Soulful summer together

What comes to mind when you hear the word soulful?

Maybe it’s a particular kind of music or food or poetry. Perhaps it’s a walk in the woods or a conversation with close friends. Whatever comes to mind, I imagine it describes something that stirs what’s deep inside of you. It makes you feel something.

Soulful is about more than that though.

The soul is not just the center of feeling; it’s the core of our being - our truest selves - our lives - and according to Jesus, it’s possible to gain the whole world but lose our own souls.

We can gain all the wealth, fame, power and privilege in the world, but lose the most essential part of what it means to be alive.

Just as Jesus warns that we can lose our souls, he also invites us to recover them, which begs the question: What can help us recover our souls? This summer, we are leaning into that question together in a couple of ways.

For starters, our Sunday gatherings will look a little different this summer. Our souls are longing for a spirituality that compels us to live in more loving, connected and just relationship with one another & the earth, but sometimes it feels like we barely scratch the surface. This summer, we’ll be diving deeper into a series of practices that can help us recover a more soulful spirituality. According to our friend, pastor & writer Kathy Escobar, “Practice is centered on deep inner work in our souls that propels us to habitually, intentionally, and repeatedly live out new, healthier ways over the long haul.” Kathy’s book, Practicing: Changing Yourself to Change the World will provide the roadmap for our Sunday gathering conversations.

What else will help us recover our souls? We want you to tell us! We are continuing our Racial Justice Learning + Action Group, our Meditation Practice Group & our 4th Sunday Church in the Wild(s), but we are also leaving room for you to share your ideas and to turn your ideas into gatherings. We are looking for ideas that are simple and soulful. You can find more info in this Google Form. Think soul care, story-sharing, space to listen, laugh, connect, breathe and create together...

I am really looking forward to seeing what comes to life and how we will be shaped by this season -

Susan