As we continue to celebrate Christmastide (and begin 2024), we want to thank everyone who has joined us on this new endeavour. Ordinary Matters is still a young project, we’ve only written a few articles, but we have been so deeply encouraged by you. Thanks for following along and supporting us! We are grateful.
Guess what! We are planning to add new episodes to our podcast soon!
But before we sit down and hit record, we want to hear from you. Is there a topic that tugs at your heart, something you’d love us to delve into? It could be theology or psychology or marriage or kids or church life or anything you desire to share. We will consider your ideas! Please take a moment and share them with us.
P.S. We will give away a free copy of Rhythms for Life to two people who engage in this Thread!
This is a thought that has been germinating recently. It's a crossover from a photography network I'm involved in that focusses on ICM photography. We work with prompts rather than more typical photographic assignments and then see where the prompt leads us - photographically. I can see using a passage of scripture - say a Psalm or (since I'm currently reading Heschel's The Prophets) a passage from The Twelve and then working on building a short series of images that express the passage. No, I'm not suggesting turning this into a yet another photography podcast/blog! Lol. But how about an episode or so on arts expressing the Church and the message in the ordinary?
Integrating the arts was one of my joys when I worked at St. Peter's Fireside. Aesthetic theology is so important, so I could see Julia and I riffing about this topic for sure!
Not sure if this would be helpful to others, but I've recently done a deep dive on my life experiences - the good bad and ugly, and wrung out the following lessons which I hope to carry with me. Hearing discussion around these topics would be great:
- God often allows me to move first and then he moves in and through the paths I've chosen.
- Pursue that which delights the Lord (avoiding the things that won't) and invite him in to bless you.
- God is with me. Don't let obstacles, real or perceived, get in the way of taking risks and pursuing the Beautiful, Good and True dreams which he places in my mind and heart.
- God will present himself through others. Prioritize connection with family and friends, it's important.
- Never stop exploring who you are, there is much to discover and it'll help you stay grounded in Gods view of you.
- God created beauty in much of his creation; look for it and embrace your passion to create it yourself.
Good to hear from you, Brian! These are some solid reflections and lessons learned. I could see these as prompts for good discussion. I could also see us having a conversation with you about them! We might be in touch :) Thanks for offering your thoughts, we appreciate you!
I'd love to see a conversation about how to integrate spiritual direction and therapy, if integration is even wise or possible. Maybe I'm asking about how spiritual direction or companionship stays attuned to the emotions and temperament.
That's very niche! I'm not sure whether an episode or article, or just a long comment is the best way to tackle it. I'll let Julia chime in. But I really appreciate the idea. I do think Julia and I could talk about spiritual direction, its benefits, and how we see its intersection with our own areas of expertise. We could even get our own spiritual director in on the conversation. That might broaden the interest for more people.
Agreed. Even as I was writing, I hesitated. I'm a spiritual director (after 40+ years of pastoral ministry), and I'm sorting out the differences between those roles. A friend is a director who is now training as a therapist. It got me thinking. Maybe, as you suggest, a more general intro to direction would be helpful. Lots of folks are unfamiliar. Thanks for this excellent Sunstack! I hope your transition is going well.
This is a thought that has been germinating recently. It's a crossover from a photography network I'm involved in that focusses on ICM photography. We work with prompts rather than more typical photographic assignments and then see where the prompt leads us - photographically. I can see using a passage of scripture - say a Psalm or (since I'm currently reading Heschel's The Prophets) a passage from The Twelve and then working on building a short series of images that express the passage. No, I'm not suggesting turning this into a yet another photography podcast/blog! Lol. But how about an episode or so on arts expressing the Church and the message in the ordinary?
Integrating the arts was one of my joys when I worked at St. Peter's Fireside. Aesthetic theology is so important, so I could see Julia and I riffing about this topic for sure!
Not sure if this would be helpful to others, but I've recently done a deep dive on my life experiences - the good bad and ugly, and wrung out the following lessons which I hope to carry with me. Hearing discussion around these topics would be great:
- God often allows me to move first and then he moves in and through the paths I've chosen.
- Pursue that which delights the Lord (avoiding the things that won't) and invite him in to bless you.
- God is with me. Don't let obstacles, real or perceived, get in the way of taking risks and pursuing the Beautiful, Good and True dreams which he places in my mind and heart.
- God will present himself through others. Prioritize connection with family and friends, it's important.
- Never stop exploring who you are, there is much to discover and it'll help you stay grounded in Gods view of you.
- God created beauty in much of his creation; look for it and embrace your passion to create it yourself.
Good to hear from you, Brian! These are some solid reflections and lessons learned. I could see these as prompts for good discussion. I could also see us having a conversation with you about them! We might be in touch :) Thanks for offering your thoughts, we appreciate you!
Brian, email me your mailing address and I'll shoot you a copy of Rhythms for Life — asterne@gmail.com
I'd love to see a conversation about how to integrate spiritual direction and therapy, if integration is even wise or possible. Maybe I'm asking about how spiritual direction or companionship stays attuned to the emotions and temperament.
That's very niche! I'm not sure whether an episode or article, or just a long comment is the best way to tackle it. I'll let Julia chime in. But I really appreciate the idea. I do think Julia and I could talk about spiritual direction, its benefits, and how we see its intersection with our own areas of expertise. We could even get our own spiritual director in on the conversation. That might broaden the interest for more people.
Agreed. Even as I was writing, I hesitated. I'm a spiritual director (after 40+ years of pastoral ministry), and I'm sorting out the differences between those roles. A friend is a director who is now training as a therapist. It got me thinking. Maybe, as you suggest, a more general intro to direction would be helpful. Lots of folks are unfamiliar. Thanks for this excellent Sunstack! I hope your transition is going well.