My husband recently stopped by a party store to get some balloons for my birthday. He was struck by the New Year section that gave ample opportunity to “bash” 2020.
Why Pray the Examen at Year End?
It’s been a long and hard year. Before we bash, trash and set the dumpster to flame, will you take a few minutes to Examen the year in prayerful reflection with me?
The Examen is one of my favorite liminal moment prayers. As we stand at the threshold of something new, the examen calls us to first look back at where we’ve come from. We lament the things we must release. We celebrate what we have been released from. And we turn our gaze to the unknown before us. The Examen centers us in gratitude and hope, even during the hardest times.
But most of all, the Examen asks us to notice where God has been moving in our lives. It invites a fresh look back through the eyes of Jesus–through the eyes of Love. It is a collaborative prayer that joins us to the work of God in our lives and in the world. And perhaps from this place, we can be postured not only for renewal but for meaningful resolution.
Happy New Year everyone!
This Podcast relies on shares & reviews from listeners like you!
Subscribe/Rate/Review Betwixt on iTunes!
Learn more about the podcast at betwixtpodcast.com
Kelsie Meyers is a Spiritual Director at Flourish Contemplative Center in central Ohio. Her passion is pastoral care, creating community, and cultivating a culture where people are captured by the Love of God for the sake of the world. Currently, she is pursuing an MDiv from Ashland Theological Seminary and helping to plant an Anglican Mission in Columbus OH.
Missio Alliance Comment Policy
The Missio Alliance Writing Collectives exist as a ministry of writing to resource theological practitioners for mission. From our Leading Voices to our regular Writing Team and those invited to publish with us as Community Voices, we are creating a space for thoughtful engagement of critical issues and questions facing the North American Church in God’s mission. This sort of thoughtful engagement is something that we seek to engender not only in our publishing, but in conversations that unfold as a result in the comment section of our articles.
Unfortunately, because of the relational distance introduced by online communication, “thoughtful engagement” and “comment sections” seldom go hand in hand. At the same time, censorship of comments by those who disagree with points made by authors, whose anger or limited perspective taints their words, or who simply feel the need to express their own opinion on a topic without any meaningful engagement with the article or comment in question can mask an important window into the true state of Christian discourse. As such, Missio Alliance sets forth the following suggestions for those who wish to engage in conversation around our writing:
1. Seek to understand the author’s intent.
If you disagree with something the an author said, consider framing your response as, “I hear you as saying _________. Am I understanding you correctly? If so, here’s why I disagree. _____________.
2. Seek to make your own voice heard.
We deeply desire and value the voice and perspective of our readers. However you may react to an article we publish or a fellow commenter, we encourage you to set forth that reaction is the most constructive way possible. Use your voice and perspective to move conversation forward rather than shut it down.
3. Share your story.
One of our favorite tenants is that “an enemy is someone whose story we haven’t heard.” Very often disagreements and rants are the result of people talking past rather than to one another. Everyone’s perspective is intimately bound up with their own stories – their contexts and experiences. We encourage you to couch your comments in whatever aspect of your own story might help others understand where you are coming from.
In view of those suggestions for shaping conversation on our site and in an effort to curate a hospitable space of open conversation, Missio Alliance may delete comments and/or ban users who show no regard for constructive engagement, especially those whose comments are easily construed as trolling, threatening, or abusive.