Forecast

Author and mentor Linda McCullough Moore reads and discusses her poem 'Asylum', reflecting on the choices and circumstances that have brought us to the present moment. She describes her experience on pilgrimage to Northumbria, UK, and the importance of connecting with the landscape and fellow pilgrims. For Linda, the spiritual journey is not only about mentally assenting to doctrines but primarily about engaging one's heart with God, other people, the world and oneself. Linda's faith, she says, depends on being connected with her local church through small groups and with God through prayer.

Church musician Matt Bickett explores the roots of his family and wider Appalachian culture through visiting the gravesites of his ancestors in eastern Kentucky. He connects this journey with his theological study of St Gregory of Nyssa, who taught that perfection is possible only through God's grace and requires an ascent into God and at the same time a descent into mystery. Matt describes the contributions Appalachian culture can make for oppressed communities in other locations.

Will, Jarel and Josh review the first three conversations of the season. In response to the conversation with Ryan Keating, they discuss intentionality and attentiveness in worship and our daily lives. In response to the conversation with Jessica Walters, they discuss being fully human and alive in Christ as the goal of our faith as well as the church's engagement with the arts. In response to the conversation with Roger Belbin, they discuss the strengths and weaknesses of communal participation and how joining communal activities can draw us out of ourselves towards those around us.Note: the quote commonly attributed to St John Chrysostom in this episode may be an interpretation of his Homily 50.4 on the Gospel of Matthew. 

Roger Belbin describes a pilgrimage he and his late wife used to go on in honour of St Alban, the first martyr of Britain, joining their local church and culminating in a worship service. He also describes walking portions of the Camino de Santiago in France and Spain. Roger reads a poem recently published on Foreshadow about virtual worship during the pandemic and describes the influence that a devotional book and music have on his faith.Link to Roger's poem: https://www.foreshadowmagazine.com/magazine/worship-in-covid-times

Poet and writing professor Jessica Walters describes her journey from a tradition that overemphasised external achievements, such as rote Bible memorisation, to a contemplative reintegration of scripture and personal involvement, faith and creativity, word and silence. One of her formative experiences was working in solitude as a medic in the forests of British Columbia. Illustrating her journey, she reads two of her poems, 'The Sunday Blues' and 'A Liturgy of the Wilderness'.

Pastor, poet and winemaker Ryan Keating reads and describes two original poems about wine and communion soon to be published on Foreshadow. Then he describes how he has, in retrospect, understood his exilic journey to Cyprus as a pilgrimage, one in which he has discovered deep wells of healing. Finally, he shares how ancient Christian prayers and cooking with his family have provided nourishment.Links to Ryan's poems:And Lift Them (for victims of the recent earthquakes in Turkey; Agape Review): https://agapereview.com/2023/02/17/andliftthem/​Overshadow Me (Agape Review): https://agapereview.com/2023/02/17/overshadowme/