Wellsprings Congregation

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Sinopsis

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Episodios

  • 2-28-2021 Coming Home "Nature Based Practices" - Audio

    28/02/2021 Duración: 30min

    Rev. Lee begins this week's message by telling us about a tree she used to climb as a child. She also shares a passage from a book called 'Wintering," which acknowledges that life has a natural ebb and flow. Did you ever think you might learn an important lesson about life from a pecan tree? Perhaps you will. Rev. Lee also takes us into the John Heinz refuge in Philadelphia for a few moments of quiet mindfulness together.

  • 2-21-2021 - Coming Home "The Practice of Lectio Divina" - Audio

    28/02/2021 Duración: 27min

    This week, Rev. Michael Bush takes us through the practice of Lectio Divina, which is Latin for “divine reading." It encourages the reader to follow four practices when reading scripture or spiritual texts. "Lectio, Meditatio, Oratio, Contemplatio." (Translated as: Read, Reflect, Respond, and Rest/Contemplate.) You'll have a chance to practice this along with Rev. Michael as he takes us through a passage from the Gospel of Mark.

  • 2-14-2021 Coming Home - Heart and Compassion Practices - Audio

    17/02/2021 Duración: 29min

    Rev. Ken speaks about the issues that come along with having the news on all the time, and how sometimes it's impostant to turn it off. He shares a story about a news reporter who shows emotion while reporting on a family. In the spirit of Valentine's Day, we walk through a heart practice you can do at home. Rev. Ken also shares a prayer for kindness, then a lovingkindness meditation where we can practice compassion even for people we don’t know well.

  • 2-7-2021 Coming Home - "Cooking and Practices of Nourishment" - Audio

    09/02/2021 Duración: 21min

    Rev. Aisha Ansano is our guest preacher this week, and she tells us about the importance and ritual surrounding family meal time when she was growing up. For this message she asks that you have a bite of food and a sip of something to drink nearby. She also invites you into the ritual of making a simple recipe along with her, such as vinaigrette or cinnamon sugar.

  • 1-31-21 Coming Home "The Practice of Yoga and Embodied Movement" - Audio

    02/02/2021 Duración: 36min

    This week, Rev. Lee begins with telling us a story about how pandemic stress has affected some friends of hers, and how, in a moment of intense pressure, her friend as able to think "I'm alive right now and with the people I love." The idea of "Coming Home" to your own body might not be something we think of often, but it's an important practice. During this message, yoga instructor Gael Alba takes us through some gentle guided movement and breathing. All you'll need is some comfortable clothing and either a space on the floor or a chair.

  • 1-24-2021 Coming Home - "The Practice of Drawing and Artwork" - Audio

    26/01/2021 Duración: 22min

    In this week's message, lay preacher, Chris Groppe, shares his spiritual practice of drawing. He talks a bit about his personal history with drawing, and how it's sometimes been set aside as an activity for another time. But once he began looking at is as a means of creating a sacred space, he realized it can be used as a spiritual practice anywhere and anytime. This message provides two opportunities to draw along with Chris, so be sure to have a pencil and paper somewhere nearby!

  • 1-17-2021 Coming Home - "The Practice of Mindfulness" - Audio

    19/01/2021 Duración: 26min

    Rev. Ken begins by telling us that mindfulness is about perspective. He brings up Schoolhouse Rock, and challenges the idea that a person is a noun. He believes that a person is much more of an active state of being. Mindfulness isn’t just about accessing more calm. It’s about opening up our experiences. He also gives us an invitation to participate in a short mindfulness practice. He concludes with a story about the Buddha.

  • 1-10-2021 Coming Home - "The Practice of Generosity" - Audio

    12/01/2021 Duración: 32min

    Rev. Lee struggles a bit with what to say about the events at the Capitol this week. She planned to introduce the practice of generosity, but thought the message might not make sense this week. But when she thought more about it, she realized that generosity is a practice of pushing back against toxic individualism “I’ve got mine, and you’ve got yours… good luck.” She shares with us how she began practicing generosity herself this year, now that her everyday expenses are down during the pandemic. She ends by asking us to take up a small generosity practice that we can do today.

  • 1-3-2021 New Year's Service - "Make Way" - Audio

    05/01/2021 Duración: 19min

    This week, Rev. Ken opens our annual New Year's service with the story of The Epiphany, and talks about the restoration of a painting of the Magi by Leonardo da Vinci. After the painting was cleaned, more detail and color than anyone expected was revealed. Isn't that how life is sometimes? So many things can build up and get in the way of us living the lives we really want.

  • 12-27-2020 How to Be Afraid "Can't Unsee" - Audio

    29/12/2020 Duración: 21min

    Rev. Lee talks about a friend's policy towards internet use with children: Before you click on something, think about whether you really want to watch, becauase once you see it, you can't unsee it. She also talks about a reality show where drag performers put on shows in small communities to help let people know that there are all types of people in every community. She includes a parable from the bible wherein Jesus talks about men given land, but not realizing what they have.

  • Christmas Eve Service - Audio

    29/12/2020 Duración: 16min

    Rev. Lee brings us our annual Christmas Eve service - this year inspired by the movie Home Alone.

  • 12-20-2020 How to Be Afraid - "Darkness Visible" - Audio

    22/12/2020 Duración: 24min

    Rev. Ken shares a story from Anne Lamott wherein she talks about calling around to different friends trying to find the true meaning of Advent. She doesn’t have much luck until she reaches a Jesuit friend who has 35 years of sobriety. He shares a dramatic event which happened early in his own recovery wherein folks at a 12-step meeting showed compassion to a man in a terrible state. The patience they showed then, evoked the feeling of Advent for this friend.

  • 12-13-2020 How to Be Afraid - "The Gift of Fear" - Audio

    15/12/2020 Duración: 15min

    Lay preacher, Kathleen Higgins shares her message, beginning about a close encounter with a rattlesnake. She mentions the Gavin deBecker book "The Gift of Fear" which focuses on figuring out what is real danger and what is dread. Dread is more about imagination. She also shares a story about her grandson experiencing seizures, and a story about attending a conference of gun violence survivors where a fire alarm went off and frightened many people in the audience.

  • Scary Stories - Audio

    08/12/2020 Duración: 23min

    This week, Rev. Ken talks about how he is a fan of scary stories, even horror movies, even living as a person with an anxiety disorder. He shares how sometimes, experiencing fear as a story can help us realize why fear is an important part of life. He also talks about being a fan of Taylor Swift's album, Folklore, especially a song which seems to approach fear from a child's perspective.

  • 11-29-2020 How to Be Afraid - "Making Friends With Fear" - Audio

    01/12/2020 Duración: 21min

    Lay preacher, Rodney Whittenberg, talks about feeling afraid often in life, but reminds us that fear is sometimes a useful emotion. Fear can help us make decisions in our own best interests. To illustrate, he shares a story of his father feeling afraid while driving, and also a story from a friend of his who happens to be an Army Ranger. What happens when we embrace the fear we feel, rather than trying to shove it aside?

  • 11-22-2020 Wild and Precious Life - Audio

    25/11/2020 Duración: 30min

    Each year, we ask different WellSpringers to answer the question "What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" Today, you can hear thoughtful, creative, honest, and inspiring stories from five different people in our congregation.

  • 11-15-2020 How to be Afraid, "With, Not In" - Audio

    17/11/2020 Duración: 34min

    This week, Rev. Lee discusses the concept of living with our fear, but not in it. This past week, with the election and the rising Covid cases, has made us realize how fragile and vulnerable we still are. Rev. Lee also admits her fear of snakes and shares a story about a recent encounter with a snake on a hike. In the moment, she was able to be with her fear, and realize that not only was it a harmless type of snake, but that it was also afraid of her. Of course, there's a difference between the type of fear that occurs naturally, and someone manipulating you into a fearful situation; Rev. Lee explores those important distinctions.

  • 11-8-2020, How to Be Afraid "When, Not If" - Audio

    10/11/2020 Duración: 23min

    Rev. Ken begins our new Message series "How to Be Afraid" with a late-recorded message about the election. He remembers a slogan "Pain is just weakness leaving the body," while recounting a time when he himself got injured during a half marathon. He also talks about the use and abuse of fear. There are some who believe that fear is only weakness, but the denial of fear is sometimes why people stop listening not only to themsevles, but to each other too.

  • 11-1-2020, The Cloud Over Everything - "Break Your Heart" - Audio

    03/11/2020 Duración: 30min

    In this week's message, Rev. Lee talks about the upcoming election, and admits that she'd gone back and forth on what kind of message to deliver this week: one where she reassures us that everything will be okay, and one that warns us that it won't be. She remembers words Rev. Ken said to her at her ordination: "Let your ministry break your heart," and tells us that out broken hearts are good enough. She concludes with a story about a unique political canvassing project which focuses on listening, and which is helping folks to better understand marginalized people.

  • 10-25-2020 The Cloud Over Everything: "Simply Sad" - Audio

    27/10/2020 Duración: 14min

    In this short introduction to our annual Remembrance Service, Rev. Ken assures us that it's okay to not "cheer up" every time we feel sad. Sometimes, we can sit with sadness, especially in the wake of a loss. If we sit with grief and sadness, what we find at the root of it is love.

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