Vulnerability is not a weakness, a passing indisposition, or something we can arrange to do without; vulnerability is not a choice.

Ten adults face a layoff, a messy divorce, a big mistake, serious health problems, etc. You know, all the stuff of life that launches any of us into unwelcome, uncomfortable, inevitable change.

One of the elements that creates resilience in our lives is knowing that we can count on a community that will both support us throughout our spiritual journey and call us toward a vision of who we can become.

One thing I’ve learned about the word “resilience” is that it initially came from the field of metallurgy, describing how certain metals when heated will lose their shape, but when cooled can amazingly recover their original form, resiliently.

A famous rabbi once said the truth will set you free. Trouble is, the truth is truth, whether we like it or not. The truth is that we will all break in this life. That’s how we learn to recover.

Stunning in their endurance, despite chain saws and sewage spills, mounds of old tires, garbage, plastic bottles that blanket creek banks...

Times that are hard require more spiritual practice for me. This past year, I’ve been hard at work strengthening my spiritual systems to create more resilience. For me, stronger resilience requires building flexibility, love, agility, and willingness.

You know those little, colorful, ultra-bouncy Super Balls? That’s what comes to mind when I think of the word “resilience.” People and other beings who are resilient bounce back when they get dropped.

...that congregations and individuals are welcome to share material from Quest Monthly, provided credit is given?

I began to ask each time: “What’s the worst that could happen to me if I tell this truth?”