Journey Center Blog

I haven’t written a post in a while. I figured it’s time again. Like the rest of you, I’ve had a busy summer- running around, taking vacations, visiting with friends and family, having barbecues, soaking up every possible moment of sunshine before the clouds and cold set back in. (I live in Seattle.) This has been a wonderful time of refreshment for my soul.

I have been experiencing God’s presence like the sun lately- a warm, relaxing, encouraging, peaceful presence deep in my soul. I’ve had a lot of changes in my life and heartaches over the last year (a lot of “rain”). But I find that no matter how cloudy it is on the inside, I can always return to God’s presence and find the peace and comfort and hope I need. When I feel like the storm will last forever, He is there reminding me of the internal sunshine and warmth He brings. His love and presence is like a bright, shining light radiating out of my heart and reminding me of all the joys and blessings in my life.

As the fall approaches, I am thinking about how my routine will settle down a bit. I’m returning to school and starting to think through the activities I will participate in each week and how I’ll schedule my time. For those of you in Sonoma County, as you are planning your fall schedules, check out the Journey Center website. It has been recently updated with all the events for this Fall. Make plans now to take advantage of all those gatherings and events that allow you to slow down and return your focus to the presence of the Holy within you. Wish I could join you!

One of the beautiful wisdom tales I am so often reminded of at The Journey Center is the Sufi teaching that each person is a colorful reflection of the Holy–for example the passionate person shines with the red light of God, and the scholar with yellow; the healer with green, the peacemaker with blue–and together we reflect the white light of God. When I look around the groups I go to at the Center, I am always delighted to meet the scientists who speak of God in the language of quarks and black holes and other quantum mysteries. I love the passionate social activists, and the sometimes quiet/sometimes flamboyant  mystics, the ones who bring a Bible to every meeting,  the healers whose language is the body and movement, the storytellers and comics and the ones who have the gift of tears. Some of the moments I most cherish are when I actually get to experience how a person different from me comes to know the Divine. It was amazing for me to finally realize that a man who has been coming to a Jesus conversation group at my house for close to 3 years is not ’stuck in his head’ but in fact truly experiences the Holy through his mind and craft…I had always assumed there had to be some sort of emotional–maybe even cathartic- event– but he knows God while fixing a car for his grandaughter and seeing with pleasure how the engine works, and knowing he is giving this young woman a meaningful gift. Who knew??

We have a LOT of ‘colors’ at the center:>). Part of what I am enjoying learning– and it is not always easy or comfortable though ultimately it IS always joyful– is that when we gather together with the intention to deeply listen to one another, and to grow in love, even clashing colors can become Beauty. I give thanks to the Creator of All Color for that.

Because we work a couple of months ahead on our next newsletter, I am writing this article for the spring in the midst of a huge winter storm! The trees are bare and the temperature is cold. The thirsty California earth is soaking in the rain that drenches it. The sun hasn’t been seen for days and people run from house to car to business with umbrellas and raincoats for protection. (Some of you know that this is my favorite weather, but for the sake of all you sun-lovers, I won’t dwell on that! J )

Being in the midst of winter as I write makes spring, our next season, seem far away and hard to imagine… but one thing I know. It won’t always be winter. The sun will return and the earth will bud forth with new growth and new life. Blossoms will cover the trees and those beautiful spring flowers will appear. Just yesterday, as the rain poured down, I glimpsed tiny green spears beginning to break through the soil. Spring is coming!

It won’t always be winter. This is a lesson for life, don’t you think? If you find yourself in a difficult, stormy or just plain dreary season…take heart. When you wonder if you will always struggle or be stuck where you are, remember…spring is coming! New growth and new life are the promise we look forward to and long for.

Did you know that the word “new” appears almost 200 times in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible? It was a word that Christ himself used often as he spoke powerfully of new wine, new treasures and new life. And through the prophet Isaiah, a hopeful and encouraging message was given, one that is worth reading slowly and meditating on for a while:

 See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare;
before they spring into being I announce them to you.

 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.

There is an invitation here. God is present and active… often unseen and underground (like those spring bulbs sprouting forth). And we are invited to pay attention, to be on the lookout for the new thing that is about to burst forth and the One who is creating it.

Notice that we are not asked to make the new thing happen. Whew, that’s a relief! I am so grateful that it doesn’t depend on us and that there is a power at work that is beyond us! Our part is to believe the promise even when it’s hard to imagine, to notice the signs that transformation is coming, and to learn to listen for what we are being invited to as the seasons change and new things are springing forth in our lives and our world.

Here at the Journey Center we offer an abundance of resources that support and enrich us on this journey… resources that invite us to become more attuned to the presence of the Holy, to deepen our ability to listen and to allow the Spirit of transformation to be at work in us and around us. May you come to trust that a new thing is about to spring forth as you, too, respond to the invitation to perceive the loving and powerful presence of God with you. It won’t always be winter!

Spiritual Transformation in a Dry Land

by Joanna Quintrell, Journey Center Executive Director (5/09)

In 2000, I found myself in a spiritual crisis; the image I had was that of being “as dry as a desert”. Though engaged in much “doing for God” in my outward life, I had slowly and imperceptibly drifted from that life-giving place of “being with God” that I had once known.

I was thirsty… I was just beginning to get in touch with this longing for a deep and nourishing connection with the One who loves me and is present and active in my life (whether I am paying attention or not)!

I found some beautiful words that capture what I longed for then and continue to long for now… “The Holy One will guide you always, satisfying your needs in a sun-scorched land and strengthening your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” (Isaiah 58:11)

My own journey of learning to drink deeply of the Living Water has included a number of spiritual practices, some of which might surprise you! In addition to spiritual direction, contemplative prayer and journaling, I have discovered the joys of being in the beauty of Creation, working out at the gym, taking naps (!) and being in community with others who recognize their thirst. I am also learning that true contemplation leads to action that is motivated by love, rather than some neurotic need for approval or success. All these practices, when I choose them, keep me connected to my own heart and the heart of the One whose presence, love and Spirit water the desert within.

Here in California, we find ourselves in yet another year of serious drought, with talk of water rationing making the headlines. I have been noticing the ways I choose to live my life as if I am practicing “spiritual water rationing”…perhaps you can relate to how busyness, too much work, neglecting your inner life, and a lack of play and rest can contribute to spiritual dryness. How easily I find myself there!

At the Journey Center, we offer a safe place where all are welcome to discover and explore what connects you to Living Water for your spiritual journey. It is our joy to offer a whole variety of gatherings, groups, workshops, retreats, outdoor adventures and health-related resources that are designed to help you drink deeply and flourish!

As you look through our website, I invite you to do so with this question in mind… “Is my inner life more like a desert or a well-watered garden?” If you find that you are thirsty, please notice what you are drawn to and consider joining us. You will be warmly welcomed, listened to and loved as you come to check out the growing community that is developing here at the Journey Center. And may your garden blossom as you are nourished by Love!