Journal

Category: Contemplative Life

“Barriers to True Love”

In this “Space for God” Devotional, Barbara Ryan (Coracle Associate) guides us through a reflection on how and why we struggle to see ourselves and others as God sees us– as God’s Image Bearers. She draws upon Scripture, CS Lewis, and her own poetry...

“A Good Lent” with Rev. Skip Ryan

In this “Space for God” devotional, Rev. Skip Ryan guides us into a fresh encounter with the Beatitudes as a way of cultivating the right headspace and heart space for Lent.  We hope you’ll find somewhere comfy, grab a Bible, open it up to Matthew 5,...
The Image of God & Down Syndrome

The Image of God & Down Syndrome

In this “Simple Soundings” Devotional, Danny Nasry (Coracle Community Minister) shares a variety of ways Christians have interpreted “the image of God” and how these different conceptions might be reshaped if we used the lives of those with...
Encounters with Beauty

Encounters with Beauty

In this Collection, we will be assembling reflections, devotionals, and other resources intended 1) to help us grow in our ability to behold the beauty always around us, and 2) to offer opportunities for direct encounters with beauty– whether through art, creation, or...
“Winter Beauty”

“Winter Beauty”

In this “Space for God” devotional, Rev. Bill Haley also makes space for beauty.  In particular, he invites us into a contemplative stroll through music, poetry, and natural beauty woven together by the theme of Winter.  We hope it is a blessing and a...
SOUNDINGS: “Why Beauty Matters Right Now”

SOUNDINGS: “Why Beauty Matters Right Now”

“These times are riven with anxiety and uncertainty, given the current global crisis…  At first, it sounds completely naive to suggest that now might be time to invoke and awaken beauty.  Yet this is exactly [my] claim…” John O’Donohue, 2004“Every good gift and every...
At Our Feet and Face to Face

At Our Feet and Face to Face

This essay was written after a 16-month trip around the world I was blessed to take in 1994.  The lessons contained within are as true as ever, and I hope they are a blessing to you as they remain to me! We live in a world of wonders.  We live in a world of jewels. ...
“How to Fight Like Jesus”

“How to Fight Like Jesus”

Following the tragic February 6th attack on the US Capitol, many of us have been having challenging, fraught, often-painful conversations about Christianity in America.  In our families, in our churches, in our neighborhoods, and across the country, Christians are...
Immersion Prayer

Immersion Prayer

In this “Space for God” devotional, Rev. Ken Wettig (Coracle Community Minister for the Shenandoah Valley) guides us through a powerful, imaginative encounter with the baptism of Jesus and how that event can serve as an anchor to us in hard times.  How...

Stories of Perseverance

In this “Space for God” devotional, Rev. Mary Amendolia Gardner introduces us to the life of Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, a renowned African-American artist from the turn of the 20th Century who faced many obstacles and tragedies throughout her long life, but...
The Secret of Seeing

The Secret of Seeing

In the mid 1990’s, you may recall, “Magic Eye” optical illusion books swept the nation featuring graphics (autostereograms) that, if seen correctly, would reveal a 3D shape or picture.  Not for lack of trying, those 3D images never appeared to me.  I would sit and...
Simple Soundings: “The Unburnt Bush”

Simple Soundings: “The Unburnt Bush”

In this Simple Soundings devotional, Danny Nasry (Coracle Community Minister), leads us through an imaginative reflection on Exodus 3– the story of Moses and the unburnt bush.  Drawing upon the Eastern Orthodox tradition, he shares how this iconic story invites us to...
“This is Not the Way”

“This is Not the Way”

“Peter,” he said, “this is not the way.” Maybe like me, you’re still trying to wrap your mind around what happened this past Wednesday at our Capitol Building in Washington, DC.  Images keep replaying in my mind.  My emotions change from moment to moment, and I’ve...
The Gift of Mourning

The Gift of Mourning

by Bill Simmons, President & CEO of American Leprosy Missions What is that nagging feeling I have?  Why do I feel a heaviness in my heart?  Something is clawing at my mind, clouding my eyes, preventing me from seeing the road ahead.  As this year draws to a close,...