… watching for the brushstrokes of God
“In order to be effective messengers of hope, we must begin by trusting our inner voice, an inner intuition that speaks into the vast wastelands of our time. This process requires training our imagination to see beyond tribal norms, to see the vista of the wider pastures of culture. …and trust that the Spirit is already at work there.” ~ Makoto Fujimura, Art +Faith
How do you learn to trust your inner voice?
This quieting is the letting go of structures, the letting go of techniques, the letting go of all the ways that we attempt to control the situation, all of the ways we try to manipulate God. That’s the type of quieting that needs to happen here: quieting my instinct to control things; quieting my desire for the familiar, my desire to always trod the familiar paths and not to risk the unknown. ~ Thomas Green, Experiencing God
How do you let go in prayer?
“We had a joke in South Africa in the 80s. ‘There are two possible solutions to our crisis here. One is miraculous, and one is realistic. One solution is that God will send down angels and sort us all out. That’s the realistic solution. The miraculous one is that we will sit down and talk with our enemies.’” ~ Rev. Charles Villa-Vicencio
How do you live believing in miraculous solutions?
A pilgrimage is an intentional journey into this experience of unknowing and discomfort for the sake of stripping away preconceived expectations. We grow closer to God beyond our own imagination and ideas. ~ Christine Valters Paintner
What is stripped away?
“Even as you sit silently, not knowing what to say, your presence is still a gift that shines light in a meaningful way.” Morgan Harper Nichols
Where is your presence needed?
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flocks,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among people,
To make music in the heart.
~ Howard Thurman
What is your first step?
With the Eyes of the Heart 