Journal

Author: Bill Haley

Reflections on our Wedding

15 Years Ago Today!!    But this was written about two weeks after we said, “Yes.” Reflections on Our Wedding– by Bill and Tara Scherer Haley The Irish Celts had a word for those locations where God seems to be more easily seen. They called them ‘thin...

What’s Next For Coracle?

I was asked recently to fill out a few questions about Coracle, and this one was one of them:   What three dreams do you have for this church/non-profit? And here’s the answer: “1.  Take the next clear step.   2.  Then take the next clear step.   3.  Then take...

God in the Perfect Storm

I’ve noticed something, and come to believe it, and it’s proving quite powerful and helpful in those hard seasons that we all go through–the season of “The Perfect Storm”. You know the image, you’ve been there, you might be in such a season now! The Perfect Storm is a...

The Truth We Don’t Believe

The most consistent prayer I offer when people come out for a few hours or a day or overnight at Corhaven is, “God, please help them to encounter your love, your deep deep love for them”, and we try to facilitate that in any way we can. One of the reasons why this...

Do You Want To Grow Spiritually?

Do you want to grow spiritually? Of course you do. We all do. And God wants us to as well, and will help. But what does spiritual growth actually mean? What’s the goal actually? And most importantly, how do I get there? These are all questions that we’re going to take...

He Didn’t Have To Do It

These past couple of years I’ve had the chance to go a couple of times to the Holy Land.  Every place where Jesus was has deep meaning.  A couple of places meet me with a special power each time.  One of them is the Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem.   It is a place...

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...

The Joy of Being a Pencil

This past weekend a young woman came to Corhaven to talk about Mother Teresa.  A freshman in high school, she’s working on a year long research project and had heard that Tara and I had met her. It’s true. I met Mother Teresa in 1995 when I spent a month in Calcutta...
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...
“On Theosis” Audio

“On Theosis” Audio

A few years ago at St. Brendan’s in the City, I gave this sermon which was the result of about 10 years of journey.  It remains to feel like one of the most important sermons I’ve ever given, an attempt to wrestle into clear and simple words the goal and...

A talk on World Religions, Jesus, and Journey

Recently I had the opportunity to reflect on comparative world religions, Jesus, and my first trip around the world.  I sought to answer the nagging question, “If I had grown up in, say, Iran, would I be a Muslim?”   Confident that Jesus is true, the...
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...

on Ruth Haley Barton

I have a brother and two sisters.  I love them all and wish you could meet them.  There’s a good chance that one of them, my sister Ruth, is already known to you. A funny, glee-full thing happens to me at least several times a year.   Someone will be talking to me...
Good, New, and Exciting for 2015!

Good, New, and Exciting for 2015!

Dear friends and fellow-pilgrims!   This is one of those occasions when I want to personally share some important developments for all of us and a few sentiments.   Thanks for reading to the bottom, and I’ll be as brief as I possibly can!  If you make it all the way...

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...
Farther and More! Help for 2015

Farther and More! Help for 2015

Dear dear friends and fellow pilgrims,  Happy Advent to you!  A new year dawns.  A great year has passed.   I want to tell you about the amazing 2014 that Coracle has had.  Truly, God is giving us great grace to see our mission actually happen, “inspiring and enabling...

A Poem at the Start of Advent

“At the Beginning of Advent”  by Bill Haley Father, now comes Advent again, Our response is to pause, and recall, That you sent Jesus, for us and for the world, Your glory unfurled vulnerably sweet, that we might see who You are, and be your body to this suffering...