Link List for June 2013 Synchroblog – Ordinary Courage

Thanks to everyone who participated in the June Synchroblog.  

Please remember to add the list of links to the end of your post.

This is a great turnout, especially for a summer synchroblog.

I hope you all can take the time to support one another by reading all the posts during the month of June.

This Is Courage by Jen Bradbury

Being Vulnerable by Phil Lancaster

Everyday Bravery: Overcoming the Fear of Being Wrong by Jessica

Moving Forward Takes Courage by Paul W. Meier

How to Become a Flasher by Glenn Hager

Ordinary Courage by Elaine Hansen

Courage, Hope, Generosity by Carol Kuniholm

The Courage to Fail by Wendy McCaig

The Greatest Act of Courage by Jeremy Myers

Sharing One’s Heart by K. W. Leslie

All I See Is Rocks by Tim Nichols

I Wonder What Would Happen by Liz Dyer

What is Ordinary Courage? by Jennifer Stahl

Loving Courageously by Doreen A. Mannion

Heart Cry: The Courage to Confess by Elizabeth Chapin

The Act to the Miraculous by VisionHub

the spiritual practice of showing up & telling the truth by Kathy Escobar

It’s What We Teach by Margaret Boelman

June 2013 Synchroblog: Ordinary Courage

In her book, The Gifts of Imperfection, Brené Brown has this to say about ordinary courage:

“The root of the word courage is cor—the Latin word for heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage had a very different definition than it does today. Courage originally meant “to speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.” Over time, this definition has changed, and, today, courage is more synonymous with being heroic. Heroics are important and we certainly need heroes, but I think we’ve lost touch with the idea that speaking honestly and openly about who we are, about what we’re feeling, and about our experiences (good and bad) is the definition of courage. Heroics are often about putting our life on the line. Ordinary courage is about putting our vulnerability on the line.”

We are besieged with messages about who we should be, how we should look and what we should know.

It takes courage to be vulnerable enough to say “I need help” “I don’t know” “I’m afraid” “I’m willing to try” “No” “I have a problem” “I made a mistake” “I was wrong”

If we pay attention we see “ordinary courage” everyday … in children, co-workers, students, parents, friends, family members, strangers and even in ourselves.

The great thing about ordinary courage is that it leads to wholehearted living which leads to real human connection and a lot of other good stuff like love and kindness and grace.

This month we invite bloggers to share stories and thoughts about Ordinary Courage.

Publish your posts by Tuesday June 11th and share your link here, and we’ll post the final link list on Wednesday morning, June 12th. We ask that all who participate in the synchroblog include a list of all the month’s synchroblog posts and links at the end of their post. If you know other bloggers who might also want to participate, feel free to pass this invitation on.

“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.”
Brené Brown, Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable
Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead

***Note from Liz: This whole idea is inspired by the author, speaker and researcher, Brené Brown. I highly recommend her books, videos, Ted talks, classes etc.

 

Being with Those in Pain LINK LIST

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the May 2013 Synchroblog about Being with those in pain.

Here is the link list to add to your post:

• Comforting those who Hurt – K. W. Leslie
• Unto the Least of These – J. Stahl
• Like a Motherless Child – Carol Kuniholm
• Exploding Bridges and How to Help People – Phil Lancaster
• The Ministry of Presence – Glenn Hager
• The Problem of Pain – Chris Jefferies
• How to Be with Those in Pain – David Derbyshire
• When Sorry Seems to b the Hardest Word - Doreen A Mannion
• What Seems to Help in the Midst of Pain – Kathy Escobar
• Mourning with those who Mourn – Jeremy Myers
• What He Told The Home Crowd – Tim Nichols

Make sure you go around and read everybody’s post, and comment on it if you wish.

Being With Those in Pain – May 2013 Synchroblog Announcement

Whether we realize it or not, lots of people all around us are experiencing great pain and hardship. Maybe someone has lost their job, gotten a divorce, is going through depression, or worst of all, has lost a family member or loved one.

As followers of Jesus, how are we to respond in such situations?

We have all heard some horror stories (or maybe you have experienced this personally) about some of the things well-meaning Christians say and do toward others who are experiencing personal tragedies. Christians often say or do some pretty foolish (even offensive!) things in such situations. Often this is because we want to help, but we don’t know how. We don’t know what to say. We don’t know what to do. So we say foolish things. We stay away when we should be present. We are present when we should give people space. We bring things up that we shouldn’t, or we don’t bring things up that we should.

So for the May 2013 Synchroblog, we want to invite you to write a “How to” post about helping Christians know what to do (or not do) and what to say (or not say) when others are going through times of personal tragedy.

Maybe you have experienced a tragedy in your life, and want to share a story about what someone said or did which was rude, condescending, and insensitive. Or, more positively, maybe you want to write about what someone said or did that showed love, care, and concern. Either way, provide some suggestions on what others can say or do which would have been helpful to you in your time of personal tragedy.

If you are not comfortable sharing stories like this, maybe you want to write about something you said or did which others have found helpful in their painful experiences. Of course, if you write from this perspective, be sure that your words or actions really were helpful to the other person!

Ultimately, the goal of this synchroblog is to give Christians some suggestions for loving and caring for those around us who are experiencing great personal loss, pain, tragedy, or disaster.

Publish your posts by Tuesday May 14th and share your link here, and we’ll post the final link list on Wednesday morning, May 15th, to add to the bottom of your posts. If you know other bloggers who might also want to participate, feel free to pass this invitation on.

April Synchroblog Link List – What If … ?

What If … ?

When I was young, I loved to play the ‘what if’ game. It went like this: I would imagine an unlikely scenario and present it to my mother to find out what she thought. Since I had an active imagination, I engaged in this til I drove her to distraction and she would declare, “No more ‘what ifs’!!” Now that I’m older, I’ve discovered there is a whole group of people who play the ‘what if’ game. They’re called philosophers!

This month we invite you to play the ‘what if’ game with us. Try to imagine that some or all of the Bible narrative is not necessarily true history, but is myth of one sort or another. What sort of effect would that knowledge have on your faith? What effect might it have on the larger church? How would it change you? Would it change you and how you view the world?

We recognize that this might make some or all of you uncomfortable and while we recognize the struggle involved with that sort of discomfort, please feel free to blog about that fact as well. The ‘what if’ game can involve some prickly feelings and we welcome that as well.

Here are the links for for those participating this month:

• K.W. Leslie – When People Believe Christianity Is A Myth
• Jeremy Myers – What If The Bible Is a Myth?
• David Derbyshire – What If Genesis Is A Creation Myth?
• Bud Brown – What if Paul was wrong about the life of Christ living in me?
• Chris Jefferies – What If … Creation Was A Myth?
• Paul W. Meier – Is The Bible A Myth?
• Doreen A. Mannion – The Bible As A Source of Wisdom
• Phil Lancaster – What If the Bible Were A Myth
• Carol Kuniholm – What If Newness Was The Norm
• Liz Dyer – Penultimate Truth
• Glenn Hager – Myths in the Bible? So What?

April 2013 Synchroblog – What If … ?

What If … ?

When I was young, I loved to play the ‘what if’ game.  It went like this:  I would imagine an unlikely scenario and present it to my mother to find out what she thought.  Since I had an active imagination, I engaged in this til I drove her to distraction and she would declare, “No more ‘what ifs’!!”  Now that I’m older, I’ve discovered there is a whole group of people who play the ‘what if’ game.  They’re called philosophers!

This month we invite you to play the ‘what if’ game with us.  Try to imagine that some or all of the Bible narrative is not necessarily true history, but is myth of one sort or another.  What sort of effect would that knowledge have on your faith?  What effect might it have on the larger church?  How would it change you?  Would it change you and how you view the world?

We recognize that this might make some or all of you uncomfortable and while we recognize the struggle involved with that sort of discomfort, please feel free to blog about that fact as well.  The ‘what if’ game can involve some prickly feelings and we welcome that as well.

Publish your posts by Tuesday April 16th and share your link here, and we’ll post the final link list on Wednesday morning, April 17th, to add to the bottom of your posts.  If you know other bloggers who might also want to participate, feel free to pass this invitation on.

Link List – March 2013 Synchroblog // Guns & God

hey all, here is the link list for the march synchroblog.  i’ll post any latecomers in the morning and so check back to make sure you have the most updated copy.  if you can please add  to the bottom of your posts, that would be great!

• Jeremy Myers – Why I Joined the NRA
• Chris Jefferies – The Gun of Self-Defence?
• Glenn Hager – Gun God
• Carol Kuniholm - Guns, God, Mercy 
• Gibby Espinoza – Gun Control?
• Liz Dyer – Turn the Other Clip, This One is Empty
• Marta Layton – Christian Ethics at the National Review and the Dish 
• Kathy Escobar – What Do We Want to be Known For?
• Doreen Mannion – Bang-Bang, Are We All Dead?
• Yeshua Hineni – Guns and G-d