Seeking Authentic Voice

Jan, over at RevGal, offers this Friday Five Meme: So my suggestion for today's Friday Five is to write about 5 words you really like. Please explain why you have chosen each word, in such ways as: It is a 1. description or attribute of yourself: a Bishop I know from another diocese, one who is about to retire, use to say that I was humble" - I was never quite sure what HE meant by that, but I like to think that I am humble. 2. activity you enjoy: knitting, walking, yoga, bike riding 3. word that is spelled or pronounced in an interesting way: do you say, "ah" or " A " - as in ah-men, or Amen? or A thing or ah thing? and why? 4. passion of yours: I like many aspects of life, but a passion? Preaching can be a passion, it certainly anchors the rhythm of my week. Daily prayer, especially meditation, is a passion, albeit a gentle one. Healthy living is probably my life-long passion - health of mind, body, and spirit. 5. word that brings you ...

Tomorrow I leave for Seattle where I will spend the weekend co-leading the first WordsMatter "Train the Trainer" event for the Episcopal Church. We have 9 people from different dioceses coming. In preparation for this event we all have to write a brief narrative on this question: Share with us an experience when you noticed the power and/or importance of language (words, symbols, or images) and the impact of that language on your life, your faith community, or your relationship with God. This experience may have helped you embrace the Divine more fully or it may have been destructive, harmful, or painful to you in your personal and/or faith journey. When I co-led the NCC ecumenical version of this event last August I wrote a reflection about bread. I reflected on bread as a symbol for the body of Christ, many diverse ingredients, each different, blending into a whole. It was as much a reflection on the process of making bread as a symbol for the body of Christ as...