The only thing constant in life is change. Which means that we are eternally bound in incredible rhythms and cycles of growth, challenge, change and the deeper, robust coming again to see the face of God afresh in all that we do.
This issue not only marks the brisk change in temperature that marks the close of another year (oh, where did the time go?). But we also note the immensity of the move-and-shift momentum within Word Made Flesh right now. Much of what we have known and found familiar is changing.
We are celebrating the transition of two phenomenal leaders, Chris and Phileena Heuertz, who have been here in many ways from the very start. We are remembering the foundation laid for the last 20 years, and are visioning and planning to sustainably create change and manifest hope for the 20 yet to come. And all of this is bound together by our celebration of Service as an expression of our fellowship.
For those of us who work on The Cry, there are some specific ways we too are seeking growth. Our goal here is connection, to be a touchstone between our communities, to mark, remember and herald the good news we are bearing witness to in the world. And we think we can continue to do that very thing better.
We believe that Word Made Flesh has an important story to tell. And we want to deliver on that as best we can. So we invite your feedback: if you have ideas about how we can learn and develop, we would love to hear from you. We have the blessing and task to bring together an extremely diverse set of communities and stories of faith, and we want our readership to take seriously that you are woven into this story with us.
We also invite your grace. As we seek to live our call to advocacy better, 2013 will bring some new fire, some experiments, and much of the unexpected. We’re learning, too, how to do connection well. And we thank you for keeping us humble and courageous in all that we do. May this issue bless you, and inspire you, to seek growth in the service and gift of your own life.