Mystic Winds

10/11/2023

May we reconnect with a history of these lands covered up for convenience. May we honor the lives taken and lost and find humility in our healing.

Today, we celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a time to reflect on the richness and resilience of the many indigenous cultures and communities. We invite you to reflect and meditate on a passage from the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address - Greetings to the Natural World:

THE CREATOR
Now we turn our thoughts to the Creator, or Great Spirit, and send greetings and thanks for all the gifts of Creation. Everything we need to live a good life is here on this Mother Earth. For all the love that is still around us, we gather our minds together as one and send our choicest words of greetings and thanks to the Creator.

Now our minds are one.

CLOSING WORDS
We have now arrived at the place where we end our words. Of all the things we have named, it was not our intention to leave anything out. If something was forgotten, we leave it to each individual to send such greetings and thanks in their own way.

Now our minds are one.

Explore and read the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address in full here: https://cac.org/news/haudenosaunee-thanksgiving-address-greetings-to-the-natural-world/

09/04/2023

If you’re into good Bible discussion in which we delve into the mystical on occasion, I’d highly recommend this pod! I’m on it! Today was nuanced and a healthy talk on managing conflict on disciples - how to do that in a healthy way and not in a toxic way.

Matthew 18:15-20 Hosts: Pastor Mike Desotell: Pastor at Trinity UMC of Grand Rapids Pastor Bri Desotell: Pastor at St. Paul's UMC of Grand Rapids Pope 😝 Paul Reissmann IV: Pastor at Central UMC in Lake Odesa, MI Recent Sermons: bit.ly/TrinityTube - Pastor Mike www.grstpaulsumc.org - Pastor Bri ww...

06/19/2023

We celebrate the freedom that has come to those chained by injustice. We pray for the will and the power to break more chains. Help us to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with You. Amen.

For information on Juneteenth, please read this article and join the celebrations https://bit.ly/3JmRojD

Photo provided by AP News
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06/13/2023

Those of you who are able to follow me personally know that life is pretty rough right now. Health concerns abound and with that comes a weight on the soul that inhibits a lot of the daily routines and expectations that require certain amounts of energy, neuro-transmitters doing their duty, and a sense of peace and dedicated time to simply be with God. There are folks out there who genuinely -want- to do more with their faith but at times find themselves unable due to mental or physical illness. So... what do we do when we're in this place where we're thirsting for God's presence, but we can't get out of bed?; we can't eat the most nutritious thing in the fridge?; walking a few steps feels like it takes all of our energy to do?

Brother Lawrence is someone I'm starting to get acquainted with in this strange holding pattern of life where on a scale of 1 to Job, life feels more Job than not. When we don't know how to do the most basic of things, when centering prayer is not accessible, the Examen, when lectio divina or other more structured prayer practices are not something we can achieve the ordinary things become prayer. Brother Lawrence found God in the cooking for 100 monks, so can we find God in the nap?, in the taking of the meds to relieve pain?, in the ordering out for dinner again because its just easier right now? Because I think there's something to be said about the God who just sits us down and feeds us. I hope you enjoy this read as much as I did. Lectio divina, newsletters, and more will come, but right now I'm just taking my meds, eating food, finding time to contemplate and lament as needed.
https://sojo.net/magazine/may-2023/brother-lawrence-omelets-for-god?fbclid=IwAR3I_QxUZZkiWQ7SmUXo-Y7gXePR-tBDdxQerhafJQCEM3w0hefMSHwfRb4

An interview with translator Carmen Acevedo Butcher on the relatable monk who meets God over an omelet.

04/09/2023

"The Jews" did not kill Jesus. The - powerful - killed Jesus. May we unshackle ourselves from the prejudice and anti-semitism that condemns our blood brothers.

This year, Good Friday and the start of Passover occur on the same date: Friday, April 3. The coincidence is no accident.

03/29/2023

Have you seen our recent newsletter for Palm Sunday? Read the latest edition today to center yourself for Holy Week!

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/40p7cJa
Subscribe to Newsletter: http://bit.ly/40ISTP7

03/25/2023

We have never preached violence, except the violence of love, which left Christ nailed to a cross, the violence that we must each do to ourselves to overcome our selfishness and such cruel inequalities among us. The violence we preach is not the violence of the sword, the violence of hatred. It is t...

03/25/2023

Big thank you to Sacred Ink for the opportunity to tell a story of a very, very sacred image to me. Tim and Myles were awesome hosts in Ann Arbor and it was truly an honor.

03/22/2023

This is what love in action looks like.