On Wednesday evening, we got together as a field with Mary Jacks-Dynes to celebrate her retirement and her years of ministry in connection with the Headwaters Mission Center and the rest of her field.  The Headwaters Mission Center presented her with a picture taken by Gary Elrod.

Together on the Path,

   Together on the Journey,

Murray

Today was interesting as we continued our dialogue on the words of counsel, now section 164 of the Doctrine and Covenants.  Even though differing points of views were expressed, there was a good spirit among us.  We seemed to be able to disagree with each other while respecting one another.  I came away from the session both excited and concerned.

Concerned for the church community as we continue to work through how this will be lived out within our community.  I understand that for some, it is hard to live in what I would call the gray areas of life.  I pray that we can continue to walk together as we explore how this all will work out.

Today also brought a real sense of excitement for me.  For a while now, as my friends would confirm, I have felt a real need for us to focus on the “why” part of our ministry.  Why do we hold worship experiences, camps, reunions, and all the other activities we hold within our church community?  For me section 164 deals with the why.  It calls us to evaluate our ministries against our stated values as a church community.  It encourages us to ask the questions, do our actions and activities really reflect our enduring principles (core values)?

Together on the Path,

   Together on the Journey,

Murray

Monday and Tuesday, we gathered at 8am to start our day with a non-legislative session.  These sessions involve us discussing issue without the formal rules of a business meeting.  They are intended for us to explore “how to talk to each other” as well as an issue we are considering.  I find myself wondering at times why this is so hard for us.  We profess to be this loving, accepting community and yet we struggle with being able to talk with one another when we have differing opinion.

I was reminded of section 162 in the Doctrine and Covenants where it tells us to “listen!”  Maybe our struggle with talking with one another is more about us not listening to each other. What would our world look like if we really listened to one another in hopes of truly understand the others persons point of view?  It doesn’t mean you have to agree with them but that you do respect them.

On Monday afternoon I experienced a new, for me, form to practice discernment.  It was a combination of singing specific songs with words intended to draw us into a state of awareness of the Divine Presence.  Also, there were moments of silence for us to listen to God’s still small voice.  I am grateful to have another method to help me discern God’s calling to me.

Both days concluded with a sharing in a meal with friends.  What a wonderful way to conclude the day.

Together on the Path,

   Together on the Journey,

Murray

Every few years I return to Independence, MO to participate in the Community of Christ world conference experience.  It is strange because I am not a big fan of business meetings or meetings in general, yet I find myself drawn here. There is something about gathering in community and experiencing the renewal of friendships and the development of new friendships that is compelling.  As I stood back and watched I could see people greeting one another with hugs and laughter, smiles and waves, and what appears to be this great joy and excitement at being in each other’s presence.

Alone with the joy of gathering in community is the joy of experiencing the wonderful singing.  Find myself standing quietly listen to the congregation singing rather then singing myself.  I stood silent as community shared in song at initial gathering on Saturday evening and as I stood there, I realized that I was being blessed and truly experiencing the Divine Presence at that moment.  I had been feed.

Sunday was a long day but a good day.  Started with having breakfast with friends and with the combination of great friends, great food, and great conversation is was a wonderful way to start the day.  Part of the day was spent talking about Spiritual Formation and the importance of that to us as a community.   We had the opportunity to both learn some Spiritual Practices and also to actually try them.  Someone pointed out to me how strange the afternoon was as we usually do this type of things in small groups and here we were experiencing this with 2000 or so people.

The day was capped with a worship experience where we learned more about our brothers and sisters in Asia and where the president of the church laid out a compelling vision forward for us as a community.  We were reminded of the danger that our issues could overshadow our mission.  We were reminded that our mission is to proclaim Jesus Christ.  We were reminded that we are faced with two choices.  We can move forward or we can turn back!

As Steve shared, my thoughts went to the title of a book I have.  Simply stated; If you want to walk on the water, you need to get out of the boat!  For me, I felt very much called to get out of the boat.

Together on the Path,

   Together on the Journey,

Murray

Many thoughts have crossed my mind since the "We Share" workshop held in Madison, WI, March 5 and 6, 2010.  The experience reminded me of the need to engage with people through eye contact, saying hello, sharing a smile, offering a silent prayer for someone, and being willing to listen as someone shares their story.  It also reminded me that we need to invite people to share with us in community as together we explore our relationship with the Divine Presence.  What struck me was that these actions are needed both in the larger community as well as within our faith communities.

What would happen if we made eye contact with those who attended one of our worship experiences or potlucks?  What if, instead of being critical of the community or an individual, we offered pray for them that they would be blessed by the Divine?  What would happen, if we spent more time listening and trying to understand one another?  What life stories would we hear?  What would be the effect on our faith communities?  What would be the affect on the larger community if we engaged them in the same why?

I am reminded of the scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants, Section 162:3d - “Understand that the road to transformation travels both inward and outward.”  This scripture seems important because my sense is that we are being reminded of the need to transform our own lives before seeking to transform others.  The call to us is twofold.  Seek to engage in a transforming relationship with the Divine Presence and invite others to share in that same transforming experience.

May you discover the Divine Presence in your life.

Together on the Path,

   Together on the Journey,

Murray Barentine

Minister – Community of Christ.