"Delight" post from the blog, Mosaic, by Cory Lockhart
My windows are open as I write.
My mind, followed by my eyes, moves to the nearest open window.
I see trees.
My ears hear songs of birds, familiar, yet unidentifiable. I haven’t studied birdsong. A few days ago I spent a few hours sitting on a front porch with a new friend. Her yard was an oasis, sheltered from the rest of the world by the trees that surrounded it. Her children played as we talked. At one point she pointed out the wren’s song, making sure her children heard it, too. I wanted to remember the particularities of the call. I’ve forgotten already.
"Delight"by Cory Lockhart in Mosaic, News & Press
My windows are open as I write.
My mind, followed by my eyes, moves to the nearest open window.
I see trees.
My ears hear songs of birds, familiar, yet unidentifiable. I haven’t studied birdsong. A few days ago I spent a few hours sitting on a front porch with a new friend. Her yard was an oasis, sheltered from the rest of the world by the trees that surrounded it. Her children played as we talked. At one point she pointed out the wren’s song, making sure her children heard it, too. I wanted to remember the particularities of the call. I’ve forgotten already.
Before writing I walked in my yard, noticing the gentle pink bleeding hearts still in bloom, the brilliant magenta clematis, the rosebush bursting with hot pink, more hot pink on the peony bush, orbs not quite ready to bloom, tiny ants doing whatever they do on peonies. I noticed flowers and plants whose names I’ve forgotten and whose beauty still awes me.
It was hard to come inside and start writing. Sometimes I write and feel wise, like I have something important to say. Today all I can offer is this:
Go outside.
Learn from the trees and the birds and the flowers. Learn from the bees and the ants and the squirrels, even and especially if they irritate you.
Remember that even as our world is ravished and devastated, it is also ALIVE. Even though we are careless with, even willfully destructive to, our common home, somehow She still graces us with the beauty of new Life.
This time of year, God’s uninhibited generosity cannot be denied.
Go outside and soak it in.
After you’ve felt the Joy of Creation seep into your pores, through your body, into the marrow of your bones…
Remember that you, too, are the Joy of Creation, that God delighted in making you as God delights in making All Things.
Tags: creation, delight, joy, natureRead the rest of the blog post here.
“You must be the change you want to see in the world.” (Mahatma Gandhi)
As of July 2018, JustFaith Ministries will be offering a new JustFaith program, adapted to today’s challenges. Meant to be used in interdenominational settings, the new JustFaith program invites participants to look at contemporary issues through the lens of their Christian faith. The new JustFaith program will be available in one 24-week single program or in three 8-week phases that can be taken separately. Choose the format that fits the needs of your community and register to start a group this fall. You can be the change you want to see in this world! To learn more, visit our page.
El Paso, Texas and Juárez, Mexico are communities joined at the hip, but separated by a border. Join a five-day mission trip organized by the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers in collaboration with the Columban Fathers and put a human face to the complex border issues shared by these two cities.
Experience first-hand how economic and immigration policies affect people in Mexico as well as the United States. Engage with our Mexican brothers and sisters and learns about projects on both sides of the border – we invite you to join us! Learn more and register for the July 18-23 trip at Maryknoll Mission Trips.
“I wanted to expand my own horizons, see different cultures and encounter people who struggle.” – Matt Gray, a religious educator of the Diocese of Oakland, California, and trip participant in July 2017.
The trip is ideal for teachers, religious educators, youth ministers, catechists, and anyone open to exploring our common bonds of global solidarity. Come join us!
As of July 2018, JustFaith Ministries will be offering a new JustFaith program, adapted to today’s challenges. Meant to be used in interdenominational settings, the new JustFaith program invites participants to look at contemporary issues through the lens of their Christian faith. The new JustFaith program will be available in one 24-week single program or in three 8-week phases that can be taken separately. Choose the format that fits the needs of your community and register to start a group this fall. You can be the change you want to see in this world! To learn more, visit our page.
“The vision of JustFaith Ministries is that the work of peace, mercy and justice is best done by groups of people working together. Communities can accomplish things that individuals simply cannot.”
(Jack Jezreel, Founder of JustFaith Ministries)
We simply cannot do the work without your support.
Together we can make a better world.
U.S.-Mexico Border Awareness Programshared by our partners at MaryknollEl Paso, Texas and Juárez, Mexico are communities joined at the hip, but separated by a border. Join a five-day mission trip organized by the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers in collaboration with the Columban Fathers and put a human face to the complex border issues shared by these two cities.
Experience first-hand how economic and immigration policies affect people in Mexico as well as the United States. Engage with our Mexican brothers and sisters and learns about projects on both sides of the border – we invite you to join us! Learn more and register for the July 18-23 trip at Maryknoll Mission Trips.
“I wanted to expand my own horizons, see different cultures and encounter people who struggle.” – Matt Gray, a religious educator of the Diocese of Oakland, California, and trip participant in July 2017.
The trip is ideal for teachers, religious educators, youth ministers, catechists, and anyone open to exploring our common bonds of global solidarity. Come join us!
shared by our partners at Bread for the World
Bread for the World’s
2018 Advocacy Summit and Lobby Day
June 11-12, 2018 in Washington, DC
Registration Closes May 25, 2018
What happens during Lobby Day? Lobby Day is an opportunity for Bread members and activists to meet face-to-face with members of Congress and their staffs. When activists visit Capitol Hill in large numbers, all of us focused on ending hunger, Congress is more likely to listen. Together, our voices carry and you can make a difference.After our meetings on the Hill, there will be a late afternoon reception, including awards given to legislators, and a worship service where participants can share their experiences of the day. For more information, visit Bread for the World’s 2018 Advocacy Summit and Lobby Day.
Upcoming JFM Graduate Immersions with MaryknollEL SALVADOR, November 30 – December 9, 2018
Deadline for signups: July 30, 2018
See flyer for more details.
For more JustFaith Ministries stories, visit our blogs:
Catching Light: a blog by Muriel Schmid, Director of ProgramsMosaic: a blog by Cory Lockhart
Still in the Storm: a blog by Joe Grant
In the Storm Still: a companion blog by Joe Grant
JustFaith Ministries is a nonprofit organization that forms, informs, and transforms people of faith by offering programs and resources that sustain them in their compassionate commitment to build a more just and peaceful world.
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JustFaith Ministries
PO Box 221348
Louisville, Kentucky 40252, United States
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