The community you interact with on pilgrimage – both those people traveling with you and those you meet– is a vital part of the experience. Because of a shared focus on arriving at the sacred site and perhaps engaging in ritual practices along the way, people who would never encounter one another outside of this journey find themselves relating deeply. Moreover, as we listen to and interact with these different people and their stories, God slowly reshapes our own story. I've heard from so many people who … [Read more...] about Pilgrimage Practices (#5): Community
Christian Thought and Practice
Ornithology Through the Lens of Faith
Escuadrón (de guacamayos escarlata) [Four Red-and-green Macaws (also known as the Green-winged Macaws) flying in Peru.] by Ricardo Sánchez is licensed under CC BY 2.0 This is the first of a new series we are running through this year on ". . . Through the Lens of Faith" in which various Emerging Scholars reflect on how their faith has informed how they view their discipline. Our "Call for Articles on Faith and Fields of Study" includes submission guidelines as well as our offer of a free book for each accepted … [Read more...] about Ornithology Through the Lens of Faith
Pilgrimage Practices (#4): Praying
Let your prayers rise like smoke to the Great Spirit, for he will see and answer you. Every step is a prayer, and as you dance upon the earth for the things you seek, the way will open before you. In the same way, as you search for the true ancient pathways, you will find them. Answers will come to the ones who ask, good things will be found by the ones who search for them, and the way will open before the ones who keep dancing their prayers. I love the imagery in the First Nations Version … [Read more...] about Pilgrimage Practices (#4): Praying
Emerging Scholars Network Fall Book Club
The Emerging Scholars Network Book Club is back! This fall, you are invited to join other ESN members in a discussion of Chris Rice's From Pandemic to Renewal. The book club will meet Wednesday evenings for an hour at 8 pm ET from October 11 through December 6 (skipping the Wednesday before Thanksgiving). For those who sign up for the book club, we will send you a free copy of the book. The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in profound changes and disruptions to all of our lives. Anxiety rates are at record highs as … [Read more...] about Emerging Scholars Network Fall Book Club
Pilgrimage Practices (#3): Place
In anticipation of the next Via Divina online pilgrimage, The Harmony Way, pilgrimage director Jamie Noyd will be sharing six spiritual practices of pilgrims over the next weeks before The Harmony Way begins on October 14. This is the third in the series. Visit the landing page for The Harmony Way for more information and to register. Sacred places and their stories draw us to pilgrimage. Traveling to that place, you become more aware of the other places through which you are walking. Centuries of … [Read more...] about Pilgrimage Practices (#3): Place