Dear friends -
I am part of a series of retreats through the Transformation Center, which is the organization Ruth Haley Barton founded, where we study and retreat together nine times over the course of two and a half years. Which means, a few times a year, I get to hang with Ruth, which is a beautiful ongoing connection River Glen already has with Ruth through various book studies and retreats as well as having her here as a speaker a few times. Imagine my surprise when we greeted each other at the beginning of the retreat last Sunday and her face lit up: "I have the article that was in the paper about where you serve!" I had no idea we were in the paper, but as you can see, the above photo was in the Daily Herald on Saturday.
Our retreat was on the phrase, "For the Sake of Others." This is the last part of Ruth's definition of the need for spiritual formation which is the process of Christ being formed in us "for the glory of God, for the abundance of our own lives, and for the sake of others." We do the work of the church to give God glory and, yes, to our own benefit; but the part Ruth is known for emphasizing is that this is for the sake of others. That is our purpose in the world - to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. The Gospel Justice Center is a beautiful way we live into being faithful people of God for the sake of others.
What are you doing in your life to help Christ form in you so that you can be Christ for the sake of others?
See you Sunday!
Jess