by Bill Haley | Mar 18, 2020 | Church Unity, Contemplative Life
This most recent coronavirus is not the first humankind has had to contend with, and it won’t be the last. This pandemic serves as a not-so-subtle reminder that indeed all things are fallen and frail including our bodies, our planet, and our systems and structures. ...
by Bill Haley | Mar 6, 2020 | Contemplative Life, Spiritual Direction
It’s been almost two weeks since the news broke about the founder of L’Arche, Jean Vanier, and it hit many of us very hard, myself very much included. Sadly It’s become a bit ordinary for revelations to come out about the deep misdoings of Christian leaders, but...
by Bill Haley | Feb 14, 2020 | Contemplative Life
It feels a crazy time. For me at the moment, it’s all too easy to be often distracted, perhaps even a bit disoriented. There are always the challenges of work and family, and yet right now there is the particularly disappointing and even depressing state of our...
by Bill Haley | Feb 11, 2020 | Coracle News
Alone, none of us will follow Jesus the way we most want to. And community forms us more deeply than most things. And small groups of Christians can do a lot more together for others. For all these reasons and more, I’m delighted to announce the formation of the...
by Bill Haley | Jan 17, 2020 | Contemplative Life, Justice and Mercy
This coming Sunday is “Sanctity of Human Life Sunday”, or “Pro-Life Sunday”, kicking off a week of events, rallies, and protests (and counter-protests) for Christians and churches around the country and particularly in Washington, DC. I’m grateful for these...
by Bill Haley | Jan 7, 2020 | Coracle News, Justice and Mercy
Happy New Year everyone! We just finished the Christmas season, and I’ll bet you heard those powerful words in “O Holy Night” more than once: “Truly He taught us to love one another, His law is love and His gospel is peace / Chains shall He break for the slave is our...
by Bill Haley | Dec 18, 2019 | Coracle News, Pilgrimage
Friends, there are some very exciting things coming up in 2020, and I really hope you’ll join in some of it. I can promise you adventure, God, heartache, joy, depth, wonder, and watching God do stuff in you, around you, and through you. Here are some highlights...
by Bill Haley | Dec 5, 2019 | Church Unity, Liturgical Seasons
I love my parents, they did a great job with us four kids. They didn’t do it perfectly of course (what parent does?), but they loved us as best they knew how, and loved Jesus as best they knew how, and those two things cover a multitude of, well, things I’m sure they...
by Bill Haley | Nov 8, 2019 | Church Unity, For the World, Justice and Mercy, Pilgrimage
Coracle’s first pilgrimage to understand immigration issues and the forces that are driving tens of thousands of people northwards from Central America is now done. We flew from Washington DC to Guatemala, and then on through Mexico to Juarez and then El Paso,...
by Bill Haley | Oct 18, 2019 | Church Unity, Contemplative Life
For a long time my life has been formed and fed by the monastic tradition. It began by reading Henri Nouwen’s Genesee Diary in college, and it was that book that introduced me to monasteries, the Trappists, and spiritual direction. Since that time and over time God...
by Bill Haley | Oct 5, 2019 | For the World, Pilgrimage
It didn’t take long to realize it. It was after witnessing the prayer and fasting, and hearing story after story of the same. And then hearing testimonies of people who had come to believe in Jesus because they saw a loved one healed after prayers in his name. ...
by Bill Haley | Sep 20, 2019 | Creation
It was surely a surprise 10 years ago when God invited us to move from the inner-city of DC to rural Virginia in the Shenandoah Valley. It was unexpected, and unexpectedly good, a grace. It was as if the Lord was saying to us, “Thank you for your heart and service...
by Bill Haley | Sep 17, 2019 | Contemplative Life
I imagine that many of you, like me, did not come from a sacramental tradition. Perhaps you find yourself in one now and still have questions when it comes time on Sunday for “Communion,” “The Lord’s Supper,” “The...
by Bill Haley | Aug 30, 2019 | Vocation
Happy Labor Day weekend, friends! Some years ago, I wrote this for the Washington Post, and I hope that in reading it for the first time or re-reading it, you’ll be reminded deeply and again that your work is one of the main ways God does his work in the world. Take...
by Bill Haley | Jul 18, 2019 | Contemplative Life
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of speaking to about 20 college students from The Falls Church Anglican who were back for the summer or getting ready to enter freshman year. I was basically told ‘talk about whatever you’d like,’ so I chose to reflect back...
by Bill Haley | Jul 10, 2019 | Coracle News, For the World, Justice and Mercy
In October, Coracle is going to Guatemala and then on to the border between Texas and Mexico in El Paso and Juarez. On one level, this trip has been years in the making, on another level it is timely, if not a bit late. But it is the Holy Spirit’s time, of that I am...
by Bill Haley | Jul 5, 2019 | Church Unity, For the World, Justice and Mercy
This past Sunday I preached at The Falls Church Anglican on one of the most confusing and important verses in the Bible: Colossians 1.24 “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the...
by Bill Haley | Jun 18, 2019 | Coracle News
On August 15, 2009, in response to that gentle and clear invitation from God, Tara and I moved from the inner-city of DC to what would come be called Corhaven, meaning ‘rest for the heart’ and ‘a safe place for the soul’. Almost 10 years later, it’s been that thin...
by Bill Haley | Jun 14, 2019 | Justice and Mercy, Peacemaking
This past Wednesday night, many from our Coracle Community went to a sneak-peek showing of the new film Emanuel, near the fourth anniversary now of the shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC. We went because the story matters, this tragedy is worth...
by Bill Haley | Jun 5, 2019 | Vocation
Years ago, when I was speaking at a men’s retreat in Philadelphia, I got into a conversation with Jerry. Jerry owned and ran a car dealership. It sounded like a great work environment that was pastoral and love-filled. He said that the business had allowed him a lot...
