Contemplating the Contemplative Practices group?

(See what we did there?)

Perhaps you've heard about the Contemplative Practices small groups that met in 2013 and wondered what the group is like?  

This group explores the centuries-old tradition of listening to God, resting in God, and experiencing God through prayer and a variety of contemplative practices.  Some writing exercises are involved, but guidance is provided -- you do not have to be a writer!  Implementing some new rhythms for the duration of the group may help you to establish some new habits. 

Several rounds of this group will be offered in the new year! More details will be provided in January at our En Route gathering.  Consider making an investment in your own soul and spirit over a six-week period in 2014. Because it lasts just 6 weeks, we ask that you make the commitment to attend each meeting (unless you are sick) and:

• Commit to do the daily work for 6 weeks
• Commit to participate with all of who you are
• Expect transformation

Contemplation is very far from being just one kind of thing that Christians do: it is the key to prayer, liturgy, art and ethics, the key to the essence of a renewed humanity that is capable of seeing the world and other subjects in the world with freedom - freedom from self-oriented, acquisitive habits and the distorted understanding that comes from them. To put it boldly, contemplation is the only ultimate answer to the unreal and insane world that our financial systems and our advertising culture and our chaotic and unexamined emotions encourage us to inhabit. To learn contemplative practice is to learn what we need so as to live truthfully and honestly and lovingly. It is a deeply revolutionary matter.     - Rowan Williams, retired Archbishop of Canterbury

Some writings from the most recent Contemplative Practices group, written (beautifully) by Danielle Hughes & Ande Truman:

when it came - acrostic by Danielle

   waiting

   hearing

   every day and

   night

   i

   try

   casting

   arms out but

   my God comes to 

me

believer - cinquain by Danielle

believer

faithful, scared

believing, forgetting, believing

trying to track Him

follower

house - acrostic by Danielle

  hues of comfort

  offer me peace, rest

  use me

  says

He

7 line poem by Danielle

everything you need i offer you

just approach the door and knock

when it comes, you will know

and you will not be alone

i will fill you with joy

believe me

i love you

7 line poem by Ande

In the calm of the nighttime as the dew settles in,

I take your fingers and place them on the pulse of my hand,

Be still my heart, be still yours too,

Will you trust me when I say it's I that loves you?

Your story is just the beginning, it has only just begun,

So will you wait for me to sing the songs I've already sung?

Time is a trivial number, 

           so sleep, rest, be still and slumber.

We are the Advent people

The word "Advent" has its origin in the Medieval Latin word adventus, meaning "arrival." The season offers the opportunity for us to share in the ancient longing for the coming of the Messiah. Is it even possible for us, in the year 2013, to understand and fully appreciate the terrible suffering and agony that generations and generations of the ancient Hebrew people experienced? Is it possible to put ourselves in the place of knowing how desolate parents would have felt thinking that their children and their grandchildren were destined for the same life of sadness, disappointment, and suffering that their ancestors before them experienced?

And then to be promised by the ancient Hebrew Prophets that a different time was ahead for them -- that the time was drawing near for the coming of a Messiah -- a great leader who would provide for them an escape from the lives their predecessors had undergone. What excitement, hope, and joy they must have felt to believe that the time was near for theadventus -- for the anticipated "arrival" or "advent" of this Messiah. That is the feeling that the season of Advent is all about!

-from the Huff Post Religion section last weekend

----------

Join Ann Voskamp for a journey through Advent as she unwraps the full love story of Christmas…week one and week two are out so far.

A great Advent story from Anne Lamott from the late nineties, never published in any of her books.

Making Advent Real: Are we focused on the elements of celebration or the deliverer of our salvation?

Planning a night out? I've heard amazing things about this show.

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Are you exhausted?  Overwhelmed?  Feeling cynical, bitter or hard?  Perhaps you're drowning in dullness and the low-grade despair we feel when our days all run together?  We all wait with an ache.  All is not right, but hope is real and something is coming.  Someone is coming.  Our Rescuer is coming!

Hope you are enjoying the Advent readings & your lovely wreaths.  I looked around the night we gathered to assemble our wreaths and felt so grateful for our amazing community of women.  What a privilege to wait and ache and hope and soften together during this Advent season.



written by: Libba Armenta

Autumn's last hurrah

Is there a more beautiful season than Autumn in North Carolina?  It's been sweet to see people's Instagram pictures and Facebook posts celebrating Autumn.  Flannel shirts, jack-o-lanterns, Pumpkin Spice Lattes...you know you're digging it.  October may have come and gone, but there is plenty of time left to soak up some more Autumn sweetness before Advent begins!

Savor these Autumn flavors...
-Break out your favorite stews, soups, chilis, crusty bread recipes
-North Carolina apples - Skytop is open until December 1st!
-Local Hard Cider from Windy Hill Orchard and Cider Mill in York, SC

Slow down and really see the beauty of this season...
-Light the fire pit on the patio with friends
-Take a nature walk at dusk
-Create a centerpiece with some fallen leaves, acorns, simple pieces of nature

Get out of the city for a day or a weekend...
-take a hike at Stone Mountain State Park, Crowders Mountain, Grandfather Mountain
-drive out to Hunter Farm (through Nov. 17th) for a hayride and a pumpkin
-Renaissance Festival (through Nov. 24th)

As we round out the final stretch of Ordinary Time, leading up to Advent, what rhythms or practices are inviting you to create pause and keep company with Jesus?  How are you connecting with him in these ordinary days?

"Autumn is always a time for us to gather in all the loose threads of life, to harvest all the fruit of the busy summer, to hunker down into a rhythm leading into fallow ground..." - Roxanne Morgan


Written by: Libba Armenta

Fall playlist

Looking for some new tunes to rest your soul and uplift your spirit?  Check out this list of songs suggested by women from our Warehouse community:

You Have Redeemed My Soul - Enter the Worship Circle
10,000 reasons - Matt Redman

Nothing Holding Me Back - Bryan and Katie Torwalt

Highland Country - Over the Rhine

Jesus I come - Shelly Moore Band

Holy Spirit - Bryan and Katie Torwalt

Abide With Me - Indelible Grace

Your Great Name - Natalie Grant

Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us - Page CXVI

Great Are You Lord - All Sons and Daughters

Cherry Blossoms - Andy Squyres

What's song are you playing on repeat lately?  Leave a comment and let us know!

Discipline & Rest: Service

Service has looked like many different things to me at different points in my life.  I grew up in a family where serving and caring for others was highly valued.  At a young age I feel like God placed in my heart a desire to serve and take care of others.  In the fourth and fifth grade I spent my lunch recess playing with handicapped children.  My home growing up was a safe place for many of my friends and often became the place to hang out.  From time to time we had different family members living with us and eventually my parents ended up adopting two of my cousins.  I have watched my mom give her life to caring for others.  I did not grow up in a home where Christ was our center or motivation for serving others, so I have watched my mom pour her life into others and find her worth and value in doing so.  I have watched her service to others take away from her service to her immediate family and herself, resulting in a lot of damage and pain. 

 

With that as my backdrop, once I became a Christian my pull to serve and care for others heightened.  Service is one of those broad terms that really can look different in many ways.  I found myself serving on different levels: serving at a summer camp, serving the homeless, serving in childcare, serving people in my home, serving as a social worker, serving as a caretaker for two wonderful elderly women... I only write these things out to show how easy it is to get caught up in something good. 

 

Serving others and caring for others has come natural to me and has been very fulfilling. BUT there has also been a dark side to service.  I have hidden behind it and made it who I am; it has become a comfort and identity for me.  I have found myself poorly serving the ones that matter most to me, my sweet family.  In so many ways I have found myself becoming like my mother.  Many life lessons have come out of serving others, lessons of the heart.  Lessons that have tied me back to the very one who really served us all without any requirement for a return behavior or action.  Jesus gave himself fully, selflessly, he was secure with his father.  Often my security comes from the acceptance of others instead of the acceptance of my heavenly father.  I have found with service and really with any spiritual practice there has to be something I draw from.  If my well is not God, so much of my junk and baggage and need for others becomes tied up in it.  But when I am drawing on God daily, my vision is not so blurred when it comes to serving others and, actually, my view of service is broadened.  Serving can happen in the simplest of ways: wholeheartedly praying for others, sharing food, jumping on the trampoline with my little ones, stopping and listening to someone and truly caring, telling my husband I am proud of him, not busying myself so I can serve well...

 

I will always battle with the balance of serving others and have to make sure I am returning to my source of spiritual nourishment.  It will mean turning to scripture and reminding myself of who I am in Christ and not to look to my service to fulfill me.  I love that God has put a desire in my heart to care for others and I look forward to the many ways it will shape me and grow me.

Richard Foster, in his book, Celebration of Disciplines, says, "When we set out on a consciously chosen course of action that accents the good of others and is, for the most part, a hidden work, a deep change occurs in our spirits."  Our good Father not only desires that we serve for the sake of blessing and loving and caring for others.  He longs to transform our spirits, to make us more like him. 

Perhaps you are feeling drawn to the discipline of service.   Consider engaging the people in your life through one of these types of service (from Celebration of Disciplines):

-the service of hiddenness, doing things unknown by others

-the service of small things, assistance in daily matters

-the service of guarding the reputation of others

-the service of common courtesy, striving for kind interactions

-the service of ungrudging hospitality

-the service of listening intently

-the service of bearing each other's burdens

-the service of bringing someone a word from God

Do you sense God's invitation?  Is someone in your life coming to mind?  He will empower you to serve not in your own strength or from your own resources, but by his Spirit.  He longs to engage your heart, to fill you daily with himself so that you are overflowing with care and compassion for others.  

Written by: Shelly Jones

Cowgirl Social // November 2nd

Saturday, November 2nd @ 4pm / Redbarn at Larkspur 

If the explosion of all things pumpkin at Trader Joe’s and Starbucks hasn’t put you in the mood for Fall then perhaps this will! Come connect with other Warehouse women on a beautiful, festive fall evening.

We'll split into groups and rotate through three activities, each lasting 30 minutes: trail rides, hayrides and games.  Around 6 p.m. we'll all come back together for drinks & homemade chili by the bonfire, and a marshmallow roast.  The cost of this event is $30 per person if riding or $15 per person if horses aren’t your thing and you just want to come for the food and company!  

Each portion of this evening provides the chance to meet other women, enjoy conversation, and bask in the beauty of a Carolina autumn evening.  This night is also the perfect opportunity to include friends!  What a great, low pressure way to invite our neighbors, co-workers and friends to join in the community of Warehouse.

The lovely Amber Greenawalt is organizing this event. Contact Amber via facebook or email her (amber@greenawaltfamily.com) to reserve your spot.  Please provide a firm RSVP by Thursday, October 31st so the good folks at Redbarn can purchase food and get everything ready for us!

The nitty gritty: 
Leave your Chacos at home. For safety, everyone (riding horses or not) must wear closed toe shoes.  Horseback riders must wear long pants. No outside alcoholic beverages.  Redbarn will provide the libations. Don't forget your $30 or $15, cash only please!

Redbarn at Larkspur is located about 8 miles south of Ballantyne at 6717 Charlotte Hwy Lancaster SC 29720. 

List o' links

Feeling a bit like Alexander today?

Worn out from trying to know the unknowable?

Say yes to Christ's whispered invitation to your soul.

Stop and look all around you.

Breathe in, breathe out, repeat.  


Jen Hatmaker's got her favorite things...and so do we.  Look for more compilations of recommended music, books, blogs and outings from women within our community!

Discipline & Rest: The path before me

I glance at path laid out before me, not knowing where it will lead, peering up at the glorious sunny day and breathing in the fragrant, dewy grass.  In the garden behind Avondale Presbyterian Church, there’s labyrinth that mirrors the famous one painted on the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France.  It’s Wednesday morning. The only day of the week where I have 3 hours of alone time – no kids, no work (well, always housework, but it can wait), nowhere to be.  This is the day I’m attempting to set aside for practicing disciplines of silence, solitude, worship, meditation, and prayer. 

I pick up a guide from the box beside the labyrinth, tentative about stepping on to the first cobblestone. “You will show me the path of life, you will fill me with joy in your presence.” Psalm 16:11.  Yes, you will show me where I am on the path; you will be with me as I walk. 

As I enter in, I’m breathing deeply, noticing my surroundings, until I find that I must look at where my feet are going to make sure I stay on the path.  The first portion inward has short twists and turns that beg my attention.  Hmmm, this is interesting… I’m journeying inward and there seems to be a lot of detail to this path.  I’m feeling anxious. My first tendency is to want to skip and jump across this part to the longer stretches of path that wind around the outermost part of the circle.

God gently nudges me, “This inner work is hard. There are habits and patterns in your life that need attention. You often skip this part to more exciting things, but I’m with you in the everyday.  The mundane. In the details and the inner workings of your heart.  It’s just as important and I want to transform you there.”  He goes on, “See how you’re circling back around, orbiting around the same spot? These patterns and issues will creep back up unless you pay attention to them and invite me in.” The whole time I’m walking and pondering this, the center of the labyrinth, the very core of it, stays in my peripheral vision. I’m circling it – “Jesus you are always right there, right at the core. You dwell in me. You are there as I examine my idolatries, as I confess my sins, as I notice my addictions, as I do the inner work.”

I make my way beyond the center to the outer ring and find myself in the most divine shade given by beautiful green trees above my head.  The grass here is greener, a cool breeze blow, it feels like a covering…”You hide me in the shadow of your wings. You make me lie down in green pastures, you lead me beside still waters, you restore my soul.” In this place I sensed God saying, “As you venture out, I will restore you, I will shepherd you, I will replenish you.”  I stood there for a very long time.  “Write this promise on my heart, Lord.”

I walked for quite a while that morning. There’s something about walking and listening that feels dynamic to me.  There’s momentum and movement. A sense that I’m not stuck and that God has me on a path and that path is going somewhere.  God gave me questions to ponder. He reminded me of his presence. He used the analogy of the path to give me a deeper understanding of where we are in relationship with each other right now.  I made a commitment to invite God into those intricate spaces of my life that need more attention, pruning and transformation.  I thanked Him for his continual presence with me as I venture out and use my unique and creative gifts to serve him.  In walking the labyrinth that day, I truly experienced that part of the verse we used in our last women’s retreat -- “Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

written by: Laura Strahl

Discipline and rest: Centering Prayer

Before we launch into all of the disciplines listed in the last post about how rest and discipline go hand in hand, I wanted to share about the practice of Centering Prayer.

If you attended En Route last week, you heard about the church calendar, and specifically, the time we are in now: Ordinary Time. Steph Vander Lugt shared how the color for this season of the church calendar is green to signify growth. It’s not the extraordinary time of Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, etc, but a time of growing deeper in our faith and preparing to celebrate the busier seasons paramount to our faith.

So, in the nature of Ordinary Time, centering prayer seems like a wonderful way to be with God in the ordinary. And, in full disclosure, I’m new at this type of prayer, but it’s been really helpful and connecting for me to slow down and rest in and beside God.

I will quote from the bulletin of a prayer service that I attended recently as it gives a beautiful, simple explanation of what centering prayer is:

Centering Prayer is a method of prayer, which prepares us to receive the gifts of contemplative prayer. Centering Prayer consists of responding to the Spirit of Christ by consenting to God’s presence and action within. Centering Prayer facilitates a movement from more active modes of prayer - verbal, discursive or affective prayer - to receptive prayer of resting in God. Centering Prayer is meant to enrich and complement other forms of prayer, not exclude them or replace them.

I have heard Roxanne Morgan explain that Centering Prayer is somewhat like sitting beside someone you love and just enjoying being with them in silence. It is a stilling of ALL of oneself to receive and realize the fullness of Christ within (Col. 1:27) It is prayer CENTERED in Christ alone, yielding and consenting to him.

Here are some directions from the book “Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening” by Cynthia Bourgeault:

“It’s very, very simple. You sit, either in a chair or on a prayer stool or mat, and allow your heart to open toward the invisible but always present Origin of all that exists. Whenever a thought comes into your mind, you simply let the thought go and return to that open, silent attending upon the depths. Not because thinking is bad, but because it pulls you back to the surface of yourself. You use a short word or phrase, known as a “sacred word,” such as “abba” (Jesus’ own word for God) or “peace” or “be still” to help you let go of the thought promptly and cleanly. You do this practice for twenty minutes, a bit longer if you’d like, then you simply get up and move on with your life.”

I will testify that this is harder than it sounds! It’s hard to still your mind, stop letting your mind race, and simply be with the Lord. Bourgeault states in her book that the hardest part is agreeing to not think. For me, one very significant piece has been learning that I am not who I am because of my actions, my thoughts, my desires or hopes; I am just me… something deeper than all these things. And that rest in God and rest with God simply means letting this very inmost part of me connect with Him. I am trusting God delights in this and longs for more of it.

If you are interested in learning more, here are a few resources:

• “A Taste of Silence” by Carl Arico.
• “Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening” by Cynthia Bourgeault
• Contemplative Outreach of Charlotte (http://www.cpcharlotte.org/) is hosting an introduction to Centering Prayer workshop on November 2nd. See website for details.
• “Open Mind, Open Heart” by F. Thomas Keating, a classic by one of the modern day "founders."
• Join a Contemplative Practices small group at Warehouse 242! . It is one of the practices we try out/ introduce in these groups.

As we continue through our year of learning more about resting with the Lord, I hope you will consider trying Centering Prayer. If you find yourself especially intrigued or moved by what you have read here, consider participating in one of our short term Contemplative Practices groups that will be offered in the spring. For more information about those groups, email libba@warehouse242.org

written by: Jennifer Coggins

En Route: October 2nd

Women of Warehouse,
Our next En Route is tomorrow evening, Wednesday, October 2nd. 
Doors open at 6:30pm.  

Our hope for En Route this year is to build upon the theme of Rest. Believing that true soul rest comes from a life lived with Christ, we want to explore how we can create pause, quiet and space for Jesus in our typically busy, noisy lives. Over the year we intend to look to the Church calendar to imagine what can it look like to order our days and the seasons of the year with intentionality and focus on Christ.

At October’s En Route we are excited to be hearing from Steph Vander Lugt as we learn a bit about the church calendar and the season we are in that is referred to as “Ordinary Time.” Ordinary times looks, well, ordinary. But it is actually a season of growth. How are we growing? How in our busy ordinary days do we act intentionally to move towards growth in our lives?

Childcare available upon request. Please email women@warehouse242.org to inquire

Make a place to sit down

Two poems from Wendell Berry that seem fitting as we contemplate the intentional choosing of disciplines for a full life.

I go among trees and sit still.

All my stirring becomes quiet

around me like circles on water.

My tasks lie in their places

where I left them, asleep like cattle.

Then what is afraid of me comes

and lives a while in my sight.

What it fears in me leaves me, 

and the fear of me leaves it.

It sings, and I hear its song.

Then what I am afraid of comes.

I live for a while in its sight.

What I fear in it leaves it,

and the fear of it leaves me.

It sings, and I hear its song.

After days of labor,

mute in my consternations,

I hear my song at last,

and I sing it. As we sing,

the day turns, the trees move.

------

How to be a Poet
( to remind myself)
Make a place to sit down.
Sit down. Be quiet.
You must depend upon
affection, reading, knowledge,
skill - more of each
than you have - inspiration,
work, growing older, patience,
for patience joins time
to eternity. Any readers
who like your work,
doubt their judgment.
Breathe with unconditional breath
the unconditioned air.
Shun electric wire.
Communicate slowly. Live
a three-dimensioned life;
stay away from screens.
Stay away from anything
that obscures the place it is in.
There are no unsacred places;
there are only sacred places
and desecrated places.
Accept what comes from silence.
Make the best you can of it.
Of the little words that come
out of the silence, like prayers
prayed back to the one who prays,
make a poem that does not disturb
the silence from which it came.

Submitted by: Roxanne Morgan

Discipline & Rest: A new series

When you read the words discipline and rest, do you think they are antonyms? Discipline implies work, focus, and intention. Rest kind of seems the opposite.

And yet, maybe in the context of sacred resting, they are not so different. As our women’s community continues through a year of learning about rest, maybe there’s more to learn in the being still. Maybe we can rest more fully through a little intention.

I continue on my hope to learn how to rest more fully, more intentionally. As I’ve been praying and thinking about this as the summer wore on, I think there is something to practicing more of the spiritual disciplines in hopes to know God more fully and to rest in His truths, his love, and his grace.

When I want to review more about spiritual disciplines, I start by pulling out my ol’ copy of Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline. This book was published originally in 1978, but continues to be a good summary of the classical spiritual disciplines.

In his introduction, Foster states, “God has given us the disciplines of the spiritual life as a means of receiving his grace. The Disciplines allow us to place ourselves before God so that he can transform us.” He goes on to walk the reader through twelve different spiritual disciplines: meditation, prayer, fasting, study, simplicity, solitude, submission, service, confession, worship, guidance, and celebration.

The sheer number of these are daunting to me, but I love that God creates each of us to experience him and know him uniquely. I think each of us leans towards certain disciplines that we hear and experience God’s presence more readily or easily, although there’s much to benefit in practicing or experimenting with learning more about each one.

As we continue to journey through this year of rest, look for more blog entries about these disciplines. Our hope is to have people who love to practice a certain discipline share more about what it is, what it looks like in their life, and how they rest more by their practice. Our desire is this will lead to more true, deeper, connected, sacred rest for each of you.

Interested in sharing your experiences with one of the disciplines mentioned here? Contact libba@warehouse242.org, we'd love to hear from you.


Written by: Jennifer Coggins

List o' links

Headed into a doozie of a week?

Or a season already feeling too full? 

Take a swim in grace's ocean.

And take a cleansing breath out.  

Have that 2nd cup of coffee.

And stay in the pool.

But know when the juice ain't worth the squeeze.

And remember: you are the "only."


submitted by: Libba Armenta

Short-term groups this fall

If you have not heard, this fall we are offering a few short-term study group opportunities--Tim Keller's Galatians study and a Contemplative Practices group.  These groups have been very significant for the women that participated last fall and spring.  They are a great opportunity to pursue God and form new friendships in the Warehouse community.  

Several of the groups are already full but there are still a few openings we wanted to share with you.

We have openings in two of our Galatians study groups--

LEADERS:  Linda Miller & Shelly Jones 

LOCATION: alternating Park Rd./51 & Myers Park

WHEN: Thursday evenings 7pm starting mid-September

LEADERS: Carla Love & Amy Warren

LOCATION:  485 Ballantyne area

WHEN: Monday evenings 7pm starting mid-September

And there will be a Contemplative Practices (6 weeks) group also-

LEADER: Libba Armenta

LOCATION: TBD (looking for host home)

WHEN: Thursday evenings 7 pm, October 10th through November 21st (skipping October 31st)

Please contact Holly Norton at holly@warehouse242.org if you would like more information on these groups or would like to sign up.  Space is limited (average group size is 6-8 women).  

We hope you will consider these opportunities. We invite you this fall to seek God in an intentional way, to start a new rhythm, to connect with Him and experience Him in new ways, and be transformed.

We hope you will join us!

the joy that buoys our souls

I have the windows open 
listening to the rain 
it feels like little bits of peace 
Are entering the world
My world
Which can be hectic
With voices climbing over each other
Small needs building a staircase of tasks to be done
The rain brings a blanket of calm
That I savor
Reminds me to find a space for myself to sip my coffee 
And do not one thing else

-----

We are
as a group
collectively exhausted
We hold wakeful babies at night
half sleeping
until the day begins
We mourn babies we no longer hold
while celebrating
having ever held them
We bear the weight of our own mothers who are taking their turn to be held
Sometimes it is work to do the work of women
To be in relationship
and build lives together
We open our hearts and let them be slightly broken
by this amazing life
It feels right
To sit and rest
To appreciate sweet smiles
To accept the gift that is laughter
And revel in light
We celebrate the joy that buoys our souls

Written by : Jocelyn Chrisley