Spirit-Led Discernment: The Quaker Clearness Committee by Danny Morris

The “clearness committee” was established by Quakers. Initially, focus persons were seeking clearness about marriage. Invited friends would gather to offer communal spiritual guidance. Eventually, reasons for calling a clearness committee were expanded. I was told by a friend that the Quaker clearness committee is currently used over a variety of subjects. When considering prayerful discernment, reflect on this model

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Under The Fig Tree by Claire Matheny

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything

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On Guidance by Maxie Dunnam

Christ indwells us Christians; the Holy Spirit is his abiding presence in our lives. To the degree that we cultivate an awareness of and are responsive to his Spirit, Christ will guide us.

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Taken & The Luxury Of A Call by Elizabeth Glass Turner

Though I’ve never seen the film “Taken,” I have seen some delightful reels of action star Liam Neeson’s intense phone conversations that take place in the movie franchise. This, alas, is a Neeson-free post (though everyone’s favorite northern Irishman has dabbled in the Divine, voicing the character of “Aslan” in the Narnia movies and providing a cameo as a hobo-esque

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A Deep Freeze by Elizabeth Glass Turner

Warning: this post contains references to the animated feature film “Frozen.” Overexposure to this movie may result in children shrieking song lyrics in the car, a conviction that your front yard snowman can talk, and a commitment to trip over “Frozen” themed toys for at least the next three years.   You may have seen me in the headlines recently:

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Which Saint Are You? Quizzes On Holiness by Tammie Grimm

On any given day of the week, a scan of my Facebook newsfeed reveals secrets about my friends I might never have guessed on my own. It turns out that several friends closely identify with a variety of Disney Princesses, from the bookworm-ish Belle of “Beauty and the Beast,” to the kind and gentle maternal Snow White, to the adventurous

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A Circle Of Quiet by Madeleine L’Engle

Note from the author: I am a part of a church book club that meets each month. A member nominates a book for the next gathering. This ensures that most of us read something we would never have picked on our own. And let’s be honest, with many of us torn between children and work, we barely get time to read. Our meeting gives

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Justifying Grace by Jeff Rudy

If we desire that Christ brings us the grace to renew us and breathe new life into us, that admits quite simply that there is something about and in us that is old and dead and in need of being renewed. So, somehow, someway we must come to terms with that in ourselves which isn’t as it ought to be,

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“Selma” And The Embodiment Of Discipleship by Cole Bodkin

A week before Martin Luther King, Jr. Day my wife and I went to go see the film Selma. This inspirational movie focuses on the non-violent protests of Martin Luther King, Jr., the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference), and others in the small town of Selma, Alabama. It particularly highlights the march from Selma to Montgomery, a momentous turning point

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Reaching Communities Broken by Apartheid

[iframe style=”border:none” src=”//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/15990671/height/100/width//thumbnail/no/render-playlist/no/theme/custom/tdest_id/3433802/custom-color/87A93A” height=”100″ width=”100%” scrolling=”no” allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen] Find Ralph on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ralph.afghan Email: revafgahn@gmail.com Order of the FLAME https://www.worldmethodist.org/engage/flame/ Metanoia https://www.worldmethodist.org/engage/metanoia/ Let us hear from you: podcast@worldmethodist.org Find Rob on Social Media @DrRobHaynes Find WME on Social Media: Facebook  Twitter Instagram  Check out this episode!

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When the Holy Spirit Empowers Our Ears to Hear

One of my favorite Holy Days is Pentecost, partly because (thankfully) it hasn’t been co-opted by Western consumerism. Maybe that’s why it comes and goes without too much attention. We don’t have weeks of lead-up like we do for Christmas or Easter; and the Holy Spirit definitely doesn’t have the economic punch of Santa or the Easter Bunny. Pentecost is

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The Miracle Of Mouths And Ears by Kim Reisman

One of my favorite Holy Days is Pentecost, partly because (thankfully) it hasn’t been co-opted by western consumerism. Maybe that’s why it comes and goes without too much attention. We don’t have weeks of lead up like we do for Christmas or Easter; and the Holy Spirit definitely doesn’t have the economic punch of Santa or the Easter Bunny. Pentecost

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Plans And Power: Our Limits And God’s Goodness by BJ Funk

“Plan your work and work your plan.” That phrase is great – in theory. Usually, it carries with it a practical application. But sometimes those plans are suddenly laid aside. That’s where our churches found themselves in March of this year.  We planned our work ahead of schedule – but then weren’t able to work that plan. Coronavirus took the

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Is God the Creating Redeemer or the Redeeming Creator

[iframe style=”border:none” src=”//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/15810791/height/100/width//thumbnail/no/render-playlist/no/theme/custom/tdest_id/3433802/custom-color/87A93A” height=”100″ width=”100%” scrolling=”no” allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen] To learn more about Embrace, order your copy, or schedule an Embrace training at: www.WorldMethodist.org Let us hear from you: podcast@worldmethodist.org Find us on Social Media: Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/worldmethodistevangelism Twitter here https://twitter.com/worldmethodist Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/worldmethodist/ Check out this episode!

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The Reality Of Interdependency In An Age Of Social Distancing by Kim Reisman

A significant aspect of the Embrace understanding of showing and sharing the love of Jesus is the idea of interdependency – the idea that human beings flourish in the context of relationships with others. Rather than focusing solely on our independence, to truly thrive, we must recognize that we are interdependent – both separate and connected to those around us. 

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Social Media & Holiness by Andy Stoddard

I’ve always been an “early adapter.”  I may not be the first person to try a new technology, but I’m not far behind.  Following the arrival of the first iPhones, I wasn’t at the Apple Store at midnight for a new release – but I’d show up sometime the next day. So I joined social media early on. As soon as

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Race and the 21st Century Church

[iframe style=”border:none” src=”//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/15624473/height/100/width//thumbnail/no/render-playlist/no/theme/custom/tdest_id/3433802/custom-color/87A93A” height=”100″ width=”100%” scrolling=”no” allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen] Rev. Dr. Joy Moore is Professor of Preaching, Vice-President for Academic Affairs & Academic Dean at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. Contact her at: jmoore002@luthersem.edu @ joyjmoore www.WorldMethodist.org Find us on Social Media: Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/worldmethodistevangelism Twitter here https://twitter.com/worldmethodist Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/worldmethodist/ Check out this episode!

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