There are all sorts of ways our culture pressures us as individuals to "pull ourselves up by our bootstraps," but it's time to give that up.  What might be an alternative that naturally takes its place? Maybe the sort of interwoven community where we can be ourselves and deeply contribute!

Intention-setting and aspirations are one thing, but a lot of the pop-spiritual “manifesting” language directed to the universe sounds an awful lot like televangelist prayers to a vending-machine god. How can we strike a balance of having aspirations and goals without the magical thinking of prosperity gospel?

New Year, New You? We’re big fans of goal-setting, but wonder what it is about the calendar year turning over makes this the best moment to do the sort of aspirational, self-transforming goal setting? What would it be like to instead recognize that who you already are is just so beautiful and worthy of participating in the cozy slowness of the rest of creation?

Christmas gives us the beautiful opportunity to remember that divine love comes to look us in the eye. What could it mean that love is born, when so many are actively experiencing hurt?

“Joy to the world?!” How might our experiences of sorrow help inform our understanding of joy? What is the depth of joy beyond spiritual bypassing? Glad tidings of joy…but also metabolized sorrow and grief!

Peace…in a time like this? But conflict is everywhere. How can we possibly embrace peace in the presence of conflict? This episode helps us dream toward a potent peace, rather than phony one.

In the Christian tradition, “Hope” is associated with Advent, the season leading up to Christmas. But what does hope mean for us in a season and era that has primed us to feel somewhat cynical? When fear is given space to be recognized in this season, we wonder what depth of hope might be realized…

The skill in care we are building can have a massive impact on the common good. As we close our current conversation of CareIQ, Ian McConnell encourages us to take the leap in the moment we have and to take these tools along with us and put them into practice!

Culturally, we’re growing in an awareness of the experience of trauma, and that it has a very real impact on people’s lives. What is trauma, and how might an awareness of how it functions help us boost our CareIQ as care givers and care receivers?

Learn more at FabricMpls.com/CareIQ!

What is our responsibility to our neighbors and community at large, particularly with such close proximity to fear and division? We can grow our CareIQ beautifully for moments of tension and “othering” like we’re in today.