Conversations

“Questions can become portals to discovery. We can discover that the living, triune God is seriously unthreatened by a convoluted, confusing, cultural landscape.” —Connolly Gilliam

This edition of Conversations covers the gamut of Academy life. Our first contributor is guest speaker Connally Gilliam, self-described as “a little bit debutante, a little bit granola chick.” She outlines the challenging conversation that she had with the Fellows during her visit. In her words, we went there—talking carefully and deeply about issues that the Church has historically danced around. Our alumna turned staffer Anne Hartman reflects on the perspectives she’s found as she moves into a new role in the Academy community.

Three fellows—Mary Catherine, Sarah, and Stephen—allow you into their lives. Mary Catherine reveals an intimate moment of prayer and vision. Stephen shares a journal entry that reflects on how he, like the heavenly beings in The Great Divorce, is becoming more and more solid through his time at the Academy. And Sarah discusses gift-giving in all its implications.

Finally, Jamin Warren, one of our recent alumni, addresses us and, more importantly, the mounting piles of books that he does not have time to read!

Please enjoy the subjects raised here and share your comments. Merry Christmas!

Academy Update

Guest Speaker

• Will You Go There? by Connally Gilliam
  We can discover that the living, triune God is seriously unthreatened by (and quite capable of leading us through if we’ll humbly follow) a convoluted, confusing, cultural landscape.

From the Staff

• Fortunate Disillusionment by Anne Hartman
  Bonhoeffer reminds us that it takes a certain amount of disillusionment for us to realize that community is not sustained by our ideas of what it should be, but by God’s grace.

From the Fellows

• Reflections of Moments on the Fringe by Mary Catherine Caldwell
  My soul is being summoned, my true name is being called, and I feel that the veil between this world and the next is very thin. Moments like these when one is caught up in worship and awe of the living God are so precious.
• And Here Is a Lanyard: A meditation on learning to give good gifts by Sarah Mackin
  What I am learning during this busy time of Advent is that loving God and loving my neighbors means putting down my shopping lists and fancy wrapping and offering myself as a gift. It’s not that the formal stuff isn’t worth something. It’s just that it doesn’t mean anything if I don’t put myself into the giving.
• God With Us: Living Daily in the Real Presence by Stephen Ogden
  We have to truly dwell in and feast on his presence at all times. We don’t simply put the future and our will in his hands—we taste and feast on him now.

Alumni Reflections

• Read Not Want Not by Jamin Warren
  The cold reality, and for me, it is chilling, is that I cannot read everything before I die.

Upcoming Conference

Have you registered for the Wilberforce Weekend with Micheal Flaherty and others at Osprey Point? This “look at world-changing faith” runs January 19–21, 2007.

Reflections