Dear Middleway Urban Monastery friends,
Various social media platforms are filled these days with posts either pictures of beautiful plants that survived the historic winter freeze in February or much-loved plants that died. But some are reporting that though a plant looked dead and maybe was cast aside, a tiny spec of green suddenly popped out in the way of a leaf or a shoot from the root. One friend said a horticulturist said to let the shoots grow for a while then decide which to go with long term and cut the rest off. Same plant thus comes back in a new way.
And so it may well be with our souls along the spiritual journey. Perhaps the pandemic has left spiritual life a little cold and you're not sure you want to go back to the way you were worshipping. Or maybe your spiritual life feels dead and unlikely to return.
Be patient. Set aside some time for quiet reflection. Start digging into new ground. Plant yourself around others who are seeking and discerning. Soon you'll feel yourself beginning to grow spiritually again. You'll be able to select which shoot - which path - is right for you as you continue to grow. We at Middleway are glad to journey alongside you.
Read about what's going on at Middleway below. Make a note to check out our Facebook group page or website.
Book club to consider Soul Making
Our book of the month, "Soul Making: The Desert Way of Spirituality," by Alan Jones continues with Chapters 5 and 6. We'll gather on Tuesday, April 20, at 7 p.m. Central time. The group is open to all. Here's how to join:
Meeting ID: 862 8991 8385 Passcode: 164675
or call in 1 346 248 7799
Get the May book now and be ready for its first discussion on May 4. The book is "Streams of Living Water" by Richard Foster.
Interested in spiritual direction or formation training?
If you've considered learning more about Christian spirituality and how the training might impact you and your ministry, check out FIND - School for Spiritual Direction and Formation. Applications are being accepted for the ecumenical school which offers classes once a month on a Saturday so that busy lay and clergy people can attend more easily. NEW THIS YEAR: FIND is launching a second version of the school. After a successful transition to Zoom classes in 2020 to operate the school during the pandemic, the FIND board has agreed to offer a parallel school which will be exclusively online to enable anyone to attend without regard to location. The traditional school, which was founded in 1997, will return to an in-person venue at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Bryan, Texas. A person may choose to enroll in either the online or in-person school. FIND hopes to move to Middleway Urban Monastery when a physical location is established. For more information, see www.schoolforspiritualdirection.org.
How to Visit Middleway Urban Monastery
Ready to dig a little deeper spiritually? We're here for you.
You're a "member" if you are receiving this newsletter. Come and see what the monastery has for you online. When you enter our URL, facebook.com/groups/TheMiddlewayUrbanMonastery, it is like opening the door of a physical building, and you will find all that is offered there.
Likewise, you can come to our website and explore the offerings, including links to our Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube accounts, if you like those formats and want to follow.
If you know others who would like to "join," ask them to subscribe to our weekly newsletter by going to https://www.middlewayurbanmonastery.org/contact and entering their email address at the Subscribe button on the lower right.
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