A New [Spiritual] Direction Begins July 18

A Place for Spiritual Growth in Community Begins on July 18.

Linda Swanson, author, reader, WOTH Retreat speaker, spiritual director and current blog host, will continue to lead as we change direction in our purpose.

• Linda will pick a book and engage us in a conversation with the hope of helping us grow closer to Him, pointing us in His direction and providing a wonderful community with the purpose of keeping us spiritually fresh as we serve globally.

• And to create a more intimate and secure setting for you to grow, we will be taking our discussion to a new, more secure place: a Private Group created on Facebook, "WOTH | Book Club Blog"...to join, please refer to the left sidebar for instructions.

• The first book to get us started on our transformational journey is: Trusting in His Goodness, by Mimi Wilson (WOTH Retreat Speaker) and Shelly Volkhardt. See right sidebar for more on their book.

Join our FB Private Group and come back on July 18 to begin building community with women just like you!

If you don't want to be on Facebook, we welcome your participation here as well.

The Hawk and the Dove: Week 5- Book 3, Chapter 4 - Chapter 8

This is one of those books that I hate to turn the last page. Have you enjoyed reading about these Fathers and Brothers who lived so long ago and the lessons God taught them? I know I have—and I feel like I’ve been on a treasure hunt for quotes that give great insights into life and faith.

I especially was entranced and challenged by the conversation about life and death Tom and Peregrine have on pages 466-476. On page 473 Peregrine says, “God did not watch me weep, watch part of me die in misery. We share one breath, he and I. God also wept, groaned, died. He carries my wounds in his body. My gut clenched in sobbing, and it was the heartache of God. All my fear and defeat are scars that he wears on his breast. But, God lives in eternal bliss. God can’t die. Surely that was the point about Jesus; he came so we could have life—to put an end to death. God’s supposed to lift us up! It’s a poor do if our miseries drag God down in the dirt too, isn’t it?”

The conversation continues, but I will stop there because I have to say I agree and disagree with what Peregrine says. I live because of the life God breathed in me. God cares deeply and I do believe He shares my suffering/sadness. At the same time, I don’t believe my suffering weighs Him down even though he feels it deeply. He is God. He is bigger than our shared sadness over the suffering of the world. So though He feels sadness, anger, and maybe even frustration—He is above those emotions because He knows He will complete His good work, He knows He will redeem everything. He is so amazing and worthy of our respect and worship.

As we come to the end of this book, what do you take away from our last reading and from this book? I look forward to reading your comments. Thank you for reading with me!

The Hawk and the Dove: Week 4- Book 2, Chapter 8 - Book 3, Chapter 3

Death and deep suffering are themes we will read about in this week. We’ll also read about triumph through courage, love, devotion and perseverance. As you read this week, please focus on the emotions of our characters—the family learning the stories, the children who visit the Monks, the Abbott and brothers in the monastery. What do you see? How do you experience what they are facing?

Do you remember the quote on page 206 from Melissa’s mother? In response to her daughters’ conversation about what makes a good friend she says, “I’ve had friends who’ve disappointed me. Sometimes, even the ones who loved me have let me down, not understood, and betrayed my trust. That’s only human nature, isn’t it? I dare say I’ve done as much to them. No, I would say….that because we all have our failings and weaknesses, because each of us is only human, a friend–a good friend–is someone who helps you to persevere…”

How do you see our favorite monks being encouraged to persevere in these pages? How do they respond to that encouragement?

One more set of questions: When do you need help persevering? Who helps you persevere? How do you respond to their encouragement?

I look forward to reading your comments. Through our comments we can help each other persevere.

The Hawk and the Dove: Week 3 - Book 2, Chapters 4-7

The chapter titles in this section of our book are enough to give me pause. “The Poor in Spirit,” “Beholding the Heart, “God’s Wounds,” “Holy Poverty,” each contain stories of spiritual growth. I wonder—this week will you share which story spoke the strongest to you?

I found the discussion of ordinary poverty and holy poverty to be very challenging and thought provoking (p. 307). “With the ordinary sort, the worst thing is having no choice, being trapped in it. With holy poverty, the hard thing is being faithful to it, having chosen it.” How often do I struggle against the consequences of my own choice, my own decision? I may believe my decision is right, the path that God has laid out for me. But, that doesn’t mean I always accept that decision’s results.

Another passage that caused me to wrestle is found in Guillaume and Peregrine’s conversation later in that same chapter. On page 349, Peregrine says, “Why do you mock our simplicity? Am I pretentious to insist on it? No, no it cannot be right to live like kings when we are supposed to be like Jesus. Can it?” After a very lame response by Guillaume, Peregrine responds with a passionate call for the monks to be the presence of Jesus in a world that needs Him. I wonder, from your perspective of living with poor people all around you, do you agree with Peregrine? I look forward to reading your comments!

The Hawk and the Dove: Week 2 - Book 1, Chapter 1 to Book 2, Chapter 3

The seemingly simple stories of this book contain deep lessons for us. I can be coasting along, enjoying the pretty scenery Penelope Wilcock is creating, when all of a sudden a phrase, paragraph, page captures more than my imagination and I have to pause to ponder.

There were three quotes from this week’s reading that impacted me. I’ll share one here, hoping you’ll share a quote in your comments this week.

"I think there were two reasons for that. One was simply that a man with broken hands can’t protect himself, or manage tools and things as well as we can. But also, it was because he wanted so much to be like Jesus, he wasn’t afraid to put himself in the place where he was vulnerable to hurt." (Page 139)

In my years of serving overseas, I was often vulnerable to hurt through disappointment, hard life situations. My heart wasn’t courageous. I couldn’t have said I wasn’t afraid to put myself in a place where I was vulnerable to hurt. I was often afraid. Being willing to live a vulnerable lifestyle is an on-going lesson for me. When I’m looking in God’s eyes, I can say I want this. It is when I focus on myself that my desire to be fully surrendered wavers.

This book has given me a wake-up call and reset my focus. What lessons are you learning? I can’t wait to read your comments.

The Hawk and the Dove: Book 1--Chapters 1 - 6

We aren’t going to dilly-dally our way through this wonderful book. In just five weeks, we’ll be turning the last page and reluctantly saying good-bye to new friends. For some of you, though, our schedule of reading may be too slow—you won’t want to put this great book down. I truly hope you will enjoy this book, even if at times your theology differs from the monks, the mother who introduces them to us, and Melissa, who is discovering life and God as a fifteen year-old.

I think this is my third time to read this trilogy. Each time, I’m fascinated by the lives lived so differently than mine and the lessons God teaches and redeems through the realities of life in a large poor family and life in a monastery. I hope you will enjoy reading their stories and learning more about our God who we see in them.
May I ask a huge favor? This is a book club blog, which implies we are each members. As members, we need to share our reflections and responses, observations and thoughts to what we read in order for our club to be the best it can be. So, please read with us and comment--OK? I look forward to hearing from you. Each week’s introduction will be posted on Monday. It would be great if you could post your comments before the following Monday. Thank you!

This week’s reading will introduce you to most of our book’s characters and set the stage for the great stories we will read. Not only that, I think you’ll find yourselves wanting to befriend Melissa and her family so you could have tea in their home or desiring to make a pilgrimage to the Monks’ monastery to stay in their guest house and view their world.

For your comments this week, please write about the people you meet in these first six chapters. Who captures your attention? Why? What do you begin to see in their lives that fits lessons you are learning or have learned in the past? I look forward to reading your comments!