… watching for the brushstrokes of God
“While some nations vow never to forget, our American battle has always been over what we allow ourselves to remember.… The distinction between equity and injustice, riot and uprising, hinges on whose hand holds the pen. So often, it seems, our history is hiding from us, preventing the possibility that we do look back and tell the truth —afraid of what doing so may require of us now.” ~ Wesley Lowery in 400 Souls
What does our past require of us?
Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. ~ Harriet Tubman
What is your great dream?
… A blessing can be like the discovery of a fresh well. It would be lovely if we could rediscover our power to bless one another I believe each of us can bless. When a blessing is invoked it changes the atmosphere.…The quiet eternal that dwells in our souls is silent and subtle; in the activity of blessing it emerges to embrace and nurture us. ~ John O’Donohue
How do you bless?
“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?
…”To bear this blessing,
you must first take yourself
to a place where everyone
does not look like you
or think like you,
a place where they do not
believe precisely as you believe,
where their thoughts
and ideas and gestures
are not exact echoes
of your own. … “ ~ Jan Richardson
Where does this take you?
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?
With the Eyes of the Heart 