Lord Lead Me in the Way of Repentance As we focus on repentance, we remember that in Matthew 4:1-11 Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness. There he spent 40 days and 40 nights and was tested by the devil. Francisco Goya 1746 – 1828The Repentant St. Peteroil on canvas (73 × 64 [...]Read More
Lent: Fostering Intimacy with Christ
Setting Your Intention Christ In The Desert Painting Lent is a special time. As Christians, it’s a special time to engage The Living God through intentional times of prayer, fasting, contemplation, meditation, worship and other disciplines that foster intimacy with Christ. Lent provides an [...]Read More
Remember. Rejoice. Release.
What do we need to release this season? How can I prepare myself for the arrival of Jesus when the Christmas season can bring about some unpleasant feelings? Visitation, 2010, acrylic on linen, 8 x 7 ft (2.4 x 2.1 m) Jackie Kazarian Source: [...]Read More
Embracing Advent: Preparing Our Hearts for a Meaningful Christmas Celebration
The lights are up. The stores are bursting with tinsel, decorative trees and gifts galore. All around the world, a great "to-do" is made about Christmas. But just what are we really celebrating? The coming of Christ is undoubtedly one of the most monumental events in history; however, [...]Read More
Holding onto Hope
I’ve been thinking a lot about the first Advent and the early years of Jesus’ childhood. I wonder what Mary was thinking as she brought her son into the world, so far from home. Instead of nesting she had to flee to Bethlehem. So much for planning a cozy home birth. And yet, she held [...]Read More
Building Community through Storytelling
Our Chicago Local Network has been gathering this past year, centered on fostering deeper relationships through focused circle conversations. After planning the 2018 National Conference in our city, we felt the urge to get a quarterly network connection time started. We wanted to create deeper [...]Read More
Our Turn to Wonder
Week One: Wonder Advent Blog Series featuring the Women of Cohort 8 The first Sunday in December marks the beginning of Advent, a season of expectant waiting and preparation of the coming Messiah. Our culture characterizes the season with carols, gift giving, and cheer. But, what many [...]Read More
A Call for a (W)holistic Approach to Education Equity
A Call for a (W)holistic Approach to Education Equity by Lorenzo Watson Higher education student loan debt has become a hot topic in the current political debate, with several presidential candidates calling for either full or partial student loan forgiveness. And as student loan debt levels [...]Read More