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We want this blog to start a conversation. It’s highly likely this may further a conversation already in progress. But we don’t want it to stay merely conversation; that’s only half of the work. These words should spur you on to some kind of action, not consumption of more content.

Regardless, may you be encouraged into a deeper relationship with God and those around you.

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Imagination & Contemplation

by Bud Winderweedle | Sep 1, 2023 | Epistles

As we continue to reimagine how to be Christian in this world and how to be a Christian community in a culture which expects it to look a certain way, let us rest in the assurance that God is with us, cares for us, and loves us deeply. And when we begin to worry and fret, let’s return to the birds and flowers, take to the window or the park and consider how great is the love of God.

All Flourishing Is Mutual

by Bud Winderweedle | Jun 23, 2023 | Epistles

Now that I’m done with my Spiritual Direction program, I’m enjoying grabbing books from my “I really want to read this but maybe later” pile. One of the books I picked up recently is Braiding Sweetgrass by Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer. Reading it has been so refreshing and challenging and eye-opening! (If you want a taste of it, check out this conversation between Björk and Kimmerer here Apple Podcasts or here Other listening option). One of the phrases that has stuck out to me is “all flourishing is mutual.” The indigenous way of caring for creation – and humanity as a part of creation – is to see all things as connected. No thing exists on its own. The way that I care for the trees around my house is caring for myself and my neighbor. In fact, the trees and chipmunks and rabbits are my neighbors. This is so different from the idea of “rugged individualism” steeped in our American culture. We love the idea of a self-made person. Forbes touts self-made millionaires and billionaires as though they made their fortunes without employees, board members, consumers, suppliers, and the likes. Admittedly, doing things on my own is a shot in the arm of my ego. It feels good. But it isn’t sustainable. And it isn’t even the best way to move through the world. As I’ve ruminated on this phrase for a week, I have found it stirring up gratitude in me. The flourishing of the trees around my house provides shade, a place for the birds to sit and sing, a bit of privacy, a place to... read more

Silence & Ripples

by Bud Winderweedle | Apr 8, 2023 | Epistles

You’re probably reading this after Easter has come and gone. That’s okay; I believe this is still a relevant reflection for us. Even before today (Holy Saturday), I’ve been thinking about the silence of God and attempting to ask better questions about it. Holy Saturday is all about that pause, that silence. What do we do when God is silent? Or a better question, if we were to put ourselves in the sandals of the disciples, what do we do when God is dead? The evening of Good Friday must have been an emotional mess for Jesus’ followers. Can you imagine? The Messiah was dead! God-with-us was dead and buried. Can you imagine losing your hope in one fell swoop? Perhaps you can. Then comes Holy Saturday, Sabbath, a day of rest where we pray things like “may no sorrow or pain find you on this Shabbat.” What is it like to live in the midst of absolute sorrow and pray something like that? Perhaps you know. What must the prayers of the disciples have felt like on that Sabbath? Maybe they are similar to our prayers today on Holy Saturday. Perhaps they feel much like our prayers when we experience the silence of God. As I have contemplated these things during Holy Week, something intriguing has happened to me. I have remembered the times where God has been silent in my own life, and yet I’ve noticed something else in those times. I realized that silence does not mean absence. Perhaps the weight of the silence is the very weight of God’s presence. And maybe out of this... read more

God Praying to God for You

by Bud Winderweedle | Jan 27, 2023 | Epistles

Christ prays that we would believe in the power of God’s Love and be transformed into Christlikeness as a result of living in and through that same Love. As we do, we can experience a taste of the Kindom of Heaven in our present life, not merely the afterlife.

Receiving Every Christ

by Bud Winderweedle | Jan 7, 2023 | Epistles

What do I need from God in order to see another person as Christ?

Walking in God’s Ways

by Bud Winderweedle | Dec 9, 2022 | Epistles

We can see what God was doing then and hope for what God will do in the future. May the Lord hasten the day where people turn away from destructive systems and cycles and turn toward the Way of Love. And may we be a compelling people who walk in the light of Love.

Horizon of Expectation

by Bud Winderweedle | Nov 26, 2022 | Epistles

As we enter into Advent, I hope that you are able to remember with us corporately and as an individual. And as you remember, may your “horizon of expectation” grow. May you be filled with hope for what God has done, is doing, and will do. And may you live into that future here in this infinite present moment.

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