Meta tags:
description= Thoughts of a Christian Educator;
Headings (most frequently used words):
share, this, of, time, posts, blog, rows, sharon, living, between, journey, across, and, spirit, the, stones, cry, out, egoism, nation, public, policy, prayer, navigation, thoughts, christian, educator, here, are, three, simple, examples, subscribe, recent, comments, stats, archives,
Text of the page (most frequently used words):
the (122), and (75), new (62), opens (51), window (50), share (48), for (32), this (26), that (23), time (20), with (19), march (18), may (16), you (15), email (14), april (13), june (13), july (13), 2025 (13), one (13), our (13), not (13), from (13), 2020 (12), out (12), #sharon (11), august (11), november (11), february (11), 2012 (11), 2013 (11), 2015 (11), 2016 (11), christian (11), iona (11), have (10), 2010 (10), 2011 (10), reddit (10), bluesky (10), threads (10), linkedin (10), print (10), tumblr (10), pinterest (10), facebook (10), can (10), has (10), but (10), faith (10), october (9), december (9), january (9), 2014 (9), between (9), prayer (9), are (9), would (9), god (9), 2017 (8), 2019 (8), all (8), stones (8), your (8), like (8), another (8), jesus (8), comment (7), ely (7), pearson (7), journey (7), friend (7), reading (7), church (7), when (7), where (7), there (7), been (7), sacred (7), pilgrimage (7), loading (6), now (6), september (6), 2022 (6), public (6), nation (6), cry (6), more (6), continue (6), even (6), call (6), today (6), which (6), was (6), about (6), christianity (6), nationalism (6), earth (6), efm (6), place (6), sign (5), 2021 (5), across (5), living (5), policy (5), egoism (5), leave (5), link (5), space (5), body (5), through (5), their (5), episcopal (5), also (5), who (5), people (5), thoughts (5), tagore (5), john (5), book (5), circle (5), subscribe (4), rows (4), already (4), other (4), blog (4), 2018 (4), diplomatic (4), gaslighting (4), history (4), posts (4), world (4), will (4), prayers (4), week (4), seem (4), such (4), caesar (4), being (4), what (4), human (4), rights (4), culture (4), discipleship (4), line (4), his (4), spiritual (4), first (4), come (4), philip (4), newell (4), spirituality (4), pro (4), pilgrims (4), life (4), physical (4), island (4), children (4), dimension (4), beginning (4), site (3), join (3), month (3), spirit (3), educator (3), united (3), face (3), power (3), work (3), feel (3), these (3), together (3), too (3), resources (3), here (3), state (3), know (3), connecticut (3), important (3), them (3), speak (3), times (3), action (3), small (3), way (3), says (3), against (3), right (3), trump (3), many (3), india (3), just (3), years (3), search (3), soul (3), home (3), past (3), group (3), heart (3), own (3), bishop (3), charleston (3), familiar (3), holy (3), quid (3), quo (3), quiet (3), sunday (3), very (3), travel (3), bus (3), scotland (3), ferry (3), rain (3), mrs (3), tesseract (3), matthew (3), ending (3), play (3), advent (3), required (2), write (2), comments (2), view (2), content (2), log (2), subscribed (2), wordpress (2), com (2), subscribers (2), archives (2), lent (2), darkness (2), self (2), address (2), author (2), christ (2), point (2), then (2), put (2), offers (2), webinars (2), how (2), pray (2), well (2), eppn (2), network (2), voices (2), calls (2), include (2), leaders (2), make (2), voice (2), heard (2), learned (2), stand (2), democracy (2), became (2), julius (2), tragedy (2), english (2), followed (2), social (2), media (2), day (2), three (2), injustice (2), while (2), often (2), natural (2), take (2), especially (2), alone (2), protest (2), nationhood (2), nations (2), think (2), usaid (2), forming (2), into (2), nationalists (2), america (2), should (2), executive (2), down (2), white (2), states (2), said (2), ours (2), rabindranath (2), called (2), himself (2), him (2), twenty (2), ago (2), teacher (2), gandhi (2), continues (2), healing (2), books (2), steven (2), two (2), check (2), formation (2), education (2), ministry (2), silent (2), pattern (2), only (2), those (2), empathy (2), others (2), away (2), glasgow (2), waiting (2), weather (2), something (2), renewal (2), recognized (2), special (2), after (2), made (2), mull (2), short (2), sky (2), moment (2), thin (2), columba (2), could (2), pilgrim (2), abbey (2), ancient (2), celtic (2), heaven (2), much (2), essence (2), creation (2), movement (2), every (2), its (2), sea (2), some (2), threshold (2), set (2), imagine (2), old (2), unending (2), again (2), madeleine (2), engle (2), father (2), star (2), live (2), future (2), ribbon (2), large (2), beginnings (2), endings (2), wake (2), smart (2), sermon (2), godly (2), curriculum (2), website, name, collapse, bar, manage, subscriptions, reader, report, privacy, account, 523, 2023, select, 231, 800, hits, stats, carolewageman, sarah, jennings, sacredness, thi, tim, johnjwall526, consolation, women, care, wilderness, recent, 549, enter, receive, notifications, older, navigation, naming, reality, lies, creating, grief, denial, freeing, souls, hope, gather, bearing, burdens, cross, redemptive, witness, legislator, advocate, they, offer, weekly, alerts, trainings, arrived, inbox, earlier, phone, elected, officials, need, local, don, forget, rally, demonstration, near, show, lists, places, events, occurring, example, checking, milford, tesla, saturday, indivisible, known, ides, associated, misfortune, doom, renowned, date, roman, dictator, assassinated, bce, further, immortalized, dramatist, william, shakespeare, soothsayer, warns, danger, faces, 15th, idea, floating, around, sending, message, actively, pursue, simple, examples, days, give, strength, truth, whisper, carry, beyond, ourselves, during, aftermath, gun, violence, disaster, respond, yet, helpless, kind, makes, difference, contend, steps, lead, change, making, lbgtq, immigration, boycott, bible, advocacy, speaking, cult, root, war, widespread, misery, among, fall, european, coalitions, russia, seems, fit, under, unprecedented, access, federal, government, gop, unified, control, congress, conservative, supermajority, blurred, separation, declaring, harmless, distinguish, patriotic, christians, inclusive, kristin, mez, professor, calvin, university, michigan, ultimately, incompatible, american, taken, aim, agencies, fbi, irs, orders, cracking, anti, bias, created, house, office, led, longtime, adviser, televangelist, paula, supposedly, order, signed, denoted, official, language, supported, cause, warned, dangers, suffers, responsibility, simply, indians, beings, dangerous, scale, individual, personal, level, introduced, 1861, 1941, indian, poet, nobel, laureate, dreamer, dreams, once, took, course, mysticism, studying, mystics, buddhist, jewish, hindu, islamic, traditions, rediscovering, struck, chapter, within, freedom, british, empire, 1940s, 140, mahatma, believe, words, period, great, turning, quest, worth, engaged, lot, things, safety, individuals, deepest, questions, yearnings, learn, each, listen, ears, read, gave, workshops, onsite, zoom, doing, contract, staff, constructing, asynchronous, training, modules, mentors, highly, recommend, regarding, program, adults, excellent, devotional, broadened, last, involved, plenty, bono, building, four, vision, quests, shared, crying, emerging, except, sided, deal, helps, attempted, stay, news, engaging, lamentation, affairs, haven, always, successful, desert, ask, long, lord, civil, sorts, bargaining, chips, price, phrase, mind, found, luke, tell, keep, identity, purpose, undeniable, acknowledge, refused, symbolic, expression, literal, referring, situation, inanimate, objects, praise, humans, remained, native, covenant, smohalla, palm, prose, poetry, review, act, enduring, red, eye, jfk, edinburgh, early, morning, meet, fellow, travelers, pub, evening, plus, uncertain, becomes, metaphor, toward, discovering, husband, visited, 2006, vacation, held, vowed, someday, return, easy, get, flew, oban, full, boarded, caledonian, macbrayne, bound, isle, winding, wild, green, hills, via, mostly, carried, sound, sight, rising, recalled, encountered, stepped, off, luggage, tow, along, hill, nunnery, ruins, fields, flowers, filled, birdsong, hotel, anxiety, daily, recede, overheard, exalt, wisdom, present, immanent, transcendent, divine, breathed, tasted, touched, seen, religion, true, 563, twelve, companions, landed, remote, outcrop, rock, heather, exiled, ireland, seeking, build, foundation, established, monastery, become, beacon, rhythms, shaped, part, hear, rare, stillness, respite, noise, hour, newsfeeds, technology, angry, rhetoric, anxious, heartbeat, reconnect, merely, arrival, destination, crossing, boundaries, carries, challenges, fierce, slanting, needles, winds, breath, getting, back, touch, silence, bit, endurance, any, searching, discover, wind, sun, seek, hungry, lay, griefs, heavy, bear, gratitude, mark, transition, vocation, letting, comfort, zone, surroundings, placing, yourself, open, unknown, amidst, shifting, blues, grays, inner, hebrides, stands, both, geographical, centuries, drawn, aura, promise, veil, layer, tissue, paper, britain, weaves, hardship, joys, contemplation, inward, listens, gulls, soaring, overhead, stirrings, reflections, community, journals, road, discernment, far, story, journeying, find, missing, aided, mysterious, strangers, sit, aka, oprah, movie, glinda, elphaba, behind, frightening, distant, land, reach, wrinkling, really, thing, real, basically, fourth, second, square, third, cube, fifth, straight, distance, points, portal, wars, trek, wrinkle, gospel, claims, angels, joined, inside, outside, never, mobius, strip, gold, extended, pulpit, middle, congregation, spoke, birth, starting, job, having, growing, learning, experiences, aging, death, moving, connected, kinds, rest, governed, invisible, rhythm, fitbits, watches, phones, invited, consider, perspective, awakening, rise, sleep, embrace, presence, stir, light, answer, love, amen, preached, wilton, watch, video, were, props, used, adapted, lesson, year, lectionary, readings, romans, isaiah, diana, butler, bass, barbara, brown, taylor, seasonal, ideas, top, ten, needs, eucharist, environmental, youth, worship, baptism, resource, recommendations, editor, skip, menu,
Text of the page (random words):
munity travel sharon ely pearson reflections on a pilgrimage to iona a pilgrimage to iona is as much an inward journey as a physical one in the island s quiet the pilgrim listens to the gulls soaring overhead to the sea s unending movement to the stirrings of their own heart the abbey set amidst the shifting blues and grays of scotland s inner hebrides the small island of iona stands as both a geographical and spiritual threshold for centuries pilgrims have been drawn by the island s ancient aura and its promise of renewal it has been called a thin place a veil imagine a layer of tissue paper between heaven and earth a journey to iona is as old as christianity in britain one that weaves together history hardship and the quiet joys of contemplation in creation what do pilgrims seek some come hungry for healing or to lay down griefs too heavy to bear alone others come in gratitude or to mark a threshold a transition in life a new vocation a letting go to set out on a pilgrimage is to leave your comfort zone and familiar surroundings in search of the holy placing yourself open to the unknown for those who hear the call today iona offers a rare stillness a respite from the noise of 24 hour newsfeeds technology angry rhetoric and an anxious heartbeat it is a space to reconnect with the sacred and with the self pilgrimage is not merely arrival to a destination but movement a crossing of boundaries physical and spiritual every pilgrimage carries its challenges for iona it s the weather which can be fierce rain slanting like needles winds that take your breath away for me it was getting back in touch with silence and a bit of physical endurance as with any pilgrimage when searching for god you discover that god is already there waiting for you in earth wind rain sun sky or sea the call of iona in 563 ce st columba and twelve companions landed on this remote outcrop of rock and heather exiled from ireland and seeking a place to build a new foundation of faith there he established a monastery that would become a beacon of christianity a place where the rhythms of prayer shaped the island s heart where god is recognized as part of all creation and the sacred is the essence of our very being in celtic wisdom the sacred is as present on earth as it is in heaven as immanent as it is transcendent as human as it is divine as physical as it is spiritual the sacred can be breathed in tasted touched heard and seen as much in the body of the earth and the body of another living being as in the body of religion it is the true essence of all life john philip newell in sacred earth sacred soul my husband john and i visited iona in 2006 just for a day while on a scotland vacation we recognized that this place held something special and vowed that someday we would return it s not easy to get there but after twenty years in june 2025 we flew to glasgow and made our way to oban on a bus full of pilgrims where we boarded a caledonian macbrayne ferry bound for the isle of mull after winding through mull s wild green hills via another bus mostly in the rain another short ferry carried us across the sound of iona the sight of the abbey s ancient stones rising against the sky recalled that moment years ago when we first encountered this thin place as we stepped off the ferry with luggage in tow along with other pilgrims and made our way up the hill past the nunnery ruins and fields of flowers filled with birdsong to the st columba hotel i could feel the anxiety and pattern of daily life recede as i overheard another pilgrim exalt i am home the very act of travel enduring a red eye out of jfk to edinburgh followed by an early morning bus to glasgow the waiting to meet fellow travelers at a pub that evening plus the uncertain scotland weather becomes a metaphor for the soul s own journey toward discovering something new a renewal continue reading a journey across time and spirit share this share on facebook opens in new window facebook email a link to a friend opens in new window email share on pinterest opens in new window pinterest share on tumblr opens in new window tumblr print opens in new window print share on linkedin opens in new window linkedin share on threads opens in new window threads share on x opens in new window x share on bluesky opens in new window bluesky more share on reddit opens in new window reddit like loading leave a comment the stones cry out april 13 2025 book review discipleship faith culture jesus prose poetry bishop steven charleston education for ministry efm empathy holy week jesus palm sunday quid pro quo smohalla stones cry out the native covenant sharon ely pearson this lent i have attempted to stay away from news social media and engaging in public lamentation about the state of affairs in the united states i haven t always been successful it continues to be a desert time for me as i ask how long o lord as civil rights human rights all sorts of rights seem to be bargaining chips for a price the phrase stones cry out has also come to mind at this time found in luke 19 40 jesus says i tell you if these keep quiet the stones will cry out jesus s identity and purpose would be so undeniable that even the natural world would acknowledge it even if people refused to today it is a symbolic expression not a literal one referring to a situation where even inanimate objects would speak out in protest or praise if humans remained silent many of us have not been silent we are crying out with the stones but a new pattern is emerging quid pro quo except it s a one sided deal that only helps those who have no empathy for others a friend shared a sign their church put up this past month i have engaged in a lot of education for ministry things efm to me is a place of safety where a small group of individuals can share their deepest questions and yearnings we learn from each other as we listen with ears of the heart my own efm group has read bishop steven charleston s the four vision quests of jesus i gave two workshops for the episcopal church in connecticut one onsite one on zoom about efm and am doing contract work with efm staff in constructing asynchronous training modules for mentors i highly recommend you check out all that is new regarding efm if you are not familiar with this formation program for adults also check out bishop charleston s book it would make an excellent holy week devotional reading it broadened my thoughts on jesus s last week there is no quid pro quo involved but plenty of pro bono of building up of the body of christ continue reading the stones cry out share this share on facebook opens in new window facebook email a link to a friend opens in new window email share on pinterest opens in new window pinterest share on tumblr opens in new window tumblr print opens in new window print share on linkedin opens in new window linkedin share on threads opens in new window threads share on x opens in new window x share on bluesky opens in new window bluesky more share on reddit opens in new window reddit like loading leave a comment egoism of nation march 21 2025 books worth reading christianity discipleship faith culture spirituality christian nationalism gandhi india john philip newell nationalism nationhood rabindranath tagore usaid sharon ely pearson i have just been re introduced to rabindranath tagore 1861 1941 an indian poet nobel laureate and dreamer of dreams as he once called himself i first learned of him twenty years ago when i took a course on mysticism studying the mystics of christian buddhist jewish hindu and islamic traditions my rediscovering of him has come from john philip newell s the great search turning to the earth soul in the quest for healing home i was struck by the chapter on tagore within this book especially his call for india s freedom from the british empire in the 1940s p 140 a teacher and friend of mahatma gandhi i believe his words at that period of world history continues to speak today tagore supported the cause of his people but warned them of the dangers of nationalism when india suffers from injustice he said it is right that we should stand against it but the responsibility to do so is not simply ours as indians he said it is ours as human beings the egoism of nation is a dangerous on a world scale as individual egoism is at the personal level nationalism and christian nationalism seems to fit right into this under trump christian nationalists now have unprecedented access to the power of the federal government trump s gop has unified control of congress this conservative supermajority has already blurred the line between separation of church and state to many people declaring america a christian nation may seem harmless and it s important to distinguish christian nationalists from patriotic christians who have a more inclusive view of what america should be dr kristin du mez a history professor at calvin university in michigan says christian nationalism is ultimately incompatible with american democracy trump has taken aim at agencies such as the fbi and irs in executive orders cracking down on anti christian bias he has also created a new white house faith office led by his longtime spiritual adviser the televangelist paula white and supposedly an executive order has been signed denoted english as the official language of the united states tagore is speaking to us he says that the cult of nationhood is at the root of war and widespread misery among the nations i think of the fall of usaid and european nations now forming coalitions against russia that do not include the u s continue reading egoism of nation share this share on facebook opens in new window facebook email a link to a friend opens in new window email share on pinterest opens in new window pinterest share on tumblr opens in new window tumblr print opens in new window print share on linkedin opens in new window linkedin share on threads opens in new window threads share on x opens in new window x share on bluesky opens in new window bluesky more share on reddit opens in new window reddit like loading leave a comment public policy prayer march 15 2025 christianity discipleship faith culture resources advocacy bible boycott episcopal church episcopal public policy network eppn faith go another way god human rights immigration jesus lbgtq prayer protest sharon ely pearson so often during times of tragedy such as in the aftermath of gun violence or natural disaster people respond with the comment my thoughts and prayers are with you thoughts and prayers are important but so is action yet we often feel helpless in such times and do not know what kind of action we can take that makes a difference i would contend that prayer and small steps of action can lead to change especially when we are not alone in making them these days it s important to continue our prayers for our nation and leaders to give them strength to face injustice and speak truth to power while our one voice may seem to be like a whisper together our voices carry beyond ourselves here are three simple examples today march 15 is known as the ides of march associated with misfortune and doom it became renowned as the date on which roman dictator julius caesar was assassinated in 44 bce and was further immortalized in the tragedy julius caesar by english dramatist william shakespeare when a soothsayer warns caesar about the danger he faces on march 15th so i followed an idea that has been floating all around social media about sending a message on this day to one who would actively pursue being caesar today another is to join our voices with phone calls to our elected officials at this point it would seem that we need to include our state as well as local leaders too don t forget 5 calls to make your voice heard also if you know of a rally or demonstration near you show up if you can indivisible is a site that lists places where such events are occurring for example by checking the site i have learned that there will be a stand up for democracy at milford tesla connecticut on saturday march 22 and then you can put all these together with prayer the episcopal public policy network eppn offers webinars on how to call or write your legislator and will advocate for you too and they will pray as well as offer prayers for you to pray sign up for their weekly alerts resources webinars and trainings here this is from one that arrived in my inbox earlier this week we are one church united in prayer naming reality in the face of lies creating space for grief in the face of denial and freeing space in our souls for hope we gather to be the body of christ for one another bearing one another s burdens and to point the world to the cross and the redemptive power already at work through us and our witness even when it may not feel like it continue reading public policy prayer share this share on facebook opens in new window facebook email a link to a friend opens in new window email share on pinterest opens in new window pinterest share on tumblr opens in new window tumblr print opens in new window print share on linkedin opens in new window linkedin share on threads opens in new window threads share on x opens in new window x share on bluesky opens in new window bluesky more share on reddit opens in new window reddit like loading leave a comment posts navigation older posts sharon ely pearson author and christian educator subscribe enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email email address sign me up join 549 other subscribers recent posts living between time a journey across time and spirit the stones cry out egoism of nation public policy prayer self care in the wilderness women s history month lent darkness consolation diplomatic gaslighting comments johnjwall526 on living between time a journey across tim on the sacredness of all thi sarah jennings on diplomatic gaslighting sharon ely pearson on diplomatic gaslighting carolewageman on diplomatic gaslighting share this blog share blog stats 231 800 hits archives archives select month december 2025 july 2025 april 2025 march 2025 february 2025 january 2025 june 2023 november 2022 september 2022 july 2022 june 2022 march 2022 february 2022 august 2021 june 2021 may 2021 april 2021 january 2021 december 2020 november 2020 october 2020 september 2020 august 2020 july 2020 june 2020 may 2020 april 2020 march 2020 february 2020 january 2020 october 2019 august 2019 july 2019 june 2019 may 2019 april 2019 march 2019 february 2019 july 2018 may 2018 march 2018 february 2018 december 2017 november 2017 october 2017 august 2017 july 2017 may 2017 april 2017 february 2017 december 2016 november 2016 october 2016 august 2016 july 2016 june 2016 may 2016 april 2016 march 2016 february 2016 january 2016 december 2015 november 2015 october 2015 september 2015 august 2015 july 2015 june 2015 april 2015 march 2015 february 2015 january 2015 november 2014 august 2014 july 20...
|
