Living on the Border of the Holy
Discussion 1 – Thin Places and the Priesthood of All
Sep. 22, 2023 | 11:00am PDT
Welcome! My intention over the next 4 weeks is to take a virtual journey together through places, ideas, and understandings of what brings us closer to the Divine, how to incorporate it into our lives, and where we bring it to others as ministry or priesthood.
A Note on Close-Reading
“Close Reading” is reading verbatim for detail and content – rather than skimming or reading for a general summary. I invite you to take your time reading through each week’s assignments; sit with what you’ve read, maybe meditate or pray on a phrase or concept that sticks with you, look at the study prompts ahead of time, and be present with it as much as time and circumstance allow.
You may want to have highlighters or a pen to mark in the book (if you have a hard copy) and/or set aside a notebook or journal to capture your thoughts on the reading and prompts for discussion with the group.
Study Prompts
For our first discussion:
- Be prepared to discuss the Celtic concept of thin places. How/does this interact with the author’s description of the human encounter with the Divine as “life in a border country” ?
- Have you encountered priesthood/ministry as “a fundamental and inescapable part of being human”?
Discussion Videos
As videos from our discussions become available, the links will be posted below.
Passcode: +G^3+BS?
Read
Before our first meeting, please read:
Thin Places, Holy Spaces: Where Do You Encounter God? by Lacy Clark Ellman
Countryman, Preface and Chapter One (pages xi-31)
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