Mercy. When Brother Matt wanted mercy to be a “word” during the season of Advent, I thought: “Mercy? Since when is that an Advent word?” The Advent Candles lit for some worship settings during Advent might uplift the words, “Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love” or numerous other words. But “Mercy” — I’ve not encountered that […]
By Sister Cheryl Jacobs There was once someone who said such amazing things and did such wonderful things that people began to follow him. And as they followed him they asked him who he was. One time when they asked him, he answered: “I am the Light of the world.” – a Godly Play (r) […]
By Sister Becky Swisher 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3-4) “Oh Lord, it’s hard to be humble, when you’re perfect in every way.” Let’s be honest, we […]
By Brother Guy Ames In All Things, Give Thanks 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. (NLT) 1 Thessalonians 5:18 I love Thanksgiving! During my young years our family would gather for a tradition with friends. Without exception, sometime during that day we would […]
By Brother Matthew Henson The early morning hours are quiet in my house. As my family continues to sleep, I enjoy getting up to read, pray, journal, and consider the opportunities in front of me for the day. Our couch faces east toward a window in our kitchen. When I first sit down on the […]
By Brother Matthew Henson My wife’s family gathered this weekend for the funeral of my wife’s sister-in-law. It was the first time my wife’s family had this many family members together in one place in seven years. As each person arrived, the room lit up with greetings, hugs, and laughter. We all recognized the weight […]
By Brother Matthew Henson Preparing for any kind of travel to a new location requires some research prior to departure. I put my starting point and my destination into my mapping app to see the quickest and the shortest routes to get where I am heading. I look at the overview map in my planning […]
by Sister Cheryl Jacobs “Are you tired? Worn out? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace” (Matthew 11:28-30, The Message). The United Christian Ashrams International website […]
By Brother Brian Shimer Brother Stanley in A Song of Ascents tells the story of a Hindu government official, his wife and their 8-year-old girl at the Sat Tal Ashram. After a personal interview with Jones, the girl asked her parents, “Why did you go see Brother Stanley?” Her father replied, “We went to talk […]
By Brother Stephen Rankin The Bible mentions the heart somewhere in the neighborhood of a thousand times. This is a fact worth pondering. In everyday life, we think of the heart as a symbol for the central and essential. “Getting to the heart of the matter” means getting down to its core reality, whatever the […]
