Bearings: Navigating Life-as-Ministry
November 2017

Giving Thanks in Thankless Times

A Guide for Reflection & Conversation

Pamela Shellberg (). Posted in 21stCenturyCulture, 21stCenturyMinistry, 21stCenturyReligion, 21stCenturySpirituality, Gratitude.

Editors Note: Each month, Bearings contributors offer insights on a key theme in the practice of life-as-ministry. As the final installment in the issue, The BTS Center’s scholar-in-residence Pamela Shellberg, PhD reflects on the articles in the issue and poses questions for further reflection by Bearings readers and the communities in which life-as-ministry plays... Read more

Finding Deep Gratitude in Ordinary Time

Darleen Pryds (). Posted in 21stCenturyCulture, 21stCenturyMinistry, 21stCenturyReligion, Gratitude.

My Sunday night yoga class is an anchor in my week. It grounds me and prepares me for the week ahead. The teacher is wise and the community that gathers is special. Recently one night a couple I hadn't met before showed up. A bit older than me, they looked to have shared many, many years together. They had that gentle way of moving together that some couples create... Read more

Radical Gratitude as Resistance

Ronald D. Culmer (). Posted in 21stCenturyCulture, 21stCenturyMinistry, Gratitude.

I’m going to put a whole lot of honesty on the table: I find the age we live in very disturbing. Perhaps you share my concern or, worse yet, have been the object of concern from the likes of me. The truth is, my peace has been disturbed. As an African-American man, fighting for dignity has been a daily chore made that much more difficult because the current... Read more

Gratitude and Rust

The November Issue: Giving Thanks in Thankless Times

Elizabeth Drescher (). Posted in 21stCenturyCulture, Gratitude.

Regardless of where you sit on the political and ideological spectrum, this has been a challenging year. As we enter the holiday season, it's difficult for many people to call up the sorts of feelings we typically associate with Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas. Gratitude, anticipation, hope, and joy. Who has the energy for that? We get it. We feel your malaise. Still,... Read more

Practicing Gratitude as Healing

How do people who’ve been robbed of so much ever come to feel grateful for anything again?

G. Jeffrey MacDonald (). Posted in 21stCenturyCulture, Gratitude.

  As a rare breed of news reporter with divinity school training, I sometimes feel like I own the tragic violence beat. Editors send me in just as the TV news trucks are pulling out after a horrific event. When eerie stillness looms and survivors are crying out to God or to the abyss in the wake of disaster, I wipe away my own tears and straighten my tie... Read more

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