Central Plains Mennonite Conference
Follow us.
  • Home
    • About Us
    • Central Plains Structure
    • Staff >
      • Executive Conference Minister >
        • Blessings for Nathan
      • Ministerial Leadership
      • Formation Minister
      • Hispanic Ministries
    • Map of Conference
    • Congregations >
      • Colorado
      • Illinois
      • Iowa
      • Minnesota
      • Montana
      • Nebraska
      • South Dakota
      • Wisconsin
    • Board
    • Committees >
      • Christian Formation
      • Outreach and Service >
        • Church Planting
        • Peace and Justice Task Group
        • Practicing Offering and Receiving Hospitality
      • Pastoral Leadership
    • Partners in Mission >
      • Agape Peace Center
      • Philip Friesen
    • Camps & Schools
    • Who are the Mennonites?
  • CPMC at Work
    • Publications >
      • Scattered Seeds
      • The Sower
    • Events
    • CPMC Covenant
    • New Ministries Fund >
      • Reports of Past Grant Recipients
    • Counsel on variance
  • Congregational Leaders
    • Pastors
    • Elders & Deacons
    • Church Council
    • Support for Conflict
    • Pastor Openings
  • Mission Leaders
    • Racism webinar videos
    • Ecuador/Venezuela Partnership >
      • Latest News from Ecuador/Venezuela
      • Story of the Ecuador Partnership >
        • Timeline & Resources
      • Personnel and Partnership Members >
        • Ross Richers
        • Wigginton Bravo
      • Quito Property Fund
    • Church Planting >
      • Developing Congregations
    • Travel Like Dave
    • Tuesdays with Dave
    • Missional Discipleship Initiative
    • Islam and the Gospel
    • Villatoro update
  • Formation Leaders
    • Formation in Worship
    • Formation Resource Library
    • Children and Families >
      • Faith at Home
      • Curriculum for Children
      • Shine
      • Resources for Parents
      • Protecting Children
    • Youth >
      • Youth Mission Together
      • Youth Sponsors
      • Youth Curriculum
      • Youth SS Teachers
      • Mentor Coordinator
      • CO Resources
      • Helpful sites for YM
    • Adults >
      • Adult Faith at Home
      • Adult Curriculum
      • Teaching resources
      • Online devotionals
      • Adult Spirituality
    • Shalom Readers
  • Resources
    • Advent Resource Roundup
    • Anti Racism Resources
    • Covid-19 Resources
    • Mennonite Resources
    • En Espanol
    • Conference Documents
    • Bible study Webinars >
      • Bible Study Webinars 2016
      • Bible Study Webinars 2017
    • Support for Refugees
    • Immigration
    • Christian Discernment
    • Spiritual Deliverance
    • Archives
  • Contact Us
    • Contact form
    • Church contact info form
    • Donate
    • Discerning Future Leaders
    • Sunday Speaking Information Sheet

Seedlings

Stories and reflections on how the seeds of our covenant practices take root and grow.

Resources for Covenant Practices

​Covenant of Spiritual Practices Reflection 2: Who Knows How the Spirit Moves?

8/31/2017

 
Picture
by David Boshart
Executive Conference Minister


At our Annual Meeting this summer, we asked our delegates, “How do you see the Spirit at work transforming us to reflect God’s unqualified love for us?”
 
Delegates identified three primary ways that they come to see the Spirit’s transforming work: 1) testimony, 2) mindful reflection, and 3) communal discernment.
 
The first of these leads to the second two.
 
Testimony provides the opportunity for the community to hear and “test” the veracity of the Spirit at work. As testimonies are shared in the community we grow in mindful reflection of the Spirit’s movement at all times and in all places. As we listen to these stories, as a spiritual practice, we cultivate mindfulness toward the Spirit moving in each of our own lives. Growing mindfulness of the Spirit’s movement produces more testimony.
 
The accumulating testimonies provide the occasion for communal discernment. We consider the story we are hearing in light of the Biblical story. Have we seen the Spirit move in this way before? Communal discernment raises the question posed by one table group, “What is God working on here?” As we ponder this question, we become more careful listeners, more skilled in our detection of the Spirit’s movement.
           
Out of this process of shared testimonies, mindful reflection, communal discernment, as one group described this process, we start to connect the dots of seemingly unrelated events and “goodness emerges.” We start to change. Table groups said that as we listen to one another, we grow in empathy, walls come down, we become less rigid, we become more open-minded, and we become more grateful.
           
We come to understand the transforming work of the Holy Spirit through this cycle of shared testimony, mindful reflection, and communal discernment.
 
This process poses some important questions. If testimony is the best way to shine the light on the Spirit’s work in our lives, how much space do we create for testimony when the church is gathered? In what ways are we teaching or equipping people in our churches to listen deeply, to cultivate mindfulness about “what is God working on here?”
 
And, when in our community life do we pause to consider how we are becoming less rigid, more empathetic, more open-minded, more grateful--and ultimately--a greater reflection of God’s unqualified love for the world?



Comments are closed.

    Central Plains Mennonite Conference

    creates settings for our congregations and partners to grow in holistic witness to God's reconciling mission by developing leadership, encouraging fellowship and promoting lifelong discipleship.

    Archives

    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013

    Categories

    All

Office Manager: P.O. Box 101, Freeman, SD 57029  office@centralplainsmc.org  phone: 605-929-3325
Ministry Staff Office: P.O. Box 352, Kalona, IA 52247