Jordan Stones Blog

As we leave October and all of the unrest in the world bleeds into the merriment of the holidays, how do we hold both beauty and the destruction that is playing out in front of us on the world’s stage? I was blessed by Sarah Clarkson’s words on beauty.  She has written on the subject in her book: This Beautiful Truth: How God's Goodness Breaks into Our Darkness .  She encourages us with the healing, transformational function of beauty.  Maybe it’s partly why our Christmas trees do our hearts so much good, the twinkling lights shining in a darkened living room penetrate not just the dark of the room but the residue of the day that may have been filled with too many pastries or parties or purchases.   She has a quote from a podcast I heard her on that I love several quotes from :  Well, [it is only for the affluent] if beauty is about having a perfect house. But beauty is healing those who have been hurt in a war zone. It's creating shelters where children can have refuge. It

  Let’s set aside a little time to slow down during advent and pay attention.  We are going to walk through the precious little book:  Silence and other Surprising Invitations of Advent by Enuma Okoro.  It is based on the unlikely story of Zachariah and Elizabeth and has true gems of how to integrate the whole of life into the sometimes lopsided season of Advent.  Meeting 4 Sundays for reflection on the weekly portions of the book, discussion questions for the live chat, guided Lectio Divina on a corresponding Scripture, a simple commemoration practice or ritual and lighting of the Advent candle. For this group offering, please feel invited to join with other Advent lovers for a private Facebook group with a private FB Live video every Sunday at 6PM EST 11/26, 12/3, 12/10, and 12/17.   It will be recorded if you can’t make it live.   It will include some don’t-miss points from the readings from the week. It will include a Lectio Divina reading on a portion of related Scripture It will