Alpha Good morning all, hope your part of the world, is bathed in light and Spring... I love Spring, not that we do Spring so well, here, in my beautiful ugly, but, still, I love it Last night was, Alpha, at church. I know I have written, about Alpha before, but for those of you, who, wandered over to this, very personal blog of mine:is a series of videos, discussions, shared meals, it is a 'course', a place, to ask questions, about faith, Christianity, Jesus, our purpose, meaning. Very deep subjects, in a welcoming setting. The videos are high caliber, well written, thought provoking, with a note of humor, this is not preachy or pedantic stuff. If you have ever had questions, about faith, about God, this is a good stop, on, the investigative path. It has been for me. A year ago, I participated in Alpha, for the first time. Church was a new thing, for me. I knew I felt well and at peace, in church, I felt welcomed. Alpha, solidified my sense of belonging, it also set me on a course, of reading and questioning, it helped shape some of my questions. Fast forward a year and I am, participating in Alpha for, the second time. I have grown in my faith in this, time, so much. Reading, prayer, worship, all has helped in building my faith. Those of you who read my blog, know, that mine is not, an unexamined life.
I reflect, ruminate, sometimes, less and less, obsess about, my life, it's direction, it's meanderings. Church, Alpha, faith, has helped me be much more, centered, calm, filled with peace. I do realize this might sound, a little bit cooky to some of you, but, hey, works for me I have been asked by my church, to speak, to share my journey of faith, it has been very present in, my thoughts Have a wonderful day, you all, be well. Later girls, BB
Tag: alpha
Spiritual quest part IV
Hello all, hope you are,
all,
well.
April's biggest challenge,
here in the beautiful ugly,
has been staying...
dry,
lots of rain.
May is,
so far,
all over the place,
Aw, Spring, I love ya,
you may seem fickle to some,
but to me,
you are renewal in all its,
joys and difficulties.
Busy with my,
tutoring,
work,
life.
I continue my spiritual quest,
I feel more and more at home,
in faith.
Who would have thought?
My Alpha course,
Alpha journey,
continues,
I leave every week,
with questions,
and ponderings,
I love that.
I live for food for thought
:-)
This week's theme was,
one I was looking forward to,
What next? what to do,
with the rest of my life?
As many of you know,
I have been at,
a crossroads,
for a while,
I haven't chosen a path,
I have been exploring,
different avenues, roads,
not investing myself,
on a course of action.
Not exactly idling but,
slow pace.
These last few months,
I have felt much more,
in tune with myself,
physically,
mentally,
in my core.
I am over,
the physical shocks,
of surgery,
the fear of dying that,
accompanied it.
I have healed from,
the pain of losing,
my friend, the anarchist.
I miss him still,
but it no longer,
involves searing pain,
I smile when I,
think of him.
So this week,
I went to Alpha,
with joy and enthusiasm,
and,
was glad to see,
the people,
who I have grown so,
fond of,
a community, warmth,
and, faith.
We watched the old version,
of the video in French,
because the new version,
wasn't ready.
The old version,
isn't as well suited,
to the open and modern,
church that is St-Jax's
IMHO.
Long story short:
the video,
spoke of the bible,
being a way of living,
a guide book,
that God has given us,
and the guy spoke,
specifically about,
sexuality,
and offered up,
specifically,
a hetero normative version,
of the world.
Cold shower.
Now, to be clear,
we all live in a,
hetero normative,
world,
and we adjust,
and honestly it is expected.
Norm is norm.
But, what I have come to,
appreciate,
about St-Jax's,
like the other places I feel at home,
is that I am liked,
loved by some,
for who I am.
We don't discuss such things,
why would we,
we accept each other,
for who we are,
but, I can usually smell,
a bigot and hommophobe,
at a fair distance,
and,
like all groups,
there are undoubtedly,
a few in church.
But, I felt in my heart,
in my bones,
that the leadership,
and most of the congregation,
wasn't.
So, it was with a weight,
in my heart,
that I emerged from the video room,
to the discussion area,
I went to get some herbal tea,
and, wondered if I would have,
to leave St-Jax's.
I sat down with my tea,
and found the leader,
of the group and others,
discussing,
the different tone of these,
videos.
It seems they had all been,
uncomfortable with the video,
as well.
and they agreed that sincere love,
is just that.
Phew
My perception about,
St-Jax's taking people,
for who they are,
was right.
The thing is I could leave.
I have lived without St-Jax's
and faith in my life,
before,
and I could do it again,
but,
I find that,
more and more,
I would rather...
not
Be well you all, thank you,
for accompanying me on my,
journey
Later girls,
BB
Notes on spiritual quest part III
Hello all, hope these notes, find all of you, in good spirits. I have had a cold, for a few days now, and the rain has been with us, here in, my beautiful ugly. Rain in April means, flowers, to come, awakening, growth, no way that is... negative. I am feeling very strong, centered, lately. Not necessarily, buoyant and smiley, but, quiet. A resonating peace inside me. I do believe, that is a direct result, of my heart and mind, being open to the spiritual. I think of it as the St-Jax's affect :-) I went to St-Jax's with an open mind, a yearning, I have been welcomed with love, and prayer, with humour, with intelligence. Strangely enough, I seem to fit there, I have not contorted myself, to fit a mold, nor have I have been made, to feel I should. Many of the people there, have a similar thirst, thirsts, even. For knowledge, for meaning. This past Saturday, we had our holy spirit day, we watched videos, we sang, we worshiped and prayed, those of us who wished to, called to the holy spirit, in whatever way we wanted. I felt at peace, I felt, cherished and loved, I felt safe. My faith, manifests itself, quietly, it builds a little at a time, it is of the mind, and, of the heart. It is calming, it is centering. It may have been there all along In the last year, I have cleaned out, the negative influences, in my life, the meanness of some, masquerading, as humour and wit. The disparaging of divergent, opinions, points of view. I would have felt embarrassed, to share the fact that I like, church,that I look forward to going, that it fills a part of me, that needed, sustenance. I am not embarrassed, I am not preaching, I am sharing. blessings and peace be upon you be well later girls, BB
Notes on my spiritual quest-Part I
Mom is away for a few days, I hope she is having, lots of fun, she must be, she is with my aunt and, they get on, very well. I miss her when she isn't here, it is definitely more quiet. Mom is a whirlwind of sound and movement, it is who she is, and I love her the way she is, but, quiet and solitude is good for, everyone. I have written of my new quest, my spiritual quest, my personal exploration of, faith, my coming to St-Jax's is quite, serendipitous. A part of my everyday landscape, spoke to me, one day, open modern church, all are welcome. I have been going to service, almost every Sunday, since mid January and in the last, few weeks, I have been attending Alpha, on Wednesday evenings. I have gotten a few questions, from friends, both live and via social media, on Alpha, what it is, what it means. I am no expert, but, to my way of seeing, Alpha is series of guided, talks on Jesus, his life, the meaning of life, and our place in the world. Alpha, starts with a meal, the food is delicious, varied and plentiful, afterwards you watch a video, and a group discussion follows. So far, I have to say, I have enjoyed it. The people are lovely, and welcoming. My group, is a good fit, smart and reflective people, who I like. I am not sure that the videos, would convince, Atheists, I think most people who come, to Alpha and to the church, come with an open heart, a heart yearning, for whatever hearts yearn for. I say this not in a flippant way, but, in a sincere way, I think different hearts, yearn for different things. Mine, my heart, and I believe by extension, my soul, yearns for meaning, for purpose. Some people yearn, for love, for acceptance. I am not sure, if St-Jax's and Alpha, lead to that purpose, maybe. But, I do, feel good and welcome, there, I feel centered, at peace. It's hard to explain. I think faith, is personal. A framework, guidance, helps and may even be, essential, but, to me, it remains, a relationship, between me and, my God- like I said it's personal. I share this with all of you, because, I share most of my quests, with you, it helps me to know, what I think, gives texture to my thoughts, my ramblings. There will be more of these Take care all of you, be well Later girls, BB