Celtic retreat 2012 Morning worship
This morning I am preparing for our MSA staff retreat time this weekend. We will use the Quaker Discernment process and organic strategic planning to discern God’s future focus for our ministry. At core, our MSA team is a spiritual leadership community that discerns and implements the will of God for our organization. and these processes have become the keys to our development both as individuals and as an organization.
As we enter this retreat we know that we need to focus more acutely on what God is leading us into. We are in a time of growth and transition, grappling with issues of how to sustain our current ministry, launch CCSP Cascadia and build the Mustard Seed Village. In this time constantly coming back to God to discern God’s will becomes more important than ever.
In preparation for this time I have looked back over previous discernment sessions to catch a sense of what God has said in the past and how well we have responded to those promptings. I have looked at our strengths and weaknesses, our successes and our failures, our joys and our challenges.
I have also looked back and been encouraged by what others have said about what MSA has meant in their lives. Most are drawn by the invitation to join a community that is journeying together towards God’s kingdom of peace, justice and abundance. Shane Claiborne once told us that he thought we were great “cross pollinators” and others to have appreciated the connections we help them make to people and organizations they feel they can identify and hang with.
Others have told us that they appreciate our encouragement to reimagine life and faith and create new possibilities for how we live in every aspect of our life. Brian McLaren shared that through MSA he was given permission and encouragement to think new thoughts, dream new dreams and see the gospel in a fresh, new life-changing and world-changing light.
Others have appreciate the modelling of a simpler, more festive and hopefully more Christ centred way of life and our willingness to share openly the ongoing journey it involves us in, even when it reveals our warts and wrinkles. Added to this is an appreciation of the resources we develop to help move all of us in this direction.
So my question this morning is what draws you to this blog and the other aspects of MSA? What would you like to share that could help us focus the ministry of MSA? I would love to hear your thoughts and also appreciate your prayers for this weekend.
4 comments
I was attracted to your name…I thought I invented the Godspace word years ago, but no. You enjoy that concept also…it is all Godspace.
And I enjoy reading of your invitations to seek spirituality in all places and all moments…
Wendy Townsend
Wendy I have been using the term Godspace for many years. There are others that use it too so I don’t think any of us have a monopoly on the term
The main thing that I value about the blog is the depth of thinking and resources you enable us to engage with. I often feel inspired, challenged, keen to meditate on, keen to read more about…the topics you tackle.The posts are not simply someone musing randomly about what is happening in their day. I sense a real journeying with God and attempt to live with Him throughout each day. I am also interested in the community aspect (its holistic, earthy, Celtic-connected, Christ-centred feel) and would like to experience that first hand but I live in the Scottish Borders and distance is an issue. That said I am interested in the idea of such a community here…
Ron thank you so much for this response. What you say here very much affirms what we are sensing for MSA as an organization. I will share more of this next week after our retreat. Blessings