Faithwalking

An Ongoing Spiritual Formation Journey

Integrity and Perfectionism

Perfectionism is the belief that if we live perfect, look perfect, and act perfect, we can minimize or avoid the pain of blame, judgement, and shame. It’s a shield. It’s a twenty-ton shield that we lug around thinking it will protect us when, in fact, it’s the thing that’s really preventing us from flight. – Brené Brown

Do you struggle with perfectionism?

We’d like to invite you to listen to the first episode of Faithwalking Conversations, which are live gatherings or recorded conversations that reflect learning around our spiritual journey toward wholeness. In this episode, Mike and Sherri Meyer-Veen from the New York Faithwalking Circle join other Faithwalkers as they explore the impact of perfectionism and integrity in their lives.

 

 

 

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Christmas Meditation 2019

 

“…but all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.” – Julian of Norwich

We hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas. We invite you to listen to a Christmas meditation from Marcos Leon (via video above or audio below) and then to read a reflection from Ken Shuman. Peace to you all.

 

Advent is a season of waiting. Just as people longed for and waited for the coming of the Christ, we are waiting. We wait, expecting something new to come.  We wait in faith, trusting that God is at work among us. We wait with hope for a better future and a better world. We long for the day when there will be peace on earth and well-being for everyone. We wait in faith and in hope that one day the kingdom of heaven will invade the earth. We wait and hope for a world where everyone is loved, everyone has opportunity, everyone has enough, and no one is afraid.

While we wait, it is easy to get discouraged. We live in a world that is full of anxiety and reactivity. We live in a world that seems to be more polarized now than ever before. We live in a world that continues to tolerate war. We live in a world where people still go to bed hungry and afraid. We live in a world where injustice and oppression still exist. We live in a world that needs transformation and newness.

Because we’ve waited so long, it is tempting to give up our faith and to lose our hope. It’s tempting to become resigned and cynical. It’s easy to just live life and to take care of our own well-being. It’s easy for Advent and Christmas to become about what we receive rather than what we can give to the world. It’s easy to become passive, expecting God to overfunction on our behalf.

Advent is about waiting, but it is also about working. We are invited to partner with God in God’s ongoing mission in the world. We partner with God to love well. We work to love God, love our neighbor, and love ourselves better. We partner with God to work for peace. We work to establish wholeness (shalom) where there is brokenness in ourselves and in the places where we live work and play. We partner with God so that the people around us get a taste of what it will be like when the culture of God invades the earth. The culture of God is one of love, liberation, and life.

And so during Advent, we wait and we work and we remember. We remember our faith. We remember that just as God took on human flesh and moved into the neighborhood, God is still at work among us today. We remember our hope. We remember that just as it was announced to the shepherds, we have been given “good news of great joy that will affect all people everywhere.” We remember that peace on earth and good will for all was announced. We remember that the God who is love, invites us to reflect that love to the world. As we sing “Joy to the World the Lord is come…” we will remember to choose joy. And as we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace, we will remember that peace and wholeness really is possible for everyone.

I pray that you and yours will experience increasing wholeness and that you will have a very Merry Christmas.

Ken Shuman

 

Year-End Giving

 

 

Giving Tuesday 2019

Today is Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving that simply encourages people to do good. It is an opportunity to transform your gratitude into giving to and encouraging organizations who are serving others in their own unique ways around the world.

We encourage you to give! Give to the causes and ministries you are passionate about, because you believe in what they are doing and want to play a small part. As you consider giving, we hope you will think of us in the Faithwalking community. Here is why we are passionate about what we do:

Why Faithwalking?

We believe that God’s intended design is for wholeness in individuals, communities, and the world. We believe that God’s hope is for shalom to be present, which includes peace, unity, completeness, wholeness, and well-being for everyone and in everyone. God’s hope is for the Kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven.

We live in a world of brokenness: People are chronically anxious and reactive, internally conflicted, frequently unloving, and regularly unconcerned about the common good. Many Christians are inconsistent in following the way of Jesus.

Our Mission

To make wholeness possible for individuals, communities, and the world.

We do this through a process of spiritual formation where people are equipped with tools to gain freedom from wounds of their past, grow in emotional maturity, and live lives of purpose on mission with God, so that they increasingly follow the way of Jesus by serving the poor, the marginalized, and those in need, working for the common good, and restoring individuals, social systems, communities, and nations to God’s intended design.

Our Vision

Our vision is for Faithwalking to be accessible to every person in the world so that participants become agents of wholeness in their own context.

Know that every dollar given to Faithwalking on Giving Tuesday through our Facebook page will be matched. You can click on the image below to donate through the post or click here to get to our Facebook page, where you can give via the Faithwalking Giving Tuesday fundraiser(s) you see there.

If you prefer, you can also give directly through our website:

Give using our website

 

To donate on Facebook for the Giving Tuesday match, click below:

With gratitude,

The Faithwalking Team

Happy Thanksgiving!

“Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.” ― Maya Angelou

In 2019 we have seen more than 1000 participants complete our traditional curriculum, and 170+ participants have started the new Faithwalking Foundations curriculum. We have 24 active Faithwalking Circles, and 12 Faithwalking Foundations groups have just wrapped up. We are grateful.

In 2020 we hope to launch our Faithwalking certification in Spanish with two cohorts, one in Central America and one in the US. And we hope to strengthen our Faithwalking learning community through Keep Walking, an ongoing conversation open to all Faithwalkers that will be launched next Thursday, December 5th. We are excited.

We are thankful for your partnership and hope to continue partnering with you next year. Your support helps us make wholeness possible! Please consider supporting us this Giving Tuesday (December 3rd, 2019). If you have a Facebook account, know that every dollar given to Faithwalking on Giving Tuesday through our Facebook page will be matched.

God bless you and keep you,
God smile on you and gift you,
God look you full in the face
and make you prosper.
Num 6:24-26 (MSG)

– The Faithwalking team

“To be grateful is to recognize the love of God in everything He has given us – and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him. Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference.” ― Thomas Merton