A Christmas Mini-Retreat An empty, echoing room lined with lights and tinsel. Open, unfilled space, not yet prepared. An invitation left unsent. Shadows and darkness ping off of the walls. And the knock on the door goes unnoticed. These words offer a picture of a soul longing for the fullness of Jesus even among the […]
Heavy-Hearted at Christmas
Editor’s note: Julie White, a graduate of Generation 18, brings a valuable perspective during a time of year when the reality of life crosses path with the joy of Christmas. Julie is the founder and Executive Director of “The Unfolding Soul”; a ministry which offers people spiritual rest and renewal so they can deepen their […]
Mary ~ Free to Say Yes to God
I seem to think about Mary quite a bit during Advent. Her story is compelling. We first see her when an angel shows up on her doorstep. Gabriel. From the very Presence of God, no less. He tells her about what is going to happen in her life. Her world is going to be completely […]
An Advent Experiment
Today’s blog is written by Shawn Stutz. Shawn is a graduate of Generation 16 and currently a participant in Discipleship Faculty Training 4. He is instrumental in the launch of Journey Appalachia, coming fall of 2020. Shawn serves as the Executive Director of FOCUS Ministries, a prison and reentry nonprofit, in East Tennessee. He and […]
Never Alone
I was all alone. Well, alone with my paddle, my boat, and my life jacket. A few weeks ago, some friends and I journeyed east to go whitewater canoeing on a few rivers. The trip was partially for training purposes and partially just for the excitement and challenge of paddling an unknown river and some […]
The Gift of Slow
Editor’s note: Today’s blog is written by Kurt Pflegl, a recent graduate of Journey Spiritual Direction 2. Kurt is the pastor of Elevate Church in San Luis Obispo, CA. We invite you to join him on his journey with Jesus living with a neurological disorder. I struggle with a disease called Inclusion Body Myositis. It’s […]
A Journey of Descent
On a recent solo, I found myself standing in the middle of a creek under a sycamore tree that had begun to shed its leaves. I was simply watching each leaf as it detached from the branch and floated gently to the water. As it landed on the water, I was struck that it did […]
