We’ve learned so much in our classes… and I feel like I’ve done a terrible job of really taking in what we talk about. In some ways, it’s felt pretty overwhelming to process, like a separate step I have to take after having so many deep conversations throughout the week whether that’s in class, debriefing together in the car on the way home, with my host family, roundtable… you get my point. A lot of what I’m learning I hope will be applicable well into the next season of my life, whatever that looks like, but it starts now too. Something one of our teachers encouraged us to do is to write something that can sum up what we got out of class that day and stick with that. AKA start small, plant it, and foster growth from there. That’s what I’m trying to do.
From Mary - Spiritual Formation/Soul Care:
Show up with all of who I am and pay attention!
Christ’s example of solitude looked like slowing down and staying with
Shift our reading to allow ourselves to be open to the mystery of God making something out of nothing
From Jason - Family Systems Theory:
“Humans are the only creatures that THINK they can be themselves.” This is an illusion of course. I can only be me.
‘Were you there? Were you there when I created heaven and earth?’ - The Lord to us
I will never fully be known by others and I will never fully know others (only God will). Hold my understanding of another very loosely and don’t make assumptions based on what I do know.
Show up, pay attention, tell the truth
From Aaron - Old Testament:
Look for the Messiah
You cannot out-sin God’s grace and you can never take God by surprise.
Why do I see sin as so small that it feels like God is unjust? God is HOLY x3
From Aaron - Race and the Church:
Radical honesty is usually the antidote for guilt
Guilt and shame is used by Satan so we don’t help our neighbor… move into lament and grief and sit in the sadness - but that doesn’t excuse us from ACTION.
Just notice things, look and see and pay attention
The goal of hard conversations is to make my feelings heard and let others deal with the weight of how I feel (WOW).
“My greatest testimony to the world is how I see myself.”
There you have it, some bits and pieces of our classes from my notes! These are the things I’ve starred, underlined, written ‘holy crap’ next to (except maybe a different word than crap) because it's scary accurate for me. If you’re not a fellow reading, this kinda feels like cheating but as Aaron Gann would say, hey “this is for free.” So, you’re welcome.
morgan