Vox Veniae Podcast

During this season of Lent, Gena St. David reflects on what stops us from coming to God as we are in the moments when we are most in need [Isaiah 55:1-3].

Reflection:

What stops us from coming to God “unprepared?”

In what areas of life are we feeling most “unsatisfied”?

How might we come to God more quickly when we feel “unloved”?

During this season of Lent, Christopher Mack invites us to reflect on and consider awe and wonder as our guide towards the divine [Genesis 15:1-6].

Reflection:

Where in your life have you experienced awe?

Would you like to see awe open up some part of your life to more hope?

How might you look to awe to guide and energize your journey?

Practice:

Take a short walk. Even a few minutes to get out of the office or to walk through your own backyard can be a refreshing change. Read Luke 24:13-16. What things keep you from recognizing Jesus in your life?

Go for a nature walk in a nearby park. Read Psalm 24 before you head out the door. What difference does it make to think of the whole earth and everything in it as the Lord’s?

Take 5 minutes just as you are waking to set your intention for the day. You might say: “Today, I will be awake to the world.” Use all your senses. Take a moment to breathe. What aspects of nature do you notice that you might not otherwise? What is attracting you? Where is Spirit present?

Resources:

Book: Days of Awe and Wonder (Marcus Borg)

Book: Sacred Pauses (April Yamasaki)

During this season of Lent, Weylin Lee reflects on how we are invited to embody Jesus' solidarity with the powerless [Luke 4:1-11].

Reflection:

What is our relationship with power and powerlessness in our lives?

How are we invited to embody powerlessness or be in solidarity with those without power?

Practice:

Solidarity with the hungry. Find ways to use our surplus to ensure an abundance for all. Volunteer with an organization like Keep Austin Fed.

Downward mobility. How are we driven by our need for power and control? How might we consider letting go of power and privilege that we normally take advantage of?

Resources:

Organization: Keep Austin Fed

Speech: President Volodymyr Zelensky's Inaugural Speech

David Wallace reflects on our invitation to perceive the miracles in our lives that aren't possible from a human perspective [Luke 9:28-43].

Reflection:

What are "old stories" in your lives that you're holding on to?

What would new versions of these stories look like if you could perceive them differently?

Gena St. David reflects on how God is leaning toward the ones in need and suffering rather than the powerful [Luke 6:20-22].

Reflection

What mistaken notions of God might we have inherited?

Who are we being called to lean toward?

What does a Christ-like response to violence look like?

Resources

Book: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Christopher Mack reflects on how resurrection hope invites us towards the redemption of our world and partnership with God through an embodied life [1 Corinthians 15:12-20].

Reflection

How have you been longing for transformation or groaning against injustice this week?

How does Jesus’ embodied life challenge you to see the image of God anew in creation, community, or in your own beloved body?

Practice

Breathing exercise (by Cole Arthur Riley). Inhale: This body is good.  Exhale: I will not abandon it.  Inhale: The sacred is in the physical. Exhale: There is wisdom in this breath.

Resources

Book: God is a Black Woman (Christena Cleveland)

Writer: Cole Arthur Riley

Weylin Lee reflects on our invitation to move toward Christ in this season of disruption and disconnection even in the midst of fatigue and uncertainty  [Luke 5:1-11].

Reflection

How are you creating space for the mystery and presence of God?

What is Christ inviting you to consent to in this season?

How is your calling being shaped right now?

Practice

Welcoming mystery and presence.  How are we making space for both the mystery and presence of God? How are we making space for non-dualistic conversations and interactions?

Lowering friction in our lives. Identify the sources of friction that keep us from consenting to the way of Christ.  Consider how to lower the friction in our response to Christ’s invitations

Resources

Game: Wordle

Book: The Cloud of Unknowing

Video: Sky Brown Skates Mega Ramp

Podcast: Hidden Brain (Creatures of Habit)

Christopher Mack reflects on how Jesus confronts power and violence by inviting us to consider what peacemaking looks like [Luke 4:21-30].

Reflection

Where or what within your internal world are you struggling to be present?

How might you be invited to exercise power through peacemaking this week?

Kelly Cutbirth reflects on how we might facilitate meditation of the heart especially in the challenging circumstances we face [Psalm 19].

Reflection

What kind of song is your heart singing this morning?

In what area of your life do you feel the need to hide parts of yourself? How does it feel to imagine yourself being fully known in that space and with God?

Practice

Listen to a song or meditate with music.

Write a psalm and send it to a trusted friend.

Resources

Book: The Jesus Storybook Bible (Sally Lloyd-Jones)

Audio: Frio River Audio (Laity Lodge)

Weylin Lee reflects on how the gifts of the Spirit invite us to a practice and experience of unity with each other [1 Corinthians 12:1-11].

Reflection:

How would a lens of revelation impact how you see the gifts in others?

What is an outlet where your gifts might contribute to the common good?

Even in this challenging season, what might collective participation look like for you?

Practice:

Examine and adjust our lens. How might we be looking through a lens of rivalry? How might we adjust towards a lens of revelation? List out how we experience God through the gifts of others.

Consider an outlet for your gifts.  What are some outlets where your gifts might contribute to the common good?

Resources

Film: Encanto