by Bill Haley | Apr 18, 2019 | For the World, Peacemaking
I returned from the Holy Land just 10 days ago from Coracle’s most recent pilgrimage with the Telos Group. What struck me this time particularly was how central caves are in the story of Christ and the hope of the world. In Israel where stone is the dominant feature...
by Bill Haley | Apr 17, 2019 | Liturgical Seasons
(I offered these reflections today at The Falls Church Anglican) This Good Friday, we remember the seven last words of Jesus from the cross. Seven last gasps. The Apostle John said of Jesus that if a person tried to write down all the things he did and said, the...
by Bill Haley | Mar 28, 2019 | Peacemaking
Tomorrow I’ll fly to the Holy Land with another 17 pilgrims for a very unusual experience of Israel and Palestine. Todd Deatherage of The Telos Group and I will co-lead it, our fourth trip doing this together. It’ll be my sixth trip following in the literal...
by Bill Haley | Mar 22, 2019 | Contemplative Life, Justice and Mercy
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have a lot to do! Most people I know really want to make a difference in the world and make it a better place for more people. Many of us struggle to pray more and be with God more deeply as the deepest way we respond to the...
by Bill Haley | Mar 8, 2019 | Contemplative Life, Creation
I love Lent. Somehow it gives me the opportunity again to honestly own what I deeply know––I am a sinner, and sin. In the words of the confession from the 1559 Book of Common Prayer (see below) which we sometimes still say, “There is no health in us”. Lent reminds...
by Bill Haley | Feb 21, 2019 | Justice and Mercy
This past week I was pleased and privileged again to attend the Matthew 25 Gathering, where folks from the Anglican Church of North America gather to encourage each other in the ways that God has called us to work for the Kingdom, and work for justice with mercy. ...
by Bill Haley | Feb 21, 2019 | For the World, Justice and Mercy, Liturgical Seasons
Brothers and sisters, we are ALL pained by the ongoing and exacerbated tensions around race in our moment. And I know if you’re reading this, you want to be part of the healing and part of the reconciliation. To help us do this, me and quite a few dear friends are now...
by Bill Haley | Feb 15, 2019 | Contemplative Life
When you arrive, you’ll see a small plaque on our front porch that reads, “Bidden or not bidden, God is present”. God will be present to you here. God has given us this space so that others can find him, and he likes to be found, and he likes to find us! Your retreat...
by Bill Haley | Feb 15, 2019 | Contemplative Life
On the desktop of my computer I keep a document called “Current Quotes”, easily found to be opened quickly (the app Evernote works just as well). It’s for brief thoughts and quotes, from deeply trusted sources that reveal deep truths and that speak to me in the...
by Bill Haley | Feb 7, 2019 | Contemplative Life, For the World
When I was growing up, there was a funny little toy called Stretch Armstrong. Made of soft rubber and dressed only in tiny blue wrestler’s shorts with blond hair painted on, there was really only one thing you could do with him: stretch his arms as far apart as they...
by Bill Haley | Jan 24, 2019 | Contemplative Life
We wrestle with God for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes, we want to wrestle because of what we see “out there”– a culture moving in the wrong direction, the moral failings of trusted leaders, the disunity and strife amongst God’s people, etc. ...
by Bill Haley | Jan 18, 2019 | Contemplative Life, Justice and Mercy
As we approach the national holiday honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, it’s easy (and right) to contemplate his activism and commit to carrying on that legacy of justice for all and especially for those who have the hardest time finding it. It...
by Bill Haley | Jan 10, 2019 | Justice and Mercy
“Tikkun Olam” is I think one of the most powerful phrases on the planet. It’s Hebrew and of the Jewish tradition, and captures the vocation of post-Fall woman and man. It simply means “repair of the world”. Embedded in Tikkun Olam are the assertions that...
by Bill Haley | Jan 4, 2019 | Contemplative Life, Creation, Liturgical Seasons
Almost 10 years ago, we moved from the inner-city of Washington to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. There are at least two things I haven’t gotten used to yet, and hope I never will be. Both are arresting. Both can stop you in your tracks with a sense of awe,...
by Bill Haley | Dec 14, 2018 | Contemplative Life
Earlier this week Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison for illegal acts committed while in service to Donald Trump. Until this week I’ve not given much thought to Michael Cohen and bear him no ill will, but I do think his story warrants attention as a...
by Bill Haley | Dec 5, 2018 | Contemplative Life
“Oh Lord, please light the fire / That once burned bright and clear. Replace the lamp of my first love / That burns with holy fear.” -Keith Green I’m really excited about a new retreat we’re offering at Corhaven on Saturday, February 23. Jesus is so great that...
by Bill Haley | Dec 5, 2018 | Liturgical Seasons
Advent–always a wonderful, and strange, season. It’s wonderful because it gives the opportunity once again to recall the long wait of the people of God for their Savior, and the promises punctuating centuries of waiting throughout the Old Testament that would find...
by Bill Haley | Nov 30, 2018 | Contemplative Life
I’m not a big birthday guy. Most years I’m content to quietly let the day pass without a lot of notice and a simple dinner with loved ones, with some time to reflect and pray in gratitude. But this year I tip over some sort of edge into my 50s, and as I’ve done on...
by Bill Haley | Nov 29, 2018 | Contemplative Life, Coracle News
Well, friends, it’s been another remarkable year of watching God work through Coracle. What really fires me up is comments like these from folks we’ve walked with in the last year, just a sample of many… “My life, praise the Lord, will never be the same. “ “I can...
by Bill Haley | Nov 20, 2018 | Contemplative Life, Creation
“O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!” Ps. 30.12 Of course we all go through challenging seasons, and seasons when we might feel a little depressed, or things aren’t turning out quite the way we thought or not at all the way we hoped or wanted. It’s too...
