Officiant Custom 3

Detachment

August 6, 2014

There is a spiritual principle in Christianity and Buddhism that invites us to recognize how much energy we spend on the things that really aren't that important in the long run.  Which pretty much includes anything except our relationship with the Divine / Oneness.  So why is this so difficult for me (and I expect most of us in Western society) to live out on a regular basis?

Over and over again, Spirit has invited me to let go.  And I've been really working at it.  The first time I was aware of this dynamic was when (after 20+ years) I finally found a nursing position I loved.  I loved the hours, the people, my boss.  Have you ever had that "perfect job?"  I knew I was where I belonged.  Where people "got me."  Where I was appreciated. 

And then, one day my boss told me she felt I should apply for a new position starting up a parish nurse program. Because she knew me and loved me, she knew this was what my heart yearned for.  Even though I didn't know it at the time. I balked at the idea.  It wasn't just a new department, it was located at a different location. Yet as I prayed...

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Tags: beth abbott, beth beyer abbott, detachment, ego, emergent church, gods will, preachers kid, progressive christian, progressive christian alliance, rethink church, spiritual, spiritual director, united methodist


Posted at: 02:36 PM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink

Finding Community in Unexpected Places

June 19, 2014

Have you ever had the experience of just KNOWING you are doing exactly what God / The Universe was asking of you?  There is a deep peace, even if it is hard work.  Time flies as you embark on the project, people and resources arrive just as you need them, you find yourself unable to focus on other projects because your heart is so connected to this opportunity.

This Spring, I took a course by the Reconciling Ministries Network of the United Methodist Church to become a Process Coach for churches who want to explore becoming open and affirming congregations.  At the time, I had no expectations about what it might mean.   I simply felt a nudge from Spirit, and signed up.  The little congregation Dave and I attend at Penns Park United Methodist is the first Bucks County Reconciling congregation.  We do our best to fulfill Jesus' commandment to "love one another as I have loved you."  Monthly, there are meetings of the area churches who are working to bring a new vision to the Eastern PA Conference of the UMC through Reconciling ministries.

Shortly after I attended the training, the group asked for a volunteer to coordinate the table at the upcoming...

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Tags: beth abbott, beth beyer abbott, emergent church, glbtq, progressive christian, progressive christian alliance, re-naming liturgy, re-think church, reconciling ministries network, spiritual, spiritual companion, spiritual director, spirituality, trans, trans health conference, united methodist


Posted at: 10:32 AM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink

Wonderful World

November 1, 2012

Gazing out the back window of our sunroom, it always draws my eye.  The tree is old, and it shows the challenges it has faced.  While most of the surrounding trees at the edge of our property stand straight, limbs stretching to the sky, this one bends, like an old woman's back.  And yet it still stood above the rest, a testament to its tenacity of clinging to life in spite of its struggles.

That tree cheered me on several years ago when I had pancreatitis.  As I sat and contemplated it I found hope for the future...and healing for body and soul.  There was an energy that emanated from its branches beyond that of any of the others.  It seemed to glow.

This morning, I awoke to a warm house for the first time in days.  Hurricane Sandy had thrown everything she had at us and we survived.  We lived by the fireplace, read by candle light and heated our water over an open flame on the stove after pouring it from the bottles stocked in the basement for just such an emergency.  The world feels fresh and clean, in spite of the piles of logs that only days ago...

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Tags: beth abbott, beth beyer abbott, emergent christian, new thought, progressive christian, progressive christian alliance, soul, soul-full, soul-full path, spiritual, spiritual director


Posted at: 08:49 AM | Permalink

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