We believe passionately that God has given us a mission: to draw others to know and experience in their lives the love of God in Christ. Sharing this “Good News” is at the center of our call and our life. In our chapels and retreat houses, and our online teachings, we hope to offer a still point in the midst of the chaos of contemporary life. We hope that as you explore these pages, you’ll find “Good News” that will help you live authentically, responsive to God’s call of love.
Celibate Mysteries – Br. Keith Nelson
“Celibate life can prompt some big, existential questions about the nature of human intimacy with God. When I look at the ring on my finger and imagine a similar ring on the (invisible) hand of Christ, I wonder: What does it mean to be invited to share an intimate relationship – the most intimate relationship – with someone who is so utterly mysterious?”
Br. Keith Nelson considers how celibacy can bear fresh witness to the infinite mystery at the heart of God (and the mystery in our own human heart as well).
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The Cypress and the Myrtle
“As Christians we long, not simply for things to change. We long, not simply for things to get better. We long for the promises of God to be fulfilled. And what promises they are!”
While life may feel cursed at this moment, Br. James Koester invites us to look, to keep watching, to turn our heads toward the promises of God.
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Defeating Enemies – Br. Nicholas Bartoli
“For Jesus, defeating your enemy had nothing to do with swords or armor. No, the only true way to defeat an enemy, even if the enemy is just an idea or way of thinking, is to accept the enemy, in love and compassion, until we stop seeing an enemy at all.”
Br. Nicholas Bartoli marvels at what it takes to love our enemy.
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Evangelism, not Wrath – Br. Sean Glenn
“Scenes of evangelism may be a challenge for us all right now. We are not presently going, there are no homes into which we might safely venture, no opportunities for face-to-face discussion, study, or prayer. Yet we still hear Jesus’s call, even in the midst of a crisis that would see us shrink back and retreat from the world to which we have been called to bring God’s love. Go.”
Br. Sean Glenn explores the invitations and challenges of ministry in the digital, pandemic moment.
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Reap Love – Br. Luke Ditewig
“How are you relating to neighbors and strangers? How might you be hording, seeking only your own security? How are you reaching out to share, connect, promote dignity, and seek justice? What is figuratively or literally growing in your garden?”
Reflecting on a garden venture at Emery House, Br. Luke Ditewig encourages us to sow righteousness and reap love.
Read MorePray for your deliverance – Br. Todd Blackham
“In this protracted period of pandemic, in the boiling pot of racial tension, in culture wars and divided families…I want to say, Here I am, Lord send me! But I’m beset, my voice just won’t respond. I’m left like a fish out of water gasping for oxygen. Powerless, helpless.”
Facing into our current powerlessness, Br. Todd Blackham invite us to enter the province of prayer, rather than action, by praying for God’s deliverance.
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Citizens of a Heavenly Kingdom – Br. David Vryhof
“We remember that although it is our home on earth, it can never be our true dwelling place. We will always be strangers on this earth, longing for our heavenly home, where we will abide forever in the presence of God, and where our true citizenship is to be found.”
On America’s Independence Day, Br. David Vryhof encourages us to balance American pride with Christian citizenship and the calls it places upon us.
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Hopeful Sleep – Br. Luke Ditewig
“In the suffering today, pray your hurt. Groan and listen to the groans of those around you. Look up to your stars, or hold onto your bread as hope that the God who has met you in the past is coming and will come in the future. The promise is real. There is a new Jerusalem where we will all sing together with joy. There will be healing for all the nations.”
In these challenging times, Br. Luke Ditewig invites us to acknowledge our suffering and hold onto tangible proofs of God’s promise and provision.
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Pulling Strings – Br. James Koester
“The call of Matthew was not simply an invitation to one individual to become a follower of Jesus. It was a sign given by Jesus to the world, of what the reign of God actually looks like. It is a kingdom of sinners, outcasts, and misfits.”
Br. James Koester invites us to look for the signs of the reign of God by finding the misfits who make up our community.
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