I (Richard Manley-Tannis aka me) began blogging with the United Church of Canada (UCCan) during the Emerging Spirit Programme in 2008. Though I approach the world through a Christian lens, I celebrate that all human truths fail to fully appreciate a universe & reality that cannot confine the Holy. In A Deacon’s Musing, I meander & ruminates, reflect & challenge. Hopefully some of it makes sense & I invite you to ask questions, push me to clarify & listen with intention!
I have journeyed journeyed with alternatives to the Canadian adjudicative judicial system & continues to endeavour to merge my practical conflict resolution & organisational development experience with appropriate theological & academic explorations. As well, I really appreciates the nuances of organisational & systems analysis. In such pursuits, I utilise such tools as Appreciative Inquiry & the Enneagram. In 2014, I began my PhD with The Taos Institute & Tilburg University. In this next journey of learning, which ended in 2020 with my graduation in the Netherlands, the completed project was an academic exploration of shifting the UCCan’s narrative from one of deficit and fear to one of abundance, mission and hope. The project ends with a practical application (i.e. workshops) to assist congregations live out the findings of the dissertation.
Since 2018, I have had honour to fill the role as Principal of St. Andrew’s College in Saskatoon, SK, Canada. In this capacity I am excited to be part of a team that is engaged in nurturing and preparing leadership in the church through the explicit lens of justice!
Now I am wide-eyed-open to where Creator is next inviting me …
Advent|4 Reflections
As the season of Advent dawns and moves toward Christmas, there is much upon which to reflect. This time of preparation, during four December weeks of journeying toward the Christmas moment is a blessed time. It can also be fraught with the pressures to consume and perform. I offer, therefore, in this Advent season, four brief reflections that begin with each weekly Advent theme: hope, peace, joy, and love. May their unfolding lead you to feel gratitude for yourself as a blessing and, in turn, recognise the same in the Other.
#MicroPoetry|November ’24 Reflections
The #MicroPoetry of the blog began as a creative practice in 2012. Using the confines of twitter's 140 characters, this discipline has been a generative opportunity to use words to poetically muse. Starting in 2017, brief reflections became another way to explore the use of these verses as part prayer, thought, reflection, challenge or something in-between. I hope these monthly collections offer you space to be, reflect and consider how your own choices might help you and other #ShineOn.
#MicroPoetry|November ’24 Memes
Too often it seems that words and images are placed against one another. The gift of a meme, when hopefully done well, is that the word and the visual serve to complement and enhance one another in a way that either one or the other - on their own - is unable to fully convey meaning. I hope, therefore, that these mash-ups of #MicroPoetry and their original accompanying image amplify meaning that one or the other could not fully convey!
#MicroPoetry|November ’24 Verses
Every month I tweet #MicroPoetry! In 140 characters, they are part prayer, thought, reflection, challenge or something in-between. I look forward to sharing them with you and hope that they may lead to reflection, musing and perhaps even discussion!
Gallery|2024
There are the images used throughout 2024 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 the various musings, but add a depth to them that words alone may be inadequate to fully express!
#MicroPoetry|October ’24 Reflections
The #MicroPoetry of the blog began as a creative practice in 2012. Using the confines of twitter's 140 characters, this discipline has been a generative opportunity to use words to poetically muse. Starting in 2017, brief reflections became another way to explore the use of these verses as part prayer, thought, reflection, challenge or something in-between. I hope these monthly collections offer you space to be, reflect and consider how your own choices might help you and other #ShineOn.
#MicroPoetry|October ’24 Memes
Too often it seems that words and images are placed against one another. The gift of a meme, when hopefully done well, is that the word and the visual serve to complement and enhance one another in a way that either one or the other - on their own - is unable to fully convey meaning. I hope, therefore, that these mash-ups of #MicroPoetry and their original accompanying image amplify meaning that one or the other could not fully convey!
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