Spiritual Formation
Deepening Our Faith and Connection to God
We are blessed with leadership that has the vision and insight to have an on-staff director of spiritual formation to plan and lead opportunities for the congregation and community.
Deborah Hansen helps us engage in a variety of spiritual practices and disciplines to help deepen our faith and connect us to God and to one another.
Signs of Hope
Where do we see hope around us?
Having lived in the Midwest my whole life, I know very well that when the calendar tells me that spring begins in March, don’t count on it. Snow, ice, and bundle-up weather is likely to continue into April (andaybe even longer). But there is something in me that can’t resist the hope that maybe this year spring will cooperate with my timetable. I look for that first robin, watch for pansies at the garden center, and avoid wearing my mittens. This year, spring had a surprise for me—in February! Outside my office window, a robin came to visit. I’ve seen it a couple of times since. I think it likes it here.
Hope is irresistible, at least for me. Over the years, though, I have gotten more mature (hopefully) in what I hope for. The FLC study groups just completed a study called, Tools for Reconciliation. (Racial reconciliation was our starting point, but we quickly recognized the need to bring our tools for reconciliation into so many other areas.) One of our topics was Signs of Hope: where do we see reconciliation’s equivalent of robins in the world around us?
Here’s my Signs of Hope list:
• True freedom of speech tied to freedom to listen.
• “Labels” that are self-chosen and empowering
rather than forcing an “identity” on someone.
• Understanding happening beyond an either/or
polarity so that something new can be envisioned
that is good for all.
• Trust and respect for one another.
• Recognition that there are no quick fixes, and
that time is neither an excuse nor its need to
be excused for not doing the hard work we are called to do.
I see Jesus and our faith woven all through these signs. This Lent, why not make your own Signs of Hope list? Then watch for those signs in the world around you, the same way we watch for robins. And feel free to add robins to your list!
Our Next Study:
Conversing with God through the Psalms
The Book of Psalms is OUR book!
The Psalms are our words of scripture to sing and pray, weep and hope with. We will gather for a 6-week study on the Psalms, using Irene Nowell’s book "Pleading, Cursing, Praising: Conversing with God through the Psalms."
• Monday Evening Men’s Group: April 17, 24;
May 1, 8, 15, 22, 5:30-7:00 pm, in the Chapel
• Tuesday Afternoon Women’s Group: April 18, 25; May 2,9, 16, 23,
1:30-3:00 pm, in Room 307
• Wednesday Morning Women’s Group: April 19, 26; May 3, 10, 17, 24,
10:00-11:30 am, in room 307
• NEW GROUP: Wednesday Evening Women & Men:
April 19, 26; May 3, 10, 17, 24, 5:30-7:00 pm, in room 307
The cost of the book is $16. Register below.
