by Coracle | Nov 20, 2024 | Contemplative Life
by Wanda Bickers One of the gifts of my role in the church and with Coracle is that I get to start preparing for Advent in October. There have been seasons when this seemed like a burden, rushing around in the Fall trying to figure out what Advent services and...
by Bill Haley | Nov 19, 2024 | Contemplative Life
Before we knew the outcome of this year’s presidential election, we knew that all of us would need a chance to pause, remember Who is truly in control, and experience refreshment from the wonderfully loving rule of King Jesus. Bach’s B-Minor Mass is a...
by Bill Haley | Nov 13, 2024 | Contemplative Life
What would happen if…”A Generation of Believers Gathered Together for One Simple Purpose: To Build Relationships Now that will Transform the Future of the Church and the Culture?” This was the original vision statement for The Vine when we gathered in 1999. ...
by Bill Haley | Nov 7, 2024 | Contemplative Life
In this “Space for God” devotional, Rev. Bill Haley (Coracle Executive Director) guides us through an earnest litany of prayers for Election Day. Wherever you are coming from politically, we hope these prayers will draw us all closer to the heart of God in the...
by Ken Wettig | Nov 6, 2024 | Contemplative Life
“Since God elected you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Colossians 3:12 We just had an election in the U.S. The Bible talks about a different kind of election....
by Margot Eyring | Nov 3, 2024 | Contemplative Life
In this “Space for God” devotional, Margot Eyring (Coracle Spiritual Direction Coordinator) guides us into a practice and reflection on the peace of Jesus. She places before us various stories from Jesus’ life about how he embodied peace to those he encountered...
by Scott Buresh | Oct 30, 2024 | Contemplative Life
I’ll never forget meeting with Bill Haley, my spiritual director, a few weeks after my wife’s funeral eleven years ago. My adult daughters stayed with me through the Christmas holiday and then I went on a personal retreat to a friend’s farm in Western Maryland. In...
by Coracle | Oct 24, 2024 | Contemplative Life
In this “Space for God” devotional, Rev. Dan Marotta (Pastor & Author) guides us into an encounter with a handful of historic Christian saints from across the centuries and the globe. He demonstrates how getting to know these faithful Christian...
by Bill Haley | Oct 21, 2024 | Contemplative Life
It is autumn, my favorite season. The beauty of it, for those with eyes to see, threatens to undo us. This is the sentiment of Edna St. Vincent Millay in her poem, in autumn, ‘God’s World’: O world, I cannot hold thee close enough! Thy winds, thy wide grey skies! ...
by Bill Haley | Oct 18, 2024 | Contemplative Life
In this “Space for God: BIBLE” devotional, Rev. Bill Haley (Coracle Executive Director) guides us through Paul’s impassioned, free-wheeling defense of his apostolic authority in 2 Corinthians 11-12. Specifically, he highlights the deep insight Paul is granted...
by Ken Wettig | Oct 16, 2024 | Contemplative Life
“To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything.” – Timothy Keller Never has the word...
by Coracle | Oct 3, 2024 | Contemplative Life
In this “Space for God” devotional, Laura Merricks (Spiritual Director) guides us into a time of visio and lectio divina focused on the famous icon by Andrei Rublev commonly called “The Trinity.” She helps us consider the far-ranging...
by Bill Haley | Oct 2, 2024 | Contemplative Life, Vocation
I’m grateful for this Saturday’s retreat on the Eucharist. You’re welcome to join. Of the12 retreats we do over the course of our Coracle Fellowship year, a full one of those is on Communion. Of all the topics we could choose in the realm of spiritual formation and...
by Coracle | Sep 27, 2024 | Contemplative Life
In this “Space for God” devotional, Ann Bodling (Coracle Spiritual Director) guides us through a series of contemplative prompts drawn from a Celtic Daily Prayer book. We are invited to bring our full selves—our senses, our hopes, our plans, and our stories—to...
by Scott Buresh | Sep 24, 2024 | Contemplative Life
Eight years ago I was given the precious gift of roaming the British countryside for three weeks with my 3 adult daughters and my son-in-law. We wandered trails through the Cotswolds, the Malvern Hills, and the Lake District, each beautiful In their own distinctive...
by Coracle | Sep 21, 2024 | Contemplative Life
In this “Space for God: Beauty” devotional, Jan Haugen (National Gallery of Art Docent) guides us into an encounter with Bartolome Esteban Murillo’s The Return of the Prodigal Son. She draws on Murillo’s story, historical context, and technique to...
by Ken Wettig | Sep 18, 2024 | Contemplative Life
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. – Matthew 11:28, The Message Imagine with me for a moment that you are the Son of God (stay with me), and you...
by Mary Gardner | Sep 13, 2024 | Contemplative Life
In this “Space for God: Beauty,” Rev. Mary Amendolia Gardner (Coracle Spiritual Director) guides us into a time of spiritual reflection focused on a seemingly simple painting by Henry Ossawa Tanner. She invites us to notice, imagine, and consider how God...
by Bill Haley | Sep 11, 2024 | Contemplative Life
Late last year I felt led to try to stay closer to the Desert Fathers and Mothers, those Christians from around the southeastern Mediterranean basin in the 3rd and 4th centuries. Their desire for union with God and a God-ly life led them to great renunciations, much...
by Bill Haley | Sep 6, 2024 | Contemplative Life
In this “Space for God” devotional, Rev. Bill Haley (Coracle Executive Director) guides us into a reflection on Matthew 14 and the story of Jesus walking on the water. He draws our attention to Jesus’ 5 remarks during this episode, using them as...
