Word Made Flesh is a contemplative community. One of the ways that we contemplate what God is doing in the world and in our lives is through the reflection articles that we write. We invite you to read, learn, and celebrate with us.
Jesus Wept by Rachel Dyachenko
The Cry for Submission: Letter from the Editor by Emily Fales
Submission is a word that provokes significant discomfort for me. When I first saw that this was one of our lifestyle celebrations, my first instinct was to reject it. I think that is because there is a problem with our definition of submission. My mind is filled with instances of justified injustice under the noble…
A Conversation with Howard Snyder about His New Book: Francis of Assisi – A Movement Maker
Francis of Assisi, Movement Maker: The Unconventional Leadership of a Simple Saint by Howard Snyder Dr. Howard Snyder is a missionary, author, and professor specializing in the history and theology of mission. He serves as an International Representative for the Manchester Wesley Research Centre and is a valued member of the Word Made Flesh Advisory…
What Do We Mean By Mission? by Ariel Alexander and David Chronic
Word Made Flesh “Position Papers” do not necessarily represent the opinions of the entire WMF community, but seek to articulate alternative positions on issues of mission and spirituality. The starting points for these papers are the WMF identity statements and WMF’s commitment to living out these principles in daily life and ministry. What Do We…
Called to be Submissive by Samuel Ibrahim Samura
Called to be Submissive by Samuel Ibrahim Samura I was born into a family where both my parents and other family members are Muslim, and our culture demands that you grow up following their footprints. My name was not Samuel Ibrahim Samura, but Ibrahim Sorie Samura. “Samuel” was a name given to me after baptism because…
Turning Pages A Journey of Submission in Arizona by Mario and Lori Ciotola
Turning Pages A Journey of Submission in Arizona by Mario and Lori Ciotola “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship!” (Rom. 12:1) As Lori and I embarked on a journey from…
The Submission to Give by Ken Dean
The Submission to Give by Ken Dean Generous giving of ourselves replicates the life of Jesus. On a recent trip to the Navajo Nation with a group of college students, we discussed the idea of giving ourselves. We identified the contrast between giving out of our excess, with giving when it hurts. At a high…
Courage in Following God’s Will by Benjamin Grimm
Courage in Following God’s Will by Benjamin Grimm Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want He makes me lie down in green pastures He leads me beside still waters He restores my soul He leads me in paths of righteousness: for his namesake Even though I walk through the valley…
Submitted to His Will by Christian Alafia Cole
Submitted to His Will by Christian Alafia Cole My friend told me a story a while ago about a man who was tasked with demolishing a strong wall. The man spent months with a heavy hammer, hitting the wall as many times as he could, to bring the wall down, and eventually, succeeded. I wondered what…
Lessons in Submission: How Submission Guided My Mentorship with Mabinty by Ansumana Bangura
Lessons in Submission: How Submission Guided My Mentorship with Mabinty by Ansumana Bangura In September 2014, during our routine Thursday outreach in our community of Kroo Bay, I met a woman named Mummy Hawa. She told me about her financial challenges living in Kroo Bay as well as the challenges experienced by her youngest daughter,…
My first time visiting Word Made Flesh Romania by Jasmine Yoo
Krystal, our mentor for the summer, took the interns – Alice, Elly, and I – to Galați, Romania, to visit another Word Made Flesh center. We had been interning at La VIA in Chișinău, Moldova, for two weeks and we were going on an excursion to one of our neighboring communities in Galați, Romania. All…