MEMORY RESIDUE

Let Us Begin Again

cusp: a point of transition (as from one historical period to the next) Once again, we are on a cusp. We wake up. We start the coffee. We begin again, literally but also metaphorically. The call of the moment is to bravely reset on the successes and failures as well. It's a new day to create with our lives. To breathe hope into hopeless spaces, and to scrape art into the scratchboard of life. St. Bonaventure tells us that towards the end of his life St. Francis would tell the other friars: “Let us begin again, brothers, for up until now, we have done little or nothing.” Francis – who did much, and whose legacy lives [...]

By Joel|2024-01-01T17:45:55+00:00January 1st, 2024|Creative, francis of assisi, memories|

Silence in the Way of Jesus

“A word with power is a word that comes out of silence. A word that bears fruit is a word that emerges from the silence and returns to it. It is a word that reminds us of the silence from which it comes and leads us back to that silence.” Henri Nouwen, The Way of the Heart I have been pressing into the connection between the formation that happens through the contemplative life and the formation that happens through stepping out into active mercy and justice. I'm convinced more and more, that to live a Christ-centric life of love, mercy, and justice, means to passionately pursue the way that Jesus walked out His conversational life with [...]

By Joel|2022-03-30T21:47:27+00:00March 30th, 2022|discipleship, Silence, Solitude, Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Formation, Stillness|

The Way of Humility

Humility. It all comes down to that. The Christian life (that is, following in the way of Jesus) is a way of humility. I know it may be hard to see that in a society that seems to rotate on an axis of power. Yes, even in the church. There is a refocus that is needed - a revival of Christ-centeredness. When our lives rotate on an axis of power, it is about pride and getting our way – regardless of what it takes. It’s very often about force, and even violence. It’s about having the last word, and about being right. It’s about being recognized and respected. An axis of power, which we see in [...]

By Joel|2021-09-02T17:52:55+00:00September 2nd, 2021|Christianity, discipleship, Jesus Christ, Kingdom of God, Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Formation, theology, Worldview|

Walking at the Pace of Jesus

We aren't made to keep up the pace that many of us find ourselves in. Hustle, busy, and how much we can do and how well we do it is often embraced by our culture. Well, eventually, we max out. We have to stop. Recently, as a part of the sermon series "Following the Way: The Simple Patterns of Jesus," I shared the message "Walking at the pace of Jesus." These thoughts are something that is always rolling around in the back of my mind as I navigate life in suburbia (very different than life in the mountains as well as life on the Rez). Recent influences have been the book "Ruthless Elimination of Hurry" by [...]

By Joel|2021-09-02T15:48:18+00:00September 2nd, 2021|Breathe, Kingdom of God, Simplicity, Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Formation|

Memoirs of a Visitor

Let Us Begin Again

Silence in the Way of Jesus

The Way of Humility

Walking at the Pace of Jesus