Isaiah 50:4-9NRSVUE 4 The Lord GOD has given mea trained tongue,[a]that I may know how to sustainthe weary with a word.Morning by morning he wakens,wakens my earto listen as those who are taught.5 The Lord GOD has opened my ear,and I was not rebellious;I did not turn backward.6 I gave my back to those who struck meand my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard;I did not hide my facefrom insult and spitting.7 The Lord GOD helps me;therefore I…
The Breath of Resurrection Ezekiel 37:1-14 37 The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he brought me out by the spiritof the LORD and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. 3 He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord GOD, you know.” 4 Then he…
Philippians 2:7b-11…“And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.” vss. 7b-8 How would the landscape of our country change if our leaders were infected by the mind of Christ and humbled themselves, becoming obedient to the principles of the Peaceable Kingdom? The difference would be startling. We’ve gotten so used to pretension, hypocrisy, and self-exultation on the part of politicians that some can’t even imagine any other…
Philippian 2:5-7a…“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,” vs. 5 Sometimes we think of ourselves as being different from Jesus, as though he behaved and acted as he did because he had a special relationship with God, one that we do not have. Often we hear people excusing their own broken behaviors with the words, “Well, only one man was perfect and that was Jesus!” While Paul doesn’t weigh in on that issue in his…
Psalm 31:9-16…“But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hand;” vss. 14-15a While it’s possible to worry about most anything in this messed up and beautiful world, we generally come to the point when it dawns on us that there are many things we can’t control. At that moment the wise believer will echo the psalmist and hand everything over to God. As the AA folks are fond of saying,…
I came for the Healing of Memories workshop for veterans, and I almost didn’t come because of the trauma I wrestle with, but your staff, the workshop leaders and the quiet and safe campus held me there and I’ve found a new sense of peace and healing.
A retreat for religious leaders who have experienced emotional, psychological and spiritual distress in their personal or professional lives — facilitated by the Institute for Healing of Memories — is coming June 3-6, 2024.