The Marcella Project

Sharon Brous discovered a Midrash teaching from the 3rd-century Jewish legal compendium about an ancient ritual where ten thousand people descended upon the Temple en mass. The people formed two circles; one group went right, while the other went left. Those going right, life was doing okay - for now. Those circling left, not so much. They were in pain, suffering, deeply sad.

Those circling right would look each bereaved person in the eye and say something like, "I see you." "You are not alone." "May God comfort you." "May you be wrapped in the embrace of this community."

The ill or bereft person walking left might respond, "I am broken." "Our son is sick." "I am feeling lost." "My husband left me."

This is an example of community care; it's a way we heal from trauma. I love what Brous says about this in her book "The Amen Effect." She states, "Today, you walk from left to right. Tomorrow, it will be me. I know that eventually, you'll hold me...This ancient ritual [helps reshape our understanding of the power of community.] It taught [her] the transformative nature of showing up when we want to retreat, of listening deeply to each other's pain even when we fear there are no words. Of grieving and rejoicing together, and recognizing that even though we can't heal each other, we can and must see each other."

Where have you experienced trauma healing from community care? What results when it's not done or poorly done? How can we become better at being people who walk the circle?
https://www.themarcellaproject.com/jackie-always-unplugged/112-faith-trauma-and-transformation-a-conversation-with-dieula-previlon-on-her-new-book-does-god-see-me

Sacramental - a sacrament, in its most general sense, is something through which God is revealed to us and through which we can encounter God.

This weekend, I traveled to Northern Idaho to listen to women preach. I was exhausted before I went. Friends prayed. My time with these women preachers was a delight. Tired, yes, but delight!!!! To see and hear them preach with such confidence and skill! Thank you, Jesus, for all you have done and continue to do in their lives. Change the church in northern Idaho through these fierce, loving- Jesus women.

Steve and I stayed on for another 24 so I could spend time in nature. The sacramentality of nature is one of the ways I enter into God's wonder.

I hope you had time to listen to our discussion on WONDER with Shawn Lee Small. More so, I hope you are out there wondering and finding wonder. https://www.themarcellaproject.com/.../-107-into-the...

This week, I spoke with my mystic friend, Shawn Small, about his new book, Into the Wonder. If you need an awakening of wonder, this episode is for you.

Here's just a few words from Shawn about the eclipse and our innate need for wonder.

“We went out in our backyard with our glasses, and we watched this event happen. The direct path of this event was over 32 million people, but they're saying there were 200 million people that came together for five hours. They shut down their businesses. Crime went down to almost nothing. We all gathered as humanity, 200 million people to watch an event that the actual part of the event, the totality, was going to last two to four minutes. And everybody should ask, what is it within us? That's not practical. There's nothing even quote-unquote productive or theological about this, but we were all drawn, and people are now telling their eclipse stories.

It's because, and man, when I sat there, I probably did as you did and everybody else, when that totality happened when the moon covered over the sun, all I heard throughout our neighborhood was children screaming and clapping throughout our neighborhood, like all in yards and at the park and at schools, and adults, all of us went, whoa.

There were no words. It was just, it was just this moment of awe.
Why would 200 million of us plan this? Dallas alone had an influx of 1.25 million people. That took up every hotel room and every Airbnb property to come and see this three-minute event because we long, we hunger for that, the sublime, for wonder, for awe, for those moments.

And when I hear people saying, that this cosmic moment of wonder was the most incredible thing that's ever happened in their life. And I think. Okay, but that's sad to me because these moments are all over the place all the time in so many ways, all the time. God has overflowed this universe with wonder. It's us that don't take the time to slow down. We don't take the time to stop and listen and hear and see. There, it is - everywhere.

# 107 Into The Wonder With Author Shawn Small — The Marcella Project Shawn exemplifies the true spirit of the Blessed Alliance, proving that men and women can work together in harmony and mutual respect. We'll dive deep into his new book, 'Into the Wonder,' exploring themes of faith, understanding, and the beauty of wonder.