April  2009

Lumunos Logo (horizontal w/ FAW)
In This Issue
The Called Together Church: Finding Our Jerusalem
Happy Madness
Lumunos Events
Spring Gardens
Annual Report Good News
________________
________________

The Called Together Church: April 2009

Finding Our Jerusalem


"Everyone in this room has a Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the place or person or part of yourself you fear the most-over the years have avoided, denied, tried to ignore-worked hard to forget or outgrow or get over or leave behind or cast out or sedate or drown or outrun or cover up or camouflage or cure or blame on somebody else. Jerusalem is the city you are that you have circled for a lifetime and awaits your return. Nobody can tell you what it is or where. Only you know that. Nobody can make you go there. It's  your call. Nobody can tell you when to
step through its gates. You must decide."


- Rev. William Dols, Editor, The Bible Workbench
__________________
__________________

__________________
____
______________
album cover
Greg Jasperse is a jazz musician and composer who has co-lead events with Faith at work/ Lumunos.  We want to make sure you know about his a capella music too!

6th Wave is the premiere 6-voice professional a cappella  jazz group in Los Angeles that also includes Jennifer Barnes, Greg Whipple, Cindy Bourquin, Elin Carlson and Eric Bradley.
 
They have just released their new CD, Happy Madness. An aural rollercoaster of a ride, there is something for everyone on the album, including interpretations of James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, Imogen Heap, Jennifer Barnes, Puccini, Captain and Tennille and some original material from Greg Jasperse.
 
For more information,
click here
_________________
__________________

Greetings!
We hope this email provides resources and encouragement for your work in the world; where you devote our time and energy, including work, relationships, your service in the world, and your effort to live justly. Read on!

Call: Getting Planted
Steve and Joanna are considering putting their house on the market. This is not just any house-it is the house that they designed wheattogether; a house that is filled to the roof with sunlight, beauty and memories. When they moved in, they gathered with friends to communally bless the space and ask that it be a place of hospitality for others....

...Is this what Jesus meant when he said "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit"? That some things need to die so that deeper, better, and more meaningful things can grow?

To read the full writing on call in Doug Wysockey-Johnson's web log (Blog), click here

Lumunos Events
Make a Living, Have a Life
Many are wrestling with career questions and job changes in these uneasy economic times.  Bring your life - all of it - to these new small groups; come away with clarity and vision.  For years you have known us to provide sacred space to listen for God on our retreats and through our magazine.  Now we offer that expertise in a new way: small group conference calls to Make a Living, Have a Life.  

*** Time: Meet weekly by conference calls in groups of 6.  Groups begin at the start of every month.
Cost: $100

4/18
Making Good Decisions at the Daily Crossroads of Life  New York, NY

Spend the morning with us as we increase our sense of God's presence in our daily lives, gain clarity on a next step in an area of our lives such as work, relationships, or self care, and learn tools to deepen our support networks as we navigate the many forks in the road.

*** Time: Saturday April 18, 9am - 1pm @ Marble Collegiate Church
Cost: $25
Led by Nina Frost and Doug Wysockey-Johnson

4/18 Hard Places and Sacred Spaces  Ashland, NE

sm grp 1.24Join us in community for a day of meditation and celebration!  Sacred space is created as we come together with the intent to listen for the Holy in the everyday-ness of our "real" lives.

***Time: Saturday April 18, 9am - 5pm, @ The Carol Joy Holling Center
Cost: $40 includes lunch
Led by: The Nebraska Lumunos Team


7/18-28 Guatemala Pilgrimage

Join two dozen others in July for our 8th annual pilgrimage in the highlands of Guatemala to build a school for the children of Chimaltenango and explore the missions of the surrounding area. The Guatemala pilgrimage is designed to challenge our comforts and expand our souls.

****Time: July 18-28, arrive @ Guatemala City Airport, Guatemala
Cost: $1100 plus airfare

Links we like: Spring Gardens
seedlingGrant me the ability to be alone.
May it be my custom to go outdoors each day
among the trees and grasses
among all growing things
and there may I be alone,
and enter into prayer
to talk with the one
that I belong to.

- Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlav

Spring is here, and the urge to get out and dig, plant, and grow something of our own is stronger than ever!  Consider reconnecting with the miracle and beauty of creation, practicing waiting on God's time and grace to make nature flourish and bloom.  Raising even a little bit of your own food also brings a deeper appreciation for what it takes to nourish ourselves - gardening is excellent body prayer and spiritual practice!  Here are both some of our favorite gardening resources for those interested in cultivating a bit of earth, and advice on getting started and involved.

YES! Magazine: Food for Everyone

The spring issue of YES! Magazine presents some wonderful resources and inspiring stories on getting involved with local, community, and global movements to bring about a food revolution, coming together to build lasting changes for the future.

Organic Prayer, A Spiritual Gardening Companion
by Nancy Roth.
(We recommend this book; this is not a live "link.")
organic prayer cover
Roth shares her experiences of working deeply into the red Ohio soil in meditations that help readers enrich and care for their bonds with God, creation, and neighbors.


Food First!
The Institute for Food and Development Policy/Food First shapes how people think by analyzing the root causes of global hunger, poverty, and ecological degradation and developing solutions in partnership with movements working for social change. A good resource to understand food and justice issues.

Square Foot Gardening
The Square Foot Gardening Foundation is dedicated to more than fantastic gardens. It helps to fight global hunger, organize and unite local communities, and even helps those with disabilities enjoy the great pleasure of planting and harvesting their own gardens.

Freedom Gardens

Freedom Gardens is an online social community of gardening enthusiasts.  Gardeners of all types of gardens are welcomed, from the acreage farmer to the apartment windowsill herb cultivator, from the classroom gardens to community gardens. This site is also for people interested in sustainable, local, and organic food or those just dreaming and scheming for a garden of their own.

Deffenbaugh cover Learning the Language of the Fields byDan Deffenbaugh (We recommend this book; this is not a live "link.")
Dan notes that a person's identity is intimately connected with the place of which he or she is a part.  This "theology of place" examines how we relate as a creation of God to the rest of the earth, and our responsibilities and ethics to the world in which we live.   Dan also writes a lectionary blog called Seeds of Shalom.  Look for his article in the next edition of the magazine, too.
"Do We Really Need An Annual Report?"

The 2008 Lumunos Annual Report is on its way to you over the next several weeks.  Here's why the Annual Report is one of our favorite publications:


  • It tells the story of YOU. The "Many Faces of Change" 2008 Annual Report conveys how people's lives have been changed by Lumunos for the good of God's world. We want you to hear the good news!
  • Foundations and grant makers rely on an Annual Report for key information about an organization's accomplishments as they make decisions about funding.
  • Our 2008 Annual Report recognizes your contributions of time, money, and expertise to Lumunos. You have helped us live our mission to nurture people's spiritual journey; we are really thankful!
  • It serves as an historical record of our progress. In a 52 year old organization, history matters!
The 2008 Annual Report is modestly designed and printed in keeping with good stewardship.  It tells the story of 2008 through the many faces of change.  When it arrives in your mailbox, please take a look, read the stories, and then help us continue our ministries by sending your gift to our Annual Spring Appeal for 2009.
 
Thank You!