Happy New Year!
I want to share about Lifestyle Celebrations. If you have checked out the WMF website or read The Cry you might be familiar with this term, if not, this will be a very rough and brief introduction to the matter, but maybe it will inspire you to research more for yourself! Word Made Flesh established nine concepts, or Lifestyle Celebrations, believing that it is in the celebration of these principles that we are drawn closer to God.
The Lifestyle Celebrations are: Intimacy, Humility, Obedience, Community, Service, Simplicity, Submission, Brokenness, and Suffering. All nine are equal in importance and most beautifully experienced when in balance with one another but I want to focus in on one and share my present thoughts on Community.
Community is a place where discovery of self, others, and God has no boundaries. I get to know myself because I see the person that I am among others. How I react, learn, serve, love; they reveal my internal motivations and selfishness. I have been challenged, affirmed, and held accountable within close community; sometimes finding the only belief in myself to be the faith that others have of me. It is one of the sweetest moments when I learn something new about a close friend. To know someone, to be in relationship and share life with others, is sacred and touches/restores the very foundation of who we are. Rejoicing in accomplishments, mourning during loss, and sharing strengths/weaknesses are to be experienced with others. I experience God with people. To be in community, to be close to others, is life bringing and soul sustaining and I credit that entirely to the presence of God that I have found in community.
Thanks for being present in my life. Thank you for the ways you have instructed, supported, and loved me. Thanks for being my community, for being in relationship, for sharing kindred spirit.
As most of you know I have been sending out letters to petition for support to beginning working full-time with WMF. My recent account update was almost 50% of my financial goal. I am so close and very excited! Thank you!
Although I am ecstatic at your response, I am even more excited to actually be there so I ask that you help/continue to help! As I have mentioned before, all staff are responsible to fund their position in WMF. My monthly salary is $2,600 and I would love to have that entire amount committed through monthly donors. Please consider being a monthly donor in one of the following ways:
100 people to pledge $26 or
75 people to pledge $35
50 people to pledge 52
25 people to pledge $104
10 people to pledge $260
Know that any one-time gift is very appreciated. Also, any other ways you want to support me through this (notes, emails, phone calls, letters, etc.) would be graciously received! If you know someone who would want to partner with me in this, please pass along their information to me so I may contact them personally.
Remember WMF communities and efforts. If you have any questions, please contact me; I would love to hear from you!
Thanks for being with me!
Hilary
402.659.1345
5106 Mason Street Omaha, NE 68106