Journal

Tag: Justice and Mercy

“One Step At A Time” by Sarah Kohrs

Star of Bethlehem is a perennial bulb, with lily-like flowers on a slender stem that reaches no more than 12 inches high. Over time, they cluster and have been noted as an invasive in riparian buffers, where Star of Bethlehem victoriously compete with native fauna. By...
“Clearing Sacred Space”

“Clearing Sacred Space”

As we gathered up the tools, rain splattered the tarp, stretched tightly across the tools on the Haley’s farm truck.  Rain doused the orange flames, which sizzled and popped among the remaining embers of the burn pile.  Rain drenched like a cleansing shower as I took...
150 Years Later, Honoring The Victims…

150 Years Later, Honoring The Victims…

Clearing the Slave Cemetery at Corhaven Saturday May 16, 12.30pm-4.30pm This month we’ve marked the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War and then the assassination of Abraham Lincoln a few days later. Lincoln himself interpreted that bloody war in part as...

There and Back Again

Our pilgrimage to Israel and Palestine had several purposes.   We went to meet the peoples of this land.  We went to better understand the reality and complexity of the contemporary Holy Land.  We went to walk where Jesus walked.  Most importantly, we went to learn...
Mother Teresa and Spiritual Maturity

Mother Teresa and Spiritual Maturity

Several years ago, I was given the opportunity to teach on how Mother Teresa’s life exhibited spiritual maturity, and it afforded the opportunity to explore the meaning of her long “dark night”.   It was a privilege for me, and this talk became...

“There and Back Again”

Our pilgrimage to Israel and Palestine had several purposes.   We went to meet the peoples of this land.  We went to better understand the reality and complexity of the contemporary Holy Land.  We went to walk where Jesus walked.  Most importantly, we went to learn...
Nothing is Not Complex: Israel and Palestine

Nothing is Not Complex: Israel and Palestine

It is obviously a heartbreaking time in the Middle East, and tensions in the Holy Land are as high as they’ve been in some years.  Coracle has partnered with The Telos Group to offer a strange and powerful trip there February 3-13 along with 12 others, Bill and Todd...

Notes from “Honoring the Forgotten”

Notes from “Honoring the Forgotten” a first conversation about the slave cemetery at Corhaven held on January 16, 2015 (MLK Day Weekend) Corhaven is located at 2883 Quicksburg Road, Quicksburg VA  22847 Local residents of Shenandoah County and also the History Club of...

The Slave Cemetery at Corhaven

I’ve been waiting five years for this.  On the property of Corhaven, there is a slave cemetery dating from the mid-1800s.   While we’ve quietly and prayerfully tended it, it’s time to really honor our brothers and sisters who lay there.  This is no small feat, and one...

Prayers for Ferguson, and similar settings

We cannot escape the news and the situation in Ferguson, nor should we.  Lord, have mercy.  These events remind us that there is much work to be done for racial reconciliation in America.  Not only do we pray for peace in Ferguson, but we pray for change in our own...

Ministry is Relational Living

When I first got married, it did not take long for me to figure out that I was a “fixer.”  I always needed to fix everything.  If there was a conflict, or a disagreement, or even a bad day, I always felt like it was my job to solve the problem.  One day,...

When it’s not just over there, but right here

Recently I participated in discussions on how one in nine in the world lack clean water —the global unrest this creates and what the faith community is doing to respond.  “For me,” said an Arizona senator, “these issues are no longer over there but right...
More Heartbreak in Bethlehem

More Heartbreak in Bethlehem

Exactly one year ago today I was in Israel and Palestine with The Telos Group.  My full blogs about that can be found here.  It could have been that exactly one year ago I visited the Tent of Nations, a stunning example of Christian faith, life, and what it means to...
A Light to the World is the Missio Dei

A Light to the World is the Missio Dei

This post was written by Gabriel Dodd During my first semester studying at Eastern Mennonite Seminary, I have enjoyed a class called Missio Dei in Cultural Context.  I have come to an understanding that if ten people were in a room, and we asked them what the Mission...