ideas that were either new or difficult. I suspect that many who are in leadership, either Ordered or Lay, have been in this place. And, as my own experience has evidenced, there are moments of profound insight, perhaps even revelation …
Choices
In my last Blog, Oh, the Temptation ..., I ended it with the following observation: “In the end, while mumbling below my breath, it all revolves around choice and to my frustration, I do not remember Jesus ever pushing someone through a door, merely pointing out that there were and are many doors on the journey of our lives...”
Lent|Opt-In or Out?
So there I was at a meeting of the one of the levels of the Court of the United Church of Canada (there are four fwiiw: Pastoral Charge, Presbytery; Conference; and General Council). These Courts are not intended to be hierarchal, in fact when they work well; it lives out a way of being – of governance – that operates from the bottom -> up.
The Cookie Monster
I remember clearly the “One of these things is not like the others” Sesame Street song from the Cookie Monster a little too often since entering into a formal process toward accountable ministry in the United Church of Canada. Of course it is only now, as I have considered this latest blog why that would be ...
Temptation!
The last time I wrote a blog was prior to my trip to Israel-Palestine with Christian Peacemaker Teams. To say that it seems a long time ago that I wrote those words or that the intervening days since my return have been full of challenge and reflection would be an understatement. With the recent escalation of violence and political double speak coming out of Israel and Gaza, it would be fair to say that my cynicism with our human institutions and endeavours has been fed well.
Gallery|2008
There are the images used throughout 2008 for A Deacon's Musing. I hope that the visuals chosen speak to the words used in each blog. Just as importantly, I hope they not only complement
How Then Shall We Lead?
So I am leaving soon, in fact in less than a week. By the time you read this, I will hopefully be a member of a Witnessing Delegation in Israel-Palestine with Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT). I have requested, at the suggestion of CPT, that this Blog and my correspondence with Winnipeg and Tamarack Presbyteries of the United Church of Canada not be released until after the 18th of November.
Want to explore more of A Deacon’s Musing? Checkout
Steve says:
Dea. Richard says:
Steve says: